A small miracle occurred in Rivercrest High School, which is located in Wilson, Arkansas near the banks of the Mississippi River. Due to an apparent lack of experience and a degree of naïveté, a second-year English teacher, Lindsey Kelley, decided that it was time to "give students a say in their own education" (student voice) and ask the students why "only 31 percent of the school’s African-American juniors scored at least proficient in English on the state’s 2010 benchmark exams, compared to 65 percent of white kids."

Instead of upsetting the students, the question motivated them to take action and they "took responsibility for their own test scores." The result was that the school made significant strides toward closing the achievement gap and a remarkable 17-point rise in proficiency and a promise of better to come.

You can read the full story here.

Takeaways for School Leaders

Ask and Learn: The role of the school leader today is to ask and learn, not to know and tell. When in doubt ask, ask, ask. We either assume too much or we are in such a hurry to get things done that we end up spending most of our time cleaning up messes that could have been avoided if we had taken the time to ask in the first place.

Go slow to go fast! Take the time to talk through problems and to process both successes and failures. The key is that we learn and grow not that we know and show.

Start small to go big! Rivercrest had a major challenge. Instead of devising a master plan, they started small and grew. Every successful improvement effort starts small. Want to ensure failure? Make a general announcement and tell others about your plan, and demand that everyone get on board right away.

Students have insight into how they learn best. Ask them! When asked what teachers could do students suggested that "waiting until everyone understands a concept rather than racing ahead in order to stay on schedule." (Check for Understanding)

Don't Major in the Minors! Pay attention to what you believe is important.

At Rivercrest, "achieving in school became more important than competing in sports." Set a goal to have your students say, "our athletics need to catch up to our academics."