National School Reform Faculty

Steven Strull's Letter to the Field
July 19, 2006

Greetings to all,
It is with a great deal of excitement, energy, passion, and humility that I begin to take on the challenge as Director of the National School Reform Faculty. I believe this is a time for renewed focus, energy, and commitment in our work together and a reaffirmation that adult learning in the service of student achievement is a viable strategy toward reaching our mission’s goals.

I enter this role mid-way in my career – I have learned much to this point and I have much to learn. I am reminded of W.E.B. Dubois’ and others’ notions of masks or veils, that each of us is complex and who we are to others is in large measure what of ourselves we allow to be seen. As I consider the multiple perspectives each of us brings to this work and the significance of context in determining an approach toward reaching goals, I find this construct to be powerful. I have known many of you for many years; some of you are newer colleagues, and still others, I have yet to meet. As I know each of you in different ways and in different time spans, I believe I am known to many of you in different ways as well.

Some of our associations go back to the beginning of my educative journey as a classroom teacher at DuSable High School in Chicago. It is there that I learned of the Coalition of Essential Schools and the Annenberg Institute – organizations that would shape my views on education and my career in ways I never could have imagined.

It was during my second year of teaching when the confluence of small schools restructuring and professional collaborative community came into focus for me. As we began to construct our newly formed schools at DuSable – with children as co-creators – my assistant principal slipped me the “packet” of materials that eventually became my application to be a member of the National School Reform Faculty. Those were heady times with exciting opportunities for a new teacher and led to experiences and relationships that are with me to this day.

When my time at DuSable concluded, I continued my work, first at the Small Schools Workshop in Chicago, and then, at the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston where I continued to concentrate on school reform through the interdependent lenses of school size and community. Many of you knew me as a school reform advocate and professional development specialist, the names I chose to describe my work related to size and community. Concurrent with my professional journey, NSRF was in a transition of its own moving from the Annenberg Institute to the Harmony Education Center (HEC) and the beginnings of our vast national network of Centers of Activity began to expand and deepen.

In the summer of 2003 I received an offer I couldn’t refuse – the opportunity to work with Diana Lam who, a year earlier, had been appointed Deputy Chancellor of Teaching and Learning for the re-imagined New York City Department of Education. Some of you know me through this work as a central office staffer and field superintendent. And many of us have shared chuckles over my suits and my involvement in the bureaucracy of a large urban school district. As I reflect over my tenure with the New York City Schools, I still have much to understand about the masks I chose and presented during this period of my journey. I learned a great deal these past three years but they were very difficult lessons professionally. I often struggled to understand, negotiate, and navigate the hierarchical culture of a large urban school system and yet, ironically, these lessons were required and have prepared me to embrace the challenge and opportunity presented by leading NSRF. Our NSRF community has been my constant companion throughout my professional journey.

I assume the role of Director of NSRF at a time of great challenge and great promise. There is urgent need in all our schools for our mission statement to ring true. The mission of the National School Reform Faculty is to foster educational and social equity by empowering all people involved with schools to work collaboratively in reflective democratic communities that create and support powerful learning experiences for everyone. As I speak with folks from around the country I am reminded of the vibrancy and importance of our work. A quick glance at our website shows no less than 30 CFG coaches’ seminars this summer – a great flow of work we should all be proud of. Since our move to the Harmony Education Center, NSRF has gone through a period of growth and learning, however, due to the natural ebb and flow of funding cycles, many of those opportunities and sources of financial support are ending. I am pleased to report, though, that NSRF is part of a healthy not-for-profit corporation through its affiliation with the Harmony Education Center. There are many prospects to grow our work together.

The following highlights some of the many organizational and programmatic initiatives and directions that are either under way or are in the planning stages:

Frances Hensley, Daniel Baron, Debbi Laidley, and I will be on retreat for several days this month to continue the transition of NSRF to a single director model. Heidi Vosekas, as manager of the NSRF National Center, will join us for much of our discussions. Heidi and the other national staff members will play an increasingly more visible role in the life of NSRF. Among our agenda items will be the development of recommendations for the accountability task force on NSRF governance. As was announced earlier, this task force will bring a recommendation on governance structures and processes to the full Accountability Council at its fall meeting. There is a growing sense that NSRF’s accountability structures need re-visiting as we move to a single director model. We believe that through this process we can refine our current governance so that it better represents the richness and diversity of our NSRF community. Through this process, an accountability structure will emerge that will meet the needs of our organization as we prepare for our next ten years of growth.

Heidi and I will also be working together to reach out to all of the NSRF National Facilitators and Centers of Activity contacts to schedule regional summits or meetings. As I communicate with folks across the network, questions keep emerging as to what we mean by Centers of Activity and National Facilitators. Who decides and how does one become one? I believe it is time to do additional collective work to address these questions. In addition, it is very important for us to learn what kind of national center might be mutually beneficial to Centers of Activity and how funding and work opportunities might be co-constructed with Centers and National. The number and location of these meetings will be determined by working with our National Facilitators and Center contacts. Stay tuned for more information in the near future.

2007 Winter Meeting planning is well under way led by a team including folks from our Centers in Seattle and Portland as well as national staff and Accountability Council members who have been exchanging ideas since the National Facilitators Meeting in May. We are planning for another exceptional professional opportunity, so watch for a save-the-date postcard soon; we anticipate registration will be open by late summer. One important change we are considering is offering a Winter Meeting experience for CFG members as well as coaches. We would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this potential change either through one of our listservs or through individual communication.

In consultation with our current Connections Editorial Board (Debbie Bambino, Camilla Greene, and Peggy Silva) two important changes have occurred. Peggy, who has written many articles for Connections and has served on the board for a year, is leaving the editorial board. Peggy announced that she wanted to step down from the board but will continue to contribute editorial content highlighting NSRF’s work. We thank Peggy for her years of service and look forward to continuing to grow our institutional journal – a publication we can all be proud of and use in our work. With this impending change, it was collectively decided to increase membership of the editorial board to five members - Debbie and Camilla continuing in their roles and welcoming new members Debbi Laidley, Greg Peters, and Sarah Childers. This new membership configuration gives us broad geographic and role representation on the board. We are excited about the future of Connections.

Under the leadership of Frances and our colleagues Kevin Fahey and Gene Thompson-Grove from our Massachusetts Center and Scott Hutchinson, Harmony’s Director of Development, NSRF is collaborating with Rockman, et. al., an independent research firm, to develop a United States Department of Education grant to conduct research on the efficacy of NSRF practices on student achievement, specifically in literacy. This is potentially a multi-year project with the complete funding, investigation, and reporting cycle lasting 10 years.

These and many other opportunities are in the planning and investigative stages. We will report to you from time to time on the progress we are making and will look to your guidance and wisdom as we continue to co-construct NSRF.

With NSRF transitioning to a single director there is much to consider in terms of how our organization is led and managed on a day-to-day basis. The decision to move to this model took place over the course of many months and included the full participation of the Accountability Council, the Co-Directors, the HEC Executive Director, and the HEC Finance and Governance Committee. I was a part of these discussions long before my candidacy for the position was ever discussed and I believe there was unanimous understanding and support to make this change in our leadership structure.

I understand, accept, and believe that it is in NSRF’s best interests to move to a single director model and I take on the challenge of this role full of hope and promise for our future. However, I am not, nor should I or anyone else ever be NSRF’s only leader. Leadership within NSRF must come from a variety of places including the Accountability Council, as it considers its own role and future leading the organization; our national colleagues, representing National Facilitators and Centers of Activity; our colleagues at Harmony; and, our very capable professional national staff. Vibrant, clear, and accessible leadership from a broad constituency representing many voices is required to ensure our success.

As we continue, there will be many opportunities for members of our community to step up and take leadership roles – some of those opportunities are mentioned here, and others are yet to be imagined. It is both comforting and invigorating to know that there are a variety of perspectives, needs, and interests from across the country that will inform our work and continue to lead NSRF in its next ten years of growth and influence toward the realization of our mission statement.

Many have sat in the metaphor that is the NSRF director chair – together they have invented, led, and grown NSRF to be a professional development organization of uncompromising integrity toward the work and the schools, teachers, and children we serve. Special gratitude goes out to our founding Co-Directors Faith Dunne, Paula Evans, and Gene Thompson-Grove and to our current Co-Directors Frances, Debbi, and Daniel all of whom leave a legacy that I can only hope to fulfill through honesty, integrity, and hard work as we celebrate our past together and consider our future.

Additionally, I have the pleasure of working with colleagues at Harmony Education Center and its other divisions, including Harmony School, Rhinos, and the Research Institute. On a daily basis, we confer as we consider the growth of both NSRF and the Harmony Education Center and the impact and influence we can have on educational discourse and student achievement in this country. Steve “Roc” Bonchek and other Harmony colleagues regularly work with me, contributing to the health and vitality of NSRF. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and capable staff representing both NSRF and Harmony. The future of NSRF is strong.

I look forward to speaking with many of you over the coming weeks and months as we continue to collaborate around our work. I have already heard from many and know that others have tried to reach me but perhaps had an e-mail address that I no longer receive. If you sent me a note or left me a message and I haven’t responded, please know that I did not receive that note or message. Unless I am on vacation, I stick to the 48 hour rule – that is, I will respond within 48 hours of receiving your note or message. All of my contact information is below and I encourage you to reach out and discuss with me your hopes, fears, concerns, and ideas for growing our work.

As I continue my professional journey as Director of NSRF, I know the path will be filled with critical friends who have committed their careers to ending the predictive value of the hidden curriculum on student achievement. My dear friend and colleague Lois Butler reminded me recently that opportunities come along when one is ready for them. This notion is with me daily as I work with the understanding that NSRF and I are ready for each other.

I wish you all a peaceful and restful summer.

All my best,

Steven Strull

p: 516-593-2585
c: 646-285-4097
e: stevenstrull@optonline.net