Robert Seth Price
As a systems thinker who is first and foremost a practitioner in heart and actions, it takes a collaborative systems spirit with real critical thinking methods for grass roots change. My experiences both in the US and globally with K-12 schools always grows my thinking on how to learn from one another and thus support each other for growing together. I met Rev Hillstrom as part of a project with Osseo Area Schools where he was the Director for Equity when I consulted with National Urban Alliance for support at school sites, with district coaches and school site/district leadership. Most important to my practice is modeling methods in classrooms with children PreK-12. All students have gifts to ignite and therefore support with their spirit of belief and belonging within each and every learning environment. The I3 CLEAR framework is a grounding for the leadership and educators to guide their full staff collectively and collaboratively — all adults in each building are an educator fully impactful with the learning environment. The focus with National Urban Alliance’s work for the past several decades is grounded in Yvette Jackson’s Pedagogy of Confidence’s High Operational Practices (HOPs). HOPs is grounded in the belief of all students’ potential for High Intellectual Performance (HIP). This combined with CLEAR provides a systems grounding to IMPACT change in each student, each classroom, each educator, each leader and the whole learning community, including parents. In my experiences as an educator who has taught on all levels of PreK through 12, college and various disciplines, it takes a systems approach to best support the education system and thus support the whole of people together, and all it’s parts. Most importantly ‘We the People’ for the student’s voice always focused on situating learning in and for their lives which then instills us as educators in the best interests of each and every student.