Bolman and Deal

Four-Frame Reflections and Recommendations

Melissa Carruth
EA 740
Dr. Klein
Fall 2013
1


Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to analyze the Novi Community School District using Lee
Bolman and Terrence Deals four-frame model for reframing organizations. The district was
examined through the structural, human resources, political and symbolic frames. In analyzing
the district through this model, it revealed a few areas of weakness for the Novi Community
Schools. The greatest need, at this time, amongst the deficiencies within the district was to
develop a multi-tiered system of intervention for all students of the Novi Community School
District. At this time, there is no such system. The tiered system of intervention will be a fluid
system that will require a shift of staff and addition of new staff. Additionally, it will require all
staff to shift their thinking from special education to response for intervention when working
with this tiered system and their students. The decision for the multi-tiered system of
intervention to be the focal point of the district and this paper was due to the fact that the
need became apparent within each of the four lenses. Additionally, the highest achievers in
Novi are in need for intervention, as much as the at risk students. Finally, too often children
are being referred to special education when the need is a simple tiered response for
intervention.



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Introduction
Village Oaks Elementary School is a neighborhood school that has been serving the Novi
community for over three decades. It is one of the five kindergarten-4
th
grade elementary
schools in Novi that has an enrollment of 491 student; 246 females, 245 males. It has the
second highest enrollment of the Novi K-4 elementary schools and is the most diverse
elementary school of the five. Village Oaks has an ethnicity breakdown of 56.21% white, 4.07%
Hispanic, 15.68% African American, and 24.03% Asian American. Village Oaks has more
students that are white, African American, and Hispanic compared to that of the district
average. The district average of the following subcategories are 51.6% white, 2.5% Hispanic,
8.6% African American, and 35.3% Asian American. It is one of the two Title One schools within
the district, as it serves 19.75% students who receive free and reduced meals. This is also
above the district average, which is 5.3%. It is not a school of choice for residents that live
outside of the district, with the exception of children of staff members. Additionally, we are not
a school of choice to parents within the district. Students attend their home elementary
school. After fourth grade, the students of all five elementary schools will feed into Novi
Meadows, which is a grade five six building.
In accordance with our district goal of All Students making one years growth, in one-
year time, data is evaluated continually throughout the year. Data is collected using MEAP,
NWEA, Fountas & Pinnell, district common assessments and blueprinted grade-level
assessments. Teachers are required to evaluate their students using three data markers and
being able to use data to asses if their students have reached the district goal. In looking at one
of the data markers, the 2012 MEAP, Village Oaks third and fourth graders are performing
exceptionally well compared to the state and the other elementary schools in the district. In
Reading, third grade is 94.2% proficient compared to 66.5% of the state and 85.6% of the
district. Fourth grade reading is 87.1% proficient compared to 68.1% of the state and 88.4% of
the district. In Math, third grade is 70.5% proficient compared to 40.9% of the state and 70.3%
of the district. Fourth grade math is 70% proficient compared to 46.1% of the state and 80.1%
of the district. In subgroups, African Americans are performing the lowest of all subgroups in
the district in both reading and math for the third and fourth grade. This subgroup is still
outperforming the state average, but is significantly below the district percentage of
proficiency. In math, the African American population is 31.4% lower in third grade and 42.6%
lower in fourth grade. In reading, this subgroup is 7.8% lower in third grade and 18.6% lower in
fourth grade. Our Asian population is our highest subgroup as they are above the district
percentage of students proficient in third grade math and in fourth grade reading and math.
They are only 1.7% below the district average in third grade reading. Another subgroup of
concern is the economically disadvantaged as they are preforming below the district average
3

significantly in third grade math (-30.9%) and reading (-12.9%) and fourth grade math (-42.6%)
and reading (-13.4%).
Sue Burnham is the principal that leads Village Oaks Elementary School. Under the
principal, there are four kindergarten, first, second and third grade classrooms. There are five
fourth grade classrooms. The school has two special education resource room teachers and two
special education paraprofessionals. There is a full-time speech teacher. A special education
teacher consultant and a special education social worker are on-site two days a week. A
general education social worker is on site three days a week. Village Oaks has gym, art, music
and media teachers that are highly-qualified, and provide the classroom teachers with common
planning times for 55 minutes each day. A literacy teacher is on-site four days a week. A Title
One and an ELL teacher work part-time in the building. A physical and occupational therapist
come to Village Oaks on an as needed basis as they are out-sourced to service the children
who require PT and OT accommodations as stated in their IEP. The custodians are privatized
and one custodian works during the day and two work in the evening. Before-school and after-
school CARE are offered to working parents. The CARE program is run through Novis
Community Education program. One full-time secretary and a second part-time secretary are in
the front office and a technology paraprofessional is in the building two-three times a week.
Thirty of the staff members have a masters degree or higher. All but three classroom teachers
have a higher education degree.
Bohman and Deals, Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, is a book
based on the premise of looking at organizations using frames. Bolman and Deal discuss four
different frames for viewing and understanding organizations. A frame is, a mental model a
set of ideas and assumptions that you carry in your head to help you understand and
negotiate a particular territory (Bolman and Deal, 2008). Frames serve as a guide for
organizations to help them to reach their destination and to create necessary documents,
procedures, protocols, etc, that follows the organizations mission, vision, values and goals to
help them scaffold the organization. Organizations use all the frames, not just one, but some
leaders value one frame over the others. In using these frames effectively, it helps to provide
lenses for organizations to identify challenges. This will help organizations to provide a
framework that helps to overcome the challenge through a neutral viewpoint rather than
lenses clouded with personal judgment. Bolman and Deal entitles the four frames; structural,
human resources, political, and a symbolic.
Once understanding the importance of frames, it makes it apparent why frames exist.
Bolman and Deal ask organizations to be analyzed under four lenses. The structural frame is
the frame which emphasizes goals, relationships, and a clear structure with well-developed
management systems. The human resource frame is the frame which emphasizes the
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importance of people. The political frame helps an organization to work through and with
conflict and a scarcity of resources, while advocating and negotiating for the needs of the
organization. The final frame is the symbolic frame, which helps an organization to provide
vision and inspiration that helps the stakeholders to see hope and meaning. Any great leader
or manager within an organization is aware of the existence of multiple frames and is able to
transition between the frames in order to maximize the success of an organization.
In the remaining sections of this analysis, a recommendation for Novi Community
Schools will be analyzed using Bolman and Deals four frames. The biggest district concern, at
this time, is creating a tiered level of intervention. The State of Michigan has expressed their
displeasure in Novi Community Schools lack of a tiered level of intervention and has expressed
the immediate need for a solution and has lowered Novis score with the state due to this
missing component in the district. The district is aware of this and in response started their
work last school year. A committee was made up of individuals K-12 at all levels of the
educational process to start the work of this process of finding a tiered level of intervention for
the students. At the close of the year, a report for the Board of Education was to be presented
in June. It did not happen and the work has not yet begun for the 2013-2014 school year. This
tiered intervention will be analyzed according to these frames and recommendations will be
made through this process ensuring that all four frames have been supported for the students
of Novi Community Schools, especially Village Oaks Elementary School.
Structural Frame
The first frame is structural, or the social architecture of an organization. This frame
provides the rules, roles, goals, policies, technology and environment. The structural frame is
what Bolman and Deal call the factory or machine (Bolman and Deal, 2008; Jossey-Bass) of an
organization. This is the frame where organizations hope to put people in the right roles and
relationships. This frame is always the central concern for any organization because they are
always hoping to create a structural framework that can withhold an environment shift,
technology change, growth or leadership change. This is a tough feat and one that does not
come with ease. The structural frame is a never-ending struggle and in the end, leaders must
know when organizations need a redesign of the current structure of the organization to ensure
that the best structure is in place to produce and enhance performance.
Before reflecting on Novi Community Schools through the structural frame, one must be
clear on the history of the district. Up until eight years ago, Novi Community Schools sat as an
uninterrupted organization. They had a superintendent who served the district for over 15
years and the leaders in all the buildings K-12 were in their respected leadership roles for over
20 years. Within these last eight years and thanks to the changes and enticements from the
state, administration changed significantly. Three of the five elementary schools had new
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principals. The 5/6 building split their leadership into two principals rather than one and
required hiring new administration. The middle school and high school also hired new
principals and assistant principals. An entire new cabinet at central office, with the exception
of the community education director and including a new superintendent, were also new in
that eight year window. In sum, it was an entire new change of leadership and a complete
overhaul of an organization. Staff members were finding a challenge in knowing who should be
contacted when a problem arises. In the past, they just knew who to call. Now they needed
to look to the structural frame to field their questions and search for answers. Unfortunately, a
defined organizational chart was not in place and communication suffered, but this new
leadership recognized the immediate problem and many changes in the structural lens
happened immediately.
The first change was to lay-out an organizational chart where the roles and
responsibilities were stated across the district. On top of creating one, the district needed to
follow the chart so that all members of the organization knew what their role is within the
organization. A chart was approved by the board in 2010 and has been maintained over the
last three years where only names are changed with the chart, not a shift in the lay-out. Novi
Community Schools follows many components of Mintzbergs five-sector combined with a
simple structure, according to Henry Mintzberg and Sally Helgesens structural configuration.
Under this model, there is an operating core, which is the school principals, teachers and
students. The next line is the administrative component, which is composed of the directors
and coordinators of the district. At the strategic apex, the Novi Board of Education and the
Superintendent and the three assistant superintendents. On the edge of our core
organizational structure is our auditor and legal counsel. Now that the vertical and lateral
coordination is in place for the organization, roles were able to be identified and the strategic
apex recognized that there were some loop-holes in the chart. In the end, a new position
entitled Director of Student Growth and Accountability was created as a leadership position to
analyze data. On the organizational chart, the roles of each level of the organizational chart are
defined to help all stakeholders know who is responsible for certain roles within the district.
In examining this chart, a few key components need to be added. First, parents and
students are not identified on the chart. They are the essential stakeholders that need to be
stated so we all understand where they fall on the chart. Parents and students are the reason
that all of the other positions are in place. Additionally, the communication between the
superintendent and the Board of Education need to be defined. All the positions below these
two have their roles defined, but the highest levels of the apex are not defined. I think if the
roles are stated, then the current problem that is occurring between the Board and our
Superintendent would not be happening. Recently, the Board has found themselves
challenging all major recommendations that have been approved by the Superintendent. The
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Superintendent has shown to be an outstanding leader. He continues to lead the district
following the district mission, vision, value and goals and continuing to meet a high level of
success amongst our learners. So it is unclear as to the disconnect between the Board and the
Superintendent. Some say it is a power struggle of the aged board members having a hard time
to change their mindset to a more current understanding of modern-day educational needs. In
the end, if the roles were defined on the organizational chart, some of the disagreements may
be alleviated.
An additional change to the organizational chart would be to have the roles of the
individuals that follow under the school principals be defined. Currently they are not. A simple
way of defining this position is for each building to complete an organizational chart that
follows Mintzberg and Helgesens simple structure so that the roles are clearly defined of the
principals, staff, students and parents within each school. When roles are defined,
communication strengthens and a division of labor becomes apparent to everyone.
A recent discussion with RJ Webber, Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services,
was had discussing the organizational chart of our district. A question was asked to him, what
changes do you feel need to change on this chart? He stated that he feels as though the key
components that are missing are a role of interventionists in all buildings and to have 21
st

century coaches at the buildings. He feels those need to be included to better align with the
districts social justice vision that is stated in the below monument structure.

That reflection was enlightening as the recommendations from Failure Is Not An Option paper
indicated that a tiered intervention is essential for Novi Community Schools. It was
empowering to hear that is the direction that the structural lens is heading.
7

In the end, Novi Community Schools has an organizational chart that is a strong
reflection of the district. It is also a working document that all stakeholders can use with
relative ease. With both of those components in place, the district is prepared should a
restructure need to take place. If the environment shifts, an organization grows, or leadership
changes, I believe that enough of the structural lens is in place that Novi Community School will
restructure with ease.
Recommendations
As stated in the introduction, Novi Community Schools is in need of a tiered level of
intervention. In looking at the organizational chart, under the Assistant Superintendent for
Academic Services is the Student Services Director. Under the Student Services Director, an
increased in responsibilities would seem logical to have this director to oversee and evaluate
the interventionists in each building. There would need to be a staffing increase of
interventionists being placed at each school. Currently, there are not any interventionists. The
district has staff in intervention programs, but not one to oversee all interventions. There
would be one interventionist in each elementary school, one at each of the 5/6 buildings, two
at the middle school, and two at the high school. Two of the elementary schools have a much
higher level of proficiency, so there need could overflow into the middle school and the 5/6
building, wherever need shall be. These interventionists would be responsible for the tiered
approach for intervention in each building. They would ensure that their building carries out
the three tiers appropriately; primary, secondary and tertiary. The interventionists would work
with the K-5 literacy coaches to ensure that all students needs are met at the primary level
through differentiated instruction. At Village Oaks, all classrooms use a workshop method for
reading and math, therefore the culture for differentiated instruction is in place, an
interventionist would help enhance instruction to help meet the needs of all of the learners. At
the secondary level, the interventionist would work with the title 1, ELL, and literacy support
instructors to provide research-based instruction to the students who are falling behind based
on the district assessments and to ensure that at the secondary level, students are fluid
between the primary and secondary level, not in the secondary level and then stay in that level,
until the next school year. Finally, the interventionist would work with the special education
teachers in the building to be part of the 504 discussions for the students who do fall in the
tertiary level of the tiered approach. In sum, an interventionist in the building serves as a great
liaison for the building at all levels. They also would carry out the universal screener for the
students to help monitor the data of the building and help accommodate move-in student
appropriately in a building. Currently, there are part-time teacher consultants, but they only
work at the tertiary level. An interventionist spends most of their time working with staff and
students in the primary and secondary level.
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Human Resource Frame
Our most important asset is our people. (Bolman & Deal, 2008) This phrase sums up
the human resource frame in those seven words. Organizations exist to serve human needs
and people and organizations need each other because without the people, the ideas, energy
and talent become lost. This premise defines the way organizations and people fit together. It
is that word fit that needs to function together. It is so important that the fit between the
individual and the organization are strong so that useful work can occur and employees need to
feel comfortable to express their skills. Just like the children teachers work with daily need
their basic needs met in terms of Maslows hierarchy, staff needs their needs met too. When
their needs are met, trust is established for people to be able to express themselves and their
ideas.
Currently in Novi, teachers are asked to follow their teaching styles following Atlas
Rubicon. Atlas Rubicon was developed by the Content Area Leaders (CALs) and Content Area
Teams (CAT). These teams were members of the district and they developed the lessons for
Atlas. Trust was created across the district where freedom to express was encouraged by
administration. The key questions we have were the best CALs and CATs in the positions? Was
the curriculum mapped in the best way for teachers to carry out the common core with their
students? These questions will be answered in time, but in the end, the district trusts the work
and will continue to trust the work of Atlas as long as data continues to show growth.
Another component with the human resource frame is to hire the right people and to
keep their employees employed over time and content. Recently, Novi schools have revamped
their hiring process to ensure that a universal structure is in place to hire. In the past, Novi has
had a reputation that they do not hire their guest teachers and that they do not like to hire and
promote within, but they say that they think highly of the teacher leader model that was
created in a 90+ page document with universal questions, screening process and protocol for
hiring. With this in place, the district believes they are employing the best candidate for the
job, whether it is an internal or external applicant. The outcome, recently Novi has moved four
of the five instructional coaches from within the district into new roles. All learning labs are
staffed by teachers who were already within district. Finally, the new Assistant Superintendent
for Human Resource & Administrative Services and the new High School principal were internal
candidates that were promoted within. Staff seeing this; now sees that the district and
administration feel that they want to keep their employees, foster a community where teacher
leadership is encouraged and believe that initiatives can be moved within a district if the
correct staff are in trusted positions.
Finally, Novi Community Schools pride themselves on being a healthy learning
organization. They have a well-developed mentor program where experienced staff mentor
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new staff following the Pathwise model, which offers research-based professional
development programs that advance professional learning and practice for school leaders and
teachers.(ETS, 2013) Additionally, under our new evaluation system, iObservation, staff is
required to peer observe each other and provide constructive criticism. Finally, learning labs
are in place across the district for staff where they can watch other teachers instruct in an area
of instruction and reflect with a team on how better they could carry out the skill in a
confidential environment. Once again these examples show that Novi takes pride in leaders
that spend time relating to others people in conversations and the quality of relationships with
each other is how satisfied and effective they are with each other at work.
In sum, Novi takes the human relations frame very seriously. The district has an
administration, but the core decisions are placed in the hands of groups or as the district calls
it, committees. In working with a group, it brings to the discussion more knowledge, diversity
of perspective, time and energy than individuals working in isolation. These committees are
indispensable in Novi. They are the problem solvers, decision makers, work coordinators,
information sharers and negotiators. So with the effectiveness and trust placed upon each
other to make research-based decisions, Novi being charged with the task of creating a tiered
model for intervention is a feat they are ready to face.
Recommendations
With the structure of an interventionist placed at each school, the work can now begin. First,
the tiered approach cannot begin until you have a universal screening protocol in place. This screening
process will be in the hands of the interventionist to ensure that all buildings across the district follow
the same screening process to ensure consistency across the district. When the protocol is in place, all
stakeholders in the community are aware of the research-based screening process that the district will
use. The district would align the screening process with the common assessments that are stated in the
Atlas Rubricon. The universal screening will follow a timeline that is clear. Below is a rough outline to a
timeline the district could follow using the universal screening process under the human resource lens.
A Universal Screener will be administered to all students using multiple screening tools. The
screening tools are listed below:
NWEA & Writing prompts are used as the initial universal screener
Students who score __________ on the NWEA, or an average of 2 or below on writing,
are classified as students of concern and need to have a secondary screener.
A secondary screener may be data from the report card/transcript or another
screener (F&P, STAR), which will determine students who are in need of
immediate intervention at the Tier II and Tier III level
K-6
Reading: NWEA, F&P, STAR - If a need for additional information is indicated, direct to the
report cards from prior years to look at standards that were not progressing as
expected.
10

Math: NWEA - If a need for additional information is indicated, direct to the report cards from
prior years to look at standards that were not progressing as expected.
Writing: District writing prompt responses - If a need for additional information is indicated,
direct to the report cards from prior years to look at standards that were not
progressing as expected.

7-12
Reading: NWEA, if additional information is needed, direct to the report cards from prior years,
to look at standards that were not progressing as expected
For 9
th
grade only, use the EXPLORE
For 11
th
grade use PLAN
Math: NWEA, if additional information is needed, direct to the report cards from prior years, to
look at standards that were not progressing as expected.
For 9
th
grade only, use the EXPLORE
For 11
th
grade use PLAN
Writing: Writing prompt responses, if additional information is needed, direct to the report
cards from prior years, to look at standards that were not progressing as expected
For 9
th
grade only, use the EXPLORE
For 11
th
grade use PLAN

Timeline for Universal Screening
All students who were receiving Tier II and Tier III support the previous year will continue
services within the first 2 weeks of school.
The universal screener in reading, math and writing, needs to be administered by October
1
st
, mid-year, and April X. (**a universal screener will be administered during registration
PRIOR to the start of school for 5-12**).
By October 15
th
, all students have been evaluated to determine students of concern and a
Progress Monitoring form/process will begin for those students of concern to determine
what level of intervention the student will receive.
NOTE: Interventionist staffing will be based on need at each building and will be fluid
throughout the year.
Students who enroll after the fall universal screener, will be given the NWEA Survey, grades
K-12, within their 1
st
week of registering for school in Novi.
Students who are new to Novi, and registering prior to NWEA fall assessment, will be
administered the NWEA Survey as part of their registration process.

Continuous Screening Process

Interventionists and classroom teachers will be monitoring and documenting progress and
interventions of students through Common Unit Assessments in Tier 2 and 3 to determine if
there is a continued need for intervention.
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Common assessment data will be collected and analyzed in PLCs for Tier 1 students. It will be
used to progress monitor Tier 1 students.
Students will be fluid through the tiered process.
Students can receive support in multiple academic areas simultaneously.

Following a framework, like the example stated above, would offer the district consistency.
When the consistency is in place in the district, a tiered approach could begin in a building. The
building interventionist will work with the tiered professionals, i.e., Title I, ELL, Special
Education, building principal, social work, speech, and reading support to evaluate the universal
screening to discuss the students who are in need of Tier II and III support.
At the Tier I level, a CHAT session will be in place on a weekly basis where staff is able to
sign up to bring their students in Tier I to the table to start conversation on how to meet their
learning needs. Strategies could be discussed, suggestions to meet their learners could be
stated, but in the end, literacy coaches will work with the interventionist and the classroom
teacher to develop a plan of intervention for the Tier I students.
CHAT sessions, universal screening and tiered protocols allows for staff, students and
administration to work collaboratively to meet the goal of, One years growth in one years
time for all students in Novi.
Political Frame
When referring to the political frame, many look at this lens in the sense of government.
This is a component of the frame, but many other factors play into this frame. Since schools are
a coalition of assorted individuals and interest groups, members have to value a difference in
values, beliefs, information, interests and perceptions of reality. In the political frame, the most
important question is Who gets what? Public schools are run by funding from the state and
the dollar amount that is allocated per pupil is deemed by the government. Once funding is
allocated, that is when schools become the difficult discussion of Who gets what?
In collaborating to determine where money is allocated, the scarce resources and
differences amongst staff and administration can put a conflict amongst an organization. These
decisions need to be very research-based and not spontaneous. When financial resources dry
up, district leaders have difficult financial decisions to make on what program or staff will be
funded.
This decision usually happens in the form of power. The way power is distributed, is
typically the way money is allocated. When a system is over-bounded system, power is highly
concentrated and everything is tightly regulated. In an under-pounded system, power is loosely
controlled.
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Novi Community Schools is a system that resembles closely to an over-bounded system.
The money is on a tight budget that is approved by the Board of Education and needs to be
thoroughly accounted for due to annual audits. Administration allocates money for each
school. Programs and buildings are funded with the state per pupil funding and other funding
measures both through bonds and mileages. Administration finds creative measures to stretch
resources, but it is amazing how the funding can always be found for a program if
administration believes passionately about a position. A district goal is to maintain 10% fund
equity and that continues to hold true despite the states funding being diminished from year-
to-year.
Maintaining, the fund equity is important to the district, so allocating for new initiatives
is a challenge to receive support from the board. Funding for projects and staffing, needs to go
through a process with final approval from the Board of Education. Proposals for staffing
changes and expansions for programs follow the district organizational system.
Recommendations
In looking at the political frame with the tiered intervention, it is hard to not reflect
immediately to a 2011 State of Michigan memorandum. In that document, the State of
Michigan has charged all schools to the following challenge,
When braided together, the Michigan Continuous School Improvement
process and a system of RtI will enhance and strengthen each other, a
mutually beneficial relationship, as opposed to when planned and
implemented in separate silos, competing for staff time and resources,
leading to a dysfunctional and sporadic implementation of improvement
strategies. A well implemented system of RtI will enrich and enhance the
school improvement process. The main purpose of this document will be
to define the MDEs definition and vision of RtI. An integral part of
defining RtI for Michigan will be to clarify the connections between and
braiding of, essential elements of RtI and the school improvement
process. (Vaughn, 2011)
The State of Michigan has defined RtI and included eleven essential elements to help clarify the
definition. In order to be an RtI system, according to the State of Michigan, all eleven elements
must be present. Novi Community Schools has yet to meet the eleven essential elements;
therefore, the State has documented this lack of responding to a State of Michigan initiative.
Novis AdvancEd accreditation and the State score has both been effected with the lack of
response to the State.
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With the initiative mandated by the State, the district is ready to embrace a research-
based protocol. Budget constraints will be an item of consideration as interventionists at each
building will lead to an increase in staffing combined with an increase in programming at each
level to meet the needs of a tiered intervention. Though the importance for this is a must and
therefore using the human resource frame of committee work to think creatively to meet the
eleven elements the State of Michigan has charged for this initiative.
Symbolic Frame
An organizations culture is revealed and communicated through its symbols. (Bolman
and Deal, 2008) Symbols show what an organization stands for. It explains pictorially what the
organization stands for. It provides the lasting impression for all to remember an organization.
When people think of Target, they think of the bullseye. Geicos gecko, McDonalds golden
arches are a few more examples of symbols that stand for an organization. Having a symbol for
your organization is a way to brand your culture. Behind every symbol has a story to tell and
within an organization it tells of a mission and vision. When a symbol is embraced within a
culture, it fosters collaboration and a shared knowledge, but most importantly it leads people
into the future.
When organizations are looked at as a culture, they share a basic assumption that a
group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and integration that has worked
well enough to be considered valid (Deal and Kennedy, 1982). In simple terms, it is the way
we do things around here. (Bolman and Deal, 2008). In the end, it is the idea that symbols bring
meaning to work and help to anchor culture. Culture cannot evolve once a symbol is
implemented to stand for an organization, but rather the symbol stands for the organizations
culture that was built over times as members develop mission, vision, values and goals in a
clear and cohesive culture.
Novis strength is the symbolic frame. When you look at Novi from a community point
of view, you see the following symbol.

When our superintendent was hired into the district, he stated that it was this symbol that
lured him to Novi. He wanted to lead a district that has the symbol, A commitment to
14

excellence. He feels that this symbol speaks volumes to the community and the state that we
can back our symbol with such a bold statement and expects that our data speaks to the truth
of that statement. It is a symbol that explains our goal and beliefs amongst our staff,
administration and with our parents and students.
Internally with our staff, we have a symbol that defines our mission, value, vision and
goals.

This symbol defines who we are today and where we will go in the future. Staff understands
how each section is a pillar that builds upon each other and falls under our four district goals.
All of the pillars are shared K-12 in the district. This monument was created by our Assistant
Superintendent of Curriculum, but as a district, we all have committed to the pillars. Each staff
plays a role in the development of this monument as it moves the district to be better for our
students. It provides a cohesive picture for all of us to believe in with our instruction for all
students and for us to believe that if all pillars are met, then growth and achievement will
occur.
Recommendations
Typically a multi-tiered level of intervention follows a triangular symbol. The reason for a tri-
angular system is because Tier I is the largest as it is for all students. Tier II is for 5-10% of our student
population and Tier III is for 1-5% of the student population. The multi-tiered system needs to show the
fluidity and flexibility of the system to ensure that students flow between the tiers with ease. An
example is as follows:

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It is important that the symbol shows fluidity and evaluation of the programs in each tier to ensure that
the implementation is working and that the problems still exist. It is also important to be fluid so that
children do not stay in a tier all year long, but rather for the immediate need that is for the students at
this time.
Conclusion
In reflecting on Bolman and Deals four frames, Novi Community Schools is extremely strong in
all frames, but have a heavy balance towards the structural and symbolic frames. As Bolman and Deal
believe, in order for an organization to be effective, there needs to be a balance between all four
frames. Effective leaders within an organization need to also reflect on the four frames to move an
organization. When all four frames are used, an organization can continue to function amongst any
adversity; change in leadership, staffing, power, fiscal and resources. When one frame is experiencing
adversity, the other frames can work hard to help provide reflection, clarity and cohesion to help
overcome the deficiencies.
In preparing for the multi-tiered levels of intervention that Novi Community Schools is in need of
creating, the organization is stable for the change as they show strength in all frames. Since the district
is strong in the four frames, the district is ready to embrace this new way of thinking. Multi-tiered
intervention is a term that is used in most school organizations and proves to be a method that is
research-based that will help Novi to continue to use the phrase All students will show one-years
growth in one year time. This recommendation for a change will need to ensure that it follows the
eleven components that the State of Michigan is suggestion, along with following the four components
that the RTI suggest; screening, progress monitoring, data-based decision-making, and a multi-tiered
prevention system.
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This change will make Novi Community School stronger and in compliance with the State of
Michigans request and meeting all of our students needs. Once the interventionists are in place at
each building, the district can start the process and mindset change to a tiered model of intervention.
There needs to be an interventionist at each building who will not only work with students, but also
coordinate the tiered systems for intervention. The interventionist will also ensure that the district
universal screener is to be upheld and carried out multiple times a year. This tiered system for
intervention will be fluid for our students, not stagnant where once you are in, you are in. Additionally,
there will be a district cutoff score to help ensure consistency and equitability across the district.
Once the interventionist and universal screener is in place, then the tough part plays in each schools
hands, how will they meet the needs of the students in the tiered model? The conversations have to
happen, the programs need to be in place, and universal buy-in by staff must occur. There cannot be
formal programs placed in each school as the needs vary greatly from school-to-school K-12. Even
though the needs vary, the need is still there across all buildings. It is an exciting time for Novi Schools
to bring about this change that will impact all students. The work has begun to start the conversation to
create a model, it will be great to see how this school year progresses so that a 2014-2015 roll-out can
occur.

References
Bolman, L & Deal, T. (2008); Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Deal, T. E., and Kennedy, A. A .(1982); Corporate Cultures. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley.
Educational Testing Services (2013). The Pathwise Series. Retrieved from
http://www.ets.org/pathwise
Sally Vaughn, Ph.D, personal communication with the State of Michigan, September 8, 2011
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (2013). National Center on
Response to Intervention. Retrieved from http://www.rti4success.org/