ABC SCHOOL

“So where do
we start?”

Ashwin and Meher asked each other this question simultaneously as they sat in the small
administrative office of ABC School in Noida It was July 2008, and the pair had just begun
their new positions as the school’s principal (Ashwin) and assistant principal (Meher).
 (known as “Mr. A” to ABC students

B.S. in finance and M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction

From 2004 to 2007 he worked as an assistant principal

in the Boston Public Schools system

Ashwin ’s leadership style was heavily influenced by Anant

Anant introduced Ashwin to Dada’s models and tactics

Ashwin sought to implement this theme at ABC

Ashwin Most who met Mr. A immediately noted his ability to engage quickly and his
thoughtful
 Known to ABC students as “Meher Mam”

Focused much of her career on serving underprivileged children

Her leadership style comes out of the struggles she had in

my community since the 1960

She first came into contact with ABC through the Dada,
a great person of Noida

Her strong focus on community-building was clear in her

warm and caring demeanor

Meher she had started teaching in 1964

About ABC School
In order to serve the community, a Boston model
high school was established in 2001
In the Boston model, students work at corporate
internships to help fund their high school
education
It is a part of the Boston Network, which includes
of twenty-four high schools spread across India
The Hire4Ed (Corporate Internship) Program
made it possible for young people with limited
options to participate
Three standards for students: To be prepared for
work, Prepared for college and Committed to
community justice and peace
 Issues
Student Related
Tardies,” or late arrivals
Students- failed classes
Tended not to take the sessions seriously
did not complete their academic
requirements in time to
Disruptions by entering classrooms -
Electronic keycards
Physical fights, while not routine events,
were not uncommon
Middle-school mentality
Teacher Related
Students' performance issues were
exacerbated by teacher attitudes
Teachers tended to “baby” the students by
providing answers
When a resource teacher was asked to
evaluate the performance of other teachers,
she was met with a lot of pushback. So it felt
like a spy coming in.
 Issues

Administration-Related

The previous principal recognized the challenge of the ethnic, racial, and academic diversity of the student
body
She also recognized that the students needed greater clarity regarding expectations and disciplinary
consequences
Some staff members went too far in their efforts to support students, whereas others believed that
students needed to be more accountable for their actions and performance.
Weren’t providing the scaffolding for students
Many students embraced a negative attitude toward academics—and one another
Kids expressed unfamiliarity with ABC, one of our students said, ‘It’s a school for poor kids'
 Ashwin and Meher knew they faced
challenges in every aspect of the school
where they were to lead students, teachers,
and administration based on their initial
research and observations.

They faced many questions:

Where to start?

Challenges How could they rally ABC’s stakeholders

around a new learning philosophy and set
of policies and practices?
How would the stakeholders respond to
the many changes they envisioned?
One of the only answers Ashwin and Meher
already had was their response to a simple
question:
When should they start making changes
now?
 What would you do if you were Ashwin and Meher?
How would you “fix” ABC?
Both should openly discuss with teachers how the
current culture harms staffs, students, and the
overall

Questions
This is not the time to make splendid statements. It's
time to get back to basics and show like credibility,
respect, and fairness

&
Answers
Where would you start if you wanted to build a
new culture?

from Communication is always important in any change,

but when it comes to rebuilding culture, transparent

analysis
communication is the way to go
People feel respected and valued when they have the
freedom and ability to express their feelings and
concerns.

How would you integrate the different elements of

your solution?
By being sensitive and responsive
Expressing Empathy
By following observation, practice and
implementation