Is Help on the Way?

ABPTL is back! Happy New Year!

Before the holidays my friend Dr. Lawrence Kohn, partner at Leadership Partners, LLC, posted an article titled “Why are They Wearing Lead Parachutes? It’s Not Their Fault.” In the article, Dr. Kohn writes,

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“We all know the metaphor, ‘lead parachute.’ A ‘lead parachute’ is not a practical or functional object; it’s a metaphorical phrase or an idiom. In a literal sense, a parachute made of lead would be extremely heavy and would not function as a parachute should – it would not slow descent but instead accelerate it due to the weight of lead.”

“Metaphorically, the term ‘lead parachute’ is often used to describe something that is intended to help or provide support but instead makes a situation worse, like a safety measure that fails or a solution that exacerbates a problem. It’s similar to saying ‘a lead balloon,’ which is something that fails completely or cannot get off the ground.”

…

“The problem in education, for leaders and their teachers, is that the current context in which they work IS the lead parachute. It’s not that districts and leaders do not support their teachers. They do, to the degree they can. But there are some overwhelming odds against them.”

“Since I am in Texas, I will provide some Texas ‘lead parachute’ education contexts. The Charles Butt Foundation recently published ‘The 2023 Texas Teacher Poll: Listening to the Educator Experience.’ Shari B. Albright, President of the Butt Foundation, prefaced the report with the following:

‘As indicated by the title of the 2023 Texas Teacher Poll, the Charles Butt Foundation continues to ground our research in listening. The most effective way for us to understand and respond effectively to the needs of educators is by listening to a representative sample of Texas teachers and their unique perspectives.’

‘What we are learning from this year’s survey, the fourth consecutive, is that teachers are still struggling with the structural challenges of the profession, yet they know where the state should target resources, and for which students they need additional administrative support and training.’”

Kohn goes on to share eight teacher “pain points” published in the Butt Foundation report:

“Poor mental health and emotional well-being, particularly in relation to their teaching job.

Excessive workloads and long hours.

Lack of positive work culture and environment, significantly impacting younger teachers.

Stress from poor pay and benefits, staff shortages, and excessive workloads.

High attrition rates with many teachers considering leaving the profession, influenced by various stressors.

Negative impact of poor communication and understanding from administrators.

Need for autonomy in the classroom, support with student discipline, and involvement in setting school policies.

Lack of support in creating a sense of belonging for students in the classroom.”

Kohn goes on to share what the National Association of Secondary School Principals consider to be leader “pain points.” Those are:

“Work-Life Balance and Mental Health

Safety and Violence in Schools

Educational Equity and Racial Justice

Special Education Leadership

Principal Shortage

Challenges with Current Education Policies

Additional Issues Identified by Educators like student absenteeism, a shortage of substitute teachers, poverty among students, a general teacher shortage, the need for effective teacher-prep programs, and the importance of fostering a love for learning among students.”

Kohn believes the way we combat these “pain points” is to create functional parachutes to rival those made metaphorically of lead. Kohn relies on the research of Dr. Kenneth Leithwood from the University of Toronto and Dr. Jingping Sun from the University of Alabama to introduce the concept of “Personal Leadership Resources.” (PLRs) According to Dr. Leithwood,

“Leaders’ practices or overt behaviors are the most direct causes of leaders’ effects on their organizations; they also dominate research about successful leadership.”

Kohn points to Leithwood’s research that identifies seven important PLRs to help leaders provide “functional parachutes” for their teachers. Those seven include:

“Proactivity, Optimism, Self-efficacy, Resilience, Hope, Humility, and Self-awareness.”

Kohn has written a free Leadership Partners Guide to Building Resilience as his organization’s first attempt to help leaders better support their teachers by successfully traveling through the present-day morass called American public education.

Tomorrow we’ll explore Kohn’s first guide.

Til tomorrow. SVB