1. National Summit for Principal Supervisors Building the Capacity of Principals to Lead the Improvement of Instruction A Presentation by the Charlotte – Mecklenburg Schools and the Center for Educational Leadership May 19, 2017

2. Goals for Today’s Session
Participants will:
Learn from a team of Charlotte Mecklenburg principal supervisors some of the strategies and approaches they have used to support principals in the work of improving instruction.
Engage with the panel and other participants in a discussion of best practices, lessons learned, and topics for further exploration on the work of improving instruction.

3. Our Mission
The Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) is a nonprofit service arm of the University of Washington College of Education dedicated to eliminating the achievement gap that continues to divide our nation’s children along the lines of race, class, language and disability.

4. Equity Is a Key Principle of Our Work
Equal Outcomes Fairness Access and Support Respect for Differences Achievement of Every Student
Equity

5. Two-Part Equation Instructional Anatomy Instructional Leadership
Common language for high-quality instruction
Knowing how to lead for that
Instructional
Anatomy
Instructional
Leadership
Instructional
Effectiveness

6. Practices of Effective Principal Supervisors
Work one-on-one with principals to grow their instructional leadership capacity.
Develop principal professional learning networks that support principals’ growth as instructional leaders.
Provide and broker professional development for principals based on individual and group learning needs.
Collaborate with others in the central office to support principals as instructional leaders.
Utilize a principal evaluation process to support principals’ growth as instructional leaders.
Steve

7. What strategies have we found to be particularly effective in this work?
The use of inquiry as an approach to problem-solving when it comes to student problems of learning and both instructional and leadership problems of practice.
The use of data and evidence to support performance assessment and decision-making
Intentional planning for 1:1 visits with principals using pre-planned agendas and the development of learning plans for principals.
A focus on the need to balance the work of principal supervision with the work of coaching and support.

8. What Principal Supervisors Need to Know and be Able to do in the One-on-one Work with Principals
Know quality instruction
Identify learning goals and develop learning plans
Use inquiry as a problem solving strategy
Give principals feedback
Observe classrooms, collecting and analyze data and evidence; identify trends; make recommendations
Use effective coaching strategies
Pre-plan school visits; develop agenda
Know when to “teach” and when to “tell”
Use reflective questioning

9. Today’s Presenters Mr. John Wall Dr. Ann Stalnaker
Mrs. Acquanetta Edmond

10. The Structure of Principal Supervision in CMS
Learning Communities Organization

11. CMS at a Glance 147,157 students and 170 schools
Student demographics: 39% African-American, 29% White, 23% Hispanic, 6% Asian, and 3% other
Employee demographics: 19,098 total of which 13,146 are teachers and support staff
The CMS graduation rate rose to 89.6% for 2016
$1.4 billion operating budget; $9,396 per pupil
10 Learning Communities* with schools each
Mostly organized by feeder pattern
Mostly staffed with Learning Community Superintendent, Executive Director and Curriculum Coordinator
* Excludes learning community with 2 school for exceptional children.

12. North Carolina Principal Evaluation/Standards
Time
Professional Learning Strategies
Evidence of Principal Effectiveness
Development & Continuous Improvement of Principals

13. The CMS Approach to Building the Capacity of Principals
Sharing the success in our one-on one work with principals

14. Build on Student Strengths and Solve Student Problems of Learning
The Through Line
Principal Supervisor
Supervision
Coaching
Principal
High Leverage
Leadership Practices
Teaching
High Quality Teaching
Every Classroom
Build on Student Strengths and Solve Student Problems of Learning
John

15. A Few Examples of Best Practice
School data
Student problem of learning
Teaching problem of practice
Leadership problem of practice
Principal Learning Plan
Evidence
John

16. Four Essential Elements of Principal Practice: Lessons Learned
Know good Instruction
Identify instructional Problem of practice
Laser-like focus on instruction
Good use of accountability tools
Ann

17. The School Visit Agenda
Pre-planning
Learning goal/Area of focus
Reflection on previous visit
Activities
Praise
Questioning
Next steps/Task assignment/Timeline
Acquanetta

18. The Learning Plan Area of Focus Success Measures Area of Change
Supporting Evidence
Aligned Actions
Acquanetta

19. Example of the Learning Plan
Area of Change
Evidence
Student Learning
Which indicators of student learning will you see change as a result of this learning plan?
2nd grade students will have more rigorous learning standards, which will impact student achievement with MAP scores and common assessments.
What will be the specific evidence of the changes in student learning?
PD on rigor and review of the CCS
MAP assessments and common assessments targets will increase
SLC Walkthrough Visits will show more rigorous learning environment
2nd grade re-loop groups will demonstrate progress
Monitoring student progress at the EOY
Coaching Conversations

20. Best Practices Insert yourself into the work Build Trust first
Narrow the focus of the work
Follow up on next steps
Record a coaching session
Be reflective on your practice
Acquanetta

21. Lessons we are learning and questions we still grapple with!
A Panel Discussion
All

22. Questions I am Still Grappling With!
How do I make strategic use of tools such as video and tracking tools?
How do we build those principal competencies that surround and support instructional improvement?
Is there really a developmental continuum for principals that we must address? If so, how?
How do we ensure that the work and progress are sustained over time?
Ann

23. Let’s Hear from the Audience!

24. “The chance to be coached as an instructional leader is one of the best things that ever happened to me professionally.”
Charles Ransom Superintendent and Former Principal Woodburn School District, Oregon