Solution Training reps visit PSD

By Photos submitted, 04/23/18 1:14 PM

PRESCOTT – Members of Solution Training (ST) were in town last week working with instructors with the Prescott School District.

The two, Cassandra Erkens and Alex Brownstein, were at school to work with the staff on the Professional Leadership Community (PLC). Erkens, an author for ST, said the company does coaching, works with leadership teams, does board training, along with training for teachers and administrators.

The idea, she said is to talking about how to agree, create vision and missions, and live them while making sure the system is accountable for making sure everything works. There are, she added, strategies for everything, including agreeing and navigating conflicts.

Brownstein is the liaison for the Arkansas PLC project and has his “boots on the ground” so to speak as he works closely with schools to implement the program. Prescott is unique in the state as it’s the only district instituting the PLC program K-12. Most other districts focus on one or two schools, instead of the entire district.

Brownstein goes from school to school, checking on their progress and growth over time, while looking for a way for ST to improve its process. He also advocates to the Arkansas Department of Education, bragging about the schools in the project and how far they’ve come.

Erkens said the Prescott district has made a lot of progress in a short time. The district, she continued, has done all the major steps and are now refining and building the program’s capacity. Schools typically take five to 10 years to reach the point Prescott has achieved in less than one. She said this is likely because Prescott received a grant that allowed the district to implement the program at all levels simultaneously.

Brownstein said the first year of the program is about implementation, with the second about growing. Prescott, he added, has a great foundation. The goal, he continued, is for the PSD to become a model in the state and have other schools coming to it for advice and coaching assistance.

The two agreed their ultimate goal is to put themselves out of business with districts implementing and succeeding in the program well enough to coach and help others.