WHAT’s A STATE TO DO? TO BUILD SCHOOL/EDUCATION LEADERSHIP CAPACITY Betty Hale

BUILDING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY IT’S A - StateSchoolDistrictCollegeUniversityNationalThing

What is Capacity? The amount that can be contained; “The water tank has a capacity of X.” Ability to produce and/or perform.

THE WHAT: STATE The Expectation: educational leadership programs whose offerings ensure that graduates are prepared to meet state standards and requirements. The Task: educational policies that engender a culture of leadership and effective leadership development processes among and across agencies, programs and sectors.

THE WHAT: STATE The Challenge: to introduce guidelines and requirements to ensure leadership programs that produce the greatest possible number of high-quality school leaders.

Within Its Standards Framework STATES MUST Have leadership in every school that improves schools & increases student achievement. Create a leadership system focused on: Selection & Preparation Induction & Professional Development Certification & Evaluation Working Conditions

Considerations – ECS What are the skills that today's education leaders need to be successful? Do preparation programs in Illinois develop those skills? Should there be standards for preparation programs? How effective are other mechanisms of leadership preparation – academies, mentoring, etc.? Are there good models to follow?

More Considerations - ECS Does Illinois have a clear set of expected standards and skills for school and district leaders? How does Illinois support the acquisition of those skills? How can Illinois support the ongoing and embedded professional development that is helpful to school and district leaders? How can school and district time structures be altered for effective professional development?

Specific Considerations What is being taught in educational leadership programs in Illinois? What do aspiring, in-service and experienced school leaders need to know and be able to do to have the greatest impact on student achievement? What admissions policies will promote the best crop of school leaders? Which standards of practice are appropriate, and how can they influence student success?

What is being taught in educational leadership programs? A comprehensive study by Arthur E. Levine, president of Teachers College, Columbia University, concluded that “the majority of [educational administration] programs range from inadequate to appalling,” and that the typical course of study required of principal candidates was largely disconnected from the realities of school management.

What is being taught in educational leadership programs? AEI examined more than 200 core course syllabuses from a national cross-section of principal-preparation programs, including elite schools, mainstream schools, large and small programs, in roughly equal measure. Altogether, they reviewed syllabuses from 31 programs, including almost 2,500 total weeks of instruction and more than 1,800 reading assignments. The bottom line: scant attention was paid to managing with accountability, using data, or making tough personnel decisions.

What is being taught in educational leadership programs? In a companion study, AEI analyzed the content of 11 of the most commonly assigned principal preparation texts. They found lots of rhetorical nods to performance and achievement, but little attention to providing guidance on topics like using accountability, removing ineffective faculty members, or improving organizational efficiency.

What do aspiring, in-service and experienced school leaders need to know and be able to do to have the greatest impact on student achievement? Create a focused mission to improve student achievement and a vision of the school, curriculum and instructional practices that make higher achievement possible. Set high expectations for all students to learn high-level content. Recognize and encourage implementation of good instructional practices that motivate and increase student achievement. Create a school where faculty and staff understand that every students counts and where every student has the support of a caring adult.

What do aspiring, in-service and experienced school leaders need to learn and be able to do to have the greatest impact on achievement? Use data to initiate and continue improvement in school and classroom practices and student achievement. Keep everyone informed and focused on student achievement. Make parents partners in their student’s education and create a structure for parent and educator collaboration. Understand the change process and have the leadership and facilitation skills to manage it effectively.

What do aspiring, in-service and experienced school leaders need to learn and be able to do to have the greatest impact on student achievement? Understand how adults learn; know how to advance meaningful change through quality sustained professional development. Organize and use time in innovative ways to meet the goals of school improvement. Acquire and use resources wisely. Obtain support from the central office, community & parent leaders for the school improvement agenda. Continuously learn from and seek out colleagues who are abreast of new research and proven practices.

What admissions policies will promote the best crop of school leaders? The processes and standards by which many principal preparation programs usually screen, select, and graduate candidates are often ill- defined, irregularly applied, and lacking in rigor. Too many aspiring administrators are too easily admitted into and passed through the system on the basis of performance on academic coursework rather than on a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to successfully lead schools (NCATE 2002).

Which standards of practice are appropriate, and how can/do they influence student success? University of Minnesota 2004 study (Leithwood, Seashore-Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom) outlined 3 sets of core leadership practices: Developing People Setting Directions for the Organization Redesigning the Organization

Which standards of practice are appropriate, and how can/do they influence student success? Research has converged on the importance of 3 aspects of the principal’s job: Developing a deep understanding of how to support teachers; Managing the curriculum in ways that promote student learning; and Developing the ability to transform schools into more effective organizations that foster powerful teaching and learning for all students.

STATE STRATEGIES Adopt a resolution or authorizing legislation for a systemic leadership redesign initiative – on specifics. Use a 3-year commission to identify policy recommendations, plan and coordinate; do Commission work through Task Forces. Translate new standards and policies into implementation rules and procedures.

STATE STRATEGIES Disseminate redesign conditions and frameworks – clearly lay out expectations for new programs. Create a support system for universities and districts. Conduct an external curriculum audit to evaluate leadership departments’ efforts. Develop guidelines to help universities and school districts co-construct an accountability process for preparation program(s); hold both partners accountable.