Teacher Quality and School Improvement in 2010: P-20 in Historical Perspective Steve Tozer, UIC

What we learned in graduate school Schools don ’ t really affect student learning; it ’ s SES that does. –Cultural Deficit Theory –(Coleman, Jencks, 1960s)

1970s Effective Schools Research (Edmonds) "How many effective schools would you have to see to be persuaded of the educability of poor children? If your answer is more than one, then I submit that you have reasons of your own for preferring to believe that pupil performance derives from family background instead of school response to family background. ”

1980s Nation at Risk School Reform as a national priority State legislation to improve schools Beginning of the standards movement

1990s: The Standards Movement What Matters Most... The quality of classroom instruction NBPTS, NCTAF, IPTS PK-12 Learning Standards

2000s: Transforming Schools at Scale Kati Haycock and the Education Trust NCLB (2001) Marzano: What Works in Schools (2003) Chenoweth: It ’ s Being Done (2007) CCSR: Five Essential Supports (2010)

Consortium for Chicago School Research

The Big Three: Students, Teachers, and Leaders Joanne Weiss (Race to the Top) “... and that means we have to get the leadership right first.” (2010)

Improving Classroom Instruction at Scale The importance and limits of teacher preparation and certification Where does most teacher learning take place? Schools as adult learning environments

Leadership Quality as essential to Teacher Quality Are high quality principals born or made? Eight years of results New York School Leaders Academy New Leaders for New Schools UIC

What they have in common Partnerships with school districts High selectivity Intensive, year-long internships Integration of Theory and Practice Results accountable to improved student learning

Sample Results from UIC In the highest-need schools in CPS: –Improved test scores at elementary and secondary levels –Improved attendance in elementary and secondary schools –Improved freshman-on-track in large and small high schools –Reduced drop-out rates and increased graduation rates

What about the Market Model solutions? Charters, alternative routes, turnarounds and “ breaking the higher ed monopoly ” Absent good leadership, charter schools fail Charter schools now seek strong leadership as the key to success Evidence: Alternative routes to teaching are neither the solution nor a problem

Why is improved school leadership so essential? Because high-quality instruction in every classroom cannot otherwise be attained We have no viable alternative theory for improving teacher quality at scale

How do we know our principal work-force isn ’ t good enough? Good principals dramatically improve student performance Most principals do not Principals have been caught in a historical paradigm shift

Keys to Improving School Leadership in Illinois Must be highly selective Must be clinically intensive Must involve school districts and expert practitioners as partners Systemic, cost effective approach to (a) changing higher ed ’ s relationship to PreK- 12, and (b) improving learning outcomes

Higher Education has changed before 1909: The Flexner Report : Resulting revolution in medical education (Highly selective, clinically intensive, partnership with hospitals) Ratio of physicians to principals in Illinois is 3:1; it can be done

The P-20 challenge: Paying attention to what we already know: because teaching matters, leadership matters Marshalling the state leadership and political will Pending school leadership legislation in Illinois: using our greatest levers systemically