1. Leadership For School Improvement

2. Leadership Big Ideas: Who leaders are in schools
What leaders do in relation to four improvement plan components

3. Who are leaders? Vision to see it Belief that we can get there
Help to do it
Hord, S. M. (2000). Leadership for changing schools. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.

4. Who are leaders in our schools?
Formal leaders
(e.g., principals, assistant principals, central office staff assigned to support the school)

5. Who are leaders in our schools?
Teacher leaders
(e.g., classroom teachers, department chairs, reading and math coaches)
Others
(e.g., counselors, librarians)

6. “Teachers who are leaders lead within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders, and influence others toward improved educational practice.”
Katzenmeyer, M., & Moller, G. (2001). Awakening the sleeping giant. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

7. What do leaders do? Communicate clear expectations Build capacity
Monitor and review
SEDL. (2005). Working systemically to increase student achievement in reading and mathematics. Austin, TX: Author. Retrieved July 27, 2006, from

8. What Leaders Do Communicate clear expectations Build capacity
Monitor and review

9. “Great leaders have an internal compass and know which direction they want to take. They always have it in mind and use every activity and event as an opportunity to demonstrate the desired direction. These are leaders with a vision. Others get lost in complexity and behave more like weather vanes than compasses—switching direction depending on the prevailing winds.”
Prothroe, N., Shellard, E., & Turner, J. (2003). A practical guide to school improvement: Meeting the challenges of NCLB. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service, p. 86.

10. What Leaders Do:
Communicate clear expectations
Say Do

13. Expectations about what?
Achievement of all students
Professional development
Teacher mentoring
Parent involvement
Use of data for decision making
Implementation of improvement plan

14. Reflect a moment to yourself…
On how you, as a leader, communicate clear expectations in what you SAY and DO about one or more of these areas.
Using the list on the previous slide, write an expectation you communicate clearly on a sticky note and put it next to the aligned arrows.

15. Reflect a moment to yourself…
On how you, as a leader, want to communicate your expectations more clearly about one or more of these areas
Write this expectation (from the list) on another sticky note and put it next to the unaligned arrow.

16. What Leaders Do Communicate clear expectations Build capacity
Monitor and review

17. Capacity: A definition
Competency/power/fitness/ability
Power to grasp and analyze ideas and cope with problems

18. What do we need to know about how people change in order to build capacity?

19. Learning = Change

20. When asked to change, people will have different concerns:
Self
Task
Impact

21. Self Concerns
Want to know the personal impact of using research-based strategies
“I would like to know more about the strategy.”
“How is this going to affect me?”
“I’m concerned about whether I can do them.”

22. Task Concerns
Concerned about how use of new strategies will be managed in practice
“I seem to be spending all of my time getting materials ready.”
“Where will I find the time to plan my lessons or take care of the record keeping required to do the strategies well.”

23. Impact Concerns Interested in the impact on students or the school
“How is the use of these strategies going to affect students?”
“I’m concerned about whether use of these strategies will help students learn better.”

24. What are the concerns at your school?
Self
Task
Impact
Strategies for student achievement in core academic subjects 5%
75%
20%
Professional development
50%
40%
10%
Teacher mentoring
55%
25%
Parent involvement

25. What are the concerns at your school?
Self
Task
Impact
Strategies for student achievement in core academic subjects
Professional development
Teacher mentoring
Parent involvement

26. Strategies to Address Concerns
Self
Task
Impact

27. Ways to Build Capacity If not a workshop, then what?
Richardson, J. (December/January, 2001). Tools for schools. Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council.

28. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
Leo Tolstoy

29. What Leaders Do Communicate clear expectations Build capacity
Monitor and review

30. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Demographic
School Processes
Perceptions
Student Learning
Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

31. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Examples:
Enrollment
Attendance
Dropout rate
Ethnicity
Gender
Grade level
Language proficiency
Demographic
School Processes
Perceptions
Student Learning

32. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Demographic
Examples:
Perceptions of learning environment
Values and beliefs
Attitudes
Observations
School Processes
Perceptions
Student Learning

33. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Examples:
Criterion-referenced tests
Norm-referenced tests
Teacher observations
Authentic assessments
Demographic
School Processes
Perceptions
Student Learning

34. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Example:
Description of school programs and processes
Description of meetings
Descriptions of parent-teacher conferences
Demographic
School Processes
Perceptions
Student Learning

35. Data Trends
Time adds a dimension that usually increases understanding of data trends

36. Intersecting Categories of Data Provide Deeper Understanding

37. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Demographic
Demographic/ Student Learning Data
Tell us: whether specific groups of students are learning at the same level or not
Student Learning

38. Your Turn… Find your colored circles

39. What two categories of data would tell us…
whether student perceptions about a school program are favorable
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

40. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
School Processes
Perceptions
School Process/Perceptions Data
Tell us:
whether student perceptions about a school program are favorable
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

41. What two categories of data would tell us…
the impact of student perceptions of the learning environment on student learning
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

42. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Perceptions/Student Learning Data
Tell us: the impact of student perceptions of the learning environment on student learning
Perceptions
Student Learning
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

43. What two categories of data would tell us…
whether a program is making a difference in student learning results
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

44. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Student Learning/School Process Data
Tell us: whether a program is making a difference in student learning results
School Processes
Student Learning
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

45. What two categories of data would tell us…
about student participation in different programs and processes
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

46. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
School Process/ Demographic Data
Tell us: about student participation in different programs and processes
Demographic
School Processes
Adapted from: Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

47. Now try these…

48. Checking Your Understanding
of Data Categories
Example 1:
Is there a relationship between student attendance and state test results?

49. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Demographic
student attendance
Student Learning
math achievement

50. Checking Your Understanding
of Data Categories
Example 2:
Is there a difference in student achievement results by program participation?

51. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
School Processes
program participation
Student Learning
achievement

52. Checking Your Understanding
of Data Categories
Example 3:
Are students who are most satisfied with school being taught differently from students who are less satisfied with school, and who are they?

53. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Demographic
who students are
School Processes
how taught
satisfaction
Perceptions

54. Checking Your Understanding
of Data Categories
Example 4:
What are the differences in student learning results based on who the students are and how they are taught algebra?

55. Bernhardt’s Model of Data Categories
Demographic
who students are
School Processes
how taught
Student Learning
algebra achievement

56. Typically, school data are analyzed to…
Improve instruction
Provide students with feedback on their performance
Gain common understanding of what quality performance is and how close we are to achieving it
Measure program success and effectiveness

57. Typically, school data are analyzed to…
Understand whether what we are doing is making a difference
Make sure students do not “fall through the cracks”
Know which programs are getting the results we want
Get to the “root cause” of problems

58. Typically, school data are analyzed to…
Guide curriculum development and revision
Promote accountability
Meet state and federal requirements

59. How does our school use data?

60. How does our school use data?
Questions About Where We Are
Data We Have on Hand
Data We Need to Collect
Is the same cohort of students improving in math achievement from year to year?
Grades 3-8 state test;
Benchmark tests
Test scores from year to year on same cohort
Student Achievement

61. How does our school use data?
Questions About Where We Are
Data We Have on Hand
Data We Need to Collect
At what grade level does parent involvement start to decrease? Why do some parents stay involved?
Rosters of parent attendance at parent/ teacher conferences in grades K-8
Year-to-year comparison of rosters;
Parent perceptions of conferences at critical junctures
Parent Involvement

62. But remember…
Data collection just to be collecting data will serve no real purpose and will waste valuable time and energy.
Data collection needs to be thoughtful and intentional and connected to school goals and objectives.
Data must be analyzed to have meaning and be used.

63. Leadership Big Ideas: Who leaders are in schools
What leaders do in relation to 4 improvement plan components

64. You Are A Leader! Who leaders are… Principals Grade/Department Chairs
Math Coaches
Grade/Department Chairs
You Are A Leader!
Literacy Coaches
Teachers
Central Office Staff

65. What Leaders Do
Communicate Clear Expectations
Say Do

66. What Leaders Do Build Capacity Learning = Change Address concerns:
Self
Task
Impact

67. What Leaders Do Monitor and Review
Include data collection & analysis in plan
Collect a variety of data