In 2012, Navasota ISD joined the Standard-Bearer School District Network, a network of public school districts that use the Schlechty Center’s System Capacity Standards to assess organizational capacity to support change.  This work includes analysis of a school district’s operating systems and social systems and how these systems either support or inhibit innovation. Through professional learning activities that have included the Board of Trustees, teachers, administrators, and community members, the district has worked diligently and with purpose to address the most critical capacity standards:
  1. Developing a shared understanding of the need for change
  2. Developing shard beliefs and vision
  3. Developing a focus on students and the quality of work provided to students
Navasota ISD's interest in joining the consortium is reflected in the two beliefs that guide its work:
  • Engagement is the key to learning. 
  • Leading is accepting responsibility. 
These two beliefs were developed through the work of school transformation described above. They also reflect the district's organizational commitment to the premises of the New Vision for Public Education in Texas which outlines the importance of moving from rigid bureaucratic structures that that rely on "compliance, coercion, and fear" to systems that embrace "trust, shared values, creativity, innovation, and respect."  

Navasota ISD's Current Efforts:
  • Board of Trustees approves Resolution Concerning High Stakes, Standardized Testing of Texas Public School Students (February 2012)
  • Board of Trustees approves recommendation to join the Standard Bearer School District Network (July 2012)
  • District begins professional learning around Schlechty Center's System Capacity Standards and the New Vision for Public Education in Texas; this work began with a two-day "Taking Stock" session that included administrators, teachers, students, members of the Board of Trustees, and community representatives (September 2012)
  • District begins local Leadership Academy around Schlechty Center's System Capacity Standards and the New Vision for Public Education in Texas (agendas and summaries documented online). The work sessions include:
    • Taking Stock (September 2012)
    • The Right Way to Begin Depends on Where You Are Right Now (October 2012)
    • A Day Made of Glass (November 2012)
    • Learning for Leading (December 2012)
    • Creating Your Pathway (January 2013)
    • What Do We Believe (February 2013)
    • It's All About the Work (March 2013)
    • We Believe (April 2013)
    • We Believe - Board Workshop (April 2013)
    • Leadership Thinking (May 2013)
    • Engaging New Teachers (August 2013)
    • Engagement and Design (August 2013)
    • Taking Stock Revisited (October 2013)
    • Expanding the Transformation (January 2014)
  • Superintendent Rory Gesch joins the Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Institute (October 2012)
  • District Executive Team joins Region VI Transformational Leadership Consortium (November 2012)
  • District participates in TASA's Transformational Leadership Academies; participants include executive team and all campus head principals. District currently has four participants in the current academy (2012-2014)
  • Board Workshop - What do We Believe?; facilitated by Dr. Vickie Phelps of the Schlechty Center (April 2013)
  • District adopts and Board of Trustees approves belief statements developed through transformational work (May 2013)
  • Navasota ISD becomes host district for Region VI Transformational Leadership Consortium for Principals (November 2013)
  • District partners with Engage2Learn to implement an engaging, student-directed learning model in its secondary campuses (June 2013)



To learn more about Navasota Independent School District, including documentation of transformational work, information on project-based learning, videos regarding transformation and instructional innovation: www.LearningLeadingSucceeding.com

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