New York Daily News reporter Anthony McCarron, and other members of the aggressive New York sports media, got a surprising response from Derek Jeter, the shortstop for the New York Yankees, when they peppered him with a series of questions about his sluggish numbers at the beginning of the 2002 season. Jeter’s numbers were below his normal averages and, in response to questions about them, Jeter gave the following response, I don’t care about those numbers as long as I win. There are ways to win that you don’t get numbers for. If you hit a ground ball to move a guy over from second to third, and then the next guy hits a ground ball and gets an RBI, you don’t hear about the guy who moved the runner over. I\u27m hitting second, and some of those other [big-named shortstops] are batting third. Part of my job is moving guys over and scoring runs (Jeter in Kuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller, 2005, p. 64)

Carlson, David

Rojas, Michelle

English

Fort Hays State University

Academic Leadership: The Online JournalVolume 9Issue 1 Winter 2011 Article 261-1-2011Focusing on Performance: The Intangibles ofWinning in SchoolsDavid CarlsonMichelle RojasFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/aljPart of the Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the TeacherEducation and Professional Development CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by FHSU Scholars Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Leadership: TheOnline Journal by an authorized editor of FHSU Scholars Repository.Recommended CitationCarlson, David and Rojas, Michelle (2011) "Focusing on Performance: The Intangibles of Winning in Schools," Academic Leadership:The Online Journal: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 26.Available at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/alj/vol9/iss1/26academicleadership.org http://www.academicleadership.org/1266/focusing-on-performance-the-intangibles-of-winning-in-schools/Academic Leadership JournalNew York Daily News reporter Anthony McCarron, and other members of the aggressive New Yorksports media, got a surprising response from Derek Jeter, the shortstop for the New York Yankees,when they peppered him with a series of questions about his sluggish numbers at the beginning of the2002 season.  Jeter’s numbers were below his normal averages and, in response to questions aboutthem, Jeter gave the following response,I don’t care about those numbers as long as I win.  There are ways to win that you don’t get numbersfor.  If you hit a ground ball to move a guyover from second to third, and then the next guy hits a groundball and gets an RBI, you don’t hear about the guy who moved the runner over.  I’mhitting second, andsome of those other [big-named shortstops] are batting third.  Part of my job is moving guys over andscoring runs (Jeter inKuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller, 2005, p. 64).In many ways, those of us in education are in a similar position as Jeter.  We are continually barragedwith questions about our low numbers.  Student performance, we are told, is consistently declining andteachers, administrators, and colleges of education are not doing nearly enough to improve it. Forexample, the Alliance for Excellent Education reported that most businesses indicate that about half ofrecent high school graduates lack skills in oral and written communication, as well as problem-solving,and critical thinking skills (Alliance, AdolescentLiteracyFactSheet.pdf).  Furthermore, the 2005 ACTCollege Readiness Benchmark for Reading discovered that only about one-half of high school studentswere ready to read at the college level (Gallagher, 2010).  Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education,contends that nearly 1.2 million students in the United States either drop out or do not complete highschool on time, and about one-half of students of poverty drop out of school.  From virtually every angleof the educational picture, the state of affairs is dreary.  In short, the numbers look sluggish – certainlybelow what is expected of an industrialized nation.Unlike Derek Jeter, most in the field of education have relied on only the numbers to indicate “winning.” Student performance on standardized exams and statewide assessments have become the measuresof success for students, teachers, schools, and communities.  This begs the question, however,whether other factors influence student performance on high-stakes tests.  To be sure, like professionalathletes in games, student performance on exams is an important indicator of success.  How wellDerek Jeter plays in a game is critical to his success as a baseball player, and in many respectsdetermines how he is perceived by his teammates, his coaches, and the over-bearing New York sportsmedia.  There is no question that, when he consistently drives in the winning run, or cracks a homerunto win the game, he deserves the nickname “captain clutch.”  Yet, his message that numbers only tellpart of the story of winning is instructive to a field that has become obsessed with numbers and results.If there are multiple factors involved in winning, or performing well on the field or on a standardizedexam, then we as educators need to investigate their potential use in the classroom and in schools. Research in psychology and business over the past twenty years challenges the prevailing view ineducation that cognitive abilities, innate talent, and leadership style are primary influences onperformance. Furthermore, research indicates that objective indicators, such as numbers, reveal onlypart of an individual’s overall performance. They include the areas of Emotional Intelligence (EQ),Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and Mental Toughness (MT). Research in these areas is instructivein how educators and administrators can work with students, teachers, and staff to build a culture ofwinning that includes both the numbers and the other ways you “don’t get numbers for.”   Although moreresearch needs to be done in schools to investigate the ways intangibles such as emotions, pro-socialbehavior, and mental toughness impact a student’s performance, much of the work in these areasstrongly encourages educators to expand their understanding of performance.Emotional Intelligence (EQ)Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence (1994) brought the notion of EQ into the mainstream. He argues that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a stronger indicator of success in business and in schoolthan cognitive ability. Emotionally intelligent individuals, in general, are able to perceive the emotions ofothers, understand and manage their emotions, and use their own emotions and those of others toproduce successful results.  He states that it is not so much what we do when we perform, but how weapproach the performance.  Thus, a student’s ability to work consistently, possess impulse control,approach school with a positive attitude, persevere through obstacles, acquire confidence, and learnfrom mistakes and failures are more important, or potentially greater indicators of success in school,than one’s “innate” cognitive intelligence.Business consultants have expanded on Goleman’s work by working directly with companies toimprove their productivity. Freedman (2007) illustrates that businesses that have developed more softskills, such as EQ, in their workforce have seen dramatic improvements. Emotions are assets thatindividuals can use to their benefit.  For example, he claims that employees at Pepsi Co. who receivedEQ training had a 10% increase in productivity, had an 87% decrease in executive turnover, and hadan added economic value of $3.75m than the ones who did not (p. 65).  To manage one’s emotions, hedeveloped the Six Second EQ Model, which consists of ” Know yourself, Choose yourself, and Giveyourself” (p. 89).  Although it is presented in a chart, it is a recursive process – know, choose, give,know, choose, give, etc. Each step is described below:Six Second EQ Characteristic ExplanationKnow Yourself Identify emotions and recognize patternsChoose Yourself Recognize options in situation and actintentionallyGive Yourself Develop empathy for others and alignyourself with a larger purpose or goalFreedman’s model of Emotional Intelligence could be used in schools in several ways. For teachers,they could use this model in their classroom management and procedures, helping students to setlarger goals for themselves, understand that they have several ways to behave in a given situations,and to develop empathy for others, which creates a safe-learning environment.  Administrators,similarly, could incorporate this model throughout their schools.  In addition to looking at numbers onstandardized exams, administrators could develop larger goals for the school that encompass bothcognitive and emotional goals, which influence how well a student performs in school. In essence, weneed to look at the ways that students perform that they “don’t get the numbers for” so that they can getthe numbers they want.Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)Researchers in the field of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) build on the work of EQ, yet includecharacteristics that are more germane to schools.  In addition to identifying, perceiving, and managingemotions, SEL includes being motivated, controlling impulses, following directions, expressing needs,and getting along with others.  McCombs (2004) defines SEL in the school context as the “process forintegrating thinking, feeling, and behavior to achieve important social tasks; meet personal and socialneeds; and develop the skills necessary to become a productive, contributing member of society.”Recent research from CASEL (Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) on theimpact of SEL in schools indicated that schools with an SEL focus had lower absenteeism and drop-out rates, and that K-8 students across demographics and various environments (e.g. rural, urban,suburban) saw an increase of 11-17 percentile points on test scores (Payton, J., Weissberg, R.P.,Durlak, J.A., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., Schellinger, K.B., & Pachan, M., 2008).  In addition, a meta-analysis of 207 studies conducted by Weisberg (2007) of the impact of SEL programs on schoolsshowed that schools with an SEL focus demonstrated noticeable improvements in student academicachievement, attitudes about themselves and others, and decreases in negative emotions, such asstress and aggression, and disruptive classroom behaviors.  Researchers in this area have developedschool-wide SEL programs for principals, and continue to study the relationship between SEL andschool culture and academic performance, as well as continue to investigate strategies forincorporating SEL into specific content areas.Intangibles of Performance:  Mental ToughnessHow do less talented players have successful careers in professional sports?  How do some playersexcel in pressure situations while others wither?  Why do talented players remain mediocre and fadeinto obscurity while others rise to superstar status? Many of us in schools recognize these questions,although they appear in a different form.  They may go something like this:  why do students whocomplete mediocre work in class receive high scores on standardized exams?  Why do some students“freeze-up” on timed-tests while others do not?  Why do some students excel in school while others donot?  These are just a few of the questions that researchers in sports psychology are currently trying toanswer.  Most of the research in this area shows that what separates good from great players, fromthose who become hall of fame players and those do not, is Mental Toughness (MT).MT, in general, is the ability to motivate oneself, even in the face of adversity, to perform at optimallevels in order to provide oneself with the best opportunity to succeed (see fig. 1 for summary). Athletes who are mentally tough are able to keep their emotions in tact when events in the game goagainst them, they are able to stay calm in pressured situations, tap into an inner strength to battle backfrom failure and setbacks, and are able to be flexible to adjust to the situations in a game.  In addition,mentally tough athletes are disciplined, avoid distractions, work hard to grow both physically andmentally strong, refuse to take the easy way out, push themselves to be the best,  think of  challengesas a opportunities for personal growth, and instead of avoiding the challenge, they plan for how toeffectively confront it. Finally, and perhaps most important, they bounce back quickly fromdisappointment and adversity, they overcome fear, and accept no excuses of themselves or othersaround them.Mental toughness separates the professional athletes from everyone else .  As Karl Kuehl, John Kuehland Casey Tefertiller (2005) write in their seminal work on this topic, “Enormously talented athleteswash out because of a lack of desire or a breakdown of mental toughness.  Far less talented playersfind their way to the major leagues for long and successful careers because of their mental toughness”(p. 6).  What is important about mental toughness is that it is a skill that can be taught and nurtured.Fig. 1  MTQ48 (Clough, Earle, & Sewell, 2002) subscales.Characteristic DescriptionChallenge Views problems as opportunities for personal development,and thrives in changing environmentsCommitment Perseverance, and being deeply involved in what one isdoingEmotional Control Self-monitors emotions; doesn’t let emotions determineperformanceLife control Believes s/he is relevant to environmentConfidence in abilities Optimistic; less concerned about external factorsInterpersonal confidence Assertive in social situations; less intimated by othersIn schools, this means that students who are able to adjust their learning strategies, persevere throughdifficult material, control their emotions during pressure situations, such as timed exams orstandardized exams, remain in optimal mental and physical condition, and prepare properly are morelikely to exhibit MT. They are more likely to perform better than those who do not have a high degree ofMT.  Students who see challenges as opportunities for personal growth are more likely going to willinglyconfront it, learn from mistakes, and be successful.  Furthermore, MT athletes prefer leaders who arefocused on training and instructional behaviors, rather than building a social support system forathletes, or ones who exhibit democratic behaviors, autocratic behaviors, or provide positive feedback(Crust & Azadi , 2009). Athletes with high mental toughness are more likely to prefer a coaching stylethat is task-focused and less likely than one that provides an opportunity to participate in decision-making.  What this research means for schools and for teaching and learning is that students who havea high level of MT will prefer teachers who focus on improving their skills and giving them strategies toimprove their skills rather than on providing praise, or granting them decision-making power in theclassroom.  MT teachers remain focused on the larger goals of the school and their students,welcomed new strategies to improve their teaching, and confront obstacles directly.An important factor in MT athletes is how they deal with set-backs, losses, and failures.  How domentally tough athletes make adjustments to their game in order to improve their performance? Interestingly enough  MT athletes rarely focus on the results.  They focus on the elements of their gamethat they can control, specifically the planning, approach, and process of playing the game.  Baseballplayers with high MT understand that much of the game is unpredictable.  For example, Derek Jetercould dive for a ball, throw to first, and the base-runner could still be called “safe.”  The umpire couldhave made a bad call, the runner could have beaten out the throw.  Either way, mentally tough athletesdo not focus so much on the result (i.e. the runner called safe-ruled a base hit), but on his or herapproach to the play. More important, when players make a mistake, get into a slump, or fail, they zero-in on the parts of their game that they can control, and not so much the results.  This does not mean,however, that mentally tough athletes do not set goals, but they set goals that are within their control. Results and goals are very different.  In the example above, Jeter’s goal may have been to get in frontof every ball that came to him, but his result was the base runner being called “safe.”  He reached hisgoal without relying on the result.  This is an important distinction in education because we focus somuch on results.ConclusionWhat is it that we have within our control that can improve student performance in schools?  We canprovide them with competent, emotionally intelligent, mentally tough teachers and administrators whoprovide students with a safe, positive learning environment.  We can examine ways to integrateemotional intelligence, social-emotional learning, and mental toughness into our curriculum so thatstudents perform well on high-stakes tests, but learn to persevere, exhibit empathy, and get along withothers during the school day and after they graduate.  We can think of schools as a practice field forstudents to acquire cognitive abilities, emotional capacities, and mental toughness to be successful inschool and in life.  We can provide task-oriented, instructional ‘coaching’ or teaching to buildconfidence in students. We can help students deal with failure and disappointment by focusing on theprocess, the planning, and approach to a task instead of making the final score (number) meaneverything.  We can use curriculum to model how to use emotions productively, how to perceive theemotions of others to encourage cooperation, and how to develop pro-social behaviors that support asafe learning environment.  Numbers and results matter in schools just like they do in sports, but theyonly tell part of the story.  If we focus too much on the numbers, and let them drive the curriculum andschool decision-making process, we may forget important factors that could have a greater impact onperformance than numbers.ReferencesAlliance for Excellence in Education.  Factsheet. http://www.all4ed.org/files/AdolescentLiteracyFactSheet.pdf, retrieved February 13, 2010.Bull, S.J., Shambrook, C.J., James, W., & Brooks, J.E. (2005). Towards an understanding of mentaltoughness in elite English cricketers.  Journal of Applied Sports  Psychology, 17, 209-227.Clough, P. J., Earle, K., & Sewell, D. (2002) Mental toughness: the concept and its measurement. In I.Cockerill (Ed.), Solutions in Sport Psychology (pp. 32-43). London: Thomson Publishing.Crust, L. & Azadi, K (2009).  Leadership preferences of mentally tough athletes. Personality andIndividual Differences, 47(4), 326-330).Duncan, Arne (2009). Teacher Preparation: Reforming the Uncertain Profession Remarks of SecretaryArne Duncan at Teachers College, ColumbiaUniversity. http://ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10222009.html, retrieved January 15, 2010.Freedman, J. (2007). At the heart of leadership:  How to get results with Emotional Intelligence. SanMateo, California:  Six Seconds Press.Gallagher, K. (2010). Reversing readicide. Educational Leadership, 67(6), 36-41.Goleman, D. (1994). Emotional Intelligence:Why it can matter more than IQ. New York:Bantam Books.Kuehl, K., Kuehl, J., &Teffertiller, C. (2005). Mental toughness:Baseball’s winning edge. Chicago:IvanR. Dee.McCombs, B.L. (2004). The learner-centered psychological principles: A framework for balancingacademic achievement and social-emotional learning outcomes.  In Joseph E. Zins, Roger P.Weissber, Margaret C. Wang, and Herbert J Walberg (Eds.), Building academic success on socialand emotional learning:  What does the research say?  (pp. 23-39).  New York:  Teachers CollegePress.Payton, J., Weissberg, R.P., Durlak, J.A., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., Schellinger, K.B., & Pachan, M.(2008).  The positive impact of social-emotional learning for Kindergarten to eighth-grade students:Findings from three scientific reviews. Chicago, Illinois:Collaboration for Academic and Social-Emotional Learning (CASEL), http://www.casel.org/downloads/PackardES.pdf.Weissberg, R. (2007).  The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning:A meta-anaylsis of school-based universal interventions.    http://www.casel.org/sel/meta.php, retrieved,January 15, 2010.VN:R_U [1.9.11_1134]

Focusing on Performance: The Intangibles of Winning in Schools

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Focusing on Performance: The Intangibles of Winning in Schools

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