The Sustenance of Spirit Work in Our District
BY MARTIN A. POLLIO/School Administrator, November 2021

Martin Pollio, superintendent in Jefferson County, Ky., says collaboration and spirit work allowed his district’s schools to make progress during the coronavirus pandemic. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Through a decade as a high school principal in Louisville, Ky., I came to understand and value the importance of a positive school culture on improving student outcomes. I focused intensely on continuous improvement to build a sense of belonging and common vision among students and staff.

I had no idea at the time that the work I was doing at the school level soon would become even more imperative at the district level. After being named acting superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in 2017, I set out to implement those same lessons, but on a much wider scale and with much bigger challenges.

Together, with fellow educators in the district, we established three core pillars to guide our everyday work: (1) climate and culture, (2) racial equity and (3) deeper learning through our Backpack of Success Skills initiative. These became the driving force behind our mission to help all students reach their full potential.

A Shared Purpose

Walking into the superintendency when the school district faced a possible state takeover due to multiple corrective actions, I dove directly into establishing and building a positive culture within every school and division. Culture is one of those hazy words used in education that often takes the shape of embracing positivity, but it is much more. Culture is the lifeblood of a school, experienced as the collective commitment of all who work and learn there.

We started by developing a common vision, or North Star. We knew all educators needed a consistent and shared purpose in their work supporting high-needs students. We committed ourselves to authentic collaboration at every level, engaging students in their daily work and tasks and, most importantly, creating “human lighthouses” in our staff. Coined by motivational speaker Steve Pemberton, a human lighthouse refers to that educator who comes to school every day to be an immovable bright light of support for children.

Little did I realize at the time that Michael Fullan, author of innumerable leadership works, and Mark Edwards, the National Superintendent of the Year in 2013, would identify this as “spirit work” and show how essential it is in creating a districtwide sense of productivity, happiness and student success. (They reference our district’s work in their new book Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration.)

Although important in every school, spirit work is even more important in large districts like Jefferson County Public Schools with high student needs. Our 95,000-student district includes nearly 70 percent of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, 12,000 English language learners, 13,000 special education students and more than 6,000 homeless students. Spirit work in a district like ours requires teachers, administrators and all staff to “bring it” every single day. We must be all in, all the time, to ensure success for each student.

Moving Forward

On any given school day, spirit work must contribute to the effectiveness of schools and the support of students. But spirit work has become even more central over the past 18 months. The coronavirus pandemic has solidified the importance of spirit work and collaboration. In the face of the public health crisis, Jefferson County, like other districts, was forced to completely shift the way we teach, learn and support our students with virtual learning and, once returning to school, through COVID-19 mitigation.

Even more so, our school district and Louisville have been at the epicenter of racial unrest in our nation. The tragic events surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor, a former student in our schools, had tremendous impact on the spirit of our staff and students. However, as evidence of the foundations we had built, educators stepped up to support students through our racial equity work. It has been a period of soul searching and system checks in our schools that are paving the way for a more equitable future for our students.

In short, the spirit work and collaboration within Jefferson County Public Schools prior to the pandemic kept all of us moving forward during these challenging times. We have thrived and become a better district. We still have a ways to go, but as I tell our team daily, we’ve got this.

MARTIN POLLIO is superintendent of the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Ky. Twitter: @JCPSSuper