Your Leadership Priorities in the First Year

Crafting a Theory of Action to BridgeTheory to Practice

Washington State UniversitySuperintendent’s Credential Program

February 12, 2011

Entry Planning, Strategic Planning

• A theory of action is a brief statement of how the practice of the individual — at the system or school level — leads to increases in learning and performance for students

– Richard Elmore, "Professional Networks and School Improvement" The School Administrator, April 2007

• Theories of action, theoretical models, and practical application

• Knowing-Doing Gap: “Teamwork requires embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.” (Lencioni, 2002)

Entry Planning, Strategic Planning

• What was my theory of action?• Upon what theoretical model did I

rely?• How did I apply the model –

practically – during the phases of entry?

RonHeifetz

© 2001 Harvard Business School Publishing

Tech

nical

Change

Adaptive

Change

Culture of classrooms, schools, districts

Conditions of learning and teaching for students and adults

Competencie

s of adults

Improving ALL Students’ Learning

© 2002 CLG & President & Fellows of Harvard College

TonyWagner

© Consortium for Policy Research in Education

RichardElmore

IndividualResponsibility

CollectiveExpectations

Internally GeneratedFormal Accountability

OrganizationalAlignment

School

Polic

y

Envir

onm

ent

Sta

ndard

s –

Ass

ess

ments

-

Conse

quence

s

Individual

Content

Teacher Student

Instr

uctio

nal

Core

RichardElmore

RichardElmore

Entry Phases

FIRST YEARTRANSITIONINTERVIEW

Michael Watkins, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels

Interview priorities

• Student achievement growth (“The Next 20%”)

• Graduation rate improvement• Diversity and cultural competence• Employee association relationships• Community relationships & engagement• Board-superintendent team development

Transition priorities

• Diversity and cultural competence• Employee association relationships• Community relationships & engagement

• Transition/orientation period– Organizational challenges– Transition visits• Schools• Community leaders

Culture of classrooms,

schools, districts

First year priorities

• Student achievement growth (“The Next 20%”)

• Graduation rate improvement• Diversity and cultural competence• Employee association relationships• Strategic planning/community engagement• Board-superintendent team development

First year priorities• Strategic & District Improvement

Plan Implementation– Student achievement growth

(“The Next 20%”)– Graduation rate improvement– Diversity and cultural competence

• Climate & Team Development– Employee association relationships– Board-superintendent team development

• Community Relationships & Engagement– Strategic planning/community

engagement• District Operations

– Financial Operations

The Effect of School Leadership on Student Achievement, Waters & Marzano, McRel, September 2006

First year priorities

Success for each student

Strategic Decision Making: Need for Alignment

©

STRATEGIC PLAN(Where they are going)

ROLES(What people do)

STRATEGIC/OPERATIONAL/TACTICALDECISIONS AND ACTIONS

(how they do it)

Strategic Decision Making: Need for Alignment

©

Superintendent’sCabinet

Equity and AccessAdvisory Council

InstructionalLeadership

Council

Fiscal AdvisoryCouncil

Superintendent’sLeadership Team

Capital FacilitiesAdvisory Council

TechnologyAdvisory Council

Strategic PlanningCouncil

KEY ROLES: Aligning the Work on Student Achievement

MISSIONDistrict

Staff

Strategic Decision Making: Need for Alignment

©

School BoardSuperintendent

EVERETT PUBLIC SCHOOLS: RENEWING THE STRATEGIC PLAN

Nov ’09 Dec ‘09 Jan ’10 May ’10 July ’10 Oct ’10 Jan ‘11

CommunityEngagement/Strategic AlignmentPlan(Sup withConsultants)

ALIGN PLAN

Review Existing

DataEnvironmental Scan

CE1

CE2

CE4

ST1

ST2

ST3

ST4

VISIONING(Large Scale CommunityEngagement

Activity)(Sup, Board,

Steering Team)

ArticulateKey

ComponentsOf

StrategicPlan

Cre

ate

Stra

w V

isio

n

CE3

CE = Small Community Engagement SessionsData Gathering Activity

ST = Study Session/Info Gathering Activity

Stra

tegi

c Ro

adm

ap

Note: this isA multi-componentVision for the District,Not a simple, one-lineVision Statement

Environmental Scanning Task

Force

DesignTeam

Strategic PlanningCouncil

©

Community engagementStrategic planning

October 22 and 23 Visioning eventMeld and coalesce public discussions to date

Involved approximately 150 people for two days

End result – this spring a new district strategic plan, incorporating community expectations and system accountability measures

C

Community

District Families

Student Learning

Teaching and Learning

Resource allocation

Peop

le, S

truc

ture

And

Syst

emsIntentional Partnering

and Strategic Relationships

Innovation, Information

And Technology

PrioritiesProcesses

Strategies

Plans

Initiatives

Measures

Our core values drive our actions and behavior

LEARNING

EQUITY

WORKINGTOGETHER

DIVERSITY

Rev. 2-8-2011

RESPECTPASSION

INTEGRITY

QUESTIONS?