RYHT Leadership Program Alum Brings Big Changes

The
Art
of
Leadership
at
Home*

*
Or
how
one
Texas
principal
went
to

Harvard,
went
back
to
Longview,
and

helped
change
the
lives
of
students.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Being
chosen
to
aAend
RYHT’s
Leadership

Program
at
Harvard
is
an
honor.

It
is
also
a
challenge
and
ulGmately
a

big
responsibility.


It’s
not
only
a
chance
to
grow
as

an
educator
and
a
professional,
but
it’s
a
once-‐in-‐a-‐lifeGme

opportunity
to
make
an
impact
on
a

local
and
statewide
level.


Over
the
years,
we
have
had
many
remarkable

principals
aAend.

For
some,
the
experience
has
been
transformaGonal
and
has

in
turn
transformed
the
world
around
them.


Meet
Margaret
Davis.
She
aAended
the
2008
RYHT
Leadership

Program
as
a
principal
from
Forest
Park

Magnet
School
in
Longview
ISD.
The
three

main
things
she
took
from
her
experience

at
Harvard
were:

• A
passion
for
and
commitment
to
excellence,

and
an
integrity
of
process
that
leR
a
lasGng

impression
on
her

• High-‐level
of
knowledge
content
directly
from

the
researchers
themselves,
and
procedural

knowledge
to
understand
and
apply
it
• A
connecGon
to
a
passionate
community
from

all
parts
of
the
world


She
was
also
graGﬁed
to
ﬁnd
that
aside
from
learning
many
new
things,

she
was
validated
in
some
of
her
own

experienGal
beliefs.


• Jeff
Howard’s
research
on
the
Get
Smart
School

confirmed
exisGng
beliefs
that
good
instrucGon
is
key
to

student
learning.

• Ron
Ferguson’s
research
about
teacher
appraisals
armed

Davis
with
data
and
facts
to
further
support
her
staff

evaluaGons.


The
knowledge
content,

pedagogical
methods,
passion,

commitment
and
integrity
stayed
with
Ms.
Davis
long
aRer
she

returned
to
Longview
ISD.
ARer
being

promoted
to
Director
of
the
InternaGonal

Baccalaureate
-‐
GiRed
&
Talented
Program,

the
quesGon
of
how
to
apply
it
all
sGll

lingered.


One
day,
while
driving
home
from

her
grandchildren’s
house*

*
isn’t
this
how
these
epiphanic

moments
always
happen?

She
was
driving
past
the
LeTourneau

University
campus,
up
the
liAle
hill

between
Quitman
and
Harmony*

*
which
are
really
just
street
names,
but
are
too

laden
with
meaning
not
to
menGon.

When
she
found
herself
wondering

why
she
had
never
been
pushed

before
now

to
idenGfy
her
own
leadership
skills

and
engage
in
reﬂecGve
learning.


The
next
day
she
told
her
boss
she

wanted
to
start
thinking
about
creaGng

a
youth
conference
based
on
her

experiences
at
Harvard.

And
her
boss
said,
why
start
to
think?
Why

not
start
creaGng
it
right
now?


So
she
did.

Margaret
contacted
a

professor
at
LeTourneau
University

who
put
her
in
touch
with
the
Vice
President,

who
connected
her
with
the
Director
of
Conferences
and
Events.


And
they
started
brainstorming.

Things
progressed
from
there.


The
ﬁrst
year
550
students

aAended
the
conference.

The
next
year
there
were
900.

The
third
year
they
scaled
back
because
they

found
it
worked
beAer
with
smaller
groups.

Live
and
learn.


The
goal
of
the
conference
was
to

help
students
idenGfy
their

leadership
skills
and
strengths

and
develop
a
more
global,
more

empatheGc
perspecGve.


In
creaGng
the
conference,

Margaret
stuck
closely
to
what

she
learned
at
Harvard.
In
fact,
she
used
many
of
the
same
acGviGes

and
formats.
For
instance,
the
weekly

New
York
Times
column
The
Ethicist
was

used
as
a
launching
pad
for
lessons
on
ethics.


She
incorporated
aspects
of
the
IB/
GT
program
into
her
conference.

From
the
10
core
characterisGcs
of
the
IB

program,
they
focused
on
2:
The
ability
to

think
like
an
entrepreneur
or
risk-‐taker,
and

the
strength
of
character
always
to
be

guided
by
strong
ethical
principles.*

*This
was
just
aRer
the
Bernie
Madoﬀ
scandal,

so
it
seemed
well-‐Gmed.


The
conference

was
a
success.

• It
changed
the
percepGon
of
a
predominantly
minority
and

low-‐income
district.
• It
showed
students
from
disadvantaged
backgrounds
their

potenGal
to
become
leaders.
• It
fostered
a
community
spirit
by
convening
all
schools
in
the

district,
allowing
students
and
teachers
from
diﬀerent
areas

to
connect.


Because
of
the
conference’s

emphasis
on
caring

Longview
ISD
Cares
raised
more
than
$10,000

to
fund
programs
for
people
in
need
on
a
local,

naGonal,
and
global
level.


Funded
programs
included:

• A
weekend
backpack
food
program
that
had
recently

lost
funding,
and
which
helped
feed
150
hungry
local

kids
• The
Trevor
Romain
FoundaGon,
which
provides
grief

and
stress
counseling
for
military
children
whose

parents
have
been
deployed
• Shelters
in
Afghanistan,
where
millions
of
children

freeze
to
death
every
winter
for
lack
of
adequate

shelter


Looking
back
on
how
the
program

changed
the
outlook
of
her
students,

Margaret
says:
“Learning
to
reflect
not
only
benefits
the
individual,
it

benefits
the
world…
When
you
are
busy,
it
is
easy
not
to

step
back
and
think
about
what
you
are
doing
and
how

best
to
use
your
Gme
and
talents.
But
it’s
important
to

take
the
Gme
to
step
back,
reflect
and
set
prioriGes.”


In
Margaret’s
view,
the
ideal
candidate
for

the
RYHT
Leadership
Program
should
have:
• The
ability
to
think
outside
the

box,
take
risks,
and
look
for

something
diﬀerent
instead
of

the
same
old
answers
• A
passionate
dedicaGon
to

children
• The
characterisGcs
of
the

leaders
she
met
at
Harvard
-‐

caring,
reﬂecGve,
open
to
new

ideas,
fully
commiAed,
and

involved


The
2012
RYHT
Leadership
Program
applicaGons
are
available!

Be
sure
to
visit
our
site,
www.raiseyourhandtexas.org,

and
Apply
NOW!


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