Carmen Williams

Actionable and adaptable guidance for extending the proven Data Wise process from the classroom to entire school systems. In System Wise, Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Carmen Williams, David Rease, Jr., and Kathryn Parker Boudett provide a blueprint to scale up the Data Wise process for continuous improvement, extending it from classrooms and schools to broader educational contexts. The System Wise approach highlights the adaptability of the Data Wise protocols, which promote agency among students and teachers, data literacy among educators, and capacity building within organizations to achieve better learning outcomes system wide. Using real-world stories, the authors demonstrate how their data-driven model for system-level continuous improvement can respond to the specific needs and challenges of different learning communities and types of schools. They encourage team leaders, principals, and district administrators to root their leadership within the ACE habits of mind (which focus on action, collaboration, and evidence) and to work in partnership with teachers to bring coherence and symmetry to instruction throughout an educational system. The book includes detailed descriptions of strategic tasks, accompanied by examples, planning checklists, and implementation templates, to help educational teams manage continuous organization-wide improvement. This highly useful work empowers educators to align values, strategy, and resources to create the conditions in which equitable schools can be built and sustained. The practices and approaches of System Wise will be immediately applicable to any large-scale challenges educational leaders seek to solve.

Pursue your dream without considering people, because people will tell you "you'll never", or "you can't" do something, just because they can't do it themselves or they are afraid to. If you have a dream, you must pursue it. I have learned that it is important who I tell my dreams to, because everyone doesn't have good intentions, and they aren't always for me. Learn to be your biggest supporter and cheerleader. Be courageous, stand up for, and pursue what you desire for you. Surround yourself with people who have positive energy and create your own positive energy. Let it flow through your mind creating brilliant ideas and tell it to the universe loudly. I encourage you to embrace the ideal that your potential to succeed is infinite.

You choose what you want. So speak it. Walk in your truth, and love the life that you are creating for you.