the learning system learning forward fall 2011

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that a highly eectiveschool leader can have adramatic inuence on theoverall academic achieve-ment o students (2005).

Tat means that

or districts to have thegreatest eect on studentlearning, central oceshould ocus some eorton supporting rontlineadministrators.

It oten comesdown to superintendentleadership and defning atheory o action, accord-ing to Bradley S. Portin, aormer principal and now

proessor o educational leadership and policy studies at the

University o Washington. Portin has been a lead researcherand writer on numerous leadership studies, includingLead-ership or Learning Improvement in Urban Schools(2009).Te study was conducted as part o a Wallace Foundation-unded series on creating and supporting eective leaders.

THE LEARNING

SystemInside

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Makn e ann m d- bdn-eve eann, . 3

4 eemen ena e eann and eade, . 6

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Fall 2011

V. 7, N. 1

Continued on p. 4

By Valerie von Frank

EVEry EDucAtor ENgAgEs iN EffEctiVE profEssioNAl lEArNiNg EVEry DAy so EVEry stuDENt AchiEVEs

For someschool princi-pals, tradition-al administra-tive training

consisted o courses in

law, budgeting, curricu-lum development, evalu-ation, research design,community relations, andpolitics.

But increased pres-sure on principals tobe instructional leaderswho can shape a schoolsculture and create an en-vironment o continuousimprovement in teachingand learning requires a set o skills not oten learned in the

classroom.According to research, ater the classroom

teacher, principals have the most direct eect onstudent achievement (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, &Wahlstrom, 2004). Marzano and colleagues concluderom a meta-analysis o research on school leadership

Your membership in Learnin Forardgives you access to a wide range

o publications, tools, and opportunities to advance proessional learning or

student success. Visit .learninorard.or to explore more o your

membership beneits.

h-emn d vde

ea and e na

ADDITIONAL

RESOURCES

Read more about

supporting

principals, p. 5.


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www.learningforward.org 800-727-7288 Learning Forward Fall 2011 The Learnin System 3

As told to Anthony Armstrong

F

our years ago, the districtrealized that many o ouradult learning activities werenot ocused on improving

classroom instruction, so we startedaddressing this issue through conver-sations and learning. We talked withleaders in our district, administrators,and teacher leaders about LearningForwards standards and what wewould like to measure and evaluate.Tis helped ocus our conversationsaround what we needed to learn anddo. One thing we realized we were notdoing well as a district was imple-menting research-based instructional

strategies.We originally had a district modelo proessional development, wherewe determined the ocus but gave thebuildings options or how they couldimplement it, such as learning ses-sions, proessional development days,book studies, etc. Our district-levelproessional development committeeidentifed areas o growth or studentachievement, and we worked withpeople across the district in proes-sional learning and instructional

strategies to make sure everyone wason the same page. Te proessionaldevelopment committee talked abouta couple o standards each month,and we ollowed up with principals innewsletters.

We did this or two years andmeasured along the way. Measuringproessional learnings eect on teacherpractice was new or us. o measure

results, we looked at student achieve-ment, behavior, building climate,increases in all the state and local as-sessments, and teacher practice. Whenwe started our ocus on instructionalstrategies, we observed 25% o the

teachers using the strategies. Now,based on our walk-throughs, 84% areusing the strategies.

As we supported building leadersin their learning, we slowly gave thebuildings more exibility. Our modelwent rom district-led proessionaldevelopment to one where buildingscould choose their topics, as long as itwas ocused and measurable. Over theyears and especially in my experiencein Learning Forwards Academy, I have

learned much about eective proes-sional learning. Building and teacherleaders also need that strong knowledgeo eective practice and proessionallearning to be comortable with thatlevel o autonomy. For example, manypeople didnt know it takes around30 hours to change teacher practice.We had a lot o conversations over thecourse o several years about how tofnd 30 hours to get the most leveragerom the proessional learning time.

o help keep the proessional

learning ocused, we meet twice peryear with school leaders to talk aboutthe buildings plan and have conversa-tions about who needs what type osupport. Tis helped us understandcommon needs across the district.

Te principals liked our originalmodel when it had a district ocusbecause it was almost a turnkey serviceand was much easier or them to

implement. With our new buildingocus, they are not as comortable andare realizing there are things they needto learn in order to provide eectiveproessional learning. We are having

a lot o conversations around this. Itis like a lot o adult learning theyhave the knowl-edge, but need toimplement to ullyunderstand. Leadersneed to know theinormation theyare to deliver, butthey should alsorealize that theydo not have to bean expert they

can learn alongsideeveryone else. Helping leaders transi-tion to this deep learning is important.Tey do not have to always be the sageon the stage.

Anthony Armstrong ([email protected])is publications editor at LearningForward. LS

tann bdn-eve eannake nvean and

Mary Hendricks-Harris IN PRACTICE

Mary Hendricks-Harris

(mary.hendricks-harris@

hsdschools.org) is

assistant superintendent

and chie academic ocer

for the Francis Howell

School District in St.

Charles, Mo.


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4 The Learnin System Fall 2011 Learning Forward 800-727-7288 www.learningforward.org

Te districts in the study all had a clear improvementagenda, Portin said, including aspects that support princi-pal leadership.

According to Portin, a reorm message explaining anddescribing what the district is doing is a crucial elemento the work. Central oce needs to connect the dots orprincipals, he said, articulating how parts o the system cometogether on the path toward the districts mission and goals.Clarity and ocus rom the top are the beginning, he said.

Te next step is specifc support or building leaders,he said.

In successul districts, Portin noted, Tere is a (moremeaningul) relationship between principals and those whosupervise them. Its not just supervision and evaluation, buthelp and support or principals in their learning.

One example he cited is New York

Citys Leadership Academy, an organiza-tion that develops and supports schoolleaders who are preparing or jobs in thecitys high-needs schools. Te academy usesteamwork, simulations, and job-embeddedlearning to build individuals practice.

In Atlanta, Ga., another districtincluded in the study, the districts 100schools were divided into geographicalareas, each o which had resources specif-

cally directed to schools within it, including proessionaldevelopment or principals.

Te principalship in many districts is quite isolatingand lonely, Portin said. Portin and his colleagues research(2009) ound our specifc ways that principals work di-ered in districts where they received support, enhancingprincipals learning and leadership ability:

A cultural emphasis on keeping conversation andattention ocused on learning;

A connection between work in schools and districtand state policy;

An emphasis on eective use o data; and A dierence in how principals distribute leader-

ship.

FOCUS ON LEARNINgPortin said the conversation in many districts among

administrators ocuses on operations and management, butin districts making advances in student achievement, inter-actions between people tend to ocus more on instructionand student learning.

It is tough or principals to reallocate time rom crisismanagement and operations to a learning-ocused agenda,Portin said. In these districts, there was a purposeulness inshiting that conversation.

Learnin Forard

belief

sanabe

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Continued rom p. 1

Continued on p. 5

CONNECTION TO POLICY

A second aspect was a clear mission.Te central oce was more than a transmitter o

policy, Portin said. Tey didnt just say, Heres the policy

directive, now implement it. Tere was a planned approachor what was expected and asked or rom teachers. each-ers needs were assessed to provide better learning opportu-nities or kids.

Portin said a consistent message across the district wasan integral strategy in enacting this expectation. He saideective districts brought principals and teacher leaders to-gether to jointly plan school improvement and proessionallearning around their individual needs.

Tere was a richer connection between parts o thesystem than in a traditional, hierarchical system, he said,mediated through activities and people. Principals andassistant principals were able to talk about direction and

policy shits around teaching and learning not in acompliance sense, but in how to connect policy to strategicplanning to help teachers be more successul working withstudents.

EMPHASIS ON DATA

Rather than simply collecting data as evidence orproviding reports, central oce sta actively worked withprincipals around the data, Portin said.

Tey helped schools query the data so that they coulddo substantive planning, he said.

DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP

Portin said districts that support principals oten havetheir own leadership development programs that includepreparation in using data, job-embedded learning or teach-ers, and mentoring or new leaders.

And, he said, a big part o the story is helping princi-pals learn about the role o instructional coaches and how todistribute leadership.

Its a big change rom principals being the sole instructional leader to principals being leaders o instructionalteams, he noted. Tey need a lot o proessional learningaround how to work with and support teams.

While district leaders may know and understand that

principals need support, thoughtul action sometimes lagsbehind.

LEADERSHIP DRIVES REFORMAlthough many educators believe Fullan, Cuttress,

and Kilcher, who stated (2005), Tere is no other driver asessential as leadership or sustainable reorm, the knowing-doing gap oten remains. Districts advancing proessionallearning or teachers may overlook similar investment in


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Continued rom p. 4

Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B.A. (2005).School leadership that works.Arlington, VA: ASCD.

Portin, B.S., Knapp, M.S., Daref, S., Feldman, S.,Russell, F.A., Samuelson, C., & Yeh, T.L. (2009). Leader-ship or learning improvement in urban schools. Seattle, WA:Center or the Study o eaching and Policy, University oWashington.

Valerie von Frank ([email protected]) isan education writer and editor o Learning Forwardsbooks. LS

school leaders. Why?One reason is the sheer volume and turbulence o the

work, Portin said. Leadership turnover is another reason.

Some may lack resources. Others may be overwhelmed bywhat they need to do to get through the day and week,which can limit the ability to be strategic. And, people maynot always know how to do it.

Portin said data suggest central oce can take specifcactions to help principals:

Provide exibility and opportunities or principalsto be creative, such as allowing the principal tobudget sta in an alternative way. One examplewould be redistributing the schools resources tocreate an instructional coaching position.

Facilitate collaboration and partnerships amongschools, bringing together cadres o principals,

teacher leaders, and coaches. Giving principalsthe opportunity to learn rom colleagues is some-thing every district can do to help principals man-age a highly stressul job, Portin said. More thanjust administrative meetings, eective districtsconvene meetings that help principals share.

Provide district-level support or proessional learn-ing. I nobody is paying attention to proessionaldevelopment, its not likely to be eective or to hap-pen as oten as youd want, Portin noted. Morethan traditional sta development, learning needs tobe driven by people with a keen interest and ocus

on both student learning and proessional learning.He said a districtwide perspective is useul, such asrom an executive director or zone director whoseprimary role is to ocus in this area.

Large districts may consider zoned support in key areas,such as special education or curriculum, to provide service.Ten critical resource people are able to develop a relation-ship with 20 schools instead o 100, Portin said.

Overall, the researchers agreed, high-perorming princi-pals are not born leaders. Tey are created, through targetedsupport rom the districts they serve in.

REFERENCES

Fullan, M., Cuttress, C., & Kilcher, A. (2005, Fall).8 orces or leaders o change.JSD, 26(4),54-58, 64.

Knapp, M.S., Copland, M.A., Honig, M.I., Plecki,M.L, & Portin, B.S. (2010, August).Learning-ocusedleadership and leadership support: Meaning and practice inurban systems. Seattle, WA: Center or the Study o eachingand Policy, University o Washington.

Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahl-strom, K. (2004).How leadership infuences student learn-ing. New York: Te Wallace Foundation.

Additional resources

Darling-Hammond,L.,LaPoint,M.,Mrson,

D.,&Orr,M.(2007). Preparing school leaders or a

changing world: Lessons rom exemplary leadership

development programs. Stanord, CA: Stanord Univer-

sity, Stanford Educational Leadership Institute.

Honig,M.I.,Copland,M.A.,Lorton,J.A.,Rain,L.,

&Nwton,M.(2010).Central oce transormation

or district-wide teaching and learning improvement.

Seattle, WA: Center or the Study o Teaching and

Policy, University o Washington.

Orr,M.T.,King,C.,&LaPoint,M.(2010,Octo-

br).Districts developing leaders: Lessons on consumer

actions and program approaches rom eight urban dis-

tricts. Newton, MA: Education Development Center.

Plcki,M.L.,Knapp,M.S.,Castanda,T.,Halvr-

son,T.,LaSotaR.,&Lochmillr,C.(2009). How

leaders invest stang resources or learning improve-

ment. Seattle, WA: Center or the Study o Teaching

and Policy, University o Washington.

ThWallacFoundation.(2011,March).Research

ndings to support efective educational policymaking:

Evidence and action steps or state, district and local

policymakers. New York: Author.


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6 The Learnin System Fall 2011 Learning Forward 800-727-7288 www.learningforward.org

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BOARD OF TRUSTEESMarkDiaz (2012)President

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