Why fearless, why now?
When the history books of 2050 are published, they will have only a few paragraphs about the pandemic of 2020-2021. But in the year 2050, the world will still be haunted by the students we failed to serve—those who dropped out because they were not lucky enough to be in a fearless school with fearless teachers and fearless leaders. These students who failed to receive essential support will, in 2050, continue to suffer the rages of poverty and unemployment. They will continue to make disproportionate use of the medical care and criminal justice systems, and their needs and the needs of their families will continue well into the second half of the 21st century. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Creative Leadership Solutions has the answers and we are here to help (Fearless Schools, 2021).
Get Started with Fearless Schools Resources
What is a fearless school?
A fearless school in its simplest form is a high-trust organization. People in high-trust organizations are not necessarily smarter or better educated than those in low-trust organizations. However, people in high-trust organizations are persistently engaged in learning as individuals and teams throughout the organization.
In Fearless Schools: Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading, Dr. Reeves outlines four essential consequences of a high-trust environment: learning, morale, impact, and innovation. Without trust, learning is impossible. This is true because an essential prerequisite for learning is error. If we are in an environment where mistakes are not permitted, then we will only show to teachers, parents, and colleagues what we already know. This is why trust is so important.
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What does it take to have fearless schools?
It starts with psychological safety—students, teachers, and leaders who know that mistakes are the source of learning, not shame or embarrassment. In order for great learning to take place, we first must build the trust and resilience needed to produce fearless students, teachers, and leaders—and ultimately create fearless schools.
Building Psychological Safety in Schools
It is easy to be fearless in theory. That is why critics of the educational system prefer the safety of armchair rebukes to the real-world challenges of the classroom, hallways, or principal’s office of real schools. In reality, putting fearlessness into practice takes time, patience, guidance, and—above all—trust.
The establishment and maintenance of trust is at the center of fearlessness. When trust is violated, not only does it affect an individual leader who made a decision without credible communication, but it also affects every decision by that leader and many other leaders associated with the untrustworthy communication. Resilience, too, is part of a system, with the ability of a school or system to bounce back from defeat. All these factors influence fearlessness in practice from the school to the system level.
Fearless Classrooms
Establish a learning environment that is characterized by inquiry, discovery, trial and error, and accomplishment from a breakthrough. This environment is ruled by trust and confidence, and admired by both teachers and students.
Fearless Leadership
Foster leaders who create conditions of psychological safety where everyone (teachers and students) can identify and acknowledge mistakes, threats, and fear without succumbing to impulsive decision-making or paralysis.
Fearless Change
Toss aside the myth of buy-in and instead acknowledge the challenges and difficulties associated with change and continue to address colleagues in a respectful manner, despite their disagreement towards proposed change.
Professional Development Resources to Help You Become Fearless
Book
Fearless Schools: Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading
By Douglas Reeves
Every educator, leader, parent, and student knows that the most important lesson of the pandemic is that relationships matter. No amount of technological sophistication can replace the human need for three-dimensional relationships. This book provides a blueprint for a better future—a future centered around fearless students, teachers, leaders, and schools.
"If we are truly going to make schools inviting places for all students to come to and flourish, then the status quo, the 'normal,' is not good enough. To build the trust, the collegiality, the aspirational expectations among educators for this to happen—we need to be fearless. Doug Reeves outlines the conditions for such fearlessness: not tolerating mediocrity, confronting reality over wishful thinking, listening and candor, and resilience and learning together from errors. Written with passion, this book invites you to develop the courage to create schools that are fearless such that all (educators and students) are improving, aspiring, and are part of a learning organization."
-John Hattie, Emeritus Laureate Professor, Melbourne Graduate School of Education; Chair, Board of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
Webinar
Psychological Safety for Every Student and Staff Member
Our students need fearless schools. Learn the latest research on psychological safety and join us for this interactive webinar. Fearless Schools explores the evidence on how psychological safety is essential for every student and how teachers and leaders can create and maintain fearless schools. Please share this invitation with your colleagues and anyone interested in creating a world of fearless schools. The seminar is hosted by the author, Douglas Reeves.
December 8 | 4 - 5PM EST............................................... Register for this session
PD Solutions
Partner with Creative Leadership Solutions in building a school environment of trust and resilience for learning, teaching, and leading. Bring Fearless Schools professional development solutions to your school or district in a live, virtual, or hybrid format.
Fearless Schools Seminar Series
Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading
This three-part interactive series is based on Dr. Reeves Fearless Schools book. Each session can range from 90 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the needs of the school and district. Enrollment includes one-to-one follow-up support for participants and teams.
Part 1: The Trust Imperative includes how trust is built and maintained, and how trust can be undermined.
Part 2: Resilience addresses different types of resilience – physical, emotional, and organizational.
Part 3: Fearlessness in Practice explores how a commitment to psychological safety will influence assessment of students and adults.
The Fearless Classroom Seminar
This 3-hour interactive seminar will equip teachers, instructional coaches, and leaders at every level with the tools necessary to encourage and sustain the professional practices of the fearless classroom. Participants will have the opportunity to practice giving and receiving feedback based on realistic classroom scenarios. Participants will receive reproducible forms, checklists, rubrics, and other tools so that they can engage in a process of continuous improvement in their journey toward a fearless classroom. Each participant will receive a copy of Fearless Schools: Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading.
Fearless Leadership Seminar
During this interactive 3-hour seminar for leaders at every level, from the classroom to the boardroom, participants will understand the essentials of Fearless Schools and will apply that learning to authentic scenarios in classrooms, schools, and administrator meetings. Each participant will receive a copy of Fearless Schools: Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading, plus a full year of one-to-one personalized Fearless Leadership Coaching.
Keynote by Douglas Reeves
In this interactive keynote presentation, Dr. Douglas Reeves, author of Fearless Schools: Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading, explains how leaders and teachers build and maintain trust and psychological safety, and how sometimes these ideals are inadvertently undermined. Participants will engage in rich discussion and reflection based on a large body of 21st Century evidence.
Survey
As a school or district leader, most likely your main focus is ensuring your educators are feeling supported during an everchanging school year. Do your teachers feel like they can face changes and obstacles with resiliency and confidence? Take the survey to identify if your school is one that offers a fearless environment.
Get a free 30-minute consultation with Dr. Douglas Reeves!
To get started with Fearless Schools professional development and your free consultation, contact us today.