School Leadership and Reform for a Global Society Humphrey Fellows Presentation Paul Fleming, Ed.D. March, 2011

21st Century School “This is a story about the big public conversation the nation is not having about education… whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because they can’t think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, distinguish good information from bad, or speak a language other than English.” TIME Magazine, December 18, 2006 Source: www.21stcenturyskills.org 2

Next Economy Five central forces of the next economy …… Science and Knowledge Economy - need scientific and technological literacy Resource-Challenged Economy - need critical thinking about sustainable economies Globally Interdependent Economy - global competence is a core competence Demographically Diverse Economy - requires cross-cultural leadership skills Innovation-Driven Economy - requires students who can learn how to learn and adapt to rapid change Source: Thomas Friedman, the world is flat 3

Demographic Change In U.S. The U.S. is growing older and more diverse at the same time. Non-Hispanic Whites are the oldest. 45% of children under 5 years belong to a racial or ethnic minority group Hispanics = 13% of U.S. population projected to be 25% by 2050 Asians = 8% (increase from 3.8%) 17% of the school-aged population lives in poverty 19% are children of immigrants Economic Changes (2004) Foreign-born workers comprise 14.5% of US labor force US-based multinational corporations employ 21.8 million workers (1/5 total) 4

Implications for Education U.S. students will be Selling to the world & Buying from the world Working for international companies Managing employees from other countries and cultures Competing with people on the other side of the world for jobs and markets Working with people all over the world in joint ventures and global work teams Solving global problems such as AIDS, avian flu, environmental problems, and resolving conflicts Pursuing future careers in business, government, science, health care, law enforcement—all require greater international knowledge and skills Necessary to be exposed to international content before college Access to good jobs now requires new skills 5

Key Concepts from the literature about school leadership Strong Content Knowledge Utilize Available Resources (Work Groups) Constant Learning (self) Evaluating and Training Teachers (Instructional Leader)

Leadership Content Knowledge - Smith and Nelson (2003) Principals… Must know subject matter and how to teach it Must be continuously improving instructional practice and expect to be held accountable for results Must have knowledge and skills to provide PD for faculty Must know how to evaluate faculty and hold them accountable Should participate in working groups NOTE: S&N use case study approach to examining how issues of leadership content knowledge play out in real world settings and to develop a rationale for their recommendations around instructional content knowledge. 7

Global Best Principal Practices (Day and Leithwood, 2007) Building vision and setting directions Understanding and developing people Designing the organization Managing the teaching and learning program 8

5 Principles for Distributed Leadership - Elmore (2000) Primary purpose is to improve instructional practice and performance Continuous learning Modeling from leaders Making use of differences in expertise Reciprocal Accountability

School Reform Framework for Innovative and Sustained Results Focuses on teaching and learning outcomes informed by robust data. Embedded at the school and classroom level. Relevant to the mission and core values of the school community. Sustainable through a structure that integrates the reform efforts into the culture of the school to prevent it from becoming an add-on or cumbersome process. Interactive and allows for discussion, questioning, reflection and practice.

MISSION STATEMENT To provide a challenging college preparatory program in a unique public school environment that ensures the development, both individually and collectively, of the culturally diverse and academically talented students we serve.

HUME-FOGG AT A GLANCE 2010 ACT Composite 26.8 SAT Verbal 625 SAT Math 610 % Passing AP Tests 63 National Merit Semi-Finalists 7 National Achievement 4 % attending 4 year College 99

Special Features at Hume-Fogg 7 period day with built-in study hall. 25 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including AP Chinese. Award-winning Arts program with theater, band, orchestra, vocal music and visual arts courses and productions. Senior Capstone course with community partners like the Frist Center and Vanderbilt University. Advisory program that matches one faculty member with 20 students for all four years. Intervention programs in Math, Science and English. Numerous student organizations and 70 student-led clubs. 86% of faculty hold advanced degrees. Strong parent support and involvement.

Peer Dialogue Network The Peer Dialogue Framework is based on a simple and powerful premise: Teachers, often working in isolation and lacking opportunities to talk with other educators, have a real hunger to see colleagues teach and learn valuable content, strategies, and skills through peer discussion about student work. This student-centered peer collaboration is vital to the professional growth of an effective teacher. Teacher effectiveness, as defined by engaging in research-based best practices has been shown to be the most influential factor for increasing student achievement. Teacher leaders engaged in embedded professional development within a school have a powerful impact on both instructional practices and the quality of student work.

Questions for consideration What does it mean to be an educated person in the 21st century? What are the cultural assets and barriers surrounding school reform focused on improving best practices and quality of student work? How do you get reform efforts to be embedded into the DNA of your school and community?