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Team Driven Leadership

Team driven leadership is the backbone of MTSS. Every person on your team has a unique skill set. We are made and equipped to be unique individuals that can contribute to a common good and a bigger picture. One person’s strength may be another’s weakness. As noted earlier, we all have different perspectives and experiences.

The bottom line is, to find success we need each other.

If you can accomplish something on your own, you aren’t dreaming big enough. There is a saying on the wall of my office here at NCESD that says “When a team of dedicated individuals makes a commitment to act as one…the sky’s the limit”. To act as one. That resonates with me. How can we come together and play a role to act as one?

I think of a puzzle. On our own, we are just one piece. We have amazing colors and unique shapes on our own, however when we find the right fit and we put our pieces together, wow, what an amazing scene.

I love the children’s book “The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be”. The reason is, that it instills in kids the concept that they are each unique, valued and special, and yet together, they (we) can make something beautiful. This is true of the adults and kids in our systems. We need each other. You can’t accomplish MTSS on your own, no matter how skilled you are; we need you and we need each other.

A team in MTSS is responsible for dreaming together and for overseeing the implementation of MTSS by planning, coordination, monitoring efforts, and making system adjustments. No matter what level of a team, the same concept is true. We should seek broad perspectives and insight. We should have processes to help us get there. We should invite outside partners and experts to come along and build beside us to accomplish great things.

When a house comes together, it takes a team of professionals to get the job done. A highly skilled plumber, an architect, an electrician, and a painter. Every job has its part and is important to the end product. Also, don’t forget who the house is built for! They play a major role in the construction, design, and decision making process. We need to involve, students, families and the community to co-decision make with us.

As a team, use a tool to help you monitor your effectiveness and progress. A favorite of mine is the District Capacity Assessment. It’s a tool designed to measure a system’s capacity in launching a new initiative like an MTSS framework. It’s a great tool to calibrate lenses to a system of support for your system.

In 2022, North Central ESD’s past MTSS Specialist, Stephanie Andler, shared her knowledge on all things Multi-Tiered System of Supports and how regional school districts can implement the strategies in this blog series.