Hickory Ridge

Tarpon Team

2

Student needs not met

Reform efforts are unsuccessful

Mounting problems between veteran and young teachers

Teachers do not respect Principal Jim O’Connor

Background Information

3

Poisonous School Culture

Lack of respect, collegiality, and trust

Veteran teachers are satisfied maintaining the status quo

Younger teachers are disillusioned

School cultural change is needed!

“The Problem”

4

Empower Principal O’Connor, help him gain respect and become an Instructional Leader

Build relationships between veteran and younger teachers (heal the wounds)

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

Professional Reading

The Plan for Change

5

No more micro-management, less authoritative behavior

“Teachers who fear their principal are likely to puppet desired

instructional practices without a deep understanding for the

reasons behind them; teachers that do not feel respected as

professionals are not likely to take advantage of a principal as an

instructional resource. (Graczewski, Knudson, & Holtzman,

2009)”

Instructional Leadership

6

Kardos, Johnson, Peske, Kauffman & Liu (2001) found exemplary principals exhibited the following traits:

◦ Visibility

◦ Encouragement

◦ Has high standards

◦ Sets clear expectations

◦ Is consistent with discipline, is supportive, and is collaborative

Instructional Leadership

7

New and veteran teachers must be brought together

Interaction, true mentoring, reflection, and exchange

Principal O’Connor must lead by example:

◦ Show passion

◦ Explain purpose

◦ Create meaning in assigned activities and tasks

Building Relationships

8

Mentoring: “learning from fellow teachers”

No distinction between new and veteran, everyone has something important to offer

Principal O’Connor should:◦ Attend meetings◦ Be involved in discussions◦ Provide support

Building Relationships

9

The Vision Statement isn’t very old, but needs to be revisited

Teachers can inspire and motivate each other

Collaboratively writing a vision statement can help teachers build relationships with one another

Relationship Building Activity: The Vision

10

This will involve several parties:◦ Teachers◦ Administrators◦ Parents◦ Community Leaders

Symbolic moment; a new beginning and a “shift in culture away from adversarial relationships toward collaboration”

Relationship Building Activity: The Vision

11

Professional Learning Communities

Do you work with the “Three Blind Mice?”

12

Two opposing sides exist:◦ Veteran teachers who possess experience and community

knowledge◦ Younger teachers who possess technological knowledge

The cycle of contention, arguing, and resentment must be broken; it is the only way forward

Professional Learning Communities

13

PLCs bring teachers together to discuss:◦ Instructional goals◦ Instructional practices◦ Concerns

Collegiality and Instructional Planning

Sharing isn’t good enough!

Teachers draw on each other’s strength and reduce barriers to learning

Professional Learning Communities

14

“Cross-generational learning teams that bring together novice teachers with veteran teachers would address problems at both ends of the teacher pipeline — and benefit student learning at the same time” (Carroll, 2009).

Professional Learning Communities

15

PLC implementation recommendations:

1. Time must be kept sacred2. Include deep discussions about planning, instruction,

and assessment3. Training for new faculty is essential4. Shared planning time during the school day is

recommended (Lujan & Day, 2009)

Professional Learning Communities

PLC Activity

17

Book clubs can be beneficial

Introduces new ideas into a school

Increases knowledge of new strategies and practices

Allows educators to debate in an open environment

Professional Reading

18

Teachers will sign up for book clubs of their choice

Another opportunity for veteran and newer teachers to work together

Further relationship building and meshing of the two groups into one

Professional Reading

19

Principal O’Connor transitions to instructional leader to begin immediately, will be an ongoing process

Relationship building via vision re-writing project to begin in one month and complete a month later

Mentoring pairings created over the next three months time, monitored monthly, changed yearly

Implementation Timeline

20

PLC training and implementation to begin in six months time, monthly monitoring

Professional reading book clubs to be introduced next school year, delay is to avoid overwhelming teachers

Implementation Timeline

21

Research-based reform initiatives

Sharing strengths◦ Knowledge of community and history of Hickory Ridge◦ Technology integration

Collegiality and open, honest communication

Community members and businesses more likely to provide support

Closing Thoughts

22

Principal O’Connor is the lynchpin

Organizational culture does not change immediately; instead it must change over time (Owens & Valesky, 2011)

Change will be sustainable and will live beyond when current members of the organization have gone their separate ways

Closing Thoughts

23

Questions for the Tarpons?

24

Burbank, M., & Kauchak, D. (2010). Book clubs as professional development opportunities for preservice teacher candidates and practicing teachers: An exploratory study. The New Educator, 6(1), 56-73.

Carroll, T. (2009). The next generation of learning teams. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(2), 8-13. Retrieved from EBSCO MegaFILE database.

Cunningham, W., & Cordeiero, P. (2009). Educational leadership: a bridge to improved practice. (4th ed.). New York: Pearson.

References

25

Flood, J., & Lapp, P. (1994). Teacher book clubs: Establishing literature discussion groups for teachers (issues and trends). The Reading Teacher, 47(7), 574–576.

Graczewski, C., Knudson, J., & Holtzman, D. (2009). Instructional leadership in practice: What does it look like, and what influence does it have?. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 14(1), 72-96.

Kardos, S., Johnson, S., Peske, H., Kauffman, D. & Liu, E. (2001) Counting on colleagues: New teachers encounter the professional cultures of their schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 37(2), 250-290.

References

26

Lujan, N., & Day, B. (2009). Professional learning communities: Overcoming the roadblocks. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 76(2), 10-17. Retrieved from EBSCO MegaFILE database.

Méndez-Morse, S. (1993). Vision, change and leadership. Issues . . . About Change, 2(3), Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, Austin, TX.

Nelson, T., Deuel, A., Slavit, D., & Kennedy, A. (2010). Leading deep conversations in collaborative inquiry groups. Clearing House, 83(5), 175-179.

References

27

Owens, R. G., & Valesky, T. C. (2011). Organizational behavior in education (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education, Inc.

Rebore, R.W. (2011). Human resources administration in education a management approach (9th Ed.). Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education, Inc.

Zuckerman, J. T. (2001). Veteran teacher transformations in a collaborative mentoring relationship. American Secondary Education, 29(4), 18-29.

References