Iowa Leadership Academy Superintendents’ Networks April 29, 2009 Liz City, Richard Elmore, and Lee Teitel

Objectives Participants will: Be able to identify at least 1 principle of the instructional core Understand the key criteria of a problem of practice and its role in rounds; use these criteria to refine a problem of practice Understand the elements of a theory of action and apply this understanding to a beginning draft of their own theory of action

Agenda Warm-up Instructional core Problem of practice Theory of action Wrap-up

Warm-up: Maître d' Introduce yourself Table for 2: What’s something unrelated to education that you really enjoy doing? Table for 5: What’s something you learned recently about teaching and learning? Table for 3: What’s something you would like to learn about teaching and learning?

Lunch Your Catfish Friend by Richard Brautigan   by Richard Brautigan If I were to live my life in catfish forms in scaffolds of skin and whiskers at the bottom of a pond and you were to come by one evening when the moon was shining down into my dark home and stand there at the edge of my affection and think, "It's beautiful here by this pond. I wish somebody loved me," I'd love you and be your catfish friend and drive such lonely thoughts from your mind and suddenly you would be at peace, and ask yourself, "I wonder if there are any catfish in this pond? It seems like a perfect place for them."

Theory of Action--Why? A common language for what we’re trying to accomplish A way of connecting rounds to results Diagnosing critical or weak links in your improvement strategy Cutting through the clutter

Theory of Action: The Basics (“What”) If. . . , Then. . . statements Falsifiable: we should be able to prove whether they are true or not through observation Connects the general (improvement strategy) with the specific (problem of practice) Identifies where to focus energy and effort Storyline

Systemwide improvement Vision: Every child will read and write at or above proficient Strategy: Improvements in literacy will occur as a consequence of targeted investments in curriculum and professional development, focused coaching, leadership development, common planning, and accountability Theory of action: If we provide teachers with curriculum support and professional development, if teachers engage in common planning of literacy lessons and units of study, and if we provide principals and teachers with data on instructional practice and student learning, then students will engage in higher level reading and writing tasks and their learning will be evident in measured performance. Problem of practice: What reading tasks are students engaged in? What questions do teachers and students ask when discussing reading?

Reflections from the group How have people used theory of action thus far? How do you think you might use it?

Theory of Action: How Iterative! Multiple drafts and revisions Use feedback from others

Drafting your own theory of action Choose a specific content area from your current work Working individually, write a vision statement, a strategy, and a theory of action for that area (use sticky notes, if helpful) Include: Who will do what What people will have to know in order to do what you’re asking them to do How instructional rounds fits into your theory Use “if. . ., then. . .” statements Work with a partner or partners to refine Implicates you? Storyline? Missing links? Black boxes? “Miracle happens”? Problematic connections? What can you do to anticipate and respond to them? Falsifiable? Vertical connections from vision to theory of action?

Which connections in your theory are most problematic? Reflection Which connections in your theory are most problematic? What can you do to anticipate and respond to them? Clutter?

Objectives Participants will: Be able to identify at least 1 principle of the instructional core Understand the key criteria of a problem of practice and its role in rounds; use these criteria to refine a problem of practice Understand the elements of a theory of action and apply this understanding to a beginning draft of their own theory of action

Wrap-up Takeaways