Anciently, the keystone was the central block fitted to hold up an archway.  Like the first domino to fall, removing the keystone would set off a collapse of all of the other bricks in the arch.  The beauty and practicality of the archway thus relied primarily on a small piece of the construction.

More recently, the concept of “keystone habits” has been popularized in productivity literature and podcasts.  The idea here is that there are certain life practices that have a domino effect and kick other habits into gear.  For example, I consider exercise as one of my keystone habits.  Exercise clears my head, lifts my mood, motivates me to make better food choices, and allows me to better manage my energy.

Likewise, there are certain leadership practices in a school setting that can have a multiplier effect.  These potentially small actions have an outsize ability to move work in powerful ways.  Here are just a few practices that I’ve seen have a keystone like impact across a school.

Classroom walkthroughs

This is the bread and butter practice of an instructional leader.  You spend as much time in classrooms as you possibly can.  It seems simple, but can prove to be surprisingly elusive.  The temptation to retreat to the office is real.  There are so many moving pieces in a school that require constant attention.  Sometimes putting out fires literally requires you to extinguish fires in the trash can.  Yes, you are the lead learner, but you are also the lead investigator, student advocate, conflict mediator, chief business officer, incident commander.  Despite your efforts to build the capacity of your team to take on the pieces of the work that draw you away, it is easy to spend a lot of time sorting out the logistical details.  Plus, in a profession where teacher autonomy and privacy are highly valued, being in classrooms can sometimes feel risky.

That is why it is so critical to push through and get into classrooms as often as possible.  It reinforces instructional expectations.  It leads to conversations and feedback about student learning.  It grounds decisions in awareness of what is actually happening in classrooms.  It provides visibility.

One of my favorite trainings, one that I have blogged about in the past, is the Breakthrough Coach with Malachi Pancoast.  While there are many critical elements to his approach to principal effectiveness, at the core is his declaration that principals are coaches, that the game is unfolding in real time in classrooms, and that your primary leadership responsibility is to be in the places where the game is being played so you can coach and guide your players.  He points out that many of the things school leaders do in their offices could also be done in classrooms – writing memos, answering email, reviewing data, etc.  Admittedly, sitting in the back of a classroom checking email may not be the best way to engage in a classroom (and I doubt Malachi thinks that either), but the point is well taken that sitting in your office checking email has even less positive benefit.   

My personal strategy was always to get into classrooms first thing in the morning for as long as I could.  I would put off other tasks until I could at the very least ground my day in classroom instruction.  Some principals strategically calendar with their APs (if they have them) to rotate supervision and “emergency” coverage to provide everyone the opportunity each week to spend extended blocks of time in the classroom.   Whatever the strategy, committing time to be in classrooms signals that what happens in classrooms is what matters to you.

Collaboration by Substitution

Just like a principal should be in classrooms every day possible, as a district administator I try to start each morning at a school.  There is something about being in classrooms and other school spaces with our kids that keeps me tethered to the work.    Being on campus allows me to see the work as it unfolds, interact with the staff members who provide direct services to our students, and get ideas for how to improve current practices and potentially enact new ones that will have a positive impact for kids.

This week, for example, I spent an hour walking classrooms with the principal of one of our smaller elementary campuses. Our conversation touched on a broad range of topics.  This principal mentioned something, almost in passing, that immediately struck me as deeply powerful.  He mentioned how each month he offers to teach the ELA block in each classroom to provide the general education and special education teachers time to collaborate.  For context, this school is a site where they have promoted a co-teaching model.  I went from room to room where general education and special education teachers were working closely together, coordinating their combined expertise and capacity to provide powerful small group learning experiences for all students.  .

Now fast forward back to the comment about substituting monthly in each class.  Not only was the principal creating time for staff to collaborate – the most important ingredient for quality co-teaching – but he was also demonstrating his belief that teacher professional learning and collaboration is worth his time.  He was demonstrating that he was willing to roll up his sleeves as a partner to move the work forward, not to mention showing his staff that he still loves to teach.  This one simple act of subbing into classrooms has a keystone effect on his school, enhancing relational trust, improving coordination of instruction, driving an inclusive culture, and building leadership capital to enact the next piece of the improvement agenda.  It’s simple but brilliant.   

Student Leadership

Your students can move your school faster than anyone on your campus.  They immediately bring clarity and moral authority to the improvement work of the school. They spend ALL DAY in your classrooms and offices with your staff.  They know who is there for them and who can’t be bothered.  They know who is holding them to high academic expectations and who is letting them off the hook.  They are the native experts of school.

Which is all why engaging the student voice in the improvement of school is not just the educationally sound thing to do, it is a strategic necessity.

Sometimes, when I walk into a classroom, I will immediately be approached by a student who has been trained and developed as the classroom ambassador.  The student answers my questions about the structure of the class and the purposes behind those structures.  The student gives me the tour and points out key information about how learning happens in the different spaces of the room.  Even for the skeptical visitor, there is something authoritative about coming face to face with an articulate student who is ready to explain, champion, and defend the learning space.

Similarly, school leaders who prepare, empower, and invest in student leadership at the school are setting into motion a powerful set of forces.  Students can internalize and capture the vision you are trying to promote, and then spread it faster and deeper than you could ever hope to accomplish on your own. It’s a natural collaboration, as your student leaders share a vested interest in the quality and reputation of the school.  Plus, some of the most powerful mentoring and leadership learning your students will experience in your school will come from your investment in them as leaders.