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 | | P. Fred Storti, MESPA Executive Director |
March 2009 --
Report from MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti
“In good times and tough times we are only as good as the sum of our parts.”
Thinking back just a few weeks to our 54th Institute “Shaping Great Minds,” I scanned the audience in the Sheraton ballroom during our Thursday morning general session and it was awesome to see over half of MESPA’s active membership together in one room. In his address that day, laying out the attributes of a professional learning community and what it really means to actively join one (Building Professional Learning Communities: A Tool for Shaping Culture and Shaping Great Mind), Rob Bocchino reinforced the purpose of MESPA for me: we are a professional learning community.
What is a PLC?
As an association we come together for common purposes to: solve problems and develop common goals, working collaboratively on matters related to the principalship. That is what professional learning communities do. The literature on PLCs repeatedly gives attention to five attributes: 1. supportive and shared leadership; 2. collective creativity; 3. shared values and vision; 4. supportive conditions; and 5. shared personal practice.
What is MESPA?
So what does MESPA do to create these conditions and facilitate these attributes? We have our vision to be the premiere resource for preparing today's principals for tomorrow and a strong leading voice for public education. We are committed to our mission to “promote and improve education for children,” to “strengthen the (principals’) role as educational leader” and to “collaborate with partners in education.” And we have five strategic goals that drive our actions.
- Attract and retain all potential members in public and charter schools.
- Expand financial independence through current and new revenue streams aligned with member needs.
- Seek feedback on the efficacy of member services and communications.
- Amplify our position as the resource for Minnesota principals through enhanced communication, technology, and authoritative professional development.
- Strengthen our position as a passionate, results-orientated advocate for the principalship.
Synergy of the peloton
But the real key is “you” and the collective “we.” We support one another. I love the analogy of the power of the peloton. Peloton is the French word for a group moving forward. In my world of cycling, the peloton is a densely packed group of riders formed during a cycling road race – the riders shelter in each other’s draft and propel one another forward. We are a peloton. Individually we need to hone our skills and be strong, but collectively we become a much more powerful force that will propel our individual efforts. Being in a PLC is exhilarating, like being in a powerful peloton. We individually contribute to the whole by doing our work, going to the front of the pack, “pulling through” and leading and then seamlessly slipping back into the pack to recharge, recover, support, and collectively create the energy that moves us forward to accomplish our goals.
MESPA is really about “you” and our ability to be a collective “we.” In good times and tough times we are only as good as the sum of our parts. That’s called synergy; it feels good and it supports growth. The rise and the fall of the professional learning community concept depends not on the merits of the concept itself, but on the most important element – the commitment and persistence of the members within it.
Your membership this year and active participation next year are the sustaining actions that will fuel our continual improvement.
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