The Wall Street Journal Agrees!
Well, in the interest of honesty, humility, and full-disclosure, let me qualify. I doubt that the editors, reporters, and columnists of the WSJ have read anything I've written!
Nevertheless, it was gratifying to read a recent article in the WSJ that echoes some of the principles that I have outlined in previous articles concerning how to create an effective staff training program, including Rethinking Staff Development: "This Too Shall Pass.".
Why—despite our best intentions and the investment of substantial time and money in training do our schools remain largely unchanged?
What I find interesting, somewhat heartening (misery loves company!), but not surprising is that U.S. corporations have the same problem with training that we have in our schools. Training does not necessarily translate into individual or systemic change. A lot of time and money is being wasted on well intentioned but largely ineffectual training efforts.
According to Harry J. Martin in his WSJ article, "Lessons Learned":
The key to effective training isn't necessarily what happens in the classroom. It's what you do afterward. Teaching employees new skills is one thing. Getting them to apply what they have learned is quite another.
With some studies suggesting that just 10% to 40% of training is ever used on the job, it is clear that a big chunk of the tens of billions of dollars organizations spend annually on staff development is going down the drain.
Chalk some of it up to human nature: Training involves change, and change creates anxiety that people seek to avoid. In other cases, old habits and workplace pressures can break down even the strongest resolve to use newly acquired skills and knowledge.
Sound familiar?
Many of our employees approach staff training with the usually unspoken confidence that "this too shall pass." Teachers 
often view in-service as something to endure or a time to catch up on relationships. For most, it is not an occasion for deep reflection; it is seldom stimulating, and seldom leads to change in the classroom or systemic change in our schools. Each year we pick our in-service topic, throw it against the wall and hope it will stick. It usually doesn't!
So, how do we stop wasting our money and everyone's time? The key is systematic and sustained follow-up. Here are some tips from the WSJ article that reinforces and expands upon the points I made in my previous article on this subject.
Practical Suggestions from the WSJ Article
Harry Martin asserts that
if organizations want their training-and-development programs to yield better results, they need to create a workplace environment that actively encourages people to change.
The key to doing that: Make sure that support doesn't end when workers walk out the training-room door.
Simple activities such as having trainees write down how they plan to use new skills or knowledge on the job, or having them discuss their progress with peers and supervisors can significantly increase the amount of learning that is transferred to the workplace. Here is a look at follow-up techniques my team found to be most effective.
1. Putting it on paper
When employees are asked to write an action plan detailing how they expect to use what they learned in training, something interesting occurs: Just writing it down makes it more likely to happen. Outlining what needs to be done, when, and with whom, reduces confusion, helps trainees visualize the outcome and provides a document against which progress can be assessed.
The managers in a Midwestern manufacturing company were asked to develop personal action plans for each of the main content areas of the training program. They didn't have to submit the action plans to anyone, but they were asked to report informally about their efforts in meetings with supervisors, fellow trainees and members of the human-resources department.
Many of the trainees initiated projects as a result of the training program and action planning that resulted in substantial cost reductions in some divisions. The company's top executives said they were surprised and impressed by the number of projects that were initiated and completed during that time.
Asking Good Questions
What is perhaps most interesting are the suggested follow-up questions that trainees were required to answer in their personal development plans:
- What will you do to implement a concept from today's session?
- When will you do this?
- What results do you expect and how will they be measured?
- When do you expect to see these results?
- What assistance or support will you need to implement your plan?
These would be great questions to have teachers answer after training sessions in our schools.
2. Measuring Results
There will be follow-up. That's the idea behind another effective post-training activity: the performance assessment. When employees know that they are going to be observed and given feedback on their performance, the motivation to use newly learned skills and knowledge increases.
Assessment usually measures specific behaviors targeted by the training. For example, if a training program seeks to improve a person's ability to conduct meetings, one could ask meeting participants to evaluate how well the trainee does along a variety of measures, such as developing a proper agenda or keeping the meeting on track. Another approach would be to estimate cost savings that result from improved use of meeting time.
The Midwestern manufacturer used this technique on the 237 managers who participated in its training program. The managers' supervisors rated them before they went through training and then six weeks and three months afterward. They were rated on skills addressed by the training, such as goal setting, leadership style, listening skills, team building and written communication. significant improvement in performance was reported three months following the training.
This is very similar to my argument in my previous article:
We modified the evaluation instrument to match our expectations. The evaluation instrument includes a number of specific expectations tied directly to prior staff training, e.g., use of technology, questioning techniques, etc.
This heightens faculty attentiveness and response to training by making it clear that "This shall NOT pass." We expect that the concepts and skills covered during staff training WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CLASSROOM. Failure to do so is not acceptable.
In other words, we are not offering ideas for consideration during in-service, we are providing training. To make this point clearer, consider an example in another profession, the medical field. Can you imagine a physician attending a training conference on the latest techniques in surgery and then ignoring them on the operating table? Can you imagine your physician going to a professional conference with the attitude that “this too shall pass?” Of course not; true professionals take training to enhance their practice--not to go through the motions. Similarly, can you imagine your tax accountant going to a seminar on changes in the tax code and then choosing to ignore them when preparing your tax return? Doing so would be malpractice and would result in fines, revocation of a license, and possible imprisonment. You could multiply the example indefinitely for pilots, attorneys, engineers, etc.
Why then do we permit professional teachers to ignore their professional training and fail to apply it in their classrooms? Are not the souls and minds of students more precious than the physical well being of a patient or the size of our tax refund.
Help From Peers
Sometimes a little help from friends can inspire trainees to give new skills a try. That's the thinking behind peer meetings -- when trainees get together to discuss how they are applying the skills and information from training and what effect their efforts are having on the organization's operations.
To provide trainees with support and motivational encouragement, the Midwestern manufacturer scheduled a series of hour long peer meetings with each training group between two and 12 weeks following their training session.
While not every trainee had a lot to say initially, many did, and their success and enthusiasm eventually encouraged even the most skeptical member to give the new skills a try.
Peer meetings were found to be especially helpful to trainees working in divisions where management support for training was deemed weak. An analysis of performance data showed that the more peer meetings those trainees attended, the more learning they transferred to the workplace -- even if they lacked support from their division manager. 
Supportive Supervisors
Speaking of management support, an actively involved and supportive boss greatly increases the odds that employees will apply what they learned in training. By assuming the role of coach or mentor, the boss can communicate expectations to trainees, keep them focused, provide encouragement and help eliminate roadblocks to success. Engaging the boss in this process involves creating the opportunity for the supervisor and the trainee to meet.
Both the Midwestern manufacturer and the industrial supplier required trainees and their immediate supervisors to meet to review and discuss the trainees' action plans. The meetings were designed to provide motivation and support for the trainees and to encourage supervisors to take an active role in helping their subordinates meet their goals.
Access to Experts
Sometimes trainees need additional information before they can finalize and deploy an action plan. Companies can help by providing technical support -- things like reference materials, additional data in training topics, or access to experts from inside or outside the company who can answer questions.
Research shows that employees who participate in follow-up meetings with instructors after training are more likely to apply new skills and knowledge on the job.
The industrial supplier had each of its trainees meet monthly with a project director to discuss training transfer. The meetings typically lasted an hour and focused on the trainee's action plan for that month's training session. The project director helped them formulate the plan and spot potential problems.
Just Do It!
Either through intuition or training, most of what is outlined above is not new information for most of us. Our problem is not usually a lack of knowledge, it is often a lack of will or discipline.
We may know the right things to do but as leaders we often fail to do them. We too often are "hearers but not doers" of what we know we should be doing.
As school leaders, we are the stewards of the students, staff, and resources entrusted to our care. We must, for God's glory and those for whom we are responsible, ensure that positive systemic change is happening in our schools. We just have to do it!
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