1. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership: Best Practices for School Improvement Theodore J. Kowalski Thomas J. Lasley II. James W. Mahoney This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

2. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Chapter 1: Problem Solving and Decision Making in the Context of School Reform

3. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 School reform mid-1980s Problem – Unproductive students Strategy – Intensification mandates Intent – Make students do more of what they were already doing Examples – higher graduation requirements, longer school day, and longer school year

4. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 School reform late 1980s Problem – Unproductive students and incompetent educators Strategy – Intensification mandates Intent – Make students do more, increase rigor of teacher preparation/licensing Examples – Increased admission, retention, and graduation requirements for teacher education, require state testing for licensing, maintain or accelerate mandates for student performance

5. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 School reform after 1990 Problem – Structure and culture of schools Strategies – Deregulation and restructuring Intent – Revamp the culture and structure of schools to improve performance Examples – State outcome-based accreditation, school-improvement plans, greater emphasis on improvement at the local level

6. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Implications of current reform initiatives Greater emphasis on district and school reform agendas Administrators must decide what to change and not just how to implement mandates Teachers and administrators assume greater responsibility for practice Problem solving and decision making are central to professional practice

7. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 The “how” and “what” of school improvement Management focuses on “how to do” Leadership focuses on “what to do” Administration encompasses management and leadership Both teachers and administrators need to lead and manage

8. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Change strategies Improvement (restructuring) requires change Change requires vision, planning, and strategy Change strategies determine success

9. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Strategy: Show, initiate, rely on rationality Provide empirical evidence supporting the need for change Initiate change Depend on employee rationality for compliance Problem – employees often reject evidence and do not act rationally

10. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Strategy: Set new norms, re-educate, facilitate Provide a new standard of practice (or organization) Provide staff development for implementation Provide resources for implementation Problem – employee enthusiasm/support wanes if new standard conflicts with existing school culture

11. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Strategy: Rely on power and coercion Set new standards Require educators to implement them Rely on penalties to ensure compliance Problem – employees resent coercion and exhibit spiteful obedience only until pressures for change subside

12. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Strategy: Create a vision, diagnose culture, change culture Describe what school should look like in meeting its mission at a designated point in the future Determine whether prevailing assumptions, beliefs, norms, and so forth are compatible with the vision Restructure culture to ensure that it facilitates the vision Problem – most educators have not been prepared to understand or change institutional culture

13. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Relevance of change strategies to practice Culture change provides the most effective alternative to authentic school reform Culture change requires open communication, problem solving, and decision making Culture change requires educators to access and apply data objectively and in a timely manner

14. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Problem solving Understanding – framing and then analyzing the problem Formulating – identifying alternative solutions and then selecting a preferred solution Applying – activating the preferred solution Reflecting – assessing and evaluating outcomes Improving – adjusting the preferred solution if the problem is not resolved or managed sufficiently

15. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Decision making elements Goal – what you want to accomplish Options – alternatives you could pursue in attempting to reach your goal Choice – your preferred alternative

16. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Data-based decisions Involve goals, alternatives, and a choice just as all other decisions Alternatives are assessed and evaluated using quantitative and qualitative evidence (data) Choices are based on the evaluation of evidence Intent is to reduce the influence of emotion, bias, and politics on choices

17. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Why data-based decisions are difficult for educators Educators often are unprepared to use assessment in relation to decision making Educators do not integrate research and statistics into their practice naturally Data have often been viewed as the enemy Process viewed as cumbersome and unnecessary Politics and emotion are accepted as inevitable Educators rarely engage in collaborative assessment and decision making

18. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008 Four dimensions of data-based decision making Proficiency generating data Proficiency using data Resource adequacy Cultural acceptance