Leadership Growth Strategies with Courtney Monterecy
This is Episode 80 of FocusED, and it features our guest, Courtney Monterecy. We dive into school leadership, in particular what it takes to turn a school around, the book she is a co-author of, Turning It Around: Small Steps or Sweeping Changes to Create the School Your Students Deserve, and so much more.
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Courtney Monterecy Brings a Tons of Experience to FocusED Listeners
Courtney Monterecy is the principal of Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island, where she has served for 11 years. With 25 years of experience as an educator in the Providence Public School District, Monterecy has held numerous roles, including assistant principal, ELL elementary specialist, reading coach and classroom teacher.
Courtney became principal of Fogarty Elementary during a challenging period marked by high staff turnover, frequent absences, low academic performance, and a negative school culture. Determined to make a difference, she focused on “Turning It Around” and implemented strategies to revitalize the school community.
Under her leadership, Fogarty has achieved significant milestones, including recognition from The Boston Globe as the “best kept secret in Providence” and the celebration of a Milken Award-winning third-grade teacher on staff.
In 2020, Courtney was honored as Rhode Island Principal of the Year and named a National Distinguished Principal. She’s the co-author Turning It Around: Small Steps or Sweeping Changes to Create the School Your Students Deserve.
FocusED Show Notes with Guest Courtney Monterecy
Courtney tells us about how the book came to be, which included her story about meeting her co-author, Todd Whitaker.
She says that the school she took over and needed to turn around had three principals during the previous school year.
We discuss the dilemma of what to attack and fix first when everything seems to be falling down all around you.
Don’t miss what she says about operations and managing, including improvements to the way the school looked and felt.
Courtney explains how her background as an instructional leader was natural, and, yet, in the beginning of her tenure as a turn-around principal she spent a lot of time with operations and had to revert back to her roots.
Courtney says that “taking teachers into other teachers’ classrooms is the most powerful professional learning experience available.”
By tightening up classroom management, the teachers ended up with more teaching time and the students ended up with more time on task.
She tells leaders about a mistake she made at the beginning of the use of walkthroughs, which is to be sure to set a purpose for the visits. Without a clear focus, the team will be all over the place during the debrief.
It’s important to take note of the protocols she used for learning walks.
Her use of the teacher leadership team is what makes this show special. School leaders cannot run a school–or turn one around–with support.
We hope school leaders will relate to how she dealt with the resisters…there are always resisters.
Courtney reminds us to keep the joy and happiness first and foremost, otherwise the work can be too daunting and even debilitating.
Don’t miss what she says about “What’s up Wednesday.”
Her leadership growth strategies include social media, connections with other leaders, and going to conferences. Having a core group of people who you can rely on is critical.
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FocusED is your educational leadership podcast where our mission is to dissect a particular focus for teachers and school leaders so that you can learn to lead better and grow faster in your school or district. Let us know who you would like to hear from next.
