Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network

1
Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network

• Liz Storey and George Wilson
• May 6, 2009
• Board of Directors review
• None of us is as smart as all of us
• Ken Blanchard

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network

• In times of change learners inherit the earth
  while the learned find themselves beautifully
  equipped to work in a world that no longer
  exists
• Eric Hoffer
• Isolation is the enemy of Improvement
• Richard Elmore

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The Process

• September 2008 Board Planning Session
• December 2008 Staff Retreat
• January 2009 KDE Meeting with Coops to discuss
  regional CEOs

4
The Process

• January 2009 design work began
• February 2009 design team appointed
• March 2009 Leadership Committee review
• May 2009 Connecticut meeting planned
• Design anchored in GRRECs non-negotiables

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Grrecs Model for High Quality Learning
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Research

• Findings from 27 studies conducted since 1970
• Studies involved 2,817 districts and achievement
  scores of 3.4 million students
• Largest ever quantitative examination of research
  on superintendents
• School District Leadership that Works
• The Effect of Superintendent Leadership on
  Student Achievement
• A Working Paper
• J. Timothy Waters, Ed.D. Robert J. Marzano,
  Ph.D.

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What the Research Says

• Senior Fellow of the McRel Research team Robert
  J. Marzano found
• positive correlation between district leadership
  and student achievement.
• positive correlation between superintendent
  tenure and student achievement.
• positive correlation between building level
  autonomy and student achievement
• negative correlation between site-based
  management and student achievement

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RESEARCH

• We must think in terms of what I call
  distributed leadership.
• Creating a new model of distributed leadership
  consist of two main tasksdescribing the ground
  rules and describing shared responsibility.
• Building A New Structure For Leadership
• White Paper
• Richard F. Elmore, Harvard University

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RESEARCH

• Purpose of leadership is to improve practice and
  performance
• Improvement requires continuous learning both by
  individuals and groups
• Leaders lead by exemplifying the values and
  behavior they want others to adopt.
• People cooperate with one another in achieving
  their goals when they recognize other peoples
  expertise.
• Leaders are responsible for helping make possible
  what they are requiring others to do
• Richard F. Elmore

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Key Finding

• District Leadership
• makes a difference

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network

• Vision 
• A network composed of Superintendents from the
  Green River Regional Educational Cooperative
  organized into a Professional Learning Community
  for the purpose of strengthening local Districts
  capacity to deliver high quality learning in
  classrooms across the region.
• Mission
• Supporting High Quality Learning.

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)

• Delivery Format
• Small Group Cohort Quarterly Meetings 3-4 Hours
  Long
• Assigned geographically first with GRREC staff
  (Liz/George) communicating the work schedule
• Using the PEBC protocol for pre brief -
  observation - debrief to observe great
  instruction in place
• Administrative teams from the cohort groups could
  attend
• A focus would be on collegial support

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)
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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)

• Face to face group meetings
• 90 minutes after every other GRREC board meeting
• Led by a superintendent, a GRREC staff person, a
  consultant and or KDE or other instate
  professional
• To the extent possible the topic comes back to
  one of the areas of work (GRREC Non-Negotiables
  for High Quality Learning)
• Always focused on Instructional/Learning
  environments in the schools of our region

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)

• GRREC Planning Opportunities
• Summer Conference
• Fall Retreat
• Both will have as the number 1 agenda item the
  work of the superintendents PLC Network

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)

• Advanced P.D. Opportunities
• In conjunction with KASS, KSBA, KASA, etc.
• Bi-annual
• With individuals like Stiggins, Dufour, etc.

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)

• Distance Learning Opportunities
• Preview or review exemplary learning activities
• Book studies
• P.D. 360

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Green River Regional Superintendents PLC Network
(cont)

• Funding This Work
• Each Superintendent/District would contribute
  300 to support the network. That contribution
  along with 12,000 in financial support from
  GRREC would pay for
• Consultants materials for meetings in
  conjunction with the GRREC Board Meetings
  (5,000)
• Registration, room and food for the advanced P.D.
  opportunities (15,000)
• Distance learning for cameras, books, etc.
  (2,000)
• That would make a total projected budget of
  22,000.
• In addition members would pay for travel to the
  cohort meetings, and the hosting district would
  provide light refreshments.

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Connecticut Model

• Work has been lead by Harvard Universitys Dr.
  Richard Elmore
• Utilizes Medical Rounds protocol
• Breaks down isolation of superintendents and
  promotes peer support