VFEL Webinar Series

Eight Elements of High School ImprovementLeadership and GovernanceResources for Sustainability

March 2012

The ultimate goal in school improvement is for the people attached to the school to drive

its continuous improvement for the sake of their own children and students.

Dr. Sam Redding

Virginia Foundation of Educational Leadership (VFEL)

Webinar Faculty:Dr. Roger E. Jones

jones@lynchburg.edu Dr. Carol C. Robinson

carolc.robinson@gmail.com Dr. John C. Walker

walker.jc@lynchburg.edu

Today’s Agenda

1. Welcome (2 minutes)2. Team reports – (10 minutes)3. Research regarding Elements 6 and 8:

Leadership and Governance; Organization and Structure (30 minutes)

4. Activity/Discussion – School and Division Expectations (10 minutes)

5. Reflections/Next Steps (8 minutes)

Objectives Participants will be able to identify the

defined practices in their school relative to effective leadership.

Participants will be able to identify the defined practices in their school relative to sustainability.

Participants will be able to identify steps to improve the Graduation and Completion Index.

Report Out

What are your defined practices for student and family supports and stakeholder engagement? Are they effective?

Leadership and Governance – Element 6 A distributed leadership approach is in

place to promote high school improvement.

High school improvement strategies and initiatives are guided by an effective high school improvement plan.

School leaders possess the prerequisite knowledge of school change to support high school initiatives and improvement strategies.

Distributed Leadership

Leadership is the province of all, not just a privileged few It is an interactive process in which

leaders and followers engage in mutual interaction in a complex environment to achieve mutual goals

Must acknowledge all elements of the process, not just the actions of the leader

Distributed Leadership

High school improvement strategies and initiatives are guided by an effective school improvement team.

Building Teams

“Team Life Cycle” “Team Performance Assessment” How can these be used?

Building Teams

School leaders possess the prerequisite knowledge of school change to support high school initiatives and improvement strategies.

Resources for Sustainability (Element 8)

Appropriate time and necessary fiscal support are provided so that high school improvement strategies and initiatives can be implemented and sustained.

Facilities and materials are continually assessed and upgraded to keep pace with evolving standards and technology.

Teachers and principals continuously develop their knowledge and skills to incorporate high school improvement strategies and initiatives within their instructional leadership practices.

Sustainability You can only create and sustain what

you value! Implementing is easier than

sustaining. Sustain only those programs/

initiatives/strategies that work. Match intent with practice.

SOL Changes

Social Studies—standards changed in 2008 and assessments changed in 2010-2011

Math—standards changed in 2009 and assessments changed in 2011-2012

English and Science—standards changed in 2010 with assessments to change in 2012-2013

Additional Areas of Focus

College and Career Readiness• Advanced Proficient on EOC Assessments• Industry Certification

Academic Rigor• Governor’s Challenge to State Board• USED Waivers to NCLB

Evaluations Linked to Student Achievement

Graduation and Completion Index

Critical Points for Sustainability

To sustain change, schools must focus energies beyond short-term effectiveness and toward a greater vision

Hargreaves & Fink (2006), Reeves & Allison (2009), Wheatley & Frieze (2007)

Critical Points for Sustainability

Sustainability is Connected to School Culture (Kurt Lewin)

Culture (defined practice) is the institutionalized way you do things in your school (it is what you espouse and what you accept)

School Culture is frozen – it will not change without a reason

Unfreeze the culture, then implement the change

Refreeze the culture so the change becomes part of “who you are”

Critical Points for Sustainability

Structural Change ≠ Cultural Change

Structural Change Examples Small Learning Communities Ninth Grade Academies Block Schedule Career Academies Professional Learning Communities

Structural Change ≠ Cultural Change

Cultural Changes Vision that Drives Decisions Common Set of Guiding Principles Heightened Expectations Belief Structure of Teachers/Staff Language of the Responsible v.

Language of the Victim

Sustain Change that:

• Prepares students for their future, not our pasts;

• Prepares students for jobs that may not yet exist; and

• Prepares students to solve unknown problems.

Sustainability Process

Two Critical Elements of Sustainability

• Non-negotiables– Those things you

will lock horns over.

• Intentionality– Those things you

agree to focus on every day.

Summary Effective teachers continuously build their content

knowledge and pedagogical and classroom management skills to meet the needs of all students.

Collaboration among teachers and instructional staff members across all content areas and categorical programs is critical if schools are going to meet the needs of all students.

Professional development opportunities must be job-embedded at the school and classroom levels, aligned to high school improvement strategies and initiatives, and offered throughout the school year.

Efforts in teacher quality and professional development that are NOT based on student needs will NOT raise your graduation rate.

School Administration

Efforts

School Department

Efforts

Feeder School Efforts

Central Office Efforts

Leadership and Sustainability

Needs Assessment

Take a few minutes to review the results of your needs assessment for Element 2

Select an indicator that is a strength and be prepared to explain why it is a strength

Questions to consider to stimulate team reflections How is leadership distributed at our school?

To what degree are staff involved as partners in the improvement process?

How is sustainability addressed and evidenced in our school and division? What are our non-negotiables?

What is the compelling vision that guides our school and division reform efforts?

What structural changes have we made or are we preparing to make? Are we changing the culture?

Resources for Elements 6 and 8Hargreaves, A. & Fink, D. (2006). Sustainable leadership. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass.National Association of Secondary Principals. (2004). Breaking ranks

II: Strategies for leading high school reform. Reston, VA: Author.Noguera, P. Presentation made at the Virginia Middle and High School

Principals Conference and Exposition, June 27-29, 2011Reeves. D. B. & Allison, E. (2009). Renewal coaching: Sustainable

change for individuals and organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Squire, K. D. & Reigeluth, C. M. (2000). The many faces of systemic change. Educational Horizons, 78(3), 145-154.

Wheatley, M. & Frieze, D. (2007). Beyond networking: How large-scale change really happens. School Administrator, 64(4), 35-38.

What was one idea I learned during today’s webinar that I

plan to share with colleagues at

my school?

Next Steps

Revisit your needs assessment results. Have your perceptions changed as a result of your participation in the webinar series?

Regional meetings in April Evaluation survey – online, will be

available mid-April through May 1 – please complete this for us!

School Improvement Plan due May 1

Regional Liaisons

Frank Ehrhart (fehrhart@cox.net)

Courtney Graves (cgraves18@cox.net)

Linda Hyslop (linhyslop@aol.com)

Steve Sage (ssage@embarqmail.com)

Melanie Yules (melanieyules@yahoo.com)