Strengthening Programs to Support New School Leaders

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Strengthening Programs to Support New School
Leaders

• Program for New Principals
• OSPI
• January 8, 2009
• Michael Silver
• Ann Marie Tripps

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Outcomes for Today

• Share a description of the Program for New
  Principals
• Share research on effective coaching practice
• Discuss policy and practice of coaching
• Provide time for Q A

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Elements of Effective Leadership Coaching

• Relationship based upon trust and permission
• Coach as different observer
• Problems and needs valued
• Variety of coaching skills used
• Coach fully present and committed
• Coach provides emotional support with feedback
• Fundamental commitment to organizational goals
• Coach practices in ethical manner.
• --Blended Coaching (2005)

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Competencies and Dispositions

• Making Transition From One of Us to One of
  Them
• Becoming Supervisor of Adults
• Letting Go of Emotional Responses to Problems
• Accepting the Job is Never Finished
• Developing New Relationships With Authority
• Learning to Lead a System for Effective
  Instructional Practice
• Becoming Facilitator of Effective Instructional
  Practice
• Marshaling Commitment of Staff to Improve
  Instruction

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• many aspiring school leaders need more
  carefully planned mentoring once they enter
  school leadership roles, and that mentors for new
  school leaders often receive poor training and
  guidance on ways to help the new leaders.
• --SREB (2006)

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Coaching vs. Mentoring

• Coach
• Outside the organization/perspective
• Provides continuing, deliberate support that is
  safe and confidential
• Professional practice
• Goal nurturing of significant, personal,
  professional and institutional growth through a
  process that unfolds over time

• Mentor
• Organization insider
• Senior expert/veteran
• Show novice the ropes
• Voluntary, informal

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Why Coaching Works

• Objectives are realistic and important
• Control over what, who, how, why, when, where of
  learning
• Application to work
• Transfer not automatic to practice
• Need feedback
• Need validation and recognition

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Instructional
Facilitative
Blended Coaching Strategies
Collaborative
Consultative
Transformational
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Mediational Questions

• Helps coachee
• hypothesize what might happen
• analyze what worked or didnt work
• imagine possibilities
• compare and contrast what was planned with what
  occurred

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Mediational Stems

• What criteria do you use to?
• What do you think would happen if..?
• Whats another way you might?
• What would it look like if...?

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Mediational Stems (cont.)

• How might she react if..?
• What might be his rationale for.?
• How wouldbe different from?

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Example of Mediational Questions

• Betsy, I have asked the custodian twice to be
  sure that he sweeps the floor after lunch and he
  hasnt done it either time. I asked him to clean
  the womens restroom and he says that is the
  night custodians responsibility. I had to ask
  him twice to put out the tables for the parent
  meeting. He didnt wash the windows when I asked
  him to as well. He just wont do his job.
• What is another way that you might approach this
  issue?
• What would happen if you sat down with him and
  reviewed his job description?

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Practice Time

• Wayne, I went into Bobs classroom today.
  Every time I go into his classroom, he is sitting
  at his desk correcting papers. The kids are
  doing seat work. As I walk around the room, some
  of the students are doing the work correctly but
  there are others who are doing it all wrong.
• What mediational questions might you ask?

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Practice Continued

• You have a discussion with Wayne in which you ask
  him
• What time of day do you go into Bobs classroom?
  (He responds that he goes into Bobs classroom on
  his way to his lunchroom duty.)
• What mediational questions might you ask him?

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Seattle UniversityCollege of EducationProgram
for New Principals

• Goal To create a research-based, model
  pilot-program supporting new administrators
  through coaching, and to provide coach training
  and develop coaches committed to the success of
  new leaders.
• Funded by grants from Washington Mutual and
  Stuart Foundation

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Theory of Action

• School improvement depends on effective school
  leadership.
• New administrators need intense support to become
  effective leaders.
• Coaches can provide desired support.
• Professional coaching requires development of
  quality coaches.
• Universities can offer more support for
  graduates.

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PNP Program Components

• Support for New Administrators
• Support for Coaches of New Administrators
• Support for Supervisors of Principals
• Establishment of District Partnerships

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Supervisors Workshop

• 4 days in January through June
• Coaching skills
• Understanding coaching
• Use as supervisor
• Collaboration with other supervisors

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What skills and dispositions would be important
for coaches to have and demonstrate?
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Ongoing Professional Development for Coaches

• Adult Learning
• What is coaching?
• Building relationships
• Listening
• Observing and Questioning
• Facilitative Coaching
• Instructional Coaching
• Blended Coaching

• Coaching Practice
• Giving Feedback
• Emotional Intelligence
• Instructional Leadership
• Personalized Learning
• Coaching for Systems Change
• Personalized Learning
• Reflective Process

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Evaluation Overview

• Three year on site
• Researchers from University of Washington
• Alignment with requirements of initial grant
  funding

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Lessons Learned about Coaching

• Positive support for new administrators
• Selection of coaches with experience is key
• Matching process important

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Lessons Learned about Coaching

• Coaching relationship unique professional
  relationship and sustained over time
• Viewed as form of differentiated support with
  consistency with instructional focus

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References to Instruction
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On the coaching relationship

• The coaching relationship isnt the same as a
  mentoring relationship in a coaching
  relationship the coach is creating a space for
  the other person to grow a mentoring
  relationship is about a specific culture or
  organization its really not about the person
  its about the climate.
• Coach

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On being a coachee

• I feel like I can talk about so much more with
  my coachI dont feel like I am going to be
  judgedI dont feel like I will be fired if I
  talk about things I dont understandAs her
  coachee, I am free to learnI feel like she was
  picked just for me
• Coachee

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Lessons Learned about Coaching

• Felt validated for their professional service
• Opportunity to give back
• Viewed as a form of service

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Lessons Learned about Supporting New
Administrators

• Viewed coaching positively
• Personalized support most significant
• Appreciative of three year support

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Discussion Questions

• How are new administrators currently supported in
  your school district?
• If your district is engaged in mentoring, what
  supports do you have in place? How do you know
  they are working?
• If your district is not engaged in mentoring,
  what might you do to provide support for new
  administrators?

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Discussion Questions

• What are the areas of transition where policies
  are needed for new administrators to be
  successful?
• What needs to happen at the state level for new
  administrators to have access to leadership
  coaching?
• What is the role of professional organizations in
  sponsoring mentoring/coaching?

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References

• Bloom, G., Castagna, C., Moir, E. Warren, B.
  (2005). Blended coaching Skills and strategies
  to support principal development. Thousand Oaks,
  CA Corwin Press.
• Collins, D. (1997) Achieving your vision of
  professional development. Washington DC SERVE,
  Office of Educational Research Implementation,
  US Department of Education.
• Laine, R. (2006, August 9). Finding and keeping
  good principals. Education Week, p. 36.
• Mullen, C.A. (2004). Climbing the himalayas of
  school leadership The socialization of early
  career administrators. Lanham, MD
  ScarecrowEducation.
• Schools cant wait Accelerating the redesign of
  university principal preparation programs (2006).
  Atlanta, GA Southern Regional Educational
  Board.
• Speck, M. Knipe, C. (2001). Why cant we get
  it right? Professional development in our
  schools. Thousand Oaks, CA Corwin Press.
• Villani, S. (2006). Mentoring and induction
  programs that support new principals. Thousand
  Oaks, CA Corwin Press.

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Contact Information

• Interim Evaluation Report on website
• PNP website http//www.seattleu.edu/coe/newprinc
  ipals/
• Michael Silver email address silverm_at_seattleu.ed
  u
• Ann Marie Tripps email address
  trippsa_at_seattleu.edu