From Vision to Action: Embedding Kids-First Leadership in K-12 Education

Dr. Jim: ThanKs for joining us today. This is your friendly neighborhood town strategy nerd, Dr. Jim. Building a unifying vision and mission is critical to the success of any organization. Unfortunately, for a lot of organizations, mission, vision, and value stays posted on the wall, but never gets embedded into the operating rhythm of the organization and their people.

This can happen in K 12 districts as often as it happens in the private sector. Today's conversation will talk through how to embed a kids first commitment culture at all levels of a K 12 district. So who's going to be joining us and sharing with us the story of how they did that? Today we have Dr. David Gentile, who is an accomplished educator with a doctorate in educational leadership and over 17 years of experience as a New Jersey school superintendent. He's rooted in the values of hard work and determination instilled by his working class upbringing.

ed to helping others succeed [: 00:01:00

He insists that students come first in the organizations that he leads, and David is also a devoted husband and father, leveraging his personal and professional experiences to create opportunities for students to achieve their dreams. David, welcome to the show.

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[00:01:29] Dr. Jim: Yeah, I'm I'm looking forward to this conversation and particularly because I'm always interested in conversations that move. From strategy to execution. So I have a pretty strong bias for action. So I like those action oriented stories versus the stuff that you typically hear in these conversations, which tends to be more theoretical than practical.

mportant things that we need [: 00:02:00

[00:02:14] David Gentile: You mentioned the working class background, and I think that's imperative that I bring out. Growing up, I worked in my dad's little heating and air conditioning business. Learned how to sweep a broom properly. And yes, my father could take 10 minutes to instruct you on the proper way of sweeping up.

But I learned the value of hard work and I learned the value of action. And in school I was in love with athletics, but not so much in love with the academic part. In short, I've had some, learning disabilities growing up. Found out later in life when I got to college, actually, that I was.

etty successful as a college [: 00:03:00

And, it first started by giving swim lessons at a, as a 15 year old looking for some other opportunities to make money that didn't include working in the family business. And I was good with kids and people took notice of that. And really I think their encouragement. Helped point me in a direction that's become my lifelong passion and that is, help helping people learn.

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So I would imagine that there was some point that came up. [00:04:00] While you were growing up where you had to make a decision, do I stay in the family business or do I strike out on my own? So tell me, tell us a little bit more about that crossroads and how you navigated that because that had to be pretty difficult.

[: 00:04:13

As a means to improve a position in life or to pursue other options and for my sister and I, it was incredibly important to them that we had those other options. They wanted us to go to college. I don't think at the time they realized exactly why or what that. Would mean for us, but they did make school important.

oing to work with dad in the [: 00:05:00

[00:05:16] Dr. Jim: There's another aspect of it that I want to dig into and that you mentioned that there was a set of non negotiables. You had to get decent grades and it wasn't optional for you to not help out in the business in your. Quote unquote off time. What did that teach you or how did that shape you in terms of your overall philosophy on education and leadership?

[: 00:05:36

That'll determine what you get [00:06:00] accomplished. Working with my dad, I knew was a non negotiable after school when I wasn't in a season, a sports season, he did allow me, to go to practices and those kinds of things. But if it was an off season, I knew I was working on service calls before and after dinner every night.

So that meant when I got finished, I had to get, homework done and get ready for the next day. Same thing for Saturday mornings. We began very early, 6 30 AM. I had to be ready and be on the truck. So yeah, so it just helped me organize my time in a way that, I value now.

I don't think I valued it so much as a teenage kid, but

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[00:06:58] David Gentile: Yeah, I think my [00:07:00] experience is powerful in the sense that it influences me as a leader. I think in pretty much every aspect of what I do. But as a kid. We didn't have a lot of these words that we have today. Dyslexia ADHD, all those things that we now understand a little bit better.

ttendance, I think, for that [: 00:08:00

It, I don't think it hurt that my sister was five years older than me and was a straight A student. And I think in some ways the teachers who had her gave me the benefit of the doubt where I don't think some of our kids these days are fortunate to always get that benefit of the doubt.

People were looking for ways that I could be successful and intelligent rather than maybe coming from it from a deficit standpoint.

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When you first got in your district and you've seen it evolve over time, what's the landscape of your district look like?

[: 00:08:54

So the lay of the landscape, as I saw it when I landed here, was we had a lot of caring educators working in the district And we had a lot of support from the community but not a lot of participation. It was more of, I trust the school is doing what it needs to do, for my kids. And there wasn't a whole lot of involvement beyond that.

ing and, that, that tells me [: 00:10:00

It doesn't tell me the full story. When I joined the Ewing school district and something I've done in the other places I've been, I embark on a 90 day entry plan and I come in, I tell everybody, I published the 90 day entry plan for everybody to see. So there's no surprises.

It outlines what I'm going to do for the next, 90 days of entering this district. I'm going to look, listen and learn. I'm going to meet with a variety of the stakeholders. I'm going to ask questions. I want to get their input. And I really that helps then better inform what the data. Means to me, do we have people that are apathetic?

Do we have people who just don't believe kids can learn if they come from a, maybe a tough background? So I needed to answer a lot of those questions. So coming in, that was my priority.

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[00:11:15] David Gentile: yeah, that's a tough question. For sure. But I'll tell you a couple of things that I noticed early on. I happened to come in at a time where we were presenting state test scores. And I noticed that at a board meeting, we had 4 people in the audience. 1 was the teacher association leader in leadership and a couple of their, other association members.

finitely should be questions [: 00:12:00

And then on the flip side, if we go to say family night at one of my elementary schools, it would be packed. And it would be a lot of happy parents, smiling, interacting with the kids, the teachers there it's a very friendly community and in that way, it's extremely supportive, if maybe the critical the critical eye of Asking more than are these people good, right?

Because, I think that they met the teachers and if you meet our staff, we have wonderful staff members. Great people like that. Make them feel welcome. So we exceed in that area. But when we, when it comes to pushing academic Improvement and academic achievement. That's an area that I felt I could help with.

[: 00:12:48

The broader conversation that we're having is actually putting kids first as an operating mentality and commitment. So how did those two things come together in your overall philosophy or strategy for the region?

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Okay, so it tells me that, we're not at state average or better. That's where I think a district that, like Ewing, like where I'm at should be targeting. We should be trying to get to state average or better. We should shoot for the moon, of course, but, realistically probably falling right around the state average.

own the data and look at the [: 00:14:00

This was by no means people purposely leaving kids behind or, falling short of including every kid or putting kids 1st because there's You know, they're not good people. These are good people who needed leadership and they needed people to come in and help drive these conversations in a way that didn't feel threatening.

And putting kids first, it's more than just some phrase that I say as an educator, it has to become the linchpin or the, the centerpiece of everything that we do. And that takes time and it's not something we can fix easily. But that's where my mindset came from.

at state assessment, we see [: 00:15:00

That starts my driving force is to try to make sure all kids are being thought of in these planning conversations.

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So I get that as a philosophical call. Pillar, how did you actually turn that into an actual reality that can be executed day in day out? What was that process like

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These are non negotiable parts of who we will become because, obviously, if we're not willing to be the example and be the voice, others are not going to do that. If we don't do it. Putting kids first is the other ocean. I'll say Japanese use the word ocean for that. It's the direction.

So we're going to use the phrase kids 1st and all that we do. And then when we're making decisions, we're going to make sure that. We're asking, can we honestly say that this is in the best interest of kids and all kids

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Why are we talking about something that we already do? So how did you bridge the gap between the difference between what we're actually doing? And what actually doing things well looks like from a kid's first perspective. That's the piece that's a little fuzzy for me

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And for us we represent the values for our leadership team. We use the acronym STAR. So our STAR values. So students first. accountability and respect. Those are the things that we are going to stand behind as a leadership team, all members of this leadership team. Cause we built this value set together.

We [: 00:18:00

It's a thumbs up, a thumbs to the side, and then a thumbs down, a thumbs up means I'm good with this move on a thumb to the side means it may not be my favorite. But I support it and I can live with it. I like it. Keep moving. One thumbs down stops the leadership conversation. And we asked the person with the thumbs down.

ajor decision. And what that [: 00:19:00

We give everybody a chance to have their voice heard. We give we, we give everyone a chance to challenge each other too. If someone maybe thinks something is a thumbs down another member from the team can say I don't agree with that, but what about this? And so it starts to really take shape.

And have us be the example for how I think decisions should be being made in a district where, you don't have winners and losers. The only winners are the kids, right? And so when we walk out of a room, we're 100 percent supportive of whatever direction we're going. And, going back to the star values, that's how we built those.

ncourage you to challenge us [: 00:20:00

And if you let people start to take risks and you show them that you are encouraging them. To challenge things like that we elevate the conversation and we don't walk around with this artificial harmony, artificial. Everything's great. We're great here. You really can start to get to some tougher conversations.

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So I like that you're working on this as a leadership team and defining what good looks like there. Here's where I have a problem is that. If you try to do things from a top down [00:21:00] perspective, you can find a lot of resistance from folks that are on the front line who say this is disconnected from reality.

So how did you bridge that potential resistance when you develop this at the leadership level and you're trying to bring this to life at the front lines?

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But I'm On the on the, how do I put this in the front showing the way or modeling the way, but I'm right there with staff rolling up my sleeves. This isn't a top down organization. Then we take those same tools, the same conversations and the same value clarification and we.

ade level meetings and staff [: 00:22:00

[00:22:19] Dr. Jim: Now, I really like how you describe that because it actually talks, it actually speaks to what leading from the front actually looks like when you're talking about flipping the org chart on its side where you're at the front or alongside the front line. That's a Good perspective. I want to go back to something that you mentioned, which was the decisioning framework.

to build consensus and a way [: 00:23:00

How did you navigate a scenario where you're taking half measures at these key initiatives instead of going full bore? What was the process there to make sure that you have real commitment versus kind of a half hearted attempt at trying to impact change?

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However, all that fighting that happens and all the noncompliance pieces that you're not able to see happening really are going to set that. Initiative, whatever that changes that you're trying to get, it's going to set it back anyway. I believe in moving forward in ways that people can support and understand and that they're ready for.

While also asking [: 00:24:00

I think a lot of the resistance we've seen as school leaders or, as a leader period is sometimes there's just a resistance to being told what to do without giving them an opportunity to really have their voice heard and considered. So I find. That I get, I think, a lot more out of folks and certainly have been more successful as a leader using this format and this platform than maybe I did as a very first year superintendent where I thought I could just say what [00:25:00] I thought was right.

And we would just all do it right. That doesn't work.

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When that happens, what was your approach to deal with that situation and potentially overcome it?

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And I think they're all three of those were extenuating circumstances where the person was, trying to make a bigger political statement rather than actually in agreement or not in agreement with the direction we were taking. So yes, there are times where you would have to say, listen if we've had [00:26:00] ample conversation on this, we've given you ample opportunity to help move us in a different direction, compromising, moving forward. And if a person is just stuck to know, and it's obvious to everyone that it's a, that they're stuck to know, we move forward. We're not going to let someone, hijack the situation completely.

The purpose of the tool. Is, to give people weight behind their responses and then an opportunity to help find a way forward. But if you're just going to say no, and you're not going to help find a way forward that everybody can agree to, that's a, I think that becomes something completely different.

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So tell me a little bit more about when you applied kids first as a mindset and a [00:27:00] cultural pillar, how did that influence how you're actually evaluating a district overall and more broadly beyond just test score performance?

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This staff in Ewing, I can tell you was open, willing And excited about the opportunity to do better for our kids. I think that is an important piece of what any good, leader is looking for in a district is, are the folks that are here are they at the point where they feel like, oh, we've tried all this, we've done everything we can and, here comes another person going to tell us and and I can honestly say that here in Ewing That is not what I was met with.

[: 00:28:00

So I think that to me is a very good testament to the type of district that we have and how they've responded to my leadership when I came in. I'm asking some tough questions. Do you guys think that this is the performance level that our kids are just capable of, or can they do better?

And so that, that's one aspect of How I would evaluate this district is positive in that regards. The 2nd part is we launched into doing a strategic plan, which was something everyone was excited about doing as well. And the way I do strategic planning might be a little different than like other places.

This isn't some [: 00:29:00

So we did do a great strategic plan here. That's really the end. Helped develop some key goals, for us moving forward. And yeah, I'm really excited about where the direction is going in Ewing right now. And again, it's going to take time, but I think that we have all the right components in place and a commitment from a great board of education too is another huge part of it.

Our board of education could be a segment of its own, just how wonderful they are to work with.

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So when you look at where you're at right now. What's the progress that's been made? How has that impacted the families, the students, the educators, and the leaders within the district? Paint us a picture of what what that looks like.

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We have changed. The way we meet for sure. Teachers feel validated in having their voice heard and being able to really participate in the decision making process. We've made that a key part of who we are. We've put in benchmarking and other. Assessment tools that are giving us additional data aside from just state testing that wasn't in [00:31:00] place prior.

That's helping us, make better decisions instructionally. And curricular as we're moving forward in trying to advance student achievement. So I think we have a lot of early metrics that are pointing in the right direction. It's again, it's something that takes time. And I know that from a practitioner point of view, it's one of my key frustrations is how much time it does take.

But I'm excited about where we are. And I think that the impact so far is pointing in all the right directions.

[: 00:31:29

So if they're trying to accomplish that, whatever that might look like. What's [00:32:00] your advice in terms of how you actually operationalize that stuff and take it off of the paper and bring it to life in the actual district?

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And it always, it pains me when I find out that leaders are not taking time to be in classrooms, to be in meetings and sessions with our staff members. So I would make sure that your staff members feel valued and make sure that you are touching base with them frequently and that you have mechanisms in place for them to communicate.

there's a, another piece of [: 00:33:00

That also includes going back to that. The five principles that have worked for me is, ask yourself, Are you modeling the way or the things that you do day to day, helping advance that or working against it? And if you can't be honest with yourself, again, none of this is going to work. You have to know that your behavior, the things you say and do every single.

Minute is evaluated by people and that's how leadership gets credibility or loses it and it's much easier to lose it than it is to get it. Are you making sure that you're doing the right things day to day? And then inspiring the shared vision, make sure that people know what your vision is.

phrase for me. Going back to [: 00:34:00

Encourage the heart. Something simple I do is anytime there's a death in one of the staff members families, I write a handwritten card to them. And something as little as that goes a long way in letting people know that you see them beyond just someone that works quote unquote for them.

And I think it's important that we do that on a day to day basis is really encouraging, the human side of what we do. And then that last piece is just always challenging the status quo and making sure that you're not just accepting mediocre because it's comfortable.

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[00:34:43] David Gentile: I'm on X right now. At Dr. D Gentile and also feel free to email me

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So when I think about this [00:35:00] conversation that we had, there's an important element that I want to highlight that I think is worth mentioning for anybody that's listening as well. And that's this concept of underestimating the capability and the capacity of the people that you have in front of you. And I think that's one of the things that came out early in this conversation that I think it's worth mentioning.

We often fall into the trap of feeling comfortable in settling for mediocrity. And the reason why that is because it's comfortable. And what we don't realize is that we have the capacity for doing so much more. We just need to commit to actually doing those things. So the trick becomes, how do you free up the environment that you're in to tap into that capacity and tap into that capability?

so much more capability and [: 00:36:00

So I appreciate you sharing that. With us for those of you who've been listening to this conversation. Thanks for hanging out If you like the discussion make sure you leave us a review on your favorite podcast player If you haven't already done so make sure you join our k through 12 leadership community And then tune in next time where we'll have another great leader hanging out with us and sharing with us The game changing insights that help them build a high performing team