Multi-Classroom Leadership School and District Support for MCLs: Shared Leadership and Systems of Support Notes about this session: it is recommended that school leadership, ideally the principal, attend this section with the MCLs. Note about the handout called “Self-Assessment: Multi-Classroom Leader Training” This optional handout is intended to help MCLs reflect on their knowledge and skills as they progress through the three days of training. It should be completed before the training starts, at the end of each session or day, and at the end of the full 3 days of training. Materials needed: Flip chart and markers Please print out or make electronically available for each participant: Handout—Self-Assessment: Multi-Classroom Leader Training [optional] Handout—Assessment of Shared Leadership Handout—Shared Leadership Dilemmas (but do not hand these out unless participants need a prompt) Handout—Systems of Support Planning Template Participants should have their school organizational chart available, either as drawn in the Defining the MCL Role session (if delivered), or brought with them to the session. Marshmallow Challenge Kits, one for each table. Each kit is composed of: One brown paper bag 1 large marshmallow 20 pieces of dried spaghetti, unbroken 36” of masking tape 36” of string Estimated time: 1 minute Facilitator says (throughout the slides, put this in your own words): The MCL role has the potential to greatly accelerate student learning, but introducing a brand-new role also presents challenges for everyone involved. In the first part of this session, we’ll talk about what it takes to set the stage for the MCL to be highly successful, especially about establishing norms for how the principal and administrative team can work together with the MCL—what it looks like to share leadership. In the second part we’ll get deeper into the nitty-gritty of what supports MCLs need to succeed. [Optional]: First, please take out the handout called “Self-Assessment: Multi-Classroom Leader Training.” Please put a rating for yourself in the “initial rating” column for the “School and District Support” rows. Before we begin, I want to emphasize the importance of shared leadership. We’re hoping that during this session you, as MCLs, can advocate for support from your school and district leadership, but also see how you can support your principals, especially in instructional areas.

Learning Objectives During this session, participants will… Define shared leadership. Assess current level of shared leadership at your school. Discuss benefits and potential challenges of implementing shared leadership. Create an action plan for implementing a strong support system for MCLs. Objective of this slide: to present the learning objectives for this module. Estimated time: 1 minute Facilitator says: During this session, we will: [click to animate] Define shared leadership. [click to animate] Assess the current level of shared leadership at your school. [click to animate] Discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing shared leadership. [click to animate] Create an action plan for implementing a strong system of support for MCLs. © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Why do some schools fail to meet their goals? Shared Leadership Why do some schools fail to meet their goals? Objective of this slide: for participants to think about and discuss why schools fail to reach goals, and how their role as MCLs can help address these challenges. Estimated time: 4 minutes Facilitator says: Before we start talking about shared leadership, let’s take a few minutes to talk generally about why some schools fail to meet their goals. Before beginning this discussion, it’s important to stress that just missing a goal—or several—does not mean that the school as a whole is a failure. Plenty of highly functioning organizations fail in some regard. More important than the idea of perfection is self-awareness and analysis. We’re searching for an openness to the ways goals are successfully and unsuccessfully implemented in schools. With that said, I’d like to hear from you all about why you think schools fail to reach the goals they set for themselves. [Facilitator should write what the participants say on a flip chart.] [Listen for: Unrealistic goals Leaders stretched too thin Timeline too ambitious Not enough buy-in from teachers School culture is really a problem—lack of student discipline Students absent from school Weak instruction at classroom level] [click to animate] Now, how can teacher-leaders help schools better reach short- and long-term goals? Take tasks away from overburdened leader Work with leader to set goals Ensure goals are ambitious but realistic for teachers to accomplish Communicate goals to other faculty and to students and families Translate school-level goals into classroom-level goals Provide classroom support to other teachers in reaching goals Communicate progress school is making toward meeting goals Address interpersonal conflict] For school teams to be able to meet the goals they set for themselves, the school administrative team and MCLs need to work really well together, so it’s important to think about what it means to share leadership. How can teacher-leaders help schools better reach short- and long-term goals? © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Defining Shared Leadership When you think about shared leadership, what does that mean to you? How do you define it? Objective of this slide: to allow participants to reflect on and discuss what shared leadership means to them. Estimated time: 3 minutes Facilitator says: Before we explore shared leadership today, let’s take a moment to reflect on what it means to you now. I’ll give you one minute to write down your own definitions of shared leadership in your groups, and then we’ll share. [click to begin timer] Let’s go around the room and have each table share two definitions that you came up with. [Listen for: Collaboration Well-defined roles Mutual respect Shared responsibility Shared decision-making Setting common goals Strong habits of communication] 40 39 41 44 38 43 42 36 33 32 34 35 45 37 47 56 55 57 58 60 59 54 53 48 31 49 50 52 51 46 29 9 8 10 11 13 12 7 6 1 End 2 3 5 4 30 14 24 23 25 26 28 27 15 22 17 16 21 18 19 20 © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Shared Leadership Self-Assessment How does your team think your school is doing with shared leadership? After completing the assessment, compare and discuss the results among your teammates. What are some areas in which you can improve? Objective of this slide: to introduce the shared leadership self-assessment and provide time for participants to complete and compare responses with colleagues at their school. Estimated time: 17 minutes Facilitator says: Please take out (or open, if electronic copy) the handout titled “Assessment of Shared Leadership.” Please take 5 minutes to complete this assessment [top half of page] individually. If you’re new to your building, you can’t complete the assessment now. But this tool can still be used later in the year, so for today, try to collect baseline data about where things stand. This is something that you can—and should—return to at different points throughout the year. [click to begin timer] Thank you. Now take 10 minutes to compare and discuss your results with your teammates—understanding that it’s OK if you do not all agree, or if there are areas to improve upon. There may have been good reasons why shared leadership has not been the norm at your school—now, the MCL role can drive any significant cultural change that needs to happen. On the bottom of the handout, please select a few areas that you would like to focus on as your next steps. © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Norms for Shared Leadership People throughout the building are empowered to share ideas Leadership is clearly defined for formal and informal leaders Designated leaders mobilize colleagues to act in alignment with vision Everyone takes responsibility for own and others’ professional learning to improve student achievement Learning is reciprocal Objective of this slide: to learn about norms for shared leadership. Estimated time: 4 minutes Facilitator Says: Now that we have a common understanding of what we mean when we say shared leadership, let’s discuss some norms for it. [click to animate] First, everyone in the building feels and is respected for their original ideas. [click to animate] Next, similar to what we spoke about regarding the role of the MCL, there is clear definition for the roles—informally and formally. Everyone knows what the others are supposed to be doing. [click to animate] Next, all the leaders are acting in alignment with one another and the overall vision, benefitting the students. [click to animate] This fourth bullet deserves being repeated: Everyone is responsible for improving student achievement. You can often see this immediately in schools—you know the schools where everyone is on the same page and feels that all the students in the building are their students. This includes seeing one another as a team and helping others with their professional learning. [click to animate] Finally, when learning is reciprocal, everyone knows that everyone else has something to teach them. This is the height of servant leadership. As you can see, these norms are connected to many of the features of the assessment you took earlier. Adapted from The Skillful Team Leader: A Resource for Overcoming Hurdles to Professional Learning for Student Achievement by Elisa MacDonald © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Shared Leadership in Practice What does shared leadership allow you to do? What are potential limitations of shared leadership? Objective of this slide: to discuss the pros (strengths and accomplishments) and cons (potential limitations) of shared leadership. Notes about this slide: facilitator should have two pieces of chart paper available, one with the header “Strengths and Accomplishments” and one with the header “Potential Limitations and Dilemmas.” Estimated time: 4 minutes Facilitator says: Having discussed shared leadership and norms to establish it, let’s look at it in practice. If you establish these norms at your school, what would shared leadership allow you to accomplish, and what are potential limitations? I will ask each group for one strength and one potential limitation. [Facilitator should record responses on the appropriate chart paper] [Strengths/accomplishments to look for: Allows administrators to share unmanageable workload Builds leadership capacity in school Uses individuals strengths Enables leaders to learn/grow from each other Breeds commitment and buy-in Enhances teacher morale Enhances job satisfaction and empowerment Creates united impact on student achievement] [Limitations/dilemmas to look for: Unrealistic expectations for individuals who have been asked to lead Some people don’t want to take on leadership roles Teachers are afraid to assert themselves Lack of clarity about who is doing what Some leaders are ineffective so goals don’t get met Requires time to communicate with one another in a shared-leadership model There needs to be trust, which isn’t always there No one has clear authority or accountability People in authority work against the school, team, or project leader] © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Shared Leadership in Practice Solving some dilemmas of shared leadership Objective of this slide: to provide time for participants to work through and create strategies for handling potential limitations and dilemmas of shared leadership. Estimated time: 13 minutes Facilitator says: Let’s work on solving some of your potential limitations and dilemmas. [Facilitator should assign different dilemmas from chart paper to each group—preferably one that they did not raise—and ask them to brainstorm strategies confronting these issues. If there are not enough dilemmas, use the “Shared Leadership Dilemma Prompts” handout for groups to work on. Please take 10 minutes to work through these in your groups, and then we’ll share solutions. [click to begin timer] Thank you. Let’s hear some of the ideas that you have come up with. [Listen for strategies that: Are clear and concrete Can be easily implemented Are simple and straightforward Can be easily measured for success Do not require the permission or support of a lot of different departments or people] Note: as you hear ideas, point out anything that sounds like a summer action step that could be added to the MCL Action Planner. © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Support Planning MCL SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT PLANNING TEMPLATE Type of support Question? Preliminary ideas? Who would do this? Timeline? Challenges/ Solutions? Example:   Role clarity What resources and practices would provide clarity to school and community about the MCL role? Share MCL job description with all team teachers and discuss Principal and MCLs First faculty meeting in August Might meet resistance – principal needs to reach out to some faculty in advance and explain goals Put MCL profiles in every parent newsletter Principal First semester Time to do this – principal may ask someone else to write Objective of this slide: Estimated time: 35 minutes Facilitator says: Given our discussions thus far, use what you’ve recorded there with our next activity to identify a few steps your team needs to take to ensure the right conditions exist to support shared leadership in your building next year. At this point in the session we are going to shift gears from establishing the norms of shared leadership, which we see as the foundation of a great school, to developing very practical steps intended to give MCLs the support that they will need. In addition to creating norms for shared leadership, MCLs will need specify types of support to be successful. Please take a look at our MCL Systems of Support Planning Template now. This tool was developed based on feedback from MCLs to guide and facilitate discussions around support. The MCLs who have come before you have raised several types of support they needed, but feel free to add others as you feel appropriate. These include: Role clarity—where does my role as an MCL begin and end? How and where might my role overlap with others? How will my role be communicated to the other staff in the building? Professional learning—how do I continue to grow and develop my skills as a teacher AND a teacher-leader? Who will provide that PL? Collaborative opportunities—how can I work with and learn from others who are in similar positions? Materials and resources—how will I ensure that my team and I have the materials and resources we need to be successful? Time—how will my time be protected from other duties, including substituting for an absent teacher, administering tests, or handling discipline issues? Access to information—how will we ensure that all MCLs (and instructional coaches, if applicable) are on the same page as one another and the school administration team? How will the MCLs have access to the data needed to support their team? Schedule flexibility—how will we work together to ensure I continue to have the release time I need to work with my team teachers? Accountability—how will the school administration team hold me accountable for performing my responsibilities? How will I get feedback? You’ll have time now to work on brainstorming some preliminary ideas about how you can ensure that the support you need is there by assigning responsibility and setting a timeline. You will also have a chance to think through some potential challenges or solutions to getting the support you will need. It may be helpful while you are doing this to return to the organizational chart from the “Defining the MCL Role” session. This chart may help you determine whom to list in the column “Who would do this?’” Feel free to revise either document as necessary. As you work, if you think of or write down any actions for you to take over the summer, add them to your MCL Action Planner. You’ll have 30 minutes to complete this chart. You may find that you need additional time after this session to complete this chart, so you will need to determine who will continue working on this chart. [Facilitator should circle around the room during the work time to help answer questions.] © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

Shared Leadership in Action Marshmallow Tower: a friendly competition Objective of this slide: to allow participants to practice shared leadership in a fun, energy-raising and engaging way. Estimated time: 13 minutes Facilitator says: Now that you’ve taken your own shared leadership assessment and looked at different ways to support the leadership in your school, we’d like to put you in a situation where you can practice these ideas as a shared leadership team. This is called the Marshmallow Challenge. Each table has a brown paper bag with all of your supplies. The goal is to create the tallest free-standing tower using only these items. The marshmallow must be on top. Feel free to compare with other teams, because that’s your competition! You have only 10 minutes for this. [click to begin timer] [Facilitator should be watching the groups as they work, making note of detailed interactions that can be focused on later.] Thank you all for participating in this friendly challenge. [Debriefing questions to ask: In your group, who participated? Was anyone left out? Was there a clear leader? Did you share leadership? If so, how? When you think of the shared leadership norms that were demonstrated by your group just now, what was missing?] [Optional] Finally, please pull out the handout on “Self-Assessment: Multi-Classroom Leader Training,” and add a rating to the “post-session rating” column. Source: Marshmallow Challenge, available at http://marshmallowchallenge.com/Welcome.html © 2016 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org 10

Resources for Additional Learning MacDonald, Elisa (2013). The Skillful Team Leader: A Resource for Overcoming Hurdles to Professional Learning for Student Achievement. Thousand Oaks: Corwin, a Sage Company. Marshmallow Challenge, available at http://marshmallowchallenge.com/Welcome.html School and District Capacity Tool, available at http://cstp-wa.org/cstp2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CSTP_tool_school_district_capacity.pdf