High Stakes Leadership: The Imperative for Change
Discussion of No Child Left Behind and Maryland's educational reform efforts
March 2002
Title I Partner Schools NetworkMay 21, 2002
Dr. Elizabeth Donohoe, Frostburg State UniversityDr. Mike Hickey, Center for Leadership in Education
Towson University
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A Confluence of Forces
Standards-driven reform No Child Left Behind Rigorous state-level reform efforts Emergence of education—not just
locally, but nationally as well—as a top priority
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Standards-based reform:
Schools and school systems—and the people who comprise them—should be held accountable for their contributions to student learning.
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Key elements
Standards for what should be taught and the effectiveness of how it is taught
Standards for what should be learned and how effectively that learning is demonstrated
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Major Impacts of NCLB
Annual Testing Academic Improvement Report Cards Teacher Qualifications Teacher and Principal Quality Technology
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Major Impacts of NCLBAcademic Improvement
Acceptable Yearly Performance (AYP) EVERY student proficient in 12 years Proficiency level increased to 100% Reading, math and another academic
indicator
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Major Impacts of NCLBAcademic Improvement
Penalty for inadequate performance– Level 1 (2 years): technical assistance,
public school choice– Level 2 (3 years): supplemental education
services, individual tutoring– Level 3 (4 years): corrective actions, staff
change– Level 4 (5 years): school reconstitution,
alternative governance structure
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Achievement Matters MostReport of the Visionary Panel for Better Schools, January, 2002
1. Develop a state-wide K-12 curriculum
2. Align K-12 curriculum and assessment
3. Widen the focus of accountability
4. Make every school accountable for the performance of every child
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Achievement Matters Most (continued)
5. Certify only teachers who can demonstrate high-level knowledge
6. Place the best principals and teachers in the lowest performing schools
7. Shift focus of principal to instructional leadership
8. Stop trying to buy educational reform “on the cheap”
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Pathologies of the Existing System Isolated work is the norm;
collective work is the exception Culture treats teacher as an
independent practitioner Leadership perspective buffers teachers
from consequences of their instructional decisions
- Richard F. Elmore (2001)
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Consequences of the Pathologies Instructional culture is fragmented without
connection to larger whole Quality of instruction varies widely due to
different experiences of teachers and their understanding of “good teaching”
Content students receive differs from classroom to classroom as each teacher sets priorities for what students ought to know
- Supovitz & Poglinco (2001)
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It is time we acknowledge that organizations demonstrate their assumptions about their fundamental purpose not through the words of finely crafted mission statements, but in the actions that dominate their day-to-day activities. Our real missions are communicated not by what we say, but by what we do. - Rick DuFour
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Principles of Instructional Leadership for School Reform1. Instructional leadership is the principal’s
primary role2. Every school employee must view
him/herself as an instructional leader3. Leadership requires adequate resources
and the autonomy to use them in the most effective manner
4. Primary measure of leadership effectiveness is student performance
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Principles of Instructional Leadership (continued)
5. Primary responsibility for student achievement lies with educators and parents
6. Political, business, and community leaders must share responsibility for effectiveness of educational enterprise in a more visible way
7. Leaders must create true learning communities in their schools and systems
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“. . . [W]e need to move to an era in which leadership is an organizational capability and not an individual characteristic that a few individuals at the top of an organization have.”
Edward E. Lawler III in
The Future of Leadership,
Bennis, Spreitzer & Cummings
(2001)
Instructional Leadership…an organizational capability
For teachers
For principals
For everyone
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Leadership for teachers
“Teachers typically define career satisfaction in terms of their ability to be of service to others and make a difference in the lives of students”
(SEDL, Issues…, 1995)
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Not “higher” or “superior” position or climbing career ladder
Not teacher of teachers TELLING others what works-doesn’t work
Not a Lone Ranger
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A collaborative effort
That breaks down barriers of isolation and fragmentation
“Work with teachers, helping them imagine and create …reflect”
“It’s personal… trying to connect to the teaching soul”, (Guiney 2001)
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To create coherence..
Making sense of what is happening and why it must happen
Engaging people “in processes that … form common ground about teaching and learning.” (Lambert, 1995, p. 29)
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Courage to swim upstream
Resistance and criticism
High expectations for quick fixes
Stretching too few resources
Shifting currents(Goldberg, M. 2001)
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Buoys of Successful Partnerships
Increased communication
Shared professional development
School and classroom visits
Deepened relationships and common commitments
Renewed energy and purpose
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Next Steps…
Sustained networking and professional development
Ripple effect…within our schools and across our schools
Engaging our broader communities Shared inquiry
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Bedrock belief in what is right (Goldberg, 2001)
“A person who does not have the courage to doubt may not have to wisdom to believe.”
(Childerston, 2002)
“Learners learn with more depth… when they are able to share ideas … and broaden their own perspectives.”
(Lambert, 1995, p. 18)
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Leadership for principals (NAESP, 2001)
Put student and adult learning at the center Promote academic success of ALL students Create and demand rigorous content and
instruction Create a climate for continuous adult learning Use data as a diagnostic tool Actively engage the community
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For everyone…
“Leadership is … a concept transcending individuals, roles, and behaviors … anyone in the educational community — teachers, administrators, parents, students — can engage in leadership actions.”
(Lambert, 1995)
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For our schools…
The learning organization is a place where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured … and where people are continually learning to learn together”
Peter Senge
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