Today the team is talking with Patricia DeKlotz. Dr. DeKlotz has been Superintendent in the Kettle Moraine School District since 2006. And for the last 10 years, she has been recognized as a national leader in personalized and competency-based learning for students and teachers. In 2016, Dr. DeKlotz was named Wisconsin Superintendent of the Year. It’s also interesting to note that Dr. DeKlotz, like Tom, had a private-sector career before becoming a school administrator!

 

In this episode, Dr. Patricia DeKlotz describes her innovative approach to high school transformation which includes launching three themed academies inside a traditional comprehensive school.

 

Listen in to find out why and how Dr. DeKlotz took that approach and why it has worked!

 

Key Takeaways:

[:10] About today’s episode.

[:57] Tom welcomes Dr. Patricia DeKlotz to the podcast.

[1:05] About Dr. DeKlotz’s previous appearance on the Getting Smart Podcast.

[1:21] Dr. DeKlotz speaks about her 20-year private-sector career and what provoked the switch into education.

[2:57] Dr. DeKlotz speaks about the communities that she serves as Superintendent of the Kettle Moraine School District.

[3:45] Dr. DeKlotz’s early strategic planning in 2006 at Kettle Moraine as it pertains to the high school. She speaks about the condition of the high school and the community conversation she tried to create.

[6:25] Dr. DeKlotz shares the origin story of the high school transformation.

[8:44] What led Dr. DeKlotz to explore the option of a charter school?

[10:15] Where did the proposals that Dr. DeKlotz looked at in these feasibility studies come from?

[12:10] Dr. DeKlotz speaks about her experience launching two academies in 2009/’10.

[14:05] Was it initially a challenge to support these small teacher teams in these new academies?

[17:45] Dr. DeKlotz shares how the learning experience was different for students in the first few years as compared to a traditional school.

[22:00] Would it be fair to say that all three academies have a high degree of autonomy?

[23:14] The impact that the academies have had on the traditional comprehensive high school.

[25:26] Has the facilities’ modernization helped to create a learning environment that supports Dr. DeKlotz’s mission?

[28:17] 10 years into high school transformation, how would Dr. DeKlotz say they’re doing?

[29:45] Would Dr. DeKlotz recommend her same approach to comprehensive school reform to others?

[31:44] Could the approach have been faster than it was? And would that have been a good or bad idea? And if she could have done things differently, what would she have done?

[32:40] Dr. DeKlotz describes the path forward for the high school, the three academies, and the comprehensive high school.

[33:43] Tom recaps a couple of the things he’s witnessed at Kettle Moraine that they do really well.

[34:57] Dr. DeKlotz elaborates on the pieces Tom highlighted.

[36:06] Tom thanks Dr. DeKlotz for joining the podcast.

[36:18] Where to learn more about the great work being done at Kettle Moraine.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Dr. Patricia DeKlotz

Kettle Moraine School District

Getting Smart S2:E12: “Kettle Moraine’s Pat DeKlotz on Building a Culture of Innovation”

TransformEd at Kettle Moraine To learn more out Tom Vander Ark's newest book, publishing in March called The Power of Place, click here. 

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