Learning Forward

1

The question for educators is not whether all humans can learn, but what conditions

can we devise so that they will learn.

Roland Barth, Learning By Heart

Ann M. Delehant1001 Hillsboro Cove CircleWebster, NY 14580(585) 750 4499Adelehant@gmail.comwww.anndelehant.com

Janis StreichSpotsylvania County Public Schoolsjstreich@spotsylvania.k12.va.us

Emily HorneSpotsylvania County Public Schoolsehorne@spotsylvania.k12.va.us

“Only the organizations that have a passion for learning will have an enduring influence.”

{Covey, The Leader of the Future, 1996}

2

Participants will:• Define the qualities and importance of innovation and teacher

leadership development • Discover how one school system developed a structure for

teacher leadership using internal expertise, resources and external support

• Start your own plan for teacher leadership development• Learn with and from one another.

3

4

Supt. Teacher AssociationBoard

Principals

Teacher Leaders

Central Office

SYSTEMSW. P. Dolan

Parents

Community

Diagonal T

eams Teachers, Staff and Students

Moving to a Distributed Leadership Structure

Distributed Leadership in Practice Workshop

Developed by:Dr. John A. DeFlaminis, Executive DirectorPenn Center for Educational LeadershipUniversity of Pennsylvania

Distributed Leadership

• Review the five levels of leadership designs outlined on the next five slides.

• Discuss each level.• Assess your current teams against this model.

• Individual Quick Write:• Write down three steps that you might take to begin

to shift to the “higher” levels of distributed leadership.

6

77

L

The Leader Team Members

- Locus of leader command between the team and higher management

- Follow directions- Work for the leader more so than with

each other

- Has sole authority for decision-making

- Have limited access to higher management. Provides information to leader as requested

- Set apart by role, title, and position - Limited communication with the leader (mostly around work)

- Directs the organization’s members in influencing the core work

- No direction of organization’s members in influencing the core work

Level 1:Traditional Chain of Command Positions leader above and separate from the work team

88

L

The Leader Team Members

- Leader locus central to team communication and decision-making

- Rely on leader for information and direction

- Provide information to leader for decision- making as needed

- Directs most activities - Individual leadership may be exercised on non-leader led issues

- Accessible to all team members - Directed by leader on key decisions

- Directs the organization members in influencing the core work

- May affect direction of organization members in influencing the core work.

Level 2: Leader is CentralPositions leader from above to the center of the work group (especially for communications) but distinction still exists between what leader and work team does

99

Level 3: Some Shared Decision-Making and AuthorityPositions leader central to the team but leader begins to shift decision-making authority. Team members share responsibilities belonging to leader who encourages communication, collaboration, and teamwork among team members.

L L L

The Leader Team Members

- Shares decision-making authority in selected areas

- Involved in decision-making in selected areas

- Encourages independence/leadership in selected areas

- Scope of responsibility expands for some team members

- Promotes teamwork, collaboration and communication among team members

- Developing teamwork and collaborative/communication skills

- Develops team and team members for increased responsibility

- Growing collaborative team and spirit. May not include entire team

- Shares direction of organization members in influencing the core work

- Share some direction of organization members in influencing the core work

10

Level 4: Extensive Shared Decision-Making and AuthorityLeader and team develop confidence in shared decision-making and authority. Team members share more responsibilities belonging to leader who encourages even greater communication, collaboration, and teamwork.

L L

L

L

L

The Leader Team Members

- Shares decision-making authority in more areas and across more team members

- Encourages independent leadership in more areas and across more team members

- Involvement in decision-making in more areas and across more team members

- Scope of responsibility expands for most team members

- Promotes teamwork, collaboration, and communication among team members

- Strong teamwork and collaborative communication skills

- Develops interdependent team and team members for increased responsibility

- Strong, interdependent and collaborative team and spirit

- Shares direction of organization members in influencing the core work.

- Share more direction of organization members in influencing the core work.

11

Level 5: Distributed LeadershipThe leader is no longer central to the team and greater interdependence develops and exists between the team members and the leader. The leader has distributed some responsibilities and decisions and the team’s authority has increased.

L

The Leader Team Members

- Has shifted from sole doer to supporter, coach, and facilitator in distributed areas

- Assume distributed duties/areas with little assistance from the leader

- Works with team to expand authority to higher level responsibilities

- Work closely with school staffs and, in many cases, other team members

- Coordinates the team efforts - Assume distributed responsibilities formerly held by the leader and have decision-making authority in those areas

- Allows others to direct organization members in influencing distributed areas of the core work

- Direct organization members in influencing distributed areas of the core work.

L

L

L

L

12

Level 6: Highly Distributed LeadershipTeam members are self-directed and the leader’s role has shifted to other issues, while still providing direction and acting as a resource when needed. Group members are available for more responsibility.

The Leader Team Members

- Supports, coaches and counsels (as needed) the self-directed teams as they take on increasingly challenging responsibilities

- Self-directed and confident in distributed leadership areas. Makes decisions in those areas

- Free to focus on new issues outside the teams - Take full ownership of most aspects of delegated areas

- Identifies new responsibilities for team - May be able to assume more new responsibilities. Highly evolved networks develop.

- Distributed responsibilities to others to direct organization members in influencing distributed areas of the core work.

- May begin another distributed leadership team in new area.

- Direct organization members in influencing distributed areas of the core work.

L

L

L

L

L

L

13

14

Teacher Leader Model Standardswww.teacherleaderstandards.org

15

SCPS Teacher Leadership Sitehttp://goo.gl/tK4aqF

PLANNING ORGANIZER• FIRST DRAFT—what should be part of our planning.

We can set up as a table?• PURPOSE:• GOALS/OBJECTIVES:• Teacher Leader Standards:• Identifying and selecting candidates• Developing the capacity for candidates for different

roles (differentiated PD based on roles)• Instructional Coaches• Tech Lead Teachers• Content Coaches—ELA, Math, Common Core

• ACCOUNTABILITY--Assessing teacher leaders-• Monitoring program 16

Other resources

• Katzenmeyer, Marilyn, and Gayle Moller. Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2009. Print.

• The What, Why and How of Teacher Leadership http://www.ascd.org/whole-child-symposium.aspx

• Center for Teaching Quality http://www.teachingquality.org/

17