Opportunities to Utilize ESSA to Fund District and University Leadership Opportunities

Leadership Matters Effective school leadership is second only to teaching among school-related factors in improving student achievement, explaining about one quarter of the variation in student outcomes compared to more than one-third for teachers (Kenneth Leithwood et al., 2004) Principals are multipliers of effective teaching (Paul Manna, 2015) Effective school leadership has a particularly significant impact on high-poverty schools by helping these schools to attract and retain good teachers (Karen Seashore Louis et al., 2010)

Leadership Often Neglected However, while Title II and other parts of ESEA have traditionally allowed attention and funding to go towards both teachers and leaders, leadership is often not at the core of state and district plans and strategies (Manna, 2015)

Requesting Guidance on Leadership Through ESSA 4

Leadership and ESSA New state plans under ESSA include evidence-based preparation programs and on-the-job support for principals New state guidance for local plans under ESSA includes local attention to advance leadership at the school level New state and local plans for school improvement in the lowest-performing schools under Title I focus on improving school leadership Total dollars spent on evidence-based preparation and support of principals goes up

Funding Opportunities - ESSA Formula programs Title I school improvement Title II including set asides for state efforts to improve teacher and leader quality The new express authority for states to set aside 3% of Title II funds for activities focused on leadership. Competitive programs: the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund the School Leader Recruitment and Support fund the Supporting Effective Educator Development fund the Education Innovation and Research fund

ESSA funding streams for school leadership School improvement efforts Title I School leader pipeline improvement activities Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction) Performance-based incentives Effective educators High need schools Title II, Part B (National Activities)

ESSA Act and Evidence of Effectiveness To qualify for some funding programs under the new Every Student Succeeds Act, activities need to provide some evidence of effectiveness The new Every Student Succeeds Act defines four “tiers” of evidence of effectiveness for certain funded activities; some funding is available only for activities in the top three. A RAND report identifies 19 school leadership research studies that meet the top levels of effectiveness evidence required for funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Qualifying Leadership Interventions Under ESSA 9

Focus of RAND Paper How can ESSA be used to support evidence-based school leadership interventions? What supports for school leadership can be provided through ESSA? What are the ESSA evidence requirements for funding? What is the evidence—meeting ESSA requirements—for school leadership supports?

Tiers of evidence in ESSA At least one well-designed and well- implemented experimental study (RCT) Tier I (Strong) At least one well-designed and well- implemented quasi-experimental design (QED) Tier II (Moderate) At least one well-designed and well- implemented correlational study controlling for selection bias Tier III (Promising) High-quality research suggesting activity is likely to improve student or other relevant outcomes Requires ongoing evaluation Tier IV 11

Evidence review findings Type of ActivityEvidence Base (# of studies) Findings Leader-evaluation systemTier IVPending Principal preparation programsTier II (1) Tier III (3) Tier IV Student-achievement gains Pending Strategic staff managementTier III (4) Tier IV Neutral or negative findings Pending Professional learningTier I (1) Tier II (2) Tier IV Positive or no effect on student achievement; reduced staff turnover Pending Working conditions and autonomyTier II (2) Tier IV Mixed effects Pending Working conditions and financial incentivesTier IVPending School reform modelsTier I (1) Tiers I & 2 (2) Tier II (3) Tier IV Positive effects on student achievement Pending

Evidence-Based Principal Development Programs: Tiers I-III ActivityStudyESSA Tier Findings Principal preparation programs: Usually include classroom-based education, school-based internship, and advanced degree or certification Fuller et al., 2011 Tier IIIPositive association between some characteristics of principal preparation programs (such as being housed at research or doctoral institutions) and improvements in the qualifications of teachers New Leaders: Prepares principals to address the achievement gap and related challenges in high-need, urban schools. Three core elements: selective recruitment and admissions, training, and endorsement and support for principals early in their tenures Gates, Hamilton, et al., 2014 Tier IIGenerally larger student-achievement gains in math and reading than in comparable schools, with differing effects across districts

Professional learning: Tiers I-III ActivityStudyESSA TierFindings McREL Balanced Leadership Program: Professional development Jacob et al., 2014 Tier INo impact on student achievement or teacher- reported instructional climate; lower staff turnover in treatment schools NISL Executive Development Program: Professional development Nunnery et al., 2011 Tier IIPositive effects on reading and math achievement Nunnery, Ross, and Yen, 2010 Tier IIStatistically significantly higher achievement gains in reading and math

Specifying Tier IV Evidence-based but not yet proven The elements, but not the coherent model, have been demonstrated effective Causal-chain effectiveness The activity affects an intermediate outcome, believed to affect student, other relevant outcomes Implementation effectiveness The activity can be implemented with fidelity, and strong implementation relates to positive outcomes

Sample of Activities Which May Have Tier IV Evidence Cohesive leadership systems Financial incentives Pre-service preparation and internships Principal supervisors Professional development Professional learning communities School Leadership Network Strategic Staffing Initiative Wallace Principal Pipeline Initiative

Ways to Influence ISBE ESSA Web Site: Alliance for Excellent Education Action Academy: ◦Mini-courses with potential to earn badges ◦Federal Flash ◦Ways to take action Center for the Study of Education Policy Web Site: White Papers Exchange Newsletter Facebook Twitter

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