February 2011 Leaders of Learners

Leaders Learners

of February 2011Vol. 4, Issue 1

The bi-monthly resource for Texas ASCD members

The 82nd Legislature is Now in Session: What to Expect and Who to Watch

3

10Teacher Leaders: Boosting Teacher Effectiveness and Student Achievement

6Challenges, Then Solutions

15ASCD’s 2011 Legislative Agenda

20Texas ASCD Calendar of Events

February 2011 Leaders of Learners 2

Leaders Learners

of

February 2011Vol. 4, Issue 1

Contents

The 82nd Legislature is Now in Session: What to Expect and Who to Watchby David Anderson and Michelle Smith

Challenges, Then Solutionsby Yolanda Rey, Ph.D.

Features

In every Issue

21 Texas ASCD Membership Application

News and Events2

PresidentEllen V. Bell, Ph.D. Vice PresidentJanis Jordan, Ed. D.SecretaryAlma Rodriguez, Ph.D.President-ElectAl Hambrick, Ph.D.Past PresidentGena Gardiner

Yolanda M. Rey, Ph.D.Executive Director

Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (Texas ASCD) is a nonprofit educational organization that improves learning through supporting all educators and school children of Texas in their educational endeavors.

Leaders of Learners is an official journal of Texas ASCD. If you have comments concerning Leaders of Learners, please send them to [email protected]. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions or endorsements of Texas ASCD or our membership.

20Calendar of Events

ASCD 2011 Legislative Agenda

Teacher Leaders by the Education Commission of the States

3

6

15

10

www.txascd.org/calendar/index.html

http://www.facebook.com


The Texas Legislature convenes every two years for 140 days to consider proposed legislation and to approve a biennial budget for the next two fiscal years. Recent legislative history tells us that when the smoke clears on May 30, the Legislature will have passed hundreds of bills that affect a myriad of issues across many policy areas, including public education.

The 82nd Legislature began this session on January 11, facing perhaps the most significant fiscal challenge that has occurred during our careers in education: a shortfall that could be as high as $28 billion, depending on the content of the calculations. For educators who have been involved in legislative issues during the past decade, this may sound like a recurring theme. Similarly, for at least ninety-five of the legislative veterans who returned to the Capitol on January 11, it will be a reminder of 2003 when the 78th Legislature faced a shortfall of almost $10 billion.

This legislature will see no dearth of education legislation. Bills have been filed that address assessment and accountability, curriculum, discipline, bullying, governance, facilities and transportation, charters, technology and textbooks, certification, property tax policies, and retirement. You probably didn’t know that we have so many areas that need to be fixed!

While each of these policy areas is important, two major issues will demand the attention of the 82nd Legislature: appropriations and redistricting. The former issue is addressed every two years and the process for developing, reviewing, and approving the appropriations bill is a familiar one. The latter issue is addressed once a decade, and with member turnovers in 2001 and 2003, less than half of the current legislators have been through a redistricting session.

For the membership of the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development—educators committed to improving teaching and learning for the success of all learners—redistricting will be of passing

interest. Appropriations, however, will demand our attention.

Over the remaining four months of the session, our legislators will make some very difficult decisions regarding the allocation of financial resources. Each

of us will be impacted by those decisions, directly or indirectly, as funding for programs is extended, reduced, or eliminated. Because budget reductions, new requirements, and additional regulations are all possibilities, educators across the state are already considering how such changes could impact their ability to deliver the best instruction and to create the most significant gains in student learning. Monitoring the actions of the Legislature and taking thoughtful steps to mitigate the possible damage to student learning are responsibilities that must be taken seriously.

“...two major issues will demand the attention

of the 82nd Legislature: appropriations and

redistricting.”

The 82nd Legislature is Now in Session: What to Expect and Who to Watchby David Anderson and Michelle Smith HillCo Partners


The 82nd Legislature...continued from page 3

Staying Informed and InvolvedSo how, as an involved member of Texas ASCD, does one stay informed and involved?• Stay in touch with your professional organizations via websites and e-mail updates. Texas ASCD keeps members updated with the Influence page of their website: www.txascd.org/influence. Sign up for regular updates and alerts, as well as learn about your local representatives.• Utilize available information resources such as Texas Legislature Online: www.legis.state.tx.us, the Texas House of Representatives website: www.house.state.tx.us, and the Texas Senate website: www.senate.state.tx.us.• Read about what is happening at the Capitol by monitoring news resources such as the Texas Tribune, a state-of-the-art web-based news source: http://www.texastribune.org. • Communicate with your district leadership. Use district protocols to inform them of bills specific to your areas of responsibility and how those bills will affect your school district.• Stay in touch with your legislative delegation in the House and the Senate.

Communication with constituents is essential to the success of elected officials, as well as their ability to

get re-elected. Hearing from you—especially in areas of your expertise—is important. In each recent session, more bills were filed than in the previous session. While the number of bills passed dropped from 23% in 2007 to 19% in 2009, members and staff review and consider an increasing amount of legislation. Keeping up with the bills and understanding the content and implications of those bills is difficult. You can help by letting the legislators and their staff members know what is in the bills and how it affects their schools.

When you communicate with legislators and staff, be prepared. Know what you want to share with them and deliver the information clearly and succinctly. Simplify the information and present the facts. As one veteran Senate staff member has advised, avoid general statements such as “This is good for kids.”

If you are asked for additional information and you do not have it readily available, let them know that you will find the information they want and will get it to them promptly. Make sure you follow through on that commitment.

The Outlook for Public EducationLike many of you, we began our careers in the classroom. When we consider this session’s budget constraints and the possibility of limiting what educators can do to continue to improve student performance, we worry. Additionally, as educators we recognize that the improvements in student performance in Texas, particularly those over the past fifteen years, have cost money. The educational improvements and reforms of the late ‘90s and this decade have been significant contributing factors for Texas’ continued economic growth, particularly in comparison to other states and regions. In a session in which financial resources are limited, legislators must make difficult decisions about how those resources are allocated. Let’s help them make the best decisions by staying informed and involved throughout the 82nd Session.

http://www.txascd.org/influence

http://www.legis.state.tx.us

http://www.house.state.tx.us

http://www.senate.state.tx.us

http://www.texastribune.org/


The 82nd Legislature...continued from page 4

Representative Rob Eissler (District 15), the veteran House member who has served as chair of the House Public Education Committee for the past two sessions. Rep. Eissler was a member of the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees for almost two decades prior to his election to the Legislature.

Representative Diane Patrick (District 94), the senior representative from Arlington who returns for her third session. Rep. Patrick was the only House member to serve on the Public Education Committee and the Higher Education Committee in the 81st Session.

Patrick is an educator who has experience on the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees and the State Board of Education.

Representative Scott Hochberg (District 137), a veteran of nine prior sessions from Houston. Rep. Hochberg is viewed as the most experienced member on school finance and education policy issues because of his tenure on the educaiotn committee and his work on the appropriations committee.

Representative Jimmie Don Aycock (District 54), the representative from Killeen who was appointed to both the education subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and the Public Education Committee in the 81st Session. As a member

of the Killeen ISD Board of Trustees, Aycock gained considerable insight into school budgets and education policy and is well respected by his peers.

Legislators to watch during the 82nd Session:

Senator Florence Shapiro (District 8), the Senate leader on education issues for the past four sessions. Senator Shapiro is expected to chair the Senate Education Committee in the 82nd Session. Sen. Shapiro, a former mayor of Plano, is the author of

significant accountability and assessment legislation in recent sessions.

Senator Dan Patrick (District 7), the Houston senator who returns for his second term and third session. Sen. Patrick was the vice chair of the Education Committee and is seen as the chamber’s leading advocate for mandate relief for public schools.

Senator Leticia Van de Putte (District 26), the experienced San Antonio senator who has been a strong advocate for more adequate and equitable school funding. Senator Van de Putte brings great insights to the Education Committee from her Bexar County district.

Find contact information for these legislators and for your legislators at http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members.htm#members and http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/.

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/


Without going into specific details again about the shortfalls and legislated programs at the state and national levels, the focus must be on formulating ideas and creating solutions for Texas students. There need to be solutions that maintain or enhance the quality of programs, instead of the taking away of programs that work and programs that are being created, all because of a state shortfall. Teaching and learning have to continue for all students.

Maybe solutions can be sought if we examine the modes of delivery of programs. Recently, I heard Representative Mark Strama suggest that the assessment program could be formatted and delivered differently. He stated that the excelling students are always included in the testing program, and for what purpose? Maybe, he

said, the students whose testing results indicate that improvement is needed should be the first to be tested so that instruction can be aligned immediately for these students. Another alternative could be not to test at the designated grade levels every year. Maybe the state’s comprehensive testing could be distributed within a two-year period. These solutions could be good for the

students and funding.

Now these ideas are innovative and require the study of the other c o m p o n e n t s

that affect testing, such as state and federal requirements for comparative purposes. But, they could be instructionally sound for students, and also cost- saving delivery systems that could help with the budget shortfall.

Challenges, then Solutionsby Yolanda M. Rey, Ph. D.Texas ASCD Executive Director

With the start of the Texas 82nd Legislature, and the continuing work on the educational agenda at the national level, there are major challenges with which every educator will be affected. The state budget is now being discussed, with all its shortfalls that will affect school districts. Then, at the federal level, discussions continue about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that will also affect our districts. And this is only one program, a major impacting program, but one of many funding programs being studied and acted upon. It will take some time to become aware of the total picture before us.

Technology is a solution that must be

considered for both viable content and

enriched delivery, and eventually help the

cost of programs.


In place now is the adoption of Chapter 66 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), which includes the use of electronic textbooks as instructional materials. These electronic resources can be such innovative solutions to address some of the challenges. But, there cannot be a compromise that will not uphold quality, digital content and effective delivery. A flat, PDF format of an existing textbook will not do. The electronic materials have to contain rigorous and rich digital content. They must be current, interactive, engaging, and, at the same time, facilitate differentiating instruction for students. Technology is a solution that must be considered for both viable content and enriched delivery, and eventually help the cost of programs.

Another program that is part of the solution is the Texas Education Agency’s Project Share. Project

Share is interactive in an eLearning environment. It has aligned online resources and online course content, which can be shared and used for professional development.

Of course, the infrastructure for technology, the hardware, and the software have to be in place. And, these components are not available in critical mass for all our districts. But with time and effort, technology can, not only enhance learning, but also can be time and cost effective.

There are solutions, always. We, in the education community, have to be innovative, not just during these economic times, but at all times – and, we are.

STAR Early LiteracyHas Been Upgraded on the Prestigious

Texas Commissioner’s List of Reading Instruments

The Texas Commissioner’s rigorous review found that STAR Early Literacy™ meets all criteria as a stand-alone English Language Instrument. What’s more, unlike TPRI and most of the 17 assessments reviewed, STAR Early Literacy has the rare ability to show reliable and valid measurement of skills in all 5 literacy domains: Phonemic awareness, Phonics, Comprehension, Fluency, and Vocabulary.

STAR EARLY LITERACY:• Provides fast, efficient assessment of developing skills.• Screens all your students in one day.• Includes progress monitoring with science-based goal setting.• Meets federal and Texas state standards for reliability, validity, and accuracy.

Your stand-alone alternative to TPRI or DIBELS

For more information about STAR Early Literacy, visit www.renlearn.com/lp/17474 or call toll free (800) 338-4204, ref. #17931.

Challenges, then Solutions..continued from page 6

http://www.renlearn.com/17474


The 82nd Texas Legislature will tackle many critical decisions regarding the future of Texas public schools. Prior to the session’s start on January 11th, legislators had already pre-filed approximately 600 bills and joint resolutions—118 of those bills pertain to education and/or school-finance bills

The Senate Finance Committee conducted its first meeting of the session on January 31, 2011. They discussed the State’s financial situation and reasons for the current budget shortfall. According to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, state lawmakers will have $72.2 billion for the biennium budget. State agencies report a need of $99 billion to maintain services at their current level and keep up with demand and population growth. That is a $27 billion shortfall! Massive cuts to public education are on the table, including a $9.3 billion reduction in the funds that flow to districts. The budget also reduces the state contribution to the pension fund.

Over the next few months the future of Texas public education will be debated. Here are a few bills that we’re keeping an eye on:HB 34. Relating to including in the public high school curriculum instruction in methods of paying for postsecondary education and training.HB 67. Relating to the creation of a literacy center pilot program by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.HB 104. Relating to abolishing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and transferring the coordinating board’s functions and activities and the State Board of Education’s statutorily assigned functions and activities to the Texas Education Agency.HB 553. Relating to the nonpartisan election of members to the State Board of Education.HJR 46. Proposing a constitutional amendment releasing a school district from the obligation to comply with an unfunded state educational mandate.

118number of education-related bills introduced in the 82nd Texas Legislature

$27 billion2011 Texas budget shortfall

82number of Texas Legislative Sessions

To follow these and other bills, visit www.texastribune.org/session/82R/bills/

5number of new SBOE members

4.2 millionchildren in Texas public schools

1,050independent school districts in Texas

By the Numbers

The 82nd Legislature: The Bills to Watch

http://www.texastribune.org/session/82R/bills/


Southern Methodist University will not discriminate in any employment practice, education program or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age,disability or veteran status. SMU’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

In One Year, Go From Head Of The Class To Head Of The School.

Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership.Next year’s lesson plan: Improve your career plan. Our Master’s degree can help you

become a principal in any school from pre-K through grade 12. Develop your skills in the areas oforganizational leadership, academic leadership and support of effective teachers. Real-time

project cycles plus integrated internship opportunities ensure you’re well-prepared to make the grade.

214.768.1715 | smu.edu/edleader | [email protected]

THE RICHARDS GROUP

TRG JOB: SCE-10-0029

CLIENT: SMU

AD NAME: Ed Leadership Print

PUB(S):Leaders of Learners

INSERTION DATE: 1/31/11

TRIM: 8 x 11.5

LIVE: 7.5 x 11

BLEED: 8.5 x 12

COLOR/LS:CMYK/133/SWOP

QUESTIONS: Jen Duncan214-891-5808

SCE100029 LoL 8x11_5.indd 1 11/4/10 4:45 PM


www.ecs.org/per

1

Teacher LeadersBoosting Teacher Effectiveness and Student Achievement

What are Teacher Leaders and Teacher Leadership?

Teacher leaders and teacher leadership are not new concepts. Some of us may remember the “teacher career ladder” initiatives of the 1980s. Without those early efforts, the current press to define teacher leadership and what it looks like in our schools would have far less traction.

Teacher leaders are teachers who aspire to stretch beyond their classrooms to engage in leadership roles that take many shapes and forms, both “informal” and “formal”. These teachers view the school as a whole, see the “big picture” and focus on how they can help improve aspects of the school to result in increases in student achievement. Teacher leaders see themselves as “teachers” first and do not want to become principals or administrators, but

want to work collaboratively with their colleagues and school administrators to improve school and student performance.

This issue of The Progress of Education Reform will discuss the roles teacher leaders can play; how they can contribute to overall school and student success; how some states are formally supporting teacher leaders and the concept of teacher leadership; and policy implications and recommendations for state policymakers on how to explore and/or expand teacher leadership in their states.

2010 D

EC

EM

BE

REd

ucat

ion

Ref

orm

TH

E PR

OG

RES

S O

F

Vol.

11, N

o. 6

What’s InsideWhat are teacher leaders?

Why are they needed for higher student achievement?

What are states doing to increase teacher leadership opportunities?

What are Teacher Leaders and Teacher Leadership?

Teacher leaders and teacher leadership are not new concepts. Some of us may remember the “teacher career ladder” initiatives of the 1980s. Without those early efforts, the current press to define teacher leader-ship and what it looks like in our schools would have far less traction.

Teacher leaders are teachers who aspire to stretch beyond their classrooms to engage in leadership roles that take many shapes and forms, both “informal” and “formal”. These teachers view the school as a whole, see the “big picture” and focus on how they can help improve aspects of the school to result in increases in student achievement. Teacher leaders see themselves as “teachers” first and do not want to become prin-cipals or administrators, but want to work collaboratively with their colleagues and school administrators to improve school and student performance.

This article originally appeared in the December 2010 issue of The Progress of Education Reform, the publi-cation of Education Commission of the States. It discusses the roles teacher leaders can play; how they can contribute to overall school and student success; how some states are formally supporting teacher leaders and the concept of teacher leadership; and policy implications and recommendations for state policymakers on how to explore and/or expand teacher leadership in their states.

Teacher Leaders:Boosting Teacher Effectiveness and Student Achievement


www.ecs.org/per

2

Teacher leaders are often found in formal and informal roles Mentoring new and current teachers (formal and/or informal)

Designing and implementing teacher professional development to increase teacher effectiveness (formal)

Serving as department chairs (formal)

Serving as union representatives (formal)

Serving as site committee members (formal)

Serving as staff developers (formal)

Serving as curriculum specialists (formal)

Leading professional learning communities (informal)

Assisting or guiding colleagues in accessing or selecting appropriate research-based strategies (informal)

Engaging in reflective dialogue with colleagues to improve instruction and student results (informal)

While several definitions of “teacher leadership” circulate in articles and the extremely limited research that exists, the following encapsulates generally accepted thinking:

“Teacher leadership is the process by which teachers, individually or collectively, influence their colleagues, principals, and other members of the school community to improve teaching and learning practices with the aim of increased student learning and achievement.”1

As a leader in the field, Charlotte Danielson writes in Teacher Leadership that Strengthens Professional Practice that teacher leadership is a “set of skills demonstrated by teachers who continue to teach students but also have an influence that extends beyond their own classrooms to others within their own school and elsewhere.”2 The notion that teacher leaders want to stay in the classroom and stay connected to students are critical points. Teacher leaders are “teachers” first and “leaders” outside their classrooms second.

Teacher Leaders...continued from page 10


Teacher Leaders...continued from page 11www.ecs.org/per

3

Why are Teacher Leaders Needed? Teacher leaders have always existed in every school, but until recent years, an emphasis on defining and recognizing what a teacher leader is and does has been absent. As goals and challenges of the teaching profession have evolved, many new and existing teachers, along with administrators, have recognized the need for and benefit of cultivating teacher leadership.

The teaching profession is relatively “flat,” meaning that in most schools an identifiable career ladder is missing. If a teacher wants to “move up” in the profession, that teacher has had only one clear opportunity of moving into the administrative ranks. Many teachers do not want to become principals or other school administrators, they want to remain in their classrooms and also provide leadership outside their classrooms. If teacher leader options aren’t available to those wishing to “move up,” some leave the teaching profession entirely. Having more career options will aid in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers.

Teachers’ tenure generally is longer than principals’ — so those who provide the most continuity in a school are likely to be the teachers. Establishing a collaborative leadership system between school administrators and teachers has the potential of lasting long past any administrator’s tenure, keeping instructional improvement initiatives and their momentum progressing beyond staffing changes.

Principals can no longer do it alone — the role of the principal in today’s schools is increasingly complex and time-consuming. They have many diverse responsibilities (e.g., discipline, facility maintenance, community relations, instructional leader, teacher evaluator, teacher mentor, reform leader, etc.) and need the help of their teacher leaders to implement change and reform to improve school and student performance.

Dr. Mark A. Smylie, an expert in the field of teacher leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago, views teacher leadership is an instrument for:

School and classroom improvement

Teacher learning, professional development, motivation, recruitment, and retention

Improving the effectiveness of administrative leadership

Developing teaching as a profession with a career path

The democratization of schools.3

What is the Latest Work on Teacher Leaders/Leadership? In May 2008, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) convened a group of education stakeholders to examine current research and thinking about the critical leadership roles that teachers play in contributing to successful school reform. This initial group subsequently expanded its membership and mission to form the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium, representing a broad array of education organizations, state education agencies, teacher leaders, principal leaders, institutions of higher education and teacher unions. This consortium developed draft Model Teacher Leader Standards that were released for public comment in early 2010. (Consortium Web site: http://tlstandards.weebly.com/)

The purpose of these draft “model standards” is to encourage professional discussion of what constitutes the full range of competencies that teacher leaders possess and how this form of leadership can be distinguished from, but work in tandem with, formal administrative leadership roles to support good teaching and promote student learning.”4

“Having more career options will aid in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers."


www.ecs.org/per

4

The draft Model Teacher Leader Standards (http://tlstandards.pbworks.com/f/13852_TeacherLeaderStnds_HR.pdf) follow a similar format as the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISSLC) State Standards for School Leaders and contain seven domains:

Domain I – Understanding Adults As Learners to Support Professional Learning Communities

Domain II – Accessing and Using Research to Improve Practice and Student Achievement

Domain III – Promoting Professional Learning for Continuous Improvement

Domain IV – Facilitating Improvements in Instruction and Student Learning

Domain V – Using Assessments and Data for School and District Improvement

Domain VI – Improving Outreach and Collaboration with Families and Community

Domain VII – Advocating for Student Learning and the Profession One of the next steps in the evolution of the Model Teacher Leader Standards is to cross-reference them with the newly updated Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards (http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Interstate_Teacher_Assessment_Consortium_(InTASC).html), to ensure alignment. The INTASC standards were released for public comment in July 2010.

How states are moving teacher leadership forward

Kansas The Kansas State Department of Education has established teacher leader standards that lead to licensure.https://ks.nea.org/profession/license/licensetchrleader.html

New JerseyMontclair State University has created a Master of Education in Teacher Leadership program. http://cehs.montclair.edu/academic/curriculumteach/programs/masterteachleadership.shtml

VirginiaVirginia Commonwealth University has created the Center for Teacher Leadership to provide coursework and training for teachers wishing to move into leadership positions. http://www.ctl.vcu.edu/index.html

Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky and OhioThe Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is working with Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio on creating teacher leader preparation curricula. http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3458

Other Resources Education/EvolvingThis Web site is working to encourage a radically different model of school organization, in which the authority for arranging both the learning program and the administration of a school is placed with a formally-organized group of teachers ... and in which the teachers accept collegially the responsibility for the school's success.

http://www.educationevolving.org/teacherpartnerships

Opportunity at the Top

This article, by Bryan C. Hassel and Emily Ayscue Hassel, discusses how America’s best teachers can close the gaps, raise the bar and keep our nation great. http://opportunityculture.org/images/stories/opportunity_report_web.pdf

Model Teacher Leader Standards, 2010

This site, by the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium, provides the latest draft of the Model Teacher Leader Standards.

http://tlstandards.weebly.com/

Teacher Leadership as a Key to Education Innovation: Action Steps and Promising Strategies for State, District, and University Officials

This article by NCCTQ provides current information about teacher leadership, state trends, pathways to teacher leadership and recommended state and district action.

http://www.tqsource.org/pdfs/TQ_Policy-to-PracticeBriefTeacherLeadership.pdf

Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional Practice, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (C. Danielson, 2006)

This book is designed as a resource not only for prospective teacher leaders, but also for administrators who want to better support the development of outstanding teacher leaders.

Taking the Lead – New Roles for Teachers and School-based Coaches (J.,Killion and C. Harrison, National Staff Development Council, 2006)

This book identifies the many roles school-based coaches play in providing just-in-time professional learning that addresses real problems individual teachers encounter in their classrooms.



www.ecs.org/per

5

© 2010 by the Education Commission of the States (ECS). All rights reserved.

ECS encourages its readers to share our information with others. To reprint or excerpt some of our material, please contact the ECS Communications Department at 303.299.3600 or e-mail [email protected].

The Education Commission of the States is a nationwide nonprofit organization formed in 1965 to help governors, state legislators, state education officials and others develop policies to improve the quality of education. ECS is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education at all levels.

Past issues are available in print from the Education Commission of the States for $7 plus postage and handling. Please order from the ECS Distribution Center, 700 Broadway, Suite 810, Denver, CO 80203-3442; 303.299.3692; fax: 303.296.8332; or [email protected]. ECS accepts prepaid orders, Visa, MasterCard and American Express. All sales are final. Pricing subject to change.

Postage and handling charges apply if your order totals: Up to $10.00 – $3.50 $10.01-25.00 – $5.00 $25.01-50.00 – $6.50 $50.01-75.00 – $9.25 $75.01-100.00 – $10.75 Over $100.01 – $12.00

Discounts are available for bulk orders of past issues: 10-49 – 10% discount 50-99 – 20% discount 100+ – 30% discount.

Equipping Education Leaders, Advancing Ideas

This issue of The Progress of Education Reform was made possible by a grant from the GE Foundation. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact: Barbara Thompson, Director for Teacher Quality and Leadership, Education Commission of the States, at 303.299.3657 or [email protected].

Past issues of The Progress of Education Reform are available on our Web site at: www.ecs.org/per.

Endnotes

1 J. Barr, J. Sommerness and J. Hur, Teacher Leadership. In T. Good (Ed.), 21st Century Education: A Reference Handbook (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2008), 287.

2 Charlotte Danielson, Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional Practice (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006), 12.

3 Mark A. Smylie, Thoughts on the Development of Teacher Leadership, PowerPoint presentation, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality Meeting, October 28-29, 2009, Washington D.C., http://www.tqsource.org/whatworks/wwc09highlyeffective/presentations/TeacherLeadership2009_Smylie.pdf.

4 Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium Letter, 2010, http://tlstandards.weebly.com.

student-backpack.jpg

Implications for State Policymakers

Most educators agree that teacher leaders and teacher leadership exist in all schools – and they are helping to improve teaching and learning in a variety of formal and informal ways. Many state and higher education institutions have taken up the charge by developing pathways for teachers to become teacher leaders through specialized degrees, credentials and endorsements.

For some, however, the teacher leadership debate is about whether or not teacher leadership should be formally recognized and compensated. For others, the debate centers on whether or not all teachers are capable of being or should be teacher leaders.

State policymakers would be well-advised to gain a full understanding of teacher leadership and how it can be applied to improve overall teacher effectiveness and student achievement by:

Utilizing the Model Teacher Leader Standards and the INTASC Model Core Teaching Standards in any future initiatives related to strengthening teacher certification, teacher preparation, teacher evaluation, teacher recruitment and retention, teacher effectiveness and increasing student achievement.

Identifying how teacher leaders are currently being used in states' schools through informal and formal means — and whether or not there are specific paths teachers can take to become recognized as teacher leaders.

Establishing task forces and professional learning communities to discuss and define the roles that teacher leaders can play to increase teacher effectiveness and student achievement school-wide, district-wide, and statewide.

Embracing teacher leadership as a strategy to “do things differently” in education — helping school administrators to lead and achieve whole-school reform and turnaround, retaining high-quality teachers in the profession longer, raising the level of professionalism in the teaching profession, and increasing student achievement for all students.

This article is originally appeared in December 2010 issue of The Progress of Education Reform and is reprinted here with permission from the Education Commission of the States (ECS). ECS is a nationwide nonprofit organization formed in 1965 to help governors, state legislators, state education officials and others develop policies to improve the quality of education. ECS is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education at all levels. For past issues of The Progress of Education Reform, visit the ECS website at www.ecs.org.


http://www.ecs.org.


The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the current version of ESEA, has been in effect for nine years, during which time Congress has failed to fulfill its legislative responsibility to update the law in each of the past three years. Given NCLB’s clear flaws and now obvious unintended consequences, what we need at this time is not so much a typical reauthorization but a complete rewrite of the federal education law—and in an expedited fashion—to address the changing education needs of the country and its students.

The existing national priority to close the achievement gap is a worthy one and should be maintained. But the accompanying focus on student proficiency in reading and math within individual states is as antiquated as it is limiting in light of today’s global competition. Of equal relevance and greater effect would be a new

federal goal to close the international achievement gap between the United States and other countries.

These ambitious efforts will require a careful reexamination of the leverage and limits of federal education reform strategies, an appreciation for the state and local functions in education, and an understanding of the importance of input from education leaders who know firsthand the ongoing challenges students and schools face as well as how to develop innovative

solutions to address these challenges.

Toward that end, the federal government should refocus its core education mission to provide national leadership, ensure equity and access to all

students, and support research and capacity-building assistance. Policymakers must

ASCD, representing more than 160,000 educators, calls on federal policymakers to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 2011 to support our efforts to provide a world-class education to every student.


2011 Legislative Agenda...continued from page 15

Imagine going through a year of school without a report card.

What if you could spend two full days each week coaching your teachers to improve performance?

Learn How to Work Less, Produce More, and Still Get theJob Done in a Sensible School Week with Malachi Pancoast,President, The Breakthrough Coach. It’s one of the most practical – and liberating – programs you will ever attend.

To register, visit http://www.the-breakthrough-coach.com/pages/calendar.php

Management Development for Instructional Leaders(904) 280-3052

UPCOMING PROGRAMS IN YOUR AREA:

• Ft. Worth, TX - Dec. 8 & 9, 2010

• Amarillo, TX - Feb. 7 & 8, 2011

• San Antonio, TX - June 9 & 10, 2011

• Dallas, TX - June 16 & 17, 2011

• Houston, TX - June 21 & 22, 2011

TBC2.2011_TXASCD_1Q_6.75x4.75_2c.indd 1 1/31/11 2:47 PM

• Distinguish between aspirational goals and the actual policies and resources necessary to reach them in legislation;

• Trust but verify that states and districts are serving all students and their education needs; and

• Invest in the knowledge base and infrastructure for the benefit of states, districts, and schools.

ASCD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization whose members are educators from all levels and subject areas—superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members. The ASCD Legislative Agenda is developed from the wide-ranging and comprehensive perspectives and experiences of successful school leaders and effective educators. ASCD works in partnership with policymakers and the public to achieve these important policy goals in

support of healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged students.

Improving Performance and Closing Achievement Gaps

ASCD believes that the federal government, and particularly the U.S. Department of Education, serves an indispensable role in providing a broad vision for education excellence, identifying national education reform priorities, and marshaling public support and resources in support of these goals.

ASCD supports the nation’s goals to close the achievement gap between demographic subgroups of students and to ensure that all students are fully proficient in reading and math. In addition, ASCD proposes a new national priority of closing the international achievement gap between U.S. students and their peers in other nations.

continued on page 17

http://www.txascd.org/development



Such an effort requires a world-class school system that serves the comprehensive needs of children through a whole child approach to education. The coordination of education programs with out-of-school services is needed so that each child can enter school healthy and ready to learn, feel physically and emotionally safe, be actively engaged in learning and connected to the broader school community, have access to personalized instruction, and be challenged academically and prepared for postsecondary success.

ASCD calls on Congress to

• Recognize that ensuring all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged should be a national priority and encourage parents, educators, and community members to support and provide a whole child approach to education for each student.

• Replace the currently narrow federal focus on standardized testing in reading and mathematics with an emphasis on multiple measures of student achievement in all core academic subjects, without requiring additional state assessments.

• Embrace college- and career-readiness standards that include proficiency in reading, math, science, social science, the arts, civics, foreign language, health education and physical education, technology, and all other core academic subjects.

• Support rigorous state academic standards and accurate comparisons among states and districts regarding school quality and student achievement.

• Promote collaboration between state and local governments and among school systems and the social, health, and safety services that support children.

Equity and Access

ASCD believes that all children must have an equitable share of resources commensurate with their learning needs as well as access to personalized learning; a well-rounded education; a highly effective teacher in every subject; and support from qualified, caring adults.

Federal resources, primarily through the Title I program, have been essential in helping level the playing field for historically underserved student populations and communities and in calling attention to the need for targeted assistance to persistently underperforming schools. Unfortunately, Title I is not able to benefit all of the students and schools it is intended to serve; its limited resources are targeted primarily to elementary schools and early intervention strategies. Because high school graduation and dropout rates are issues of national concern, ASCD calls on federal officials to create a new program within ESEA dedicated to supporting reforms and providing resources specifically to secondary schools.

Although federal accountability requirements have helped provide an objective examination of the areas in need of improvement in states, the current adequate yearly progress (AYP) system is irretrievably broken. The education accountability mandate needs to be transformed from one that is punitive, federally prescriptive, and overly bureaucratic to a model that rewards achievement, is state-driven and peer reviewed, and promotes supportive learning communities and a culture of continuous improvement.


• Authorize a growth model accountability system for each child in every state, including academic growth disaggregated by demographic subgroups, English language learners, and students with disabilities.

• Maintain requirements for the disaggregation of achievement data according to existing subgroups and to include assessment accommodations necessary for students—



especially students with disabilities and English language learners—to most accurately demonstrate their proficiency.

• Offer schools, districts, and students the opportunity to demonstrate achievement through the use of multiple measures of performance.

• Promote greater transparency of state, district, and school quality by continuing to require the collection and meaningful public reporting of performance indicators, including student performance data across all core academic subjects.

• Empower states to shift away from compliance and monitoring as primary functions to providing on-site improvement assistance to schools and staff based on research and development.

• Reconceptualize the goals and interventions for chronically underperforming schools from punitive and unproven sanctions to an improvement system of access to and comprehensive support for enriched curriculum with high-quality teaching and learning experiences that involve all students, families, and staff.

• Require access to a highly effective teacher for each student in every subject.

• Ensure access to a well-rounded curriculum that is reflected in standards, assessments, accountability systems, and public reporting of achievement.



Capacity-Building Assistance and Information Dissemination

ASCD supports education policies and classroom practices that are based on research and proven effectiveness. Federal support and coordination can help states and districts build meaningful capacity to improve student achievement and school quality through robust investments in education research, the enhancement of a world-renowned education clearinghouse of innovation, and the dissemination of best practices to educators.


• Sponsor partnerships with higher education, foundations, regional laboratories, and other nonprofit entities to support and disseminate education research.

• Create a more comprehensive and searchable clearinghouse of effective strategies and practices to match local needs by providing a resource bank of solutions and on-site support linked to school improvement for targeted schools, including easily accessible site, contact, and practice information.

• Encourage and support a reciprocal federal-state relationship that promotes innovative, criteria-driven programs and practices that are linked to school improvement at the state and local levels and can then be disseminated nationally.

• Create a system of rewards and incentives—including flexibility in the use of Title I funds—to states and schools that are consistently high performing, close achievement gaps, or do well in cohort comparisons.

• Support educators in gaining and sustaining the professional knowledge, skills, and training to address the evolving needs of students.

• Identify the essential elements of teacher effectiveness based on research.

• Facilitate state-developed teacher evaluation methods based on a common definition of educator effectiveness.

About ASCDFounded in 1943, ASCD is an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best prac-tices and policies for the success of each learner. Our 170,000 members in 136 countries are profes-sional educators from all levels and subject areas—superintendents, supervisors, principals, teach-ers, professors of education, and school board members. Our nonprofit, nonpartisan membership association provides expert and innovative solutions in professional development capacity building, and educational leadership essential to the way educators learn, teach, and lead.


CALENDAROF

EventsFebruary 2011February 18thBeyond the TextbookCorpus Christi

February 17th & 18thCurriculum Leadership Academy IVThe Pat May Center -HEB ISD - Bedford, Texas(First session of three sessions)

March 2011March 2-3A Framework for 21st Century LearningJay McTigheAldine, TX

March 26th, 2011Preparing for Secondary Math TAKS Using Reading StrategiesCaLandra PervisSan Antonio ISD

April 2011April 13thBeyond the TextbookRegion 17 ESC - Lubbock area

April 13-14thUsing Graphic Organizers and Assessment Tools to Make Mathematics Content More Accessible to Struggling StudentsBeatrice Moore Luchin(Session Two of Three)Frisco ISD

April 20thBeyond the TextbookRio Grande Valley area

May 2011May 9thNew SCIENCE TEKS Help for Elementary Grades K-5Gloria Chatelain and Courtney WilliamsPecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD

May 10thThe 3 Rs of Classroom Management - Rela-tionships, Respect, and ResponsibilityLaDonna PolstonPecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD

May 12thUsing Graphic Organizers and Assessment Tools to Make Mathematics Content More Ac-cessible to Struggling StudentsBeatrice Moore Luchin(Session three of three)Frisco, ISD

the SOUTHWESTBUILDING LEARNING COMMUNITIESTECHNOLOGY AND CURRICULUM CONFERENCE

JUNE 22-24, 2011 in DALLAS, TX

COMING THIS SUMMER...

http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=87e8eb43-7e2d-46ce-869c-6684a51687ff


** COMPLETE AND DELIVER THIS SECTION TO YOUR EMPLOYER’S PAYROLL OFFICE. ARRANGEMENTS FOR PAYROLL DEDUCTION ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPLICANT.

Employee Signature __________________________________________________ Social Security # __________ ________ __________

Employer ____________________________________________________ Date _______________________________________________________

Membership Application

Payroll Deduction Authorization

Please Return Completed Application with Payment to: Texas ASCD. Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.1601 Rio Grande, Ste. #451, Austin, Texas 78701

(800) 717-2723 • (512) 477-8200 • Fax (512) 477-8215 • email: [email protected] • www.txascd.org

Payment Optionsr Payroll Deduction (Complete authorization below and deliver to your employer.) r Check Enclosed (Please make check payable to Texas ASCD)

r Credit Card (complete information below) r Purchase Order # ______________________________________________________________________r Amex r Visa r Master Card r DiscoverCredit Card #: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Expiration Date: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________Signature:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I, _________________________ authorize the ____________________________ (employer) to deduct the total amount of $____________ in order to pay for Texas ASCD membership dues. I further authorize the Association to notify the employer of changes in the annual dues amounts and the number of pay periods over which deductions shall be made. Upon termination of my employment, I authorize any unpaid balance to be deducted from my final check. This authorization, for the deductions referenced above, will continue in effect until I give notice to the employer to revoke.

Enter Amount

r Alamo Area (Region 20) $10.00 $ ______r Capital Area (Region 13) $10.00 $ ______r Central Texas (Region 12) $10.00 $ ______r Coastal Bend (Region 2) $10.00 $ ______r Crossroads Area (Region 3) $10.00 $ ______r Houston Suburban (Region 4) $10.00 $ ______r North Central (Region 10) $10.00 $ ______r Panhandle (Region 16) $10.00 $ ______r Paso Del Norte (Region 19) $10.00 $ ______r Piney Woods (Region 7) $10.00 $ ______r Rio Grande Valley (Region 1) $10.00 $ ______r Sabine-Neches (Region 5) $10.00 $ ______r West Central Texas (Region 14 $20.00 $ ______r West Texas (Region 17) $10.00 $ ______

TOTAL $ ______

Demographics

Genderr Female r Male

How many years have you been in the field of education?r 0-4 r 5-9 r 10-14 r 15-19 r 20-24 r 25-29 r 30 or more years

Ager 20-29 r 30-39 r 40-49 r 50-59 r 60-69 r 70-79 r 80+

Ethnicityr African American r Asian r Caucasian r Hispanic r Native American r Other ________________________

Grade Levelr Elementary r Middle School r High School r College

District Typer Urban r Rural r Suburban

What year did you become a member of Texas ASCD?________________

Contact Information(Please print clearly)

r Mr. r Ms. r Dr. _________________________________________________ (Name)

Position: _____________________ Affiliation: ___________________________

Preferred Address: _________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: _____________________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________ Fax: _________________________

Preferred E-mail address: ____________________________________________ (*Required to receive online benefits.)

r Administrative/University $105.00 $ ______ r Full-time Teacher (Pre-K12) $ 80.00 $ ______

r Full-time Student $ 50.00 $ ______

r Retired $ 40.00 $ ______

r Two-Year Membership $189.00 $ ______

r Lifetime Member $750.00 $ ______

Applicant must be (1) enrolled in an accredited university, college, community college; and be considered a full-time student according to the criteria of the attending school.

Retired “Administrative/University” or “Full-time Teacher”.

A 10% discount for “Administrative/University” personnel.

Membership Options

Regional Affiliate Dues

February 2011 Leaders of Learners

Documents

texas legislature

leaders of learners

texas ascd membersthe

endorsements of texas

leaders learnersoffebruary

legislative issues

official journal of

school children of texas