As education pioneer John Dewey neared death, he summarized what he had experienced in his field. According to Dewey, “What I have learned is that the purpose of education is to allow each individual to come into full possession of his or her personal power” (cited in Sarason, 1993, p. 78). Educators must provide the environment of efficacy for students to achieve the success that generates from commitment and effort. Educators must manage the development of students so students may acquire the self-confidence that will enable them to have a quality life and STEM success.
Teacher Conversations Regarding Efficacy
As a teacher and a superintendent, I’ve often heard teachers engage in conversations that determined which students would have a quality life and which would not. A teacher said, “These poor inner-city children just can’t learn, and there’s nothing I can do to help them.”
Research indicates that such comments may be more than idle chatter; they may reflect important beliefs that influence teacher-student interactions and teachers’ success in producing student achievement gains. Researchers have labeled these teachers’ attitudes as their sense of efficacy—the extent to which teachers believe they can affect student learning. (Dembo & Gibson, 1985, p. 173)
The research harnessed my pledge to instill in teachers the importance of believing that all children can learn and that teachers can bring about positive student change. It required a paradigm shift. As Sarason (1993) stated, “Those who advocate for an educational reform seek not to reform themselves but to change someone or something else” (p. 19). As teachers and administrators, how efficacious are we? We educators must ask ourselves several questions:
- Do we use that power?
- Do we have positive expectations?
- Do we provide social-emotional support for our students?
- Or do we deny that power and accept poor performance as characteristic of the environment and pardon the students?
Answering These Questions
The answers to these questions can control the way staff teaches and administrators lead. A wealth of literature substantiates teacher efficacy as a framework for student achievement. In a study of 240 teachers, Podell and Soodak (1993) revealed that “teachers who perceive themselves as ineffectual consider regular education inappropriate for under‐achieving students from low socio-economic status (SES) families; teachers who believe that they are effective do not differentiate students by SES” (p. 247). These perspectives are the blueprint used to establish policies and procedures for students, schools, and school systems.
The Efficacy Institute Philosophy
The philosophy of the Efficacy Institute (a nonprofit organization in Lexington, Massachusetts) espouses a belief system based on the premise that all children can learn to the highest level (Howard, 1995). This belief system is transferred to a pedagogical framework or teaching practice that involves all educators in the educational development of young people. The instructional environment calls for the infusion of efficacy principles into the existing curriculum throughout the school day. Through teaching practices such as efficacy, we can make a difference in the academic and social-emotional behaviors of the students. The philosophy of efficacy is the basis of creating and maintaining a culture of confidence and organizing the commitment and investment to build a quality education system for all children, and it enables students to explore interest in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
However, “Our approach to educating children is failing because the attitudes that underlie it are wrong” (Howard, 1987, p. 6). The crux of the problem resides in what we think about people and their capacity to learn; we operate on the premise that people are born smart or not smart. A self-fulfilling prophecy then negates the ability of all children to learn and to learn all subjects. Consider an administrator or teacher who does not believe in their ability to educate students against all odds. Consider students who do not believe they can succeed.
What is efficacy?
“Efficacy is the capacity to mobilize available resources to solve problems and promote development” (Howard, 1987, p. 5). Efficacy is a process that defines our approach to children and learning. Howard (1993) defined development as “the process of building identity, character, analytic and operational ability, and self-confidence. Development is the basis of the individual’s capacity first to understand and contribute to the community’s goals and then to envision and pursue new ones” (p. 4). In essence, it is the framework to excel in STEM.
After an introduction to the philosophy of efficacy, I read the literature about teacher efficacy, participated in professional development, and visited the forty-two Ecacy Project schools.
Too often, disadvantaged children succumb to negative influences and negative self-images. Too often, society perpetuates those negative expectations. The problem is that some teachers, staff, students, and parents do not have a sense of efficacy. They do not believe that all students can learn, and they do not believe they have what it takes to make a difference in their student’s lives. Yet, research proves they can make a difference.
Every Teacher Can Make a Difference
I intended to have all teachers believe that they could make a difference in student achievement and possess a sense of efficacy. Because teachers are the change agents, particular attention should be paid to the way teachers instruct and the thoughts affecting their actions. Because administrators are the key to instructional improvement, specific attention should be paid to the decisions made concerning instruction. Are these decisions based on the philosophy of ecacy? Are these decisions based on the District’s mission, vision, values, and goals?
Every principal and teacher is accountable for increasing student achievement. The critical question is, how? How do you increase student achievement for all subgroups? Many will agree that the key is to establish an efficacious environment.
An efficacious environment is more than memorializing a series of affirmations. The real key to school improvement is more than a series of affirmations and “feel good” statements but an actual bonding of staff, building confidence, signaling effort (not zip code) as the key to achievement, regular assessment, and reflection upon student learning. Most importantly, the key to school improvement is to believe in the value of an efficacious learning community, have a plan to sustain it, and be willing to overcome obstacles.
All Children Can Learn
As an administrator, I aimed to improve student achievement in a high-performing and low-performing high school by implementing and adhering to the school’s mission statement based on the belief that all children can learn. The mission statement was used as a framework to improve student achievement. Anecdotal and biographical data were maintained and analyzed. The results point to at least five declarations that can be made, all of which highlight the capacity principals and superintendents have. Principals and superintendents can: (1) create a positive culture; (2) foster positive relationships; (3) create personal and professional development, (4) facilitate the change process, and (5) incorporate all voices.
In January of a particular school year, the Superintendent of Schools summoned me to her office. I was serving as the Director of Professional Development. What could I have done this time? Why did she want to talk? Was the discussion going to be positive, negative, or somewhere between the two? The superintendent explained that I would need to take on an additional role: principal of a high school. Imagine serving in both capacities. Why me? I was a former principal of a high-performing elementary school and a K–8 school, which convinced the superintendent that I could continue in the role of District administrator and simultaneously lead the 1,200 student body high school. The high school was already designated a Blue Ribbon High School and, in academics, ranked in the top 10 in the state.
The School’s Challenges
The challenges with the school rested in its leadership not focusing on the school’s mission. The long-term tenure of the previous principal ended abruptly as a new principal was hired. For unknown reasons, the new principal began isolating himself, did not engage sta or students, and did not address, reinforce, articulate, or live the school’s mission. Staff, students, and the community called for his resignation between August and January. I indeed accepted the challenge and, in fact, started the new role the next day.
My First Day of Principalship
On the first day of the principalship, I introduced myself by walking the halls and visiting classrooms. No one knew about the reassignment of the former principal. Just one week prior, students were refusing to go to class. They were in an uproar because the pep rally was canceled due to poor behavior: roaming the halls, cutting class, leaving campus during closed lunch periods, using drugs, and so forth. Teachers and administrators enforced consequences, hoping to curb the negative behaviors, by calling the city police, spraying students with mace, and giving them the ultimatum to go to class or go home. Parents were outraged by the consequences enforced by the teachers and administrators. This is what I inherited. What could I do?
I chose to shift the environment and encourage students to return to class by merely asking them, “Where are you going to college?” They responded with the name of a college (true or not). My response was, “You can’t get there from here [the hallway]!” This choice and its outcomes are a lesson in the value, power, and capacity for positive change that principals have when they choose to embrace an efficious environment. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response by students, the first professional development session with teachers was devoted to reviewing the mission statement. Does it respond to the three questions?
1. What do we want to do?
2. How will we know if we are achieving it?
3. What will we do to guarantee success?
A New Commitment
In that session, the commitment was reengineered! They rallied around the reason the school existed. The school existed (according to the mission statement) to get students into college. They rallied around the rich history of the school and the strong alumni. They rallied around the real responses to the three questions and provided data to prove that they were achieving their goal.
Additionally, they spent time discussing ways to guarantee success. They knew that they could not continue in the manner in which they were headed. They had lost sight of their mission. In fact, they needed someone to navigate the course again. They left the session determined to work collaboratively with the new principal and stay focused on its mission and commitment to an efficacious environment. Then, they attended Ecacy seminars. They each were assigned a senior student to mentor. The goal was to work with each senior on AP and STEM courses and support their quest for acceptance into college.
At the end of the school year, they had the highest graduation rate of all forty-three high schools in the District! The students received a total of $17,000,000.00 in college scholarships and financial aid. Out of the 350 graduates, two enrolled in the Armed Services, and the rest in a two-year or four-year college or University! Oh, let’s not forget the lone summer school graduate!
Another Experience
The second experience mirrored the previous one. However, now I’m a superintendent in another District. The message of success at the Blue Ribbon High School (that regressed) was put to the test at a high school that was not a magnet school, which had never met state standards and was in Corrective Action. Could the same strategies that led to the restoration of a magnet school be used to lead another school forward with totally different demographics? I understood the importance of the role of the mission statement, creating an efficacious environment, and having staff “live” the statement and participate in Efficacy seminars. The process of creating the mission statement mirrored the previous District. Stakeholders came together to discuss, “Why do we exist?” The statement responded to the three questions:
1. What do we want to do?
2. How will we know if we are achieving it?
3. What will we do to guarantee success?
In addition to state requirements, students were requested to take the SAT and apply for college. Teachers were assigned as mentors to support students as they adhered to the requirements. A Commitment Ceremony was held to toast and commemorate the relationship between the senior, the mentor, and the parent. Logs documented support given to the senior by the mentor. One student asked, “Why do I have to take the SAT and apply to a college? No one in my family ever graduated from high school or attended college. Why should I?” This student later stated, “I am going on a college tour! I am going to college!”
Accomplishing Your Goal
Adhering to the school’s mission will enable you to accomplish your goal of improving student achievement. At the graduation of this class, eighty-five of the ninety-two seniors met the state and local requirements. Five of the students would graduate from summer school, and two would become fifth-year seniors. All eighty-five graduates received acceptance letters into a two- or four-year college! This represents an unduplicated count of fifty-eight colleges or universities. Scholarships totaled over $640,000.00 (does not include financial aid)! It is true—leadership is leadership! Living the mission statement based on belief in efficacy is a surefire way to improve student achievement and promote success in STEM.
In one of the lowest-performing District in the state of New York, it happened again! This time in a middle school. The staff committed to embracing the philosophy of efficacy; they participated in seminars and implemented a new STEM curriculum. Additionally, a new school wing accommodates the increased enrollment (due to the STEM theme), science and technology labs, and curriculum. Ultimately, in 2018, all twelve K–8 schools in the District were identified by the New York State Education Department as “Good Standing!” One school was designated “International Baccalaureate.”
A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
~John Maxwell
References
Dembo, M., & Gibson, S. (1985). Teachers’ sense of efficacy: An important factor in school improvement. Elementary School Journal 86(2), 174–184.
Howard, J. (1993). The third movement developing Black children for the 21st century. The state of Black America. New York: National Urban League.
Howard, J.(1987). Getting smart: The social construction of intelligence. The efficacy seminar for educators. Lexington: MA1 The Ecacy Institute.
Podell, D., & Soodak, L. (1993). Teacher efficacy and bias in special education referrals. Journal of Educational Research 86(4), 247–253.
Sarason, S.B. (1993). The Case for Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
About the Author
DR. DEBORAH L. WORTHAM
Dr. Deborah L. Wortham is an educator, a professor, an author, an elder, and nationally recognized on the lecture circuit. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Wortham remains prepared spiritually and educationally. She served as the first locally elected Superintendent of the Roosevelt Union Free School District in eleven years. During her tenure, the District moved from “State Takeover” to “Good Standing.” She is the former Superintendent of the School District of the City of York in York, Pennsylvania, and Steelton-Highspire School District in Steelton, Pennsylvania. Dr. Wortham served as the first African American female Superintendent of the East Ramapo Central School District in Spring Valley, New York, where all twelve of the K–8 schools moved to “Good Standing.” Still fond of the Roosevelt Union Free School District, currently Dr. Wortham serves as the Superintendent in charge of “Resetting Roosevelt!”
Credentials
Her credentials include: a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; a master’s degree in Reading from Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland; and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.
Community Highlights
Her most recent community highlights include the 2020 Top 100 Most Influential Educators in New York State; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Award; Rockland County School Board Association Award of Excellence; Mid-Hudson School Study Council, Educational Leadership Award; First Timothy Christian Church for Outstanding Contributions; and Leadership Award, Nassau County, New York NAACP. Additionally, she is the recipient of the following awards: Washington-Rose “Inspiring Woman” Award; Service Above Self Award, Central Nassau County of Rotary International; Salute to Unsung Sheroes’ of Sisters in the Struggle Award, Nassau County; and Educator of the Year, Long Island Black Educator’s Association.
Dr. Wortham and her husband, Rev. Chester H. Wortham, have led marriage and leadership development seminars at various conferences. They have two children, Dr. Shelley and Min. Chester, III, one son-in-law, Sheldon, one daughter-in-law, Marquita, one granddaughter, Jordynn Lynn, and four grandsons, Chester, IV, Sheldon, Jr., Zachary, and Ethan.
To God be the Glory for the Great Things He has Done!
