Center Ideas: 5-with-5: Rachel Crowley

Type:: Center Ideas

Rachel Crowley is a Region 5 Comprehensive Center Associate. In that role, she supports the development of online resources, as well as R5CC’s efforts to offer capacity-building services to state education agencies (SEAs). Rachel sat down with us to answer five questions.

What’s one thing you wish others knew or understood about the work of the R5CC?

People are often unsure what the R5CC does, because our work has the ability to span so many topics, when in reality we are here to provide assistance in thinking through the task or problem at hand, regardless of topic. This hopefully helps SEA staff identify the best processes for implementing future tasks and solutions!
What’s one recent non-work accomplishment of which you are especially proud?

After obtaining my bachelors in 2007, I recently went back to school for my Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Alabama. I’m really excited about my classes. I’m very happy that I finally took the plunge and found a program that connects with my interests and values.
You can recommend one (1) book to a friend who will actually read it. What’s the book?

Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. I recommend Crucial Accountability to anyone who has ever found themselves brewing in anger or frustration at someone not doing what they said they would or suddenly in a verbal fight over who filled the car with gas last when you just wanted to confirm that stuff in the dishwasher is clean. Grounded in actual psychology, this book has actually helped me improve my professional and personal communication.
What emoji do you use the most and why?

The laugh emoji is definitely my favorite and most used. After all, what is life without laughter?
Which R5CC blog or resource is a ‘must see’ and why?

I think that if you were only going to look at one resource from the R5CC website, it should be the Networked Improvement Community (NIC) online course. The course teaches you about continuous improvement science and the components of a NIC. These components can be used as a whole or in parts to implement change and solve problems faced by the education community.