PMP476: Leading a Community of Educators with Steve Ventura

A Quick Note to Listeners:

Before this week’s interview, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: 

I’m struggling with a new teacher responding to constructive feedback. Suggestions?

Listen in to hear their response!

Meet Steve Ventura:

Steve Ventura is the founder and president of Advanced Collaborative Solutions (ACS), a movement dedicated to empowering educators and students through collaboration, innovation, and impactful professional learning. With a vision of ensuring every child—regardless of background—has access to highly effective teachers and leaders, Steve provides practical, research-based strategies to drive meaningful change in education.

A dynamic and motivational speaker, Steve’s expertise stems from years of experience as a teacher (elementary, middle, and high school) and as an administrator, serving as an assistant principal, principal, director, and superintendent. His leadership insights have influenced countless educators through keynote presentations, professional development, and national conferences.

Steve is the author of several influential books, including Achievement Teams: How a Better Approach to PLCs Can Improve Student Outcomes and Collective Efficacy (ASCD, 2022). His newest ASCD publication, Improving Instruction Together: Leading Achievement Teams and PLCs, was released in August.

Now, let’s dive into the interview:

Welcome to a fascinating and insightful conversation with Steve Ventura!  In this podcast, you will learn how to lead a community of educators— a very different task than merely managing a school. Ventura points out significant issues like the unethical and morale-destroying impact of ignoring substandard teaching, as well as the “overconfidence bias” among leaders who overestimate their progress, leading them to overlook crucial areas for improvement. He also notes that leaders are frequently pulled away from instructional focus by other tasks that don’t directly impact student learning.

To address these challenges, Ventura champions specific approaches. He stresses that effective instructional leaders must embrace collaboration based on research-backed strategies and maintain a relentless focus on student achievement. His latest book, “Improving Instruction Together,” advocates for cultivating a culture of teamwork and shared responsibility, moving beyond individual principal efforts. He identifies three essential leadership characteristics: leadership clarity, leadership consistency, and leadership integrity. This foundation of relational trust significantly increases the likelihood of success with new initiatives. Ventura also highlights the importance of collective efficacy, defined as the shared belief within a group that they can positively affect the lives of those they serve. He notes that teachers with high collective efficacy are less likely to refer students to special education, as they believe they haven’t exhausted all efforts.

A few additional insights you will find in this conversation:

• Instructional Leadership Mindset: Leaders should approach their role with curiosity and a relentless pursuit of excellence, focusing on high-impact actions over simply “more work.” 
• Continuous Improvement & Shared Leadership: A mindset of continuous improvement is crucial, alongside a willingness to share leadership rather than shouldering every problem alone. 
• Student Well-being & Engagement: Promote student well-being through three levels of engagement:
  • Emotional Engagement: Giving students voice and choice in their learning.
  • Cognitive Engagement: Providing challenging learning experiences where students must problem-solve when stuck.
  • Behavioral Engagement: Seen as a positive outcome of strong emotional and cognitive engagement, leading to fewer issues.
• The Power of Goals: Setting clear, short-term goals (e.g., end of the month, not just end of the year) significantly boosts motivation and accelerates progress for both teachers and students. 
• Structured Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) / Achievement Teams: PLCs should be well-defined and structured, not merely rebranded staff meetings. Ventura outlines a four-step structure, and brings us back to a central question: “What do our students need us to learn before the end of this meeting?” PLCs should aim to acquire new knowledge and sensitively challenge current practices, not just maintain existing knowledge.
• Importance of Reflection: Meaningful reflection involves leaders openly sharing their own “missteps” or shifts in perspective to encourage similar introspection among staff. The ultimate goal is to learn from the work, not just do the work.
• Leaders as Learners: Leaders should learn with teachers, not just sponsor professional development for others. Any proposed change should be presented with a compelling case demonstrating its worth, as people will resist change if they don’t perceive its value.

Staying Connected: 

You can stay connected to Steve Ventura via the following channels:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-ventura-2773a91a9/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acsolutions.k12/

X: https://x.com/smventura

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.ventura.85333

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