Fostering Improvement in High Achieving but Static Schools

by Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondAssociate Director, AdvancED Texas

For Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 1

Fostering Improvement in High Achieving but Static Schools

Improving Organizational Culture

Embracing a “spirit” of rapid prototyping of strategies used by the highest performing school systems in the world

Increased StudentLearning

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 2

From a longitudinal case study of a school with high but static student achievement scores, Collinson (2010) found that by maintaining the status quo the school did not develop the organizational learning culture needed to make the changes needed to further increase achievement and fully meet the learning demands of the 21st century. Having been successful, Collinson found that static schools often continue using existing strategies even when student achievement is no longer improving. Static schools often do not build teacher capacity; teachers are often not challenged to identify the shortcomings in their instruction or share knowledge with their colleagues.

Educational research has linked increased student learning with the existence of an organizational culture focused on learning for all. Just as classroom teachers must create a learning environment for students, leaders must create an environment that supports organizational struggle and learning.

Collinson, V. (2010). To learn or not to learn: A potential organizational learning gap among school systems. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 9(2), 190-219. doi:10.1080/15700760903342368

Fostering Improvement in High Achieving but Static Schools

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 3

Moving SchoolsStuck Schools

Characteristics ofEffective Organizational Cultures

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 4

On handout one, highlight the bulleted characteristics that apply to your school.

How do these characteristics impact organizational culture?

Organizational Culture--“Patterns of espoused values and shared assumptions developed over time and producing behavioral norms that are adopted in day to day operations and when solving problems.” (Nel, 2009, p. 12)

Key conditions that promote an organizational culture focused on learning for all!

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 5

• Meeting teachers’ needs, • Fostering inquiry, • Facilitating the dissemination of shared

learning,• Distributing leadership, • Attending to relationships.

Strategies used by the highest performing school systems in the world:

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD

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From McKinsey Center for Government and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Sometimes people defend the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.—Laurence J. Peter

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 7

What are some obvious options you might choose? Brainstorm three.

Brainstorm “hidden” options –Piggyback on the other ideasCombine the other ideasImagine yourself in different roles and suggest an idea from that

perspectiveWhat have you learned from considering options?

Write your two favorite options in the Driver Diagram as your two initial improvement aims.

Develop your improvement-related targets/aims.

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 8

What are the issues related to _____________________? (Identify one possible problem based on one of your two chosen options.)

What are ideas related to _______________________ ? (Same as above.)

The most important issues/ideas are the “key drivers” for change (to be filled in on Driver Diagram).

Identify your improvement-related interventions.

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 9

“All improvement requires change but not all change will result in improvement. So, how do we balance the need to do something with the desire to be sure we know what we are doing before we take action?” (Langley et. al, 2009, p. 43)

Reflect on this statement and share.

What are your predictions? What intervention(s) do you think should be implemented?

Why do you think your hypothesized solution(s) would work?

“Embrace a spirit of rapid prototyping—try it quickly, learn from it cheaply, revise and retry.” (Bryk et al., 2011, p. 29)Bryk, A.S., Gomez, L.M., & Gruno, A. (2011). Getting ideas into action: Building networked improvement communities in education. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.carnegiefoundation.org

“You can learn more and improve more from trying and testing than from diagnosis and planning. The success of a test lies in what is learned from it, no matter how it turns out.” (Langley et al., 2009, p.142)Langley, G.J., Moen, R.D., Nolan, K.M., Nolan, T.W., Norman, C.L., & Provost, L.P. (2009). The improvement guide: A practical approach to enhancing organizational performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching views 90-Day Cycles as a critical component of improvement work. New ideas and innovations generated through this processgo through continued testing and refinement and result in long-lasting positive change.Park, S., & Takahasi, S. (2013). 90 day cycle handbook. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.carnegiefoundation.org

Plan-Do-Study-Act

By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD

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By Dr. Kimberley I. RedmondFor Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas ISD 11