Having a Strategy for Your Strategy GVSU Learning Network January 2014

Essential Questions What progress have we made in implementing our instructional improvement strategies? How might we strengthen our implementation for even a larger impact?

Agenda I.Welcome, Agenda Review, Norms II.Video Observation Exercise: What are Students Learning and How do We Know? III.Stock-Taking: How is Our Work Going This Year? What Is Our Work For the Rest of the Year? IV.Text-based Discussion V.Performance Management: Getting It Done VI.Action Planning

Learning Network -Norms Silence mobile phones and other devices Be present and engaged Listen actively Make this relevant to your work and your school Call the baby ugly (call it like you see it) Reduce side conversations Come prepared Speak honestly Vegas rule—share ideas, but protect people, schools, sensitive issues Share speaking opportunities—watch talk time Avoid negativity and complaining Arrive on time, start on time, end on time

Learning and Teaching in the Classroom A Descriptive Framework Teacher Content Student Task Environment

Video Observation Exercise Task 1: Observe the lesson segment. Gather evidence regarding what is occurring in the instructional core. Discuss what you observed – Descriptive—Not Evaluative – Specific—Not General – Precise with Understood Vocabulary—Not Jargon

Video Observation Exercise Task 2: Reassess your evidence to answer the following question: What evidence do we have of student learning? If a student were to successfully accomplish the task, what would he or she really learn? What evidence do we have about how many students were successfully accomplishing the task?

Reflection on the Year’s Work What was our improvement focus for the year? What goals did we set (outcomes and implementation)? – What successes have we experienced? How do we know? – What are the ongoing challenges? How do we know? – What is the next level of work for our school in terms of improving learning for children?

Quick Reflection Identify one school improvement initiative you have personally experienced being implemented successfully (successful = implemented as desired and generating expected results). – What explains the success? – In other words, what are the lessons learned?

Performance Management The system through which an organization ensures that goals are being met in an efficient and effective manner. Copyright © 2014 by Connecticut Center for School Change, Hartford, CT. All rights reserved.

Homework In paired schools, identify and consolidate the big ideas from the readings about the key components of a performance management system. How do the readings explain your success (or lack thereof) with implementation of school improvement initiatives? What do the readings suggest about how to improve your execution? Make sure everyone in the group responds and record your ideas on a t-chart. (20 minutes) Copyright © 2014 by Connecticut Center for School Change, Hartford, CT. All rights reserved.

Components of performance management system Implications for our work

Reflection Post your charts around the room. With your district team, review and consider the charts from the other groups. (10 minutes) What did you notice in the gallery walk?

How do we make our vision a reality? Why do we often struggle to deliver upon our intentions?

Biggest Takeaways It is not about the plan; it is about how you work the plan. Organizations don’t achieve ambitious goals by accident; effective organizations aggressively pursue goals with discipline. Leadership is critical to executing a vision.

Model of Individual Learning in Action Copyright © 2014 by Connecticut Center for School Change, Hartford, CT. All rights reserved. Goal- driven problem of practice Theory of action Design & execute actions EvaluateReflect

Model of Organizational Learning in Action Copyright © 2014 by Connecticut Center for School Change, Hartford, CT. All rights reserved. Goal- driven problem of practice Theory of action Design & execute actions EvaluateReflect

The analogy... A flywheel

What provides the leverage? Copyright © 2014 by Connecticut Center for School Change, Hartford, CT. All rights reserved. Goal-driven problem of practice Theory of action Strategic Planning: Design & execute actions Evaluate Reflect & Adjust Actions Leaders who surface difficult realities Precise and “failable” goals; benchmarked targets; implementation and outcomes Authentic planning process that encourages problem solving, not plan completion Leadership routines for surfacing and solving problems Engagement of stakeholders necessary for implementation success Explicit, widely shared, and often revisited logic chain Formal and informal accountability for performance and effort

Next Steps What are you going to do with this? Pick 1 area of implementation in your most critical work that is not where you want it to be. Assess where your school is on leverage points. Identify action steps. Use the supplied Strategy Action Planning Template to the degree it is appropriate for your needs.

Improvement Strategy: Getting Things Done Leverage PointsEvidence of Leverage Points in Our School Specific Actions We Will Take to Improve Leverage Precise and “failable” goals with benchmark target (implementation and results) Explicit, shared and revisited logic chain Authentic planning process Leaders that fearlessly surface reality Routines for examining progress, surfacing problems, problem-solving Engagement of key stakeholders Formal and informal accountability aligned with implementing strategy and delivering results Notes: