School Leadership Matters Dr. Richard Ingersoll & Ann Maddock National ESEA Conference January 31, 2019 Great Hall 3501 A 12:00-1:00PM

AGENDA 1.) The Research: School Leadership Matters Dr. Richard Ingersoll, University of Pennsylvania and Consortium for Policy Research in Education The Research Study Key Findings 2.) Policy Applications of the Research Ann Maddock, CEO, Center for Optimal Learning Environments COLE’s Action for School Quality Initiative Examples From States, Districts, and Schools ESSA Plans And Title I Opportunities 3.) Questions & Discussion

School Leadership Matters 1.) The Research School Leadership Matters

2 Aspects of Leadership in Schools The Study Focus: 2 Aspects of Leadership in Schools Part A.) Instructional Leadership Leadership emphasis on the key elements of teaching and learning: Shared purpose & vision Atmosphere of trust & teamwork Promoting high academic standards Useful assessment of teacher quality Use of evidence/data to make decisions Support for, and recognition of, teachers Part B.) The Role of Teachers in School Decision-making Teacher voice and input into school decision-making, especially beyond the classroom

4 Research Questions Part A: To What Extent Do Schools Focus on Instructional Leadership? Is Instructional Leadership Related to Student Achievement? Part B: 3. What Role Do Teachers Have in School Decision-making? 4. Is Teacher Decision-making Related to Student Achievement?

The Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Survey Source of Data The Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Survey One of the largest and best sources of information on school conditions and student achievement in the U.S. Our Analysis Sample: 880,500 Teachers 24,645 Public (and Charter) Schools 16 States The 2011-15 school years

Part A Instructional Leadership

Levels of Instructional Leadership (Percent Schools in Which Faculty on Average “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” with Selected Statements Regarding Their School’s Instructional Leadership) Percent Schools where Teachers Agree/Strongly Agree

Levels of Instructional Leadership (Percent Schools in Which Faculty on Average “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” with Selected Statements Regarding Their School’s Instructional Leadership, by School Poverty Level) Percent Schools Where Teachers Agree/Strongly Agree

Instructional Leadership and Student Achievement (Percentile Ranking of School’s Student Proficiency, by the Overall Level of Instructional Leadership, after Controlling for School Characteristics) Levels of Instructional Leadership Percentile Ranking of Schools’ Student Proficiency

Instructional Leadership Elements Most Tied to Achievement Teachers Held to High Standards An Effective School Improvement Team Faculty and Leaders Share Vision for School *A School Improvement Team  is a group of individuals which have the accountability to create the conditions that help the adults in the school continually improve upon their collective capacity to ensure all students acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions essential to their success. 

Instructional Leadership Elements Most Tied to Achievement Teachers Held to High Standards An Effective School Improvement Team Faculty and Leaders Share Vision for School But, Schools Sometimes Lag in These…. In 42% of schools faculty report there is NOT an effective School Improvement Team In 43% of schools faculty report there is NOT a Shared Vision among Faculty and Leaders

Part B The Role of Teachers in School Decision-Making

The Role of Teachers in School Decision-Making (Percent Schools in Which Faculty Report Teachers on Average Have “Moderate” or “Large” Roles in Selected Areas of Decision-Making in Their Schools) Percent Schools where Teachers have Moderate/Large Roles

Teachers’ Roles in Decision-Making and Student Achievement (Percentile Ranking of School’s Student Proficiency, by the Overall Level of Teacher Decision-making, after Controlling for School Characteristics) Levels of Teacher Decision-making Percentile Ranking of Schools’ Student Proficiency

Teacher Decision-Making Roles Most Tied to Achievement Teachers’ Role in Establishing Student Discipline Procedures Teachers’ Role in School Improvement Planning *A School Improvement Team  is a group of individuals which have the accountability to create the conditions that help the adults in the school continually improve upon their collective capacity to ensure all students acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions essential to their success. 

Teacher Decision-Making Roles But, Schools Sometimes Lag in These…. Most Tied to Student Achievement Teachers’ Role in Establishing Student Discipline Procedures Teachers’ Role in School Improvement Planning But, Schools Sometimes Lag in These…. In 55% of schools faculty report teachers have only a SMALL or NO role in School Improvement Planning In 64% of schools faculty report teachers have only a SMALL or NO role in Establishing Student Discipline Procedures

The Importance of School Planning Teams More Teacher Involvement in School Improvement Planning Having a More Effective School Improvement Team Higher Student Achievement But, Schools Often Lag in These… In 55% of schools faculty report teachers have a SMALL or NO role in School Improvement Planning In 42% of schools faculty report there is NOT an effective School Improvement Team

Summary of Findings Schools Vary in IL and T DM Higher Poverty Schools Usually Less IL & T DM IL and T DM Both Related to Student Achievement Some Elements of IL and Some Areas of T DM More Strongly Related to Student Achievement Schools Often Lag in Those Elements of IL and Areas of T DM that are Most Strongly Related to Student Achievement

Imbalance in Instructional Leadership and Teacher Roles in Decision-Making Yet these are among the areas most associated with improved student achievement. -High Standards -Teacher Accountability -Teacher “Voice” -Shared Vision Instructional Leadership / Teacher Roles in Schools But, Schools Sometimes Lag in These…. In 42% of schools, faculty report there is NOT an effective School Improvement Team In 43% of schools, faculty report there is NOT a shared vision among faculty and leaders

Implications Drawing From the Study of Organizational Management…… The Benefits of Balancing Two Needs: School Standards and Accountability And Faculty Voice/Teacher Autonomy

AGENDA 1.) The Research: School Leadership Matters Dr. Richard Ingersoll, University of Pennsylvania Consortium for Policy Research in Education The Research Study Key Findings 2.) Policy Applications of Research Ann Maddock, CEO, Center for Optimal Learning Environments COLE’s Action for School Quality Initiative Examples From States, Districts, and Schools ESSA Plans And Title I Opportunities 3.) Questions & Discussion

COLE’s Action for School Quality Initiative “We now have specific, quantifiable elements of teacher leadership connected to student achievement!” Purpose: to gather data from those educators which research has shown to be the most important school-based influence in student achievement: the teachers in the classroom- about the tools they need to do their jobs well. What ASQi is: an anonymous, online, validated school-based survey of licensed educators in schools which is administered with stakeholder involvement followed by analysis and policy consultation services. Results: utilized by decision-makers in their strategies for school improvement. Research: shows the connections of these survey questions to student achievement and teacher retention. The Center for Optimal Learning Environments (COLE) connects research-based strategies and best practices with key decision makers in states and districts to transform school learning environments.

Ingersoll Research Highlights Missed Opportunities Let’s look at the findings as related to real numbers in the study….. 10,350 schools! In 42% of schools the faculty report there is NOT an Effective School Improvement Team In 43% of schools the faculty report there is NOT a Shared Vision among Faculty and Leaders In 55% of schools faculty report teachers have only a SMALL or NO role in School Improvement Planning In 64% of schools faculty report teachers have only a SMALL or NO role in Establishing Student Discipline Procedures 10,597 schools! 13,554 schools! 15,772 schools!

Using Ingersoll Research to Assess Recent State Data School Leadership Teacher Decision-making NOTE: The rates of agreement are the percentage of teachers and administrators in agreement to the each of the five questions. (This is slightly different from the way the information is displayed in Dr. Ingersoll’s full report as he used the percentage of schools where teachers agreed.)

Using Ingersoll Research to Assess District Data COLE- Ingersoll Item Analysis Example: state data for 15 districts School Leadership Teacher Decision-making

Teacher Decision-making Note that for four of the elements of leadership there is much lower Rates of Agreement as indicated by red-yellow shading. School Leadership Teacher Decision-making NOTE: The rates of agreement are the percentage of teachers and administrators in agreement to the each of the five questions. (This is slightly different from the way the information is displayed in Dr. Ingersoll’s full report as he used the percentage of schools where teachers agreed.)

The Value of the New Ingersoll Research New, Quantifiable Data showing the connection to student achievement of five specific school leadership elements Not only for all schools, the data is especially compelling for high poverty schools where billions of dollars are spent each year on school improvement! The ‘fixes’ to improve schools using this research as the basis are NOT resource- heavy! The infrastructure to utilize federal and local resources towards these fixes…. Are already in place via state and local ESSA Plans!

COLE: Sharing Ingersoll Research With Policy Makers COLE is working with many states and districts to be sure policy makers are aware of this new, exciting research from Dr. Ingersoll. We guide leaders as they develop strategies to improve schools through various existing pathways such as ESSA, Title IA, Title IIA and Title IV. Ingersoll Research ESSA State Priorities under ESSA District Priorities under ESSA Title I Funding Title IIA Funding Title I Funding provides the foundation of the ESSA plan in states and it is the largest federal education expenditure for preK-12. Under ESSA, the state then determines how these resources will be distributed to the districts. Approximately 95% of Title IA funding must be allocated to districts. Each state is different in how they will allocate these monies to districts for school improvement. And, each state is different is what they will do the 7% ‘set-aside’ funds. State strategies to help these schools are much more customized than in years past and are not the authoritative top-down models used under NCLB. There is a pronounced focus on research-based evidence for school improvement strategies.

Some States Integrating This Research Into State and District ESSA Plans We have been working with states and districts to develop policies specifically related to survey findings and incorporate into state and district ESSA plans, (using funds from Title I, IIA, and IVA) around school improvement, educator quality, and school accountability: AZ, DE, KY, NC, OR, NM, and various urban school districts. The new Ingersoll research adds a new depth to school improvement strategies! States which specifically name a teaching conditions survey in their ESSA plan include DE, KY, MD, NM, NC, NY, OR. Mentioned numerous times throughout the North Carolina ESSA plan is the state’s biennial administration of the TWC Survey, and the use of school- and district-level results to inform policies and strategies for improvement. “The TWC survey continues to inform local communities on ways to improve each school, and data from the survey assist district and State policymakers in decisions affecting the recruitment and retention of quality teachers, teacher induction practices, and quality training of principals.” • The use of the TWC data is required in annual School and District Improvement Plans. • The TWC data and accompanying research findings continue to “shape statewide policy, leading to newly established 21st century standards and evaluations and support for school leaders and classroom teachers.” COLE: Provided in-depth analysis and review of Ingersoll research and shared positive implications for including this research in policy decisions in 2018-2019 school year Continued consultation/assistance on policy integration via ESSA and OR HB4044 which involves using the findings from the Ingersoll data runs and addressing specific areas of strength and weakness.

COLE’s Recommendations Administer an externally validated and reliable, anonymous teaching conditions survey (such as the ASQi Survey) to all of your school based educators. Be sure it includes the questions Ingersoll used as the basis of his research. Analyze the results of your survey regarding the 5 key findings from Ingersoll research and look for connections specific to high poverty schools.   Utilize the survey results for the 5 Ingersoll findings as part of any assistance being provided using state or federal funding to customize the assistance based on the analyses. Look at re-evaluating state and local policies on teacher involvement/leadership to incorporate the Ingersoll findings into a comprehensive approach to teacher leadership. For example, design policies so districts have an incentive to make this a priority- offer competitive grants through ESSA Title I and IIA funding. 1 2 3 4 What are some ways your organization can zero in on the 5 Ingersoll findings as focal points in your existing work within the state ESSA plan, especially in your Title I schools?

AGENDA 1.) The Research: School Leadership Matters Dr. Richard Ingersoll, University of Pennsylvania Consortium for Policy Research in Education The Research Study Key Findings 2.) Policy Implications of Research Ann Maddock, CEO, Center for Optimal Learning Environments COLE’s Action for School Quality Initiative Policy Implications: The Value of Ingersoll Findings Examples From States, Districts, and Schools ESSA Plans And Title I Opportunities 3.) Questions & Discussion

Articles On This Research Link to AE Publication Link to Full CPRE Report Link to Edweek article COLE has already begun incorporating this research into state level policy work for the upcoming school year! Complete Copies of Related Articles and Reports www.gse.upenn.edu/faculty/ingersoll For further information and guidance on using Dr. Ingersoll’s research in education policy towards school improvement, please contact his liaison for this research, Ann Maddock 919.600.4945 amaddock@optimallearningenvironments.com

For more information contact: Thank You! For more information contact: Ann Maddock CEO, Center for Optimal Learning Environments (919) 600-4945 amaddock@optimallearningenvironments.com www.optimallearningenvironments.com Richard M. Ingersoll Board of Overseers Professor of Education and Sociology University of Pennsylvania (215)-573-5674 rmi@upenn.edu www.gse.upenn.edu/faculty/ingersoll