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Dr. Susan Enfield, SuperintendentHighline Public Schools (WA)

Aurora Lora, Assistant SuperintendentDallas Independent School District

Carmela Dellino, Executive Director of SchoolsSeattle Public Schools

Transforming Central Office/School LeadershipPartnerships to Raise Student Achievement in

High Poverty Schools

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The Case for TransformationUrban districts take many different approaches to reformingcentral office:

Adding/removing departments

Reconstituting superintendents leadership team

Shifting reporting lines

Making huge cuts in central office staff and increasing autonomy

over budget control

Increasing central office monitoring of alignment between

school and district efforts

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Changes to structure and roles alone will not produce results.

School systemscentral office and schools togethermustchange the practices of adults to improve outcomes for

students.

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The Research BaseThe most significant work to date on the role of the central office in

improving student achievement came in a 2010 study of urban

districts engaged in central office transformation as a district-wide

teaching and learning improvement strategy (Honig, Copland,

2010). The study focused on three urban districts:

Atlanta Public Schools

Empowerment Schools in New York City

Oakland Unified School District (CA)

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Findings That Informed Our Work

Developing a theory of action for improving studentachievement through learning-focused partnerships between

central office and principals

All central office staff working together with principals

joint work

Moving beyond customer service to providing high quality

services to schools in support of student learning

Reducing the layers of leadership between thesuperintendent and principals

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The Five Dimensions1. Learning-focused central office principal partnerships

2. Assistance to partnerships

3. Refocusing all central office units on teaching and learningsupport

4. Stewarding the transformation effort

5. Using evidence throughout the central office

( Honig, et al., 2010)

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Todays Focus

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Role of the Executive Director Work with principals individually and in networks to

strengthen principals instructional leadership

Help central staff and community members understand how

the role of principal has shifted from building manager to

instructional leader

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Effective Practices of EDs Providing differentiated support based on the instructional

leadership skills of principals

Modeling instructional leadership

Developing and using tools

Brokering resources

Helping principals serve as resources for one another

(Honig, et al., 2010)

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What impact does this have on high-poverty

schools?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2010 2011 2012

All Students

FRL

ELL

Sped

Roxhill Elementary3rd - 5th Graders Proficient on Math State Assessment MSP

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What impact does this have on high-poverty

schools?

Roxhill Elementary3rd - 5th Graders Proficient Reading State Assessment MSP

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2010 2011 2012

All Students

FRL

ELL

Sped

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Over the last four years, student growth and percentage

of students proficient on the Reading and Math

Washington State Assessment (MSP) continue to

improve.

Roxhill Elementary moved from a Level 1 (lowest

performing in the district) to Level 3 school.

Achievement gap for ELL, FRL, Special Ed,Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American students is

lower than the district average in all categories.

Evidence that this is Effective

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Learning Focused Principal

Partnerships Led to Student Growth

Strategies Implemented School and district culture focused on excellence for all

High quality teachers in every classroom

Use of data to inform instruction and interventions Frequent progress monitoring

Extended learning opportunities after school and Saturday

Academy

Highly effective professional learning communities

Strengthened family and community partnerships

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Considerations for Other Districts:Sharing Our Lessons Learned

People and programs come and go, but practices endure--

focusing on instructional leadership practice at the school

and central office level is critical.

The superintendent should be the executive sponsor of the

transformation work, but it must be fully embraced by

everyone at the senior level of the organization

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Considerations for Other Districts:Sharing Our Lessons Learned

A communication strategy that engages principals early in the

process is critical.

Engage the board in what this transformation work requires

and why it is needed so that policies support it and there is

governance support

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Considerations for Other Districts:Sharing Our Lessons Learned

Provide regular professional development for ExecutiveDirectors to maximize effectiveness

Kick-off retreat to fully introduce them to the work

Monthly professional development on coaching principals

Job-embedded professional development/coaching days

Ensure supports are in place at central office to keepExecutive Directors focused on instruction

Be thoughtful about ED:principal ratios

Other central office departments must understand how they can supportEDs and principals

Coordinators and parent specialists/ombudsmen can take non-instructional issues off the plates of EDs