Using Educators & Students to Produce Quality Instruction Presented for KEDC Mr. Tim Hanner, Superintendent, Dr. Terri Cox-Cruey, Deputy Superintendent, Ms. Barbara Martin, Assistant Superintendent

District Vision The Three District Goals Goal 1: All students will perform at or above grade level in numeracy and literacy at each transition point Goal 2: All “professional practices” will be based on a common understanding of quality instruction and best practices for every student, in every classroom, every day. Goal 3: Beginning in fourth grade, all students will participate in at least one activity providing a meaningful connection to school beyond the regular classroom.

 Students’ will not meet the performance standards for success in college and work unless and until teaching improves. More academic content standards, more testing, smaller schools, etc. do not, by themselves, improve teaching or students’ skills.  Teachers working alone, with little or no feedback on their instruction, will not be able to improve significantly—no matter how much professional development they receive.  The challenge of change leadership is to create a “system” for continuous improvement of instruction and supervision— rooted in a common vision of effective teaching, which is rigorous, relevant, and based on respectful, trusting relationships (the new 3 R’s) Tony Wagner, 2006

1. The district or school creates understanding and urgency around improving ALL students’ learning for teachers and community, and they regularly report on progress. ◦ Data is disaggregated and transparent to everyone. ◦ Qualitative (focus groups & interviews) as well as quantitative data is used to understand students’ and recent graduates’ experience of school. 2. There is a widely shared vision of what is good teaching which is focused on rigor, the quality of student engagement, and effective methods for personalizing learning for all students. ◦ Either developed by the district or by the school 3. All adult meetings are about instruction and are models of good teaching.

4. There are well-defined performance standards and assessments for student work at all grade levels. Both teachers and students understand what quality work looks like, and there is consistency in standards of assessment. 5. Supervision is frequent, rigorous, and entirely focused on the improvement of instruction. It is done by people who know what good teaching looks like. 6. Professional Development is primarily on-site, intensive, collaborative, and job-embedded and is designed and led by educators who model best teaching and learning practices. 7. Data is used diagnostically at frequent intervals by teams of teachers to assess each student’s learning and to identify the most effective teaching practices, and teams have time built into their schedules for this shared work. Tony Wagner, 2006

Central Office Administrators Disciplinary Literacy Cadre National Board Certified Teachers Kenton County Education Association Content-specific Coaches

Planning & Preparation Learning Environment Assessment Instruction Professional Responsibilities

Goal 2: All ‘Professional Practices’ will be based on a common understanding of quality instruction and best practice for every student, in every classroom, every day. Student Video