Implementing A Self-sustainable Community Project 2

Implementing a Self-Sustainable Community SUNY 1 Credit Module Project June 13-14, 2009

Agenda   

Review Module 1 Definition of terms Theories Review Expectations and Assignments Self-study course  Reading for tonight 

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Initiation of the project Implementing your project

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“Simple changes are the ones school systems are least likely to adopt and implement successfully” 

Why?

Review terms: Primary Definitions        

Self-Sustainable Community Project Limitations/Unintended Outcomes Budget Impact Short Term Long Term

Secondary Definitions       

Benevolence Altruism Empathy Selfish Caring Ethics Morality

Review Concepts: Morality 

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Humans are different from animals because we have the capability of asking ourselves, “What should I do?” Moral relativism suggests that customs and traditions that vary from culture to culture determine much of our morality.

Morality 

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In this theory, we look for consistency-if it is wrong for Mike to cheat on the test, then it is wrong for Allen to cheat on the test. It is also important to consider the facts and are the facts true: for example, Marijuana should be legalized. What is right and what is wrong? What is good and what is bad?

Self-Interest Theory 

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Human beings are always and everywhere selfish. This is usually seen as the opposite of moral behavior. Even if there are moral principles, we are not capable of living up to them. “You are being selfish when you do what you want to do, and you always end up doing what you most want to do otherwise you wouldn’t do it at all.” Tennis vs. Visiting an old lady: one afternoon you have some free time, what

Review: Planning a Project 

First identify the “why” then you look for the “how.” Why are you doing this?  Who will be effected?  Cost: money (do you need money upfront?) human resources, materials?  Timeline?  Evaluation: is it working? 

Implementation and Sustainability “Well the hard work is done. We have the policy passed; now all you have to do is implement it.”

Communicating your Project Vision  

Clarity of purpose is essential A visions main function is to inspire people and to concentrate their efforts. 

Its not something you do by writing memo’s; you have got to appeal to people’s emotions.-IBM’s Louis Gerstner

Clarity 

Leaders need to provide vision that is clear, strong, and not dictatorial. Fosters trust-trust raises confidence and then people cooperate better.  Fosters commitment-people will want to be involved 

Why Visions Fail 

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Length-four or five pages of a vision statement are hard to follow. Fragmentation-trying to do/state too much. Impracticality-aims are unrealistic Clichés-a cascade of fancy slogans and currently popular words.

Vision Documents 

Too much: One covers both sides of an eleven by seventeen inch page, small font, lists vision, mission, eighteen values, three sets of goals; sixteen for students, eleven for staff and admin, five for the community and action plans for four years, with up to eighteen items per year.

Vision Building 

Practice Building a vision for your school. 

Write it down, share it with the group.

How to Build Support for your Project    

Who to include How often Evaluation Timeline

Project Implementation (Fullan 1991)

 Relevance 

Practicality + Need

This is the interaction of need, clarity of the innovation and what does it really offer the school. -How are you going to improve things?

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Readiness 

Capacity + Need

This involves the schools conceptual capacity to initiate, develop, or adopt a given innovation. Two groups: Individual and Organizational

Individual Individual  Does it address a perceived need”  Is it a reasonable change?  Do they possess the requisite knowledge and skills?  Do they have the time?

Organizations Is the change compatible with the culture of the school?  Are facilities, equipment, materials and supplies available?  Are there other crises or change efforts in progress? (the more No’s you have the more you need to reassess the “readiness” factor.) 

 Resources 

Availability-just because you have a good idea, are the resources there to carry out the plan?

Change is technically simple and socially complex, (Fullan) 

Projects once past the initiation stage become complex because they involve people.

4 Main Insights to Implementation 1. Active initiation and participationsmall groups of people Starting small, thinking big  Learning by doing  Building momentum  There is refutable evidence that widespread involvement at the early stages is feasible or effective. 

2. Pressure and Support  Pressure is good, it can lead to action.  Peer coaching provides both pressure and support  Pressure without support leads to resistance  Support without pressure leads to waste of resources (Fullan)

3. Changes in behavior and beliefs  Do changes in behavior precede changes in belief?  Ongoing and reciprocal  Critical to identify and assess

4. The overriding problem of ownership  Who owns the change and project?  True ownership does not come immediately  Think of good leadership skills

Implementation and Empowerment 

Implementation is doing-power sharing is critical How will you develop a collaborative work culture to implement your program?  Social process-nothing is more enticing than the feeling of being needed. 

Monitoring/Problem Solving 

Not evaluation but on-going process. Successful project monitoring is done by: Simplicity of presentation  Visibility of measurements  Everyone's involvement  Undistorted collection of primary information  Measurement of what is important 

2 Functions of Monitoring 

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By providing information on innovative practice it allows for access to good ideas. Allows for checks and balances as you scrutinize ideas. How will you gather data?

Why do projects fail?   

Lack of interest Inability to fund Lack of support

Homework 

Reading: The Logic of Failure (Dorner) Introduction-Chapter 2 pp. 1-48  Chapter 7: Planning 