Principal Leadership and Why It Matters Brian A. McNulty Ph. D. Creative Leadership Solutions Boston MA 1

Critically examine the research on continuous improvement and how this affects the work of the principal Understand the implications of the research on principal responsibilities and priorities, Examine how this might affect their commitments for their work

Background for this work 3

OIP is the enactment of Ohio’s Leadership Development Framework

Framework- Key Practices 1. Use data well 2. Focus and limit goals and strategies 3. Select and implement shared instructional practices 4. Implement deeply 5. Monitor, provide feedback and support 6. Collaboratively inquire and learn

3 Things 1. Focus 2. Strengthen Instruction 3.Collaborative Inquiry

The Cornerstone of Our Shared Work Research Review

The BIG WHY questions Are you making continuous progress? – Do you know Why? If you are NOT making continuous progress – Do you know Why? 9

How Do Schools Get Better? What do you think? Short discussion Answer Disciplined professional collaborative inquiry and learning

Unless there is disciplined inquiry at the core of collaborative professional learning, it is unlikely to make a difference to learner outcomes 11 Harris 2014

Professional Capitol Human capital (the quality of the individual), Social capital (the quality of the group), and Decisional capital - the development of expertise and professional judgment of individuals and groups to make more and more effective decisions over time) 12 Fullan et al 2015

Know Thy Impact! Hattie, 2009, 2011, 2014

We Have a on Individual Teacher Quality Hargreaves & Fullan (2012)

The only way to achieve large- scale and sustainable improvement is to invest in collective capacity building Harris (2014)

Research establishes that groups of teachers, working together in purposeful ways over periods of time, will produce greater learning in more students… Fullan (2014)

What Do We Know about Principal Leadership and Student Achievement? Marzano, R.J., Waters, J.T., & McNulty, B.A. (2005) McNulty & Besser (2011) Robinson, V., (2007, 2008, 2011) Leithwood (2007, 2008, 2012) Seashore Louis (2010)

A new, more powerful role – that of the principal as lead learner – is becoming clear Robinson (2012) Fullan (2014)

Leading Teacher Learning and Development E.S.= 0.84 The average impact of this leadership practice is 2X the effect of any other other leadership practice!

School leaders should be actively involved as the “lead learner” of their school. Robinson 2007, 2008, 2011

3 Things 1. Focus 2. Strengthen Instruction 3.Collaborative Inquiry

What is the Biggest Ongoing Challenge in Education? Talk to your shoulder partner and be ready to report out in 2 minutes.

Reality Check How many of you think your schools or district Or the schools that you work with implement well? What does this mean for your work?

Implementation Science EffectiveNOT Effective Effective NOT Effective IMPLEMENTATION INTERVENTION Actual Benefits (Institute of Medicine, 2000; 2001; 2009; New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003; National Commission on Excellence in Education,1983; Department of Health and Human Services, 1999) Inconsistent; Not Sustainable; Poor outcomes Unpredictable or poor outcomes; Poor outcomes; Sometimes harmful from Mark Lipsey’s 2009 Meta-analytic overview of interventions – “... a well-implemented intervention of an inherently less efficacious type can outperform a more efficacious one that is poorly implemented.”

What is the Difference Between Highly Effective… Teachers? Principals? Central Office Staff? Superintendent?

What is Our Second Biggest Challenge? * Talk to your shoulder partner and be ready to report out in 2 minutes.

Reality Check How many of you think your schools or district: Monitors well? Provides feedback? Provides differentiated supports? What does this mean for your work?

Negative Monitoring Does Not Work!!!

We Close the Achievement Gap by Closing the Implementation Gap

3 Things 1.Focus 2.Strengthen Instruction 3.Collaborative Inquiry

1. Focus Marzano, Waters, McNulty (2005) Robinson (2011) Reeves (2011) Schmoker (2011) McNulty & Besser (2011) Kahneman (2011) McChesney, et al (2012) Keller & Papason (2013) Goleman (2013)

Numerous researchers caution against adopting too many initiatives that detract from the improvement focus and usually result in “initiative fatigue.” (Reeves, 2006) See Reeves (2006, 2011); Elmore (2006); Fullan (2010); Schmoker (2011) and McNulty and Besser (2011)

Based on a double- blind review of more than 2000 schools… Reeves (2011)

The single variable that had the highest relationship with increased student performance was... Reeves, 2011

Robinson et al. (2008) found that student performance was positively impacted when… the principal worked to reduce the number of other initiatives in the building.

Reeves, 2011 Focus is the First Obligation of Leaders

Focus Don’t do too many things: Focus on implementing a few things well and deeply Monitor and provide feedback and support Learn as a system

3 Things 1. Focus Strengthen Instruction 3. Collaborative Inquiry

2. Strengthen Instruction 1.Specific effective teaching practices – The school or district has agreed on everyone learning some specific effective practices that are learned, implemented, monitored, and provided feedback on. 2.Continuous learning of effective practices – Teacher-based teams use data to determine needs; develop shared lessons and units; develop, administer, and score shared assessments; and develop interventions.

Largest Leadership Study to Date Nine states 43 school districts 180 schools Data from a total of 8,391 teachers and 471 school administrators Seashore Louis et. al, 2010

Large-Scale, Six-Year Leadership Study Survey – 8,391 teachers and 471 school administrators Interview data from 581 teachers and administrators, 304 district level informants, and 124 state personnel Observational data from 312 classrooms. Leithwood and Seashore-Louis, 2012

When principals serve effectively as instructional leaders, student achievement increases. Leithwood and Seashore Louis, 2012

Instructional leadership includes two complementary approaches and both are necessary: 1.A focus on classroom practice 2.Shared leadership (through TBTs and BLT) to create learning organizations Leithwood and Seashore Louis (2012)

Instructional leadership includes two complementary approaches and both are necessary: 1.A focus on classroom practice 2. Shared leadership Leithwood and Seashore Louis (2012)

There are Many Research-Based Strategies Common Formative Assessments Nonfiction Writing Feedback Clarity and communication of learning outcomes Marzano

What is the typical effect across…  900+ meta-analyses  50,000+ studies  240+ million students Visible Learning & Visible Learning for Teachers John Hattie Ph.D. (2009, 2012)

Hattie effect Sizes 47

The Single Highest Effect Size is… Assessment-Capable Learner Self-reported grades Student expectation d= 1.44 Hattie (2009, 2012)

Most highly effective teaching practices are beneficial to all kids 49

Meta- Strategies Direct Instruction d= Mastery Learning d= 0.58 Reciprocal teaching d= 0.74 Piagetian Programs d.= 1.28 Cooperative learning d=

The strong message from the research is that when students are not learning, they do not need more; They need different.

3 Things 1. Focus 2. Strengthen Instruction Collaborative Inquiry

Develop Broad-Based Instructional Leadership Through Collaborative Inquiry At All Levels District Leadership Team (DLT) Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) Teacher-Based Teams (TBTs)

Develop Broad-Based Instructional Leadership Through Collaborative Inquiry At All Levels District Leadership Team (DLT) Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) Teacher-Based Teams (TBTs)

Teacher-Based Teams are the only in- school source of collective leadership related to achievement. Leithwood and Seashore-Louis, 2012

Supported By Study After Study Collaborative schools do better than individualistic ones Teachers who work in professional cultures of collaboration tend to perform better than teachers who work alone Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012

“By using an inquiry-based team framework, achievement scores rose from the worst to the best in the district.” Gallimore et. al., 2009

Develop Broad-Based Instructional Leadership Through Collaborative Inquiry at All Levels District Leadership Team (DLT) Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) Teacher-Based Teams (TBTs)

DLT/ BLT Purpose The DLT/ BLT exists to improve instructional practice and performance.

To Measure Progress towards Their Purpose, the DLT/BLT Monitors 1.Student learning progress 2.Staff learning progress

Districts Matter 61 Central Office Transformation

3 Core elements 1.Intensive partnerships 2.Re-design around performance 3.Performance oriented leadership 62 Honig, 2013

Sustained, job-embedded supports is fundamental to helping principals build their capacity for instructional leadership 63 Honig (2012)

The most serious hurdle facing instructional leadership is whether districts are willing to reorganize schools such that principals have more time for this work. Johnson, (2008). Action for Districts

All of the successful school systems have come to trust and respect teachers. Fullan, 2010

Leadership is a Balance of… Pressure Support