Michael Fullan

So can you just flow through those for me?

Well, Michael Fullan is one of my top five people basically who's had, uh, probably the most influence on me and my work especially.

Uh, he and I in the... around 2010 started to write a book.

Not our first book, but to write a book about, uh, uh, building a stronger teaching profession.

As, as lovely for me, it's actually...

I've had some big awards, like, like, you know, the best book in the world in education.

It was $100,000 in 2001 I did with Michael Fullan.

Uh, but, but for me, that, that is the best, that is the best award I ever had.

You know, a- and you just said it right there, Randi, love so much.

You know, I, I did a lot of work and reading of Michael Fullan, and he talks about, you know, The Six Secrets of Change and Nuance are a couple of the books.

And as I was going through my doctoral program, but even my administrative work years ago, some of the theories about just caring for people.

Mm-hmm.

My parents, who did not have a lot, you know, growing up in Southern California, and their history is that of, you know, picking fruit in the Central Valley of California, uh, and really doing thousands of jobs to make it through.

But I just so remember them caring for people, caring for neighbors walking by, caring for strangers walking by, just caring for people.

And you know, Michael Fullan talks about that, about loving your people.

Mm-hmm.

I have it hanging up where I can see it every day, 'cause sometimes I need that reminder.

But it's a Michael Fullan quote, and he says that, "Educational change depends upon what teachers do and think." It's as simple and complex as that.

Mm.

And that is to exactly what you said.

Mm-hmm.

It really is.

Tim Shanahan talks about, he's like Michael Fallon and Tim Shanahan are like my two favorite people.

But [laughs] um-

We're gonna send some math coaches over there to help them.

We're not just gonna tell them, 'Clean up your act or we'll shut you down.' We're gonna help you improve." And you read Michael Fullan's work about coherence, and you'll see over twenty years they have lifted that whole system.

So we can do this if we have the political will and focus on the right things, and I think one of them is shared accountability.

Everybody needs to be accountable: kids, parents, teachers, administrators, state legislatures, governors, all.