Training program includes all staff

The positive impact of the training is already noticeable, Dr. Wendy Webb said.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City school district officials believe that strong leadership, both from the administration and in the classroom, is a key to turning around the district's academic performance.
That's why they're spending $650,000 for a training program that will be presented to all of the district's approximately 1,500 employees, including bus drivers and custodians.
That's the price tag of The Flippen Group's "Capturing Kids' Hearts" training, which began at the end of last school year and continues this year.
Youngstown was able to secure federal grant money to cover the cost, said Dr. Wendy Webb, superintendent.
Flippen is a 30-year-old, College Station, Texas-based organization that provides training in leadership building.
The training stresses personal responsibility, and that includes everyone in the educational system, not just the pupil in the classroom, Webb said.
The three-day training sessions help identify an individual's strengths that improve leadership skills, she said.
Administrators have to know how to lead and empower teachers, and teachers need to have the skills to do the same for their pupils, she said.
Youngstown is a district in much need of healing and raising expectations, and those in the system have to realize their personal responsibility for helping kids reach goals, Webb said.
About the training
Kids need a healthy and safe environment, and this training helps change the culture of the school, she said.
The training, in which participants combine role playing and modeling, focuses on such skills as listening, presenting and conflict resolution, said Monda Simmons, a Flippen trainer working with the city schools.
It particularly stresses the importance of building relationships, said Bethany Rosebrock, national director of training for Flippen.
"If we have a relationship, what I say is more meaningful to you," she said, explaining that everything in the classroom starts with the relationship between the teacher and the pupil.
"We have to make sure every student has a relationship with an adult in the school," Webb said.
Results being seen
Flippen says that, if you capture a kid's heart, you'll have their mind, and the impact can already be seen in some schools where the staff has completed training, she said.
There's a noticeably different attitude and environment in those buildings, she said, citing The Alpha School of Excellence for Boys and Hayes Middle School as examples.
"Kicking kids out doesn't change behavior. Capturing kids' hearts is hard, but it can be the answer to changing that behavior," Webb said.
But she cautioned that the effort can't stop with the training.
"Flippen is not a silver bullet," she said.
"We have to be relentless. We have to truly change and provide education in a form students can use. We can't just try it for a week."
Webb said that when she first heard of the training program, she brought in the school board president and the president of the Youngstown Education Association, the teachers union, to hear what it is all about.
The board understands the program goals and has been supportive, she said.
"We're open to professional development," said Will Bagnola, YEA president.
His visit with the trainers will be in January.
"Most of the comments I have heard [from union members] have been positive," he said.
Bagnola said he is hopeful that the training will help with academics. Teachers already work hard for and care for their students, he said.
Some who have been through the Youngstown sessions, however, suggest that the Flippen trainers are salesmen who are pushing "the flavor of the month."
Some are not buying into the concept, Webb admitted.
There are some who view it as another gimmick that isn't necessary, she said.
But, Youngstown has to change if it wants to survive academically, she said.
The district is rated as being in "Academic Emergency," the lowest ranking in the state's Report Card system.
"We've got to do some quantum leaps. We've got to do business differently. If we keep doing the same things, we'll get the same results," Webb warned.
Drivers on board
Bus drivers are the first school representatives to see children in the morning, so the decision was made to include them in the training, she said.
Drivers have told her this is the first time they've been given training on how to relate to and work with young people, she said.
They're beginning to talk to kids about school work, she said, adding that one is even giving cash rewards to pupils for good grades.
Flippen is not really a program; it's a process that shows people how to change the way they relate to kids while stressing accountability, Webb said.
It's not about just changing pupil behavior; it's about changing all of our behavior, she said.
Teachers have to be willing to change the way they teach. They have to figure out another way to reach and teach kids who are having problems, she said.
"Capturing Kids' Hearts" is just the first phase of training.
Flippen also offers "Leadership 1" and "Leadership 2" sessions and the administration has already been through "Leadership 1" in addition to "Capturing Kids' Hearts."
The district will have to find some way to cover the expense of that additional training for the rest of the staff, she said.
The federal grants cover only the first program.
The training process never ends. The district must be relentless about driving home those skills it provides to improve academics and make sure kids learn, Webb said.
gwin@vindy.com