Improving America’s Educational System, with Linda Cliatt-Wayman

Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman turned three of the country’s most dangerous and impoverished schools into successful centers of learning and development. The dedicated educator’s inspirational tale has been featured on TED, ABC’s World News Tonight and a special segment of Nightline with Diane Sawyer. She has been invited nationwide to speak at educational institutions, women’s conferences, and leadership events.

SPEAKING.COM: You had been a special ed teacher for 20 years. What made you decide to make the switch to Principal?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: My journey into leadership was quite unexpected. I loved being a classroom teacher and had never planned to leave the classroom. One day a fellow teacher asked me why I was still at the same school after so many years. I told him that I loved the school and my students. He said, “Linda, you are such a good teacher, you should consider sharing your knowledge outside of your one classroom.”

He asked if he could do something with my computer. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but I agreed. When he was done, I saw that he had set my computer’s homepage to be the district’s personnel page where they published job openings. I chuckled, but didn’t do anything at first.

Then, one afternoon after a long day in the classroom, I looked at the computer and saw a posting for “New Teacher Coach.” I applied, interviewed, and accepted that position in May of 2003. The small act of that teacher putting those job opportunities in front of me totally changed my career trajectory.

As a New Teacher Coach, I was assigned to a school in North Philadelphia that was known for high rates of violence, low rates of student achievement, and chronic staff turnover. I worked hard coaching a large group of new teachers in the building, but the school’s principal resigned in October.

District officials were desperate for someone to come in and lead the school, and they offered me the job, even though I had almost no administrative experience. I spent the next decade as an administrator, turning around three high schools in North Philadelphia as principal and working to push change and accountability across the city as Assistant Superintendent of High Schools.

I did not choose to be a Principal. The Principalship chose me.

SPEAKING.COM: In each of the schools that you turned around, you walked into a multitude of complex challenges. When it comes to turning around a toxic environment, how can leaders figure out where to start?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: Toxic environments are almost always a result of failed leadership. Often the staff is used to administrators who have either been unwilling or unable to fulfill their job requirements, and as a result are used to very little accountability. That has to change immediately.

I always start in a new building with a top-to-bottom tour of the building. Then, I work on a deployment plan, determining who will be in which places in the building at what time and what their roles will be. Sweating the details like this signals that there is going to be a higher level of accountability going forward.

The most important part though is following through with that accountability: monitoring against the expectations I set, holding myself to the highest standard, and holding everyone accountable who’s not meeting expectations. That doesn’t make me popular with everyone, but it’s a necessity to turn around neglected schools for children.

It’s also critical to learn all you can about the new organization: read about it, talk to people, and analyze the data. You have to learn before you can set your priorities. Once you’ve done that, you need to be clear on your own personal vision for the place before working on a shared vision with others. You are the leader.

SPEAKING.COM: In your book, Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard: Finding Your Purpose and Putting It to Work, you write, “Leading a notorious persistently dangerous school called for unconventional tactics in order for my students, staff, and teachers to go home safe each night, and in order for my students to be educated.” Could you give us some examples of those tactics and how they were effective?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: I knew that coming into a school that had largely been characterized by chaos, I had to be hyper-focused on accountability. That meant that if there was a consequence for a behavior, it had to be implemented every single time with no exceptions, for both children and adults.

If a hallway monitor was not at their assigned location, they were written up, no exceptions. If lesson plans were due on Tuesday and a teacher didn’t submit them, they were written up, every time. If a student broke a rule, they got the appropriate consequence. It did not matter if it was your first time, or you were working really hard, or you thought you had a good reason. I had to establish the fact that this was going to be a different kind of leadership, and that everyone would be held accountable, period.

One of the unconventional tactics I used with students was suspension. I do not like suspending children, but when a school is so chaotic and violent that no one is learning, you have to bring stability. So anytime there was a fight, the students involved were suspended, and they could not return until a parent came with them for a reinstatement meeting, no exceptions.

One year, the students tried to get around this by organizing fights on the way to and from school. I responded by telling them that on their journeys to and from school they were still my responsibility, so if they got in fights going to and from school, I’d still suspend them. By being this rigid and consistent in the beginning of the year, the school became a much safer place very quickly, and the number of times we had to suspend children dropped significantly.

But you can’t build a safe school culture through punishment alone. My biggest unconventional tactic to decrease the violence was love. Every day I told my students I loved them and followed it up with hugs, an open ear, and honesty. I listened to their concerns, I responded to them, and I told them the truth. Over time, that built trust between us. They understand why I was so strict with them and knew I would do whatever I could to help them. They came to appreciate how I held the staff accountable just like I did to them, because they wanted a safe school where they could learn. Building relationships on trust set us on the right course.

Deciding on a set of core values to introduce and implement was huge. “Values” are something that are usually left up to the parents to introduce. We believed we were partners with the parents and had to set an example for how to introduce but more importantly enforce and believe in a set of values.

The tactics were so successful that we were removed from the federal “Persistently Dangerous Schools” list my first year as principal at Strawberry Mansion after having been on the list for five consecutive years.

SPEAKING.COM: How did you get teachers on board with the changes you wanted to make in the schools you led?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: I got teachers on board by being my authentic self. I showed them how passionate I was about fostering a safe place focused on learning for our students, who are so often neglected by our society. And then I followed that up by working harder than anyone and holding others accountable.

For some teachers, my passionate and demanding style was off-putting because they did not want dramatic change. But for lots of others, it was refreshing to have a leader who was willing to work as hard as they were and hold everyone accountable. These teachers and staff, who were often already the hardest workers in the building, became some of my earliest supporters. Slowly, a team of people willing to do what it took for our students came together, and we became much stronger together than we were as individuals.

But to be completely honest, I didn’t worry about getting everyone on board; I couldn’t because there was too much work to do. I set a vision of excellence for our school community and then went to work pursuing it and holding everyone accountable for their jobs. If they didn’t meet my expectations, they either needed to figure out how to meet them or find a different school to work in.

I worked to be inspiring, I led by example, I never asked staff do anything I was not willing to help them do, and I always encouraged them to be the best they could be. I cared deeply for my staff, but I was also crystal clear in my mind that my ultimate purpose was for the children I was charged with serving.

SPEAKING.COM: What was your most challenging moment as a principal and how did you handle it?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: My most challenging moment as principal was when the realization set in that I had volunteered to lead a merger of three rival neighborhood schools in the most crime-ridden part of Philadelphia. It was an overwhelming task.

I handled it by going back to my personal “why” for taking the job. These students, in the same neighborhood I grew up in, had for too long been denied a safe, quality, learning environment. It was my purpose to provide it for them. I set to work the same way I had in other schools, by setting a clear vision, surrounding myself with the best team I could assemble, being prepared for surprises, having high expectations, and praying each and every day.

SPEAKING.COM: What is the most rewarding moment you’ve had as an educator?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: While the work is very difficult, there are so many rewarding moments along the way. For me, the most rewarding moments come when I see students several years down the road, building a life for themselves, knowing that we played a role in helping them get there. One year, Philadelphia University allowed me to present one of my students from Strawberry Mansion her college degree. I was so proud. I remember another college graduation for a student who had been homeless in high school. We had worked so hard together, and she had put herself on a path to success and happiness. It’s hard to express how rewarding it feels to have that impact.

SPEAKING.COM: You were able to relate to your students because you had grown up in the same area and had a similar school experience. What is your advice for teachers who want to connect with and help economically disadvantaged students, but don’t have that common experience to build a relationship on?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: Students from all backgrounds need teachers who are going to work hard preparing for them. If you’re not providing meaningful learning, the rest is lost. Teach them, expect only the best from them, and listen to them. Those three things are needed to be a successful teacher in any situation.

Approach all students with the highest of expectations for their learning and with respect for them as an individual. Have a sense of curiosity about students who are different than you. Be open to learning about them and the ways that their lives, cultures, and values may be different than yours. Get to know their families as people. You can build a lasting relationship that will take you both on an unexpected journey that will change both of your lives forever. Great teachers change lives, and have their lives changed in the process.

SPEAKING.COM: What are some ways to motivate students who just don’t seem to care?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: All students care, but many are deeply affected by the circumstances of their lives. Sometimes we’re aware of the details of these circumstances, and sometimes we’re not. But it’s our job to learn about our students and invest them in their learning, not the other way around. I have no patience for educators who blame students for being disengaged from school. It’s the school’s job to engage them. Motivate students by listening and noticing them. Many of our students have been failed time and time again by schools. It can take time to build a relationship grounded in trust, but the results are worth it, and are students deserve nothing less.

SPEAKING.COM: What can educators do to prevent burnout?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: Have fun with their students and colleagues. Design lessons and activities that excite them. Work together as a team. Work with students and colleagues on projects outside of the classroom to enhance the school community. A strong community is what sustains us through work that can be incredibly challenging.

SPEAKING.COM: There has been a nationwide wave of teacher strikes within the past year. What are your thoughts on the strikes we’ve been seeing and the long-term impacts they’ll have on conditions for teachers, students, and the quality of public school education?

CLIATT-WAYMAN: It is very important that teachers are treated with dignity and public education is properly funded. But I also believe that funding alone is not be the answer. Strong schools require strong leaders who are willing to take responsibility for everything that happens in their buildings. I have seen dysfunctional schools that are underfunded and I have seen dysfunctional schools that have plenty of material resources.

I believe teacher strikes are not beneficial to anyone. Teachers are never unreasonable. They embody the word “compromise.” They compromise each and every day. They never want to leave their classrooms empty and want their students learning. Talks should continue and teachers should get what they need to educate all students while avoiding striking as much as possible.

To bring leadership and education speaker, Linda Cliatt-Wayman to your organization, please contact Michael Frick at: Mike@Speaking.com