1. LVSN+ September 2014 1

2. Welcome Back! Name, current leadership role, district. Something you would like to share about your summer or the start of the school year. What learning goals do you have for yourself as a result of participating in the network (professional learning community)? 2

3. Operational Norms Working and learning together as a network of instructional leaders: What will your professional learning community look like? What will your professional learning community sound like? What will your professional learning community feel like? 3

4. 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

5. About CEL Non-profit center within the University of Washington College of Education. 13 years of work with over 200 school districts regionally and across the country in 16 states. Working to support excellence and equity in the classroom. 5 LVSN+

6. Foundational Ideas 1.If students are not learning they are not being afforded powerful learning opportunities. 2.Teaching is a highly complex and sophisticated endeavor. 3.Practice of sophisticated endeavors only improves when it is open for public scrutiny. 4.Improving practice in a culture of public scrutiny requires reciprocal accountability. 5.Reciprocal accountability implies a particular kind of leadership to improve teaching and learning. 6.Leaders cannot lead what they don’t know. 6

7. Getting Alignment Around Instructional Effectiveness DISTRICT LEADERSHIP Helping district leaders to develop policies, practices and structure that support principals and teachers in delivering high-quality instruction. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Helping district leaders and principals observe, analyze and lead for high-quality instruction. TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS Developing the teaching expertise necessary to ensure that all students learn at high levels. STUDENT LEARNING All students, regardless of race, class, language and disability, achieve at high levels. 7

8. Essential Questions How does a system’s shared and common vision of effective instruction improve student achievement? How do we create a system to lead for instructional improvement? What behaviors and practices will we need to put into place to support the growth of instructional leadership? 8

9. Learning Targets To deepen our understanding of central office leadership actions to support Instructional Leadership teaching and learning. To deepen our understanding of how to use our theory of action to guide the goal-setting phase of the principal evaluation cycle/roadmap. To deepen our understanding of the attributes of quality goal setting. 9

10. Outcomes Identify “promising practices” in the goal setting stage of the principal evaluation cycle/roadmap that focus on teaching and learning. Identify existing and needed evidence and measures within the district to set goals for instructional leadership focused on improving teaching and learning. Use the collective intelligence, experience and expertise of the network to help each superintendent grapple with identified roadblocks in the goal setting stage of the principal evaluation cycle/roadmap. 10

11. What Calls You To The Work? “If you want to leverage improvement in a school system, the most critical role is the principal.” –Noel Tichy What do you believe about principal leadership and how will this belief influence or shape your work? 11

12. Modeling: How Do You Communicate with Principals Reflect on these questions to help draft your communication: 1.How will my work with principals focus on their instructional leadership? 2.What aspects of my current vision of my relationship with my principals, our working theory of action can I use to frame my relationship and work with principals this year? 3.How can I use what I’ve learned today to help with this vision? To model my own learning? 4.In concrete terms, what can principals expect from our one-on-one work and principal network meetings over the course of the year? For example, how many times will you be in their school? How will you set up those meetings? Will you ever just drop in? What will you do while you are there? How do these meetings compare with visits in the past? 12

13. Communicating for Learning “True learning takes place only when the leader invest the time and emotional energy to engage those around him or her in a dialogue that produces mutual understanding.” 13

14. Elevator Speech Who I am… Who we are.. Where we are going and how we will get there… 14

15. Goal Setting In pairs read articles and take notes. Each article takes a different stance on goal setting. Summarize your article and share the stance on goal setting with your partner. Give evidence from the article in support. How do the articles compliment each other? Contradict each other? 15

16. A Road Map for the Work 16

17. Road Map August/September October DecemberMarch May/June

18. Making the Roadmap Actionable Each conversation between principal and supervisor becomes an opportunity to revisit professional goals, identify needed supports, provide valuable feedback, and engage with principals as colleagues in their ongoing response to problems of practice. In short, each conversation becomes an opportunity for professional growth. - AWSP Planning Guide, 2014

19. Identifying Needs Setting the Goals Identifying the Evidence Choosing Key Strategies Establishing a Timeline Identifying Necessary Supports Implementing - AWSP Planning Guide, 2014 The Evaluation Process and Professional Growth Planning (PGP)

20. Instructional Leadership Inquiry Cycle

21. Tools to Support Continuous Principal Growth: Principal Inquiry Cycle Read the phases of the cycle (graphic and description) individually (pages 1-4). Share understanding with a partner and discuss the following questions: –How are these processes similar to how you work with principals? How is it different? –To what extent could this tool support growth in principals as instructional leaders? 21

22. The principal supervisor and principal together: Anchor the conversation of principal performance in evidence (principal leadership, teaching practice, and student learning). Focus on leadership competencies needing improvement and within the principal’s zone of proximal development (AWSP, District High-Leverage Leadership Strategies). Present a clear theory of action as to why and how the principal’s goal(s) will lead to improved teacher practice and student achievement. Establish metrics to measure goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time-bound). Clarify the shared work and accountability between the principal and principal supervisor that will lead to the goal. Attributes of Effective Goal Setting Conferences

23. Phase 1: Analyze Evidence to Develop Problems of Practice Principal and principal supervisor gather and analyze evidence to identify student learning problems and problems of teaching practice. What are the learning strengths and challenges of students learning? What are the related instructional strengths and challenges of teaching practice?

24. District Provided Tools and Information: Data gathering tools and processes (e.g., assessment scores, teacher evaluations ratings, walkthrough data) School Improvement Plan What else?

25. Phase 2: Determine an Area of Focus Principal and principal supervisor analyze evidence to identify a principal instructional leadership area of focus. What type of evidence will be collected to determine the area of focus? What is the principal area of focus for this cycle of inquiry (How does this fit with the AWSP Principal Framework, District TOA, District High Leverage Principal Strategies)?

26. District Provided Tools and Information: School Improvement Plan Principal self-assessment (AWSP) Principal evaluation and goal setting (prior year) Principal performance data (e.g., climate surveys, 360 evaluations) What else?

27. Generate a Theory of Action If the principal… Then teachers will be able to… So that students will be able to…

28. Determine Evidence of Success

29. Time with Colleagues Small Groups Protocol Whole Group Sharing 29

30. 30

31. Coaching Conversations 31

32. Leadership Practices Supervising Zone Give Advise, the Answers Ask “Loaded Questions” Mentoring Zone Teaching Offering Options Coaching Zone Creating Awareness Designing Actions Planning and Goal Setting Monitoring Progress Celebrating Success

33. Mentoring or Coaching Mentoring is primarily based on the wisdom gained from experience (deductive). Mentors are people with invaluable experience. They have a wealth of tips and suggestions to share and should be given enormous respect. However you (and your mentor) need to remember that you are a different person, in a different situation, going forward into what might turn out to be a different future. 33

34. Mentoring or Coaching Coaching is primarily future focused (generative). Coaches ideally have a depth of experience as well – but their job is primarily to challenge you to think in new ways about the future. The most powerful way to do this is to ask ‘generative questions’ which surface new possibilities and insights, and to help you to choose your own, unique strategies going forward. 34

35. Questions that Create Learning Opportunities It is essential for leaders to strengthen their skills in the use of dialogue and engagement approaches that deepen mutual inquiry and foster collective intelligence. Creating a climate of discovery Suspending premature judgment Listening for connections between ideas Articulating shared understanding Harvesting and sharing collective discoveries 35

36. What Makes a Question Powerful? “A paradigm shift occurs when a question is asked inside the current paradigm that can only be answered from outside it.” - Marilee Goldberg 36

37. Powerful Questions Stimulate creativity Motivate fresh thinking Surface underlying assumptions Focus intention, attention, and energy Open the door to change Lead us into the future 37

38. The Construction of a Question More Powerful Who, What, When, Where, Which, Why, How, Yes or No? Less Powerful 38 The Art of Powerful Questions

39. The Construction of a Question More Powerful Why, How, What, Who, When, Where, Which, Yes or No? Less Powerful 39 The Art of Powerful Questions

40. Powerful Questions “A question not asked is a door not opened.” -Marilee Goldberg 40

41. Case Study - Principal Web Phase 1 & 2 Calibration Creating a protocol for future problems of practice Using your tools System checks and balances 41

42. Exit Feedback What worked? What do I need?