Q: What does "Good to Great" have to do with Arizona schools?

A:
       

When the Future for the Center of Arizona (CFA) decided to study Arizona schools, the goal was to find schools that were succeeding with mostly low-income, mostly Latino students. And that led the research team to Jim Collins and his landmark “Good to Great” study.  According to Collins, greatness can be found in every sector of society.  It’s a function of choice and discipline, not circumstance. With that inspiration in mind, CFA decided to use the Good to Great methodology to study Arizona schools.
How closely did the result from Beat the Odds align with the principles of greatness found by Collins?   

GOOD TO GREAT Principles BEAT THE ODDS Principles
Disciplined Thought
1 The Hedgehog Concept
Great organizations know with great clarity what they contribute to the people they touch better than anyone else in the world.
2 Confront the Brutal Facts
They confront the facts, whatever they are (e.g., the economy, the regulatory environment), and then go to work on what they can control.
Disciplined Thought
1 Clear Bottom Line
Beat the Odds schools emphasize the achievement of every student and take responsibility for performance. No excuses.
2 Ongoing Assessment
They are willing to assess individual student performance early and often. What's working and what's not? How can we use data in the classroom to drive improvement?
Disciplined People
3 Level 5 Leaders
People who are ambitious for the organization…but who combine great professional will with an equally great personal modesty.
4 First Who, Then What
Get the right people on the bus and in the right seat. Talent is more important than strategy.
Disciplined People
3 Strong and Steady Principal
Leaders are focused on those things that truly improve student achievement and they keep pushing ahead no matter what the roadblocks.
4 Collaborative Solutions
Problem solving is pushed through the ranks, not concentrated at the top.
Disciplined Action
5 Culture of Discipline
Discipline is the flywheel…the momentum that comes from staying focused on what to do…and what NOT to do.
6 Building Greatness to Last
Core values drive great organizations. They carry you through good times and not so good times.
Disciplined Action
5 Stick with the Program
It’s not about any particular program. It's about selecting a good one, sticking with it, and making it better and better.
6 Built to Suit
Schools that beat the odds find ways to customize instruction and intervention to fit the needs of each child.
One size does not fit all!

The Beat the Odds study found that successful schools think differently…and they do things differently.  The Center for the Future of Arizona created the BTO School Partners Program to help principals, superintendents and school boards embed the six principles into the operating practices of their school.