Leading Change at McKinley Technology High School, Washington, DC
By Daniel Gohl, Principal, McKinley Technology High School

McKinley Technology High School opened September, 2004. Change is a constant - for our staff and students - at a school, rich with tradition, yet recently renovated and academically reinvigorated. Our team is in the midst of the rebirth of a revered high school in the District of Columbia that is integrating a digital infrastructure into all components of the school's operation and academics.

The professional educators, counselors and support personnel of McKinley Technology High School (MTHS) are pioneers in the District of Columbia Public School System. We believe the Change Toolkit can help us prepare our students for higher education and careers in today's high tech society. As we conduct self-assessments, communicate experiences, and initiate new ideas, each staff person can benefit from the information and concepts provided in the various spokes of the Change Toolkit's wheels.

Our change team is committed to offering our students academic support as well as personal, college and career counseling services. As leaders, we are exploring what we can do to overcome resistance to change as well as enable and foster innovation in our organization. The Change Toolkit doesn't provide a blueprint, but Dr. Kanter's work does inspire and encourage our team as it gains competence and experience.

Our mission is to offer students a comprehensive high school experience as well as specialized instructional opportunities in biotechnology, information technology and the broadcast of digital media. The Change Toolkit is a resource that helps our staff and teachers assess current situations and determine where improvements can be realized. The diagnostics, background information and action tools motivate us in a pressure-free setting.

IBM's Corporate Community Relations introduced the Change Toolkit to the school's management team. We determined where to apply the site's robust resources. For example, the Change Wheel, especially its spokes - Common Themes, Shared Vision as well as Communicating Useful Approaches - are invaluable when assessing where our team and its understanding of our mission and vision is versus where we want to be. As we introduce our 9th graders to all three primary technology concentrations, elements of the Change Toolkit can help us change our procedures, actions and instructional priorities.

Our staff is also facing many of the challenges that were highlighted in the case study used during training on the Change Toolkit. We had to develop a team of teachers and administrators who were recruited from schools throughout the city, the region and the country. We've had to respond to the high expectations of our students, teachers and the community and we are introducing new concepts like project based curriculum instruction for 9th and 10th graders.

Our administrators and teachers are sharing best practices to encourage student collaboration, aligning assignments and assessment with national standards and identifying ways we can utilize our digital environment. The Change Toolkit offers us a "pit stop" where we can assess our progress and redirect our energy and resources to embrace new approaches to teaching, tracking and motivating our students.

Our students are challenged to have fun learning and using the technology that is part of our everyday world. The Change Toolkit provides a similar resource for their teachers and educational leaders.

In the next year, the McKinley Technology High School team will be drawing upon elements in the Change Wheel for our organization, Change Masters for ourselves and Change Fundamentals and Student Improvement where needed. As we implement our rigorous academic curriculum and educate our students in exciting technology disciplines, the Change Toolkit helps focus us on stressing dependability, responsibility, individuality, resourcefulness and a commitment to excellence.