1. Leveraging Collaboration: Structures and Schedules that Work in Secondary (7-12) Settings Cynthia Phillips, Secondary Principal AHSTW, Avoca

2. Background  AHSTW Secondary School  7-12 grades  300+ students  31 teachers  45% F/R  8 period day; 46 minute periods

3. Background  High discipline referral rate (88 1 st semester; 200 1 st year)  Iowa Youth Survey result – 35% of students agree that at least one adult in this school cares about me  76% (9-11) and 66% (6-8) proficient on Iowa Assessments in reading  Lack of student motivation in classrooms  Poor attendance issues  Low teacher efficacy

4. 4 “C” Framework  Consensus  How will you build consensus among your staff?  Capacity  How will you build capacity in teachers (teacher efficacy)?  Collaboration  How will you create a collaboration structure and schedule?  Celebration  How will you celebrate progress and sustain ongoing work?

5. Build CONSENSUS  What’s your school’s story?  (Knowing your story allows you to build the “WHY” behind any initiatives)  What would teachers say…  What would students say…  What would parents say…  What do you see? Take time to discover your needs. Why will you do what you will do?

6. Build CONSENSUS Background: School Culture or School Chaos Administration / Leadership Teacher behaviors Student behaviors School System Structures Schedule Courses Discipline Technology Know the past Understand the present Create the future

7. Build CONSENSUS -Met with individual teachers -Met with faculty groups of teachers (departments, leadership team, new teachers, veteran teachers, etc.) -Met with full faculty LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN…offer opportunities/solutions -Modeled expected behaviors through interactions with students and staff -Modeled instructional framework through PD (as full faculty and by departments)

8. Build CONSENSUS Decided Drivers: 1. Build Positive School Culture 2. Improve Student Achievement Focus on positive adult-student relationships --> reduce discipline issues Focus on Framework for Instruction --> improve metacognition & growth mindset Focus on assessment & Standards Based Grading --> improve intrinsic motivation

10. Figure I.2 | Overview of the Five Levers Structure—Logistical components of districts, schools, and classrooms, such as schedules, staffing, and administrative processes Sample—Grouping of students in any classroom or program at any given time Standards—Expectations for student learning Strategy—Any one of the practices teachers use to help students deepen their understanding of content and improve their ability to use important skills Self—Beliefs that teachers and students have about their capacity to be effective 5 Levers of Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School TONY FRONTIER & JAMES RICKABAUGH

11. “…educators too often seek to improve student learning by engaging in misguided efforts to leverage change in schools; they adjust the structure, manipulate the sample, and even articulate new standards. Initiatives associated with these efforts will fail to yield results unless they (1) are aligned with and directly influence the connection between standards and instructional strategies used in classrooms and (2) address and build students’ and teachers’ conceptions of self as related to their capacity to achieve.” (Frontier & Rickabaugh)

12. Build CAPACITY – (teacher efficacy)  Give teachers the opportunity to experience new ideas in a safe way  Provide teachers with something innovative to talk about  Creates excitement among staff; Changes teacher lounge conversations  Teachers become a resource for others  Builds interest from within (other teachers see what these teachers are doing)

13. Build CAPACITY – (teacher efficacy)  Book study groups  Voluntary –meet at 7:30am once a week  What Great Teachers Do Differently (Whitaker)  Twelve Touchstones of Good Teaching (Goodwin & Hubbell)  Mindset (Dweck)  Rethinking Grading (Vatterott)

14. Build CAPACITY – (teacher efficacy)  Professional Development Days (full and partial)  Keep focus on initiatives  Instructional Framework: Cr.I.S.S. (Creating Independence through Student-Owned Strategies)  Framework for Teaching & Learning  School Culture: Love & Logic  9 elements of Love & Logic

15. Build CAPACITY – (teacher efficacy)  In what ways will your TLC plan support building teacher efficacy?

16. Build COLLABORATION GOALS:  How do we find time in the day for teachers to meet and talk about their new learning?  How do we ensure ALL teachers are available/expected to participate?  How do we structure a schedule where collaboration is a driver of continued growth and school improvement?

17. COLLABORATION Structure How can a specific collaboration structure help us meet the goals for improvement we’ve set?  Created a “Seminar” period (HS)  Solution for building relationships with students  Solution for collaboration time about students and learning  Created “Teaming” period (JH)

18. Collaboration Schedule (HS)  Meet once a week during seminar  Teacher groups are assigned by principal or TLC leaders  Non-negotiable to miss – built in Wednesday as makeup day  Provide a specific space for collaboration  KEEP Weekly focus (PD Initiatives)

19. Collaboration Schedule  Teacher leader as facilitator for each week  Keeps focus  Gives consistency  Principal meets with facilitator prior to each week  Maintains accountability

20. CELEBRATE progress  Show effective outcomes to teachers (both qualitative and quantitative)  Shout-outs at faculty meetings and PD  Let teachers give shout-outs to each other; let teachers share success stories  Build PLNs that support your success  Create a twitter handle or hash tag; Create webpage  Showcase teachers’ experience (not necessarily expertise) at PD, faculty meetings, family nights, board meetings, etc.  Send newsletters to District households

21. CELEBRATE progress Teacher leadership opportunities: Cr.I.S.S. District Trainers District trainers for curriculum mapping IS3 faculty team Collaboration group leaders BLT / DLT Technology presenters Love and Logic leader Standards Based Grading leaders Teacher mentors PD facilitators

22. Outcomes  Reduced discipline referrals  Reduced attendance issues  Improved Iowa Assessment scores, NWEA scores  Renewed enthusiasm in teachers  Positive teacher talk (hallways, faculty lounge)  Teachers seeking continued learning (growth mindset)  Positive shift in school culture

23. Where do we start?  Identify area(s) of concern  Present evidence of concern to teachers to build consensus  Leadership team  Department groups  Faculty meetings  Brainstorm solutions or Offer solutions  Participate in solution – Be invested in the work  Build capacity in others so they can own it  Celebrate the outcomes!

24. Leveraging Collaboration As the building leader, create a structure that maintains a focus on school improvement: Build consensus among teachers Build capacity within teachers Build a collaboration structure Celebrate success