Dec 14, 2023
Guest
Dr. Debra Gustafson is the Associate Superintendent for the Geary County Unified School District 475 in Juncture City, Kansas. Deb’s primary responsibilities focus on providing leadership and expertise in developing, achieving, and maintaining the district’s educational programs and related services to increase student achievement.
Summary
Our conversation focused
on the challenges and opportunities of education leadership,
particularly in the context of a military community and a
high-poverty school district. We discussed the importance of
supporting teachers' well-being, especially during the COVID-19
pandemic, and highlighted strategies for addressing teacher stress
and burnout. We also explored the role of school culture and
teacher support in creating a positive and effective learning
environment. Additionally, we delved into the flywheel concept for
school improvement and discussed education leadership challenges
such as teacher shortages and career guidance.
Key Takeaways
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Build and maintain a consistent strategic plan that eliminates adding flavor-of-the-month responsibilities to the faculty’s already considerable workload. this focus provides stability and avoids faculty burnout.
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Understand that student behavior is a way of communicating. To counter ineffective behaviors, the district promotes training around social and emotional learning, making it as important as traditional academics in supporting student wellbeing.
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Healing happens in the context of healthy relationships over time. Support staff across the district - nurture the nurturers - to help them best serve their students. Promote healthy school cultures by supporting everyone in the district.
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Adopt a flywheel mentality. Build momentum by focusing on achieving a few things that get the achievement ball moving. We can't do everything at once, but we can build toward better.
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Referenced
Books by Susan Engel
The Intellectual Lives of Children
Book by Todd Whitaker