It Takes a Village: How to Build Breakthrough Teams

Hi Educational Leaders,

In today’s newsletter edition, we invite you to take a deeper look at a vital component of school turnaround as well as the Educentric framework: the group that will spearhead the change efforts, or what we call the School Breakthrough Team.

What exactly is this group? What role do they play? And how do they directly contribute to achieving transformative success in your school? These are not your typical school improvement committees. This is a group of strategically selected individuals who are a part of a, high-capacity team designed to break through stagnation, challenge the status quo, and relentlessly pursue bold, measurable outcomes for students and families. Let’s explore how these teams operate and what sets them apart.

In all high-performing schools, you usually find teams of teachers and staff working together to produce outstanding and innovative results. These teams are fundamentally different from the teams found in low-performing schools or in schools whose performance is ‘stuck.’

Members of high-performing teams work at a frenetic pace and emanate high energy. They don’t make excuses and thrive on establishing audacious goals for the entire school.

They set those goals at the beginning of the year and then rigorously track performance toward achieving those goals. They also respect the needs of the parents and assume that parents want their children educated at above-average levels. These teams value thinking over doing. They understand that doing the same things they did last year will yield similar to nil results.

Principals in schools with high-performing school breakthrough performance teams understand and often encourage spirited discussions and disagreements. Members criticize ideas, but not each other. When working with Educentric to create school breakthrough performance, we encourage principals and central office staff to pay particular attention to who makes up their team.

If a school wants to create breakthrough performance, it has to start with great people. Principals need to pick people on their campus who are “influencers” and can communicate effectively to others during the change process. Great people understand that if the breakthrough performance team fails, they fail, and the school will fail to produce the desired results. If you want to eliminate mediocrity in your school, work on assembling individuals to serve on your school’s breakthrough performance teams who can work together, adhering to the following principles:

By adopting these principles, schools can cultivate dynamic, high-performing teams that deliver transformative results for all students.

A breakthrough doesn’t happen by accident, as it is designed. When you assemble the right people, equip them with the right mindset, and commit to a new way of working, transformation becomes inevitable. At Educentric, we help build, foster, and support the team that will carry your school’s bold vision forward. The question is: Are you ready to lead a team that breaks barriers and redefines what’s possible for your students? If so, contact us today so we can help!

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