Post on 03-Jan-2016
My Background Research on the work of principals and teacher leaders (individually, collectively) to improve schools and student learning Particular attention on how leaders build school-wide capacities that support the improvement of student learning
Principal preparation, development, evaluation
Former principal and district-level leader
Overview Build from Dr. Michelle Young’s November ISLAC Presentation
Examine the Highly Complex Work of School Principals (post NCLB); Work of Principals of Consequence for Improving School-wide Student Learning How Principals Build Capacity to Improve School-wide Student Learning
Consider What this Suggests for the Preparation and Development of School Principals
Leadership Is Key To Improving Teaching & Learning
“Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school related factors that contribute to what students learn at school.”
-- How Leadership Influences Student Learning, Leithwood, et
al, 2004
“Six years later we are even more confident about this claim.”
-- Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning,
Louis, et al, 2010 4
Leadership Impact on Student Learning
AdministrativeLeadership
InstructionalLeadership
TEAM
DistributedTeacherLeaders
Organizational Resources
Teaching/Instruction
Student Engagement
and Learning
Cosner, 2005; Cosner, et al., 2015 drawing from the work of Bryk et al., 2006; Gamoran, Secada, & Marrett, 2000; Hallinger & Heck, 1998; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2005
Robust Meta-Analysis: Domains of Principal Work with Moderate to Strong Impact on Student Learning
Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe (2008)
Meta-analysis, five broad domains of leadership practice were inductively generated and tested for effects on student outcomes. Three domains evidence a moderate to strong impact on student outcomes:
a) goal setting and planning
b) promoting and participating in teacher learning
c) planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum
Goal Setting and Planning
Low-performing, struggling, or stalled schools typically are weak in the enactment of this stream of work. (Finnigan, 2010; Finnigan & Stewart, 2009; Hallinger, 2005; Harris, 2002)
This is Complex Work!
•Understanding what this work entails and what the work “looks like” when it is done in ROBUST fashion is critical.
•Today a quick overview.
Goal Setting and Planning Setting goals Designing and enacting plans (strategy) for achieving goals
Cultivating collective understanding and commitment to the goals (and strategy associated with goal)
Typical Goals and Goal Strategy
School:
Within-school
problems
StrategyWhy are we working
SO HARD and seeing no improvement?
Using strategies from former schools, piggybacking on existing work (that has evidenced little progress), latest book or what our neighbors are doing
Within-school Improvement of Student Learning
School:
Within-school
problems
Strategy selected
and designed to
address within-school
problems
It starts with finding and solving problems! Oftentimes, there have been longstanding problems that have failed to be found/solved.
The Importance of Cycles of Inquiry
1.Identify Root Cause Problems(Instructional Practice)
and Instructional Practice Changes
2. Select Instructional Improvement
Strategies and Plan for Strategy
Enactment
4. Enact Strategy Action Plan
(Yearlong Plan for Teacher Learning)
Use arrow to show multiple location
3. Set Process and Outcome Goals and Plan for Goal
Assessment
5. Diagnose Process and
Outcome Progress and Adjust as
Needed
Finding and Solving Instructional/Adult Practice
Problems
AdministrativeLeadership
InstructionalLeadership
TEAM
Organizational Resources
Teaching/Instruction
Student Engagement
and Learning
Cosner, 2005; Cosner, et al., 2015 drawing from Gamoran, Secada, & Marrett, 2000; Bryk et al., 2006, Leithwood & Jantzi, 2005
Root Cause Problem Investigation
Instructional Problems (Problems that relate to teaching or
between teachers and students)Areas for Instructional Practice Change
Student Behavior, Engagement
and
Learning Problems
Practice/Instructional Practice Changes
Common Core/Math
SchoolCommon Core/
Literacy
Illinois Education Policy Context
Instructional Problems: Internal/External
Instructional Problems (Problems that relate to teaching or
between teachers and students)Areas for Instructional Practice Change
Student Behavior, Engagement
and
Learning Problems
CC Instructional Practice Changes
Cultivating Collective Understanding and Commitment
Improvement sense-giving builds understanding and commitment:
• Must understand instructional problems
• Must understand improvement strategy’s theory of action (what must happen for strategy to impact student learning; what must teachers learn and do)
• Must understand practice changes, plan for learning and practicing practice changes
The Importance of Cultivating Leadership and Organization as Capacities that Support School-wide Improvement
AdministrativeLeadership
InstructionalLeadership
TEAM
DistributedTeacherLeaders
Organizational Resources
INSTRUCTIONALPRACTICECHANGES
Student Engagement
and Learning
Cycle of Inquiry
helps us to identify.
The Importance of Cultivating Leadership and Organization as Capacities that Support School-wide Improvement
AdministrativeLeadership
InstructionalLeadership
TEAM
DistributedTeacherLeaders
Organizational Resources
INSTRUCTIONALPRACTICECHANGES
Student Engagement
and Learning
NCLB has pushed attention towards the last box and away from the other boxes (particularly away from organization and leadership)
Thinking About Leadership as a Capacity that Supports the Improvement of Student Learning
Leadership:Developing distributed leadership (for cycles of inquiry work; instructional improvement work)
• Leadership Teams• Teacher Leaders
Presence but also nature and quality!
Leadership Teams
Leadership Team Purpose is Critical:
Leading cycle of inquiry and supporting cycle of inquiry work throughout the year should be central work of school’s leadership team.
Leadership for All Facets of the Cycle
1.Identify Root Cause Problems(Instructional Practice)
and Instructional Practice Changes
2. Select Instructional Improvement
Strategies and Plan for Strategy
Enactment
4. Enact Strategy Action Plan
(Yearlong Plan for Teacher Learning)
Use arrow to show multiple location
3. Set Process and Outcome Goals and Plan for Goal
Assessment
5. Diagnose Process and
Outcome Progress and Adjust as
Needed
Thinking About the Organizational Capacities that Supports the Improvement of Student Learning
Organization• School as Learning Organization
• Robust PD and Teacher Learning Teams • Trust (Administrative, Collegial)
Instructional practice changes create the need for teacher learning and School as Learning Organization.
Root Cause Investigation
Instructional Problems (Problems that relate to teaching or
between teachers and students)Areas for Instructional Practice Change
Student Behavior, Engagement
and
Learning Problems
Practice/Instructional Practice Changes
Connecting Teacher Learning to Necessary Instructional Practice Changes
Teacher Learning Through 4 Key Mechanism:
Professional Development
Team Learning
Peer Coaching
Clinical Supervision
Changes/ImprovedTeacher Decision-making
and Planning, Classroom
Environment, Instruction,
Curriculum and/or Assessment
Practices
Improved Student Learning
Strengthening Teacher Learning in Your School: 2 Interacting Mechanisms
November 2014 June 2015
What dates and times are available from Nov to June?
Connecting Teacher Learning to Instructional Practice Changes
Which LEARNING MECHANISMS (PD, teams) will we engage as spaces for Teacher Learning?
What should be the CONTENT of Teacher Learning that is necessary
to support Practice Changes?
What PROCESSES/LEARNING EXPERIENCES will be used to
support TEACHER LEARNING?
Some of the Key Learning Routines
•Reading
•Discussion of Reading for Meaning Making (Collaborative)
•Modeling w Deconstruction (Collaboration)
•Application/Creation (Collaborative and Individual)
•Practice (In Classroom)
•Making Early Practice Public for Help Seeking (Collaboration)
Effective TL provides a COMBINATION of processes/learning experiences to cultivate understanding and practice change
Closing Thoughts Certain work of principals is of particular consequence to the school-wide improvement of student learning.
This work is complex; typically not enacted robustly (particularly in struggling or stalled settings)
Preparation must focus on cultivating understandings AND PRACTICES
Ongoing principal development must be strengthened particularly in areas of principal work that are of consequence to improving student learning llinois Performance Standards for School Leaders/Rubric for Evaluating Principal Practice (50%)