Michael Grinder & Associates

ENVoY is a classroom management system developed by Michael Grinder after observational research in more than 6000 classrooms.  Grinder wanted to find out the nitty-gritty reasons why students learn well and behave well with some teachers and yet those same students are unmanageable with other teachers.  What were the successful teachers doing?   Michael Grinder identified the seven non-verbal techniques used by all of the best teachers, techniques that worked no matter what subject or grade level they were teaching.  That’s how he came up with "The Seven Gems of Classroom Management," also known as ENVoY.

Origin of ENVoY:
ENVoY has been selected as the title of our classroom management for two reasons:
The capitals letters E N V Y stand for Educational Non-Verbal Yardsticks; and, secondly, an envoy is like an ambassador who can explain and interpret a culture both to its own members and to those new to that culture.

Any teacher who learns the Seven Gems and uses them consistently will have more learning going on in their classroom.  And the students will know the teacher cares.

In other words, ENVoY helps teachers keep good relationships with students while at the same time holding them accountable for their behavior.  It helps teachers do what they went to college to do - that is, teach.  They don’t have to be struggling with management problems, sending kids to the office, and going home in a bad mood every day.

How benefits of ENVoY can become part of the school culture
Training alone doesn’t cut it.  No matter how good a workshop may be, most teachers forget when they get back to class.  Research shows that the single most important factor in getting new skills to actually be used is… coaching.  Job-embedded coaching.  Supportive, encouraging, non-threatening, skilled coaching.

But coaching alone is not enough; teachers must have their principal’s support and encouragement to get new skills into everyday, habitual use.

University of Houston study of ENVoY in HISD’s South Region Summary
The U of H did a year-long assessment of student behavior in seven schools before, during and after ENVoY training and coaching.  Dr. Robert Houston analyzed the data and made three main recommendations:
      1) Offer ENVoY training to all teachers in a school
      2) Provide school-wide implementation support (coaching)
      3) Continue program support for three years at each school.

Overview on the Effectiveness of ENVoY Results of University of Houston study, 2006-2007*

Does it work?  Yes.  In a study conducted by Dr. Robert Houston at the University of Houston Institute for Urban Education, ENVoY is shown to be effective in improving classroom environment for students.  Data from seven local schools were collected before, during and after the program, then analyzed at U of H.*

 Findings

1.  Positive changes.  ENVoY resulted in positive changes in teacher classroom management procedures.

 2.  Coaching helps significantly.  Best results showed up in classrooms where teachers received individual, job-embedded coaching after their group training.

 3.  Program well-accepted by teachers.  Teachers like ENVoY because more curriculum can be covered when management is not a problem.   Job satisfaction is greater and stress is reduced when teachers can rely on written assignments and students can be more independent; teachers can manage a class without having to raise their voices.

4.  Test scores went up.  While not solely related to the implementation of ENVoY, 84% of TAKS scores in elementary schools and 66% in middle schools increased between 2006 and 2007 in the schools where ENVoY was used.

Recommendations

1.  ENVoY should be offered to all teachers in a school.  Provide training during regularly scheduled professional development days for new teachers as well as veteran teachers.

2.  Provide implementation support.  Workshops should be followed by individual assistance in the classroom by a trained ENVoY coach to provide encouragement and maximize implementation of skills.

3.  Implement ENVoY practices school-wide so students are accustomed to a uniform management system. 

4.  Continue the program for three years at each school.  With help from trained ENVoY coaches, determine if long-term experience with ENVoY can change the culture of the school.

Long term Plan
The ENVoY Coaches Lab prepares faculty members to be ongoing resources for their colleagues in use of ENVoY.  They especially mentor new teachers.  Peer coaching is recommended as a proven, effective way to make sure ENVoY skills are used by teachers year after year.

Principals hire new teachers with the understanding that they will be expected to learn and use ENVoY.

*Effectiveness of ENVoY 2006-2007: Analysis of Observed Change in Classroom Management in Elementary and Middle Schools.  W. Robert Houston, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Education, College of Education, University of Houston.  Dr. Houston is the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Education.   For more information, contact Charlotte@knowledgearts.net.