LeadershipBuilding and District Roles and Responsibilities

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LeadershipBuilding and District Roles and
Responsibilities

• Total Instructional Alignment
• O.U.R. Educational Co-op
• July 1, 2008

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Leadership

• Change requires the exercise of authority.
• Working on the Work by
• Phillip Schlechty

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Principals Role

• ..the role of the principal is simply
  irreplaceable. No other staff member has the same
  ability to influence budgets, resources,
  schedules, and teachers. It is a role that cannot
  be delegated.
• Lisa Carter, p. 106.

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Principals Role

• Principals active participation is essential in
  order for TIA to be successfully implemented.

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Principals Role

• Always focusing on the initiative
• Helping implement the process
• Always allowing easy access to information and
  resources
• Monitoring progress
• Inspiring motivation

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Focusing on the Initiative

• Communicate the importance of TIA
• What the principal believes to be important and
  communicates as important, the teachers believe
  to be important.

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Implementing the Process

• Provide teachers with necessary knowledge and
  tools through quality professional development.
• Any materials essential to implementation have
  been purchased and made available to teachers.
• Timean essential resource.
• Time for teachers to meet and plan together.

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Staffing/Hiring of Teachers

• When presented with opportunities to hire staff,
  administrators should bear in mind that research
  shows that teacher qualifications account for a
  major component of the variance in student
  achievement.
• Source Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). Doing what
  matters most Investing in quality teacher.

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Assignment of Teachers

• Major consideration should be given to assigning
  the most qualified teachers to the students who
  have the greatest need.those who are the most
  behind.

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Teacher Improvement Through Professional
Development

• In order to improve student learning, the most
  effective use of finances is to invest in
  effective professional development activities
  which are proven to improve teaching.

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Professional Development

• Long Range Plan Based on the Vision
• Evaluation
• Reflective
• Targeted to Individual/Building Needs
• Shared Focus

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Instructional Coaches

• The use of instructional coaches to assist in
  mentoring/collaborative activities provides for
  lasting change in classroom practices.

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Time

• Time for Vertical as well as Horizontal Group
  Work
• Horizontal Time may be easier to manage within
  the school day.
• Vertical Time more difficult to schedule but
  equally needed. Flex days, PD days before school
  can provide time.

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Time

• District can build in PD days for after school
  collaboration time..for example faculty stays
  for 1 ½ hours for collaboration time. This time
  over 4 days equals a 6 hour PD day.
• Common planning time for grade level/content
  area.
• In high school, staff with same planning periods
  meet for TIA discussions.

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Time

• One district in NW Co-op requires teachers to
  meet for up to 90 minutes after school each
  Monday for collaboration.
• Focus of PD days during the school year is
  focused on the TIA documents.

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Allowing Easy Access to Information and Resources

• Data reports/student assessment.
• Curriculum documents.
• Relevant standards documents.

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Monitoring Progress

• Things that are regularly checked tend to get
  done.
• Principals should spend time in classrooms daily.
• CWTs can provide needed data.
• Followers know what leaders expect by what the
  leaders inspect and what they respect.

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Monitoring Progress

• During Classroom Visits Principals Focus on
• Standards-based/objective-based instruction.
• Congruency.
• A diagnostic/prescriptive approach.
• Frequent monitoring of student learning.

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Monitoring Progress

• Results of Interim Assessments such as Target
  Assessment or other Interim Progress Assessments
  can provide teachers and principals three
  opportunities to stop and formally assess where
  students are in the mastery of essential skills.
• Principal could have grade level or department
  meetings to discuss the results of the interim
  assessments (target assessments) with teachers.
• Teachers gain information about their teaching by
  analyzing the results and receive specific
  remediation and enrichment information concerning
  their students.

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Monitoring Progress

• Quarterly testing gives students three chances to
  practice in a testing situation that simulates
  the actual end of the grade assessment.

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TIA Accountability

• Focus Study/Collaborative Groups
• Surveys including CBAM
• Classroom Walkthrough Data
• Target Assessment

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Inspiring Motivation

• Communicating a clear and consistent vision about
  the TIA process and its importance to student
  learning.
• Leaders recognize and celebrate successes
  whenever they can.

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Inspiring Motivation

• Principal establishes realistic expectations of
  TIA implementation within his/her building.

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Building Faculty Leadership

• The principal is the leader of leaders.
• The principal cant do the job alone.
• Building leadership within teacher leaders is
  essential.
• Leadership Density

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District Administration

• The first step in TIA is aligning the system.
• Continual examination/evaluation of the system
  with the criteria being Is this whats best for
  our students?
• Work to close the Knowing v. What We Do Gap in
  education.

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District Administration

• School Calendar/Time/Scheduling
• Resource Allocation including Time
• StaffingHiring/Assignment of Staff
• Communication of TIA to Board/Community/Staff
• Establish a system to monitor progress within the
  buildings in the district

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Suggested Readings for Additional Information

• Total Instructional Alignment by Lisa Carter
• Professional Learning Communities at Work Best
  Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement by
  Rick Dufour
• Results Now by Mike Schmoker