How Principals Build Organizational Capacity to Improve Student Learning Presentation to the Illinois School Leadership Advisory Council January 2015 By: Shelby Cosner Associate Professor University of Illinois at Chicago

My Background Research on the work of principals and teacher leaders (individually, collectively) to improve schools and student learning Particular attention on how leaders build school-wide capacities that support the improvement of student learning Principal preparation, development, evaluation Former principal and district-level leader

Overview Build from Dr. Michelle Young’s November ISLAC Presentation Examine the Highly Complex Work of School Principals (post NCLB); Work of Principals of Consequence for Improving School-wide Student Learning How Principals Build Capacity to Improve School-wide Student Learning Consider What this Suggests for the Preparation and Development of School Principals

Leadership Is Key To Improving Teaching & Learning “ Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school related factors that contribute to what students learn at school.” -- How Leadership Influences Student Learning, Leithwood, et al, 2004 “Six years later we are even more confident about this claim.” -- Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning, Louis, et al,

Leadership Impact on Student Learning Administrative Leadership Instructional Leadership TEAM Distributed Teacher Leaders Organizational Resources Teaching/ Instruction Student Engagement and Learning Cosner, 2005; Cosner, et al., 2015 drawing from the work of Bryk et al., 2006; Gamoran, Secada, & Marrett, 2000; Hallinger & Heck, 1998; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2005

Robust Meta-Analysis: Domains of Principal Work with Moderate to Strong Impact on Student Learning Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe (2008)  Meta-analysis, five broad domains of leadership practice were inductively generated and tested for effects on student outcomes. Three domains evidence a moderate to strong impact on student outcomes: a) goal setting and planning b) promoting and participating in teacher learning c) planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum

Goal Setting and Planning Low-performing, struggling, or stalled schools typically are weak in the enactment of this stream of work. (Finnigan, 2010; Finnigan & Stewart, 2009; Hallinger, 2005; Harris, 2002)

This is Complex Work! Understanding what this work entails and what the work “looks like” when it is done in ROBUST fashion is critical. Today a quick overview.

Goal Setting and Planning Setting goals Designing and enacting plans (strategy) for achieving goals Cultivating collective understanding and commitment to the goals (and strategy associated with goal)

Typical Goals and Goal Strategy School: Within-school problems Strategy Why are we working SO HARD and seeing no improvement? Using strategies from former schools, piggybacking on existing work (that has evidenced little progress), latest book or what our neighbors are doing

Within-school Improvement of Student Learning School: Within-school problems Strategy selected and designed to address within- school problems It starts with finding and solving problems! Oftentimes, there have been longstanding problems that have failed to be found/solved.

The Importance of Cycles of Inquiry 1.Identify Root Cause Problems (Instructional Practice) and Instructional Practice Changes 2. Select Instructional Improvement Strategies and Plan for Strategy Enactment 4. Enact Strategy Action Plan (Yearlong Plan for Teacher Learning) Use arrow to show multiple location 3. Set Process and Outcome Goals and Plan for Goal Assessment 5. Diagnose Process and Outcome Progress and Adjust as Needed

Finding and Solving Instructional/Adult Practice Problems Administrative Leadership Instructional Leadership TEAM Organizational Resources Teaching/ Instruction Student Engagement and Learning Cosner, 2005; Cosner, et al., 2015 drawing from Gamoran, Secada, & Marrett, 2000; Bryk et al., 2006, Leithwood & Jantzi, 2005

Root Cause Problem Investigation Instructional Problems (Problems that relate to teaching or between teachers and students) Areas for Instructional Practice Change Student Behavior, Engagement and Learning Problems Practice/Instructional Practice Changes

Common Core/Math School Common Core/ Literacy Illinois Education Policy Context

Instructional Problems: Internal/External Instructional Problems (Problems that relate to teaching or between teachers and students) Areas for Instructional Practice Change Student Behavior, Engagement and Learning Problems CC Instructional Practice Changes

Cultivating Collective Understanding and Commitment Improvement sense-giving builds understanding and commitment: Must understand instructional problems Must understand improvement strategy’s theory of action (what must happen for strategy to impact student learning; what must teachers learn and do) Must understand practice changes, plan for learning and practicing practice changes

The Importance of Cultivating Leadership and Organization as Capacities that Support School-wide Improvement Administrative Leadership Instructional Leadership TEAM Distributed Teacher Leaders Organizational Resources INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE CHANGES Student Engagement and Learning Cycle of Inquiry helps us to identify.

The Importance of Cultivating Leadership and Organization as Capacities that Support School-wide Improvement Administrative Leadership Instructional Leadership TEAM Distributed Teacher Leaders Organizational Resources INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE CHANGES Student Engagement and Learning NCLB has pushed attention towards the last box and away from the other boxes (particularly away from organization and leadership)

Thinking About Leadership as a Capacity that Supports the Improvement of Student Learning Leadership: Developing distributed leadership (for cycles of inquiry work; instructional improvement work) Leadership Teams Teacher Leaders Presence but also nature and quality!

Leadership Teams Leadership Team Purpose is Critical: Leading cycle of inquiry and supporting cycle of inquiry work throughout the year should be central work of school’s leadership team.

Leadership for All Facets of the Cycle 1.Identify Root Cause Problems (Instructional Practice) and Instructional Practice Changes 2. Select Instructional Improvement Strategies and Plan for Strategy Enactment 4. Enact Strategy Action Plan (Yearlong Plan for Teacher Learning) Use arrow to show multiple location 3. Set Process and Outcome Goals and Plan for Goal Assessment 5. Diagnose Process and Outcome Progress and Adjust as Needed

Thinking About the Organizational Capacities that Supports the Improvement of Student Learning Organization School as Learning Organization Robust PD and Teacher Learning Teams Trust (Administrative, Collegial) Instructional practice changes create the need for teacher learning and School as Learning Organization.

Root Cause Investigation Instructional Problems (Problems that relate to teaching or between teachers and students) Areas for Instructional Practice Change Student Behavior, Engagement and Learning Problems Practice/Instructional Practice Changes

Connecting Teacher Learning to Necessary Instructional Practice Changes Teacher Learning Through 4 Key Mechanism: Professional Development Team Learning Peer Coaching Clinical Supervision Changes/ImprovedT eacher Decision- making and Planning, Classroom Environment, Instruction, Curriculum and/or Assessment Practices Improved Student Learning

Strengthening Teacher Learning in Your School: 2 Interacting Mechanisms November 2014 June 2015 What dates and times are available from Nov to June?

Connecting Teacher Learning to Instructional Practice Changes Which LEARNING MECHANISMS (PD, teams) will we engage as spaces for Teacher Learning? What should be the CONTENT of Teacher Learning that is necessary to support Practice Changes? What PROCESSES/LEARNING EXPERIENCES will be used to support TEACHER LEARNING? Some of the Key Learning Routines Reading Discussion of Reading for Meaning Making (Collaborative) Modeling w Deconstruction (Collaboration) Application/Creation (Collaborative and Individual) Practice (In Classroom) Making Early Practice Public for Help Seeking (Collaboration) Effective TL provides a COMBINATION of processes/learning experiences to cultivate understanding and practice change

Closing Thoughts Certain work of principals is of particular consequence to the school-wide improvement of student learning. This work is complex; typically not enacted robustly (particularly in struggling or stalled settings) Preparation must focus on cultivating understandings AND PRACTICES Ongoing principal development must be strengthened particularly in areas of principal work that are of consequence to improving student learning llinois Performance Standards for School Leaders/Rubric for Evaluating Principal Practice (50%)