Nov 12, 2014
COLLABORATION IS KEY!
“A community is known
by the schools it keeps”
Shaker Heights School District
“Higher”
Leadership
What is it?
“It’s just one darn thing after another!”
“The role of leader is to “mobilize people to
tackle tough problems.”
Heifetz (1994)
“Leadership Matters!”
It matters a great deal in leading a learning culture where staff and students improve in practice and
performance.
Every leader is telling a story about
what he or she values.
What do you value?
EDWARD R. MURROW -
This I Believe . . .
Leadership . . .
Good leaders change organizations.
Great leaders change people.
Leadership is . . .
Management view:
“Doing things right.”
Leadership View:
“Doing right things.”
Leadership is . . .
“Doing right things right.”
Kenneth Leithwood, 2004
As a leader, what are the
“right things?”
What evidence do you have that you are
“doing the right things right?”
Leadership
What is the purpose of leadership?
What is the purpose of leadership?
“The improvement of instructional practice and performance.”
(Elmore, 2006)
Leadership
How do leaders influence the improvement of instructional practice and performance?
Leadership Accountability
The necessary condition for success of school leaders in the future will be their capacity to improve the quality of instructional practice.
Richard Elmore, June 2006 Conference paper, OECD, (p. 6.)
What is improvement?
Improvement is increases in quality and performance
over time.
Richard Elmore, June 2006 Conference paper, OECD, (p. 6.)
Practice must be based on atheory of action.
A theory of action is a set of logically connected statements that connect the actions of leaders with their consequences for quality and performance in the organization.
They must be stated in order to be shared, and they have to be evaluated against evidence of their success in order to be judged.
(Chris Argyris and Donald Schon, 1978)
Leadership is . . .
The relentless pursuit
in the improvement
of practice.
June 26, 2002 Seattle P.I.
Germany ends South Korea’s dreamThree-time champs will face
Brazil or Turkey in final
BY JERE LONGMANThe New York Times
“South Korea was playing out a fantasy, while Germany is one of the world’s powers. Victory is a relentless expectation, not a delirious wish. While South Korea had a nation’s support, it could not match Germany’s skill and conviction.”
A recent report (2007) from McKinsey & Company titled, How the World’s Best-performing School Systems Come Out on Top, concludes that :
1) the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers, and
2) the only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction.
Great Schools Consist of . . .
Great teachers doing
great teaching.
McKinsey & Company (2007)
Great teaching consists of . . .
Teachers’ knowledge and skill,
Students’ engagement in their own learning, and
Challenging and meaningful content (Rigor).
PELP Coherence Framework (2006)
What does rigor look like?
It has a clear purpose.It is important to know.It challenges students to think and learn.It can be applied.It articulates a plan for the teacher to measure what
has been learned.It includes a plan for students to evaluate and
improve their own work.It contains elements of personal and peer respect.
(Wagner, 2006)
Good instructionAll students tend to benefit from:
clear goals and learning objectives; meaningful and challenging contexts; a curriculum rich with content; well designed and appropriately paced-
curriculum; active engagement and participation; opportunities to practice, apply, and
transfer new learning;
Good instructionAll students tend to benefit from:
feedback on correct and incorrect responses;
periodic review and practice; frequent assessments to gauge progress,
with reteaching as needed, and opportunities to interact with other students
in motivating and appropriately structured contexts.
(Goldenberg, 2008)
Students achieve when:
there is a culture of high expectations,
teachers know how and when learning occurs, and
schools identify and support struggling students.
Urquhart, 2008McREL, Changing Schools
McKinsey & Company’s 2007 Report Findings . . .
Get the right people to teach,
Support their growth of their knowledge and skills, and
Ensure that every student performs to his or her potential.
The Role of Leadership in Highly Effective Schools
Hire well
Develop people
Intervene early and often
Create a “high reliability” system(failure is not an option for any student)
McKinsey & Company ( 2007)
One child who does not learn what is needed for future success is
one child too many.
Urquhart, 2008
McREL, Changing Schools
Leadership
Break
Leadership Priorities
Please select one or two leadership phrases or comments that most align with your view of leadership and reflect the culture of where you work, or would like to work.
Share with a colleague or at your table why you selected the phrase of comment.
Creating the Magic at Walt Disney World
“The highest customer satisfaction is recorded in those areas of the company where cast members rate their leaders as ‘outstanding’ at coaching, recognition and
listening, empowerment.”
Thoughts on Leadership• Listen to me• Put me in the game• Some assembly is required• Stay on main street• Inspire me• Share the big picture• I’ll perform when I’m “on stage”• Make me feel special• Bring out the best in me• Coach me
Leadership
With a partner, share evidence of how you have:
coached someone to improvement,
listened for understanding,
recognized the efforts of others, and
empowered staff.