School Leadership Teams Workshop
“It is about focusing on building a culture of quality data through professional
development and web based dynamic inquiries for school improvement.” April 2010
Today’s Agenda
8:30-9:15 Introductions, develop common knowledge about Data4SS
9:15-9:30 Understand the ESD’s role, vision and implementation plan
9:30-11:00 Creating a culture of quality data
11:00-12:00 How to use Data 4SS
12:00-12:45 Lunch!
12:45-2:45 Data mining time
2:45-3:00 Next steps
Building Background Knowledge
“Which Came First: The Data or the Decision?”
• Read the article.• Choose one sentence, one phrase, and one
word that you believe captures the message of this article.
• Share your selections with your leadership team.• Share your word with the whole group.• Create a wordle (www.wordle.net)
Data 4 SS Overview Video
http://www.mistreamnet.org/videtail.php?who=cisd071509
Picture This…• Teachers are no longer working in isolation,
instead there is a culture of collaboration in place.
• Decisions are based on the findings from quality data.
• Professional development is job-embedded on a steady basis.
• The community is aware of the power of having a collaborative culture of educators using quality data and they are well-informed of the impact this can have on all students.
Making it Happen
AMA ESD’s Mission:
Serve and Support Student Achievement
Data Initiative Vision:
With support from the AMA ESD, school leadership teams will guide their schools in creating a collaborative culture using quality data.
Two Data Mining Systems + PLC model = Vision!
AMA ESD has two data mining systems available for schools:
• Data 4 Student Success (historical state-level data)• Data4 SS vs. TestWiz• Data Director (historical plus local data)
School leaders and AMA ESD Data Coaches understand the concept of the PLC model
Let’s put these two pieces together to create a collaborative culture that focuses on quality data!
Implementation Plan
Five schools signed up to be the first cohort group to dive into the AMA ESD’s data initiative journey.
The plan was developed for this first cohort to become the inspiration and guide for the rest of the schools.
AMA ESD will lead the workshops, offer support, and sustain resources.
We need to think of “the leader as one whose function is to engage groups of people in a way that creates accountability and commitment.” Peter Block
To do this, the leader should:
• Create a context based on gifts, generosity, accountability and commitment.
• Initiate and convene conversations that shift people’s experience, which occurs through the way people are brought together and the nature of the questions used to engage them.
• Listen and pay attention
Guiding the Pioneer SchoolsYear 3 Year 2 Year 1
School wide implementation of collaborative culture using quality data (PLCs)
Implement and evaluate SMART goal determined by leadership team (mini PLC)
Overview of Data 4 Student Success (data mining tool)
Initiative is showcased by pioneer schools to other schools in the ESD
Warehouse classroom data
Using data to drive decision making (develop a SMART goal for next year)
Pioneer schools continue using data to guide instruction and make decisions
Utilize Data Director and Data 4 Student Success to guide instruction
Brainstorm ways for leadership team to share data tools with staff and begin to build a collaborative culture
A new cohort of schools begin the journey
Train additional ESD Data Coaches
Begin learning about working in PLC models using SMART goal
Creating a Culture of Quality Data
Learning Target:
Understand a culture of quality data and the impact of change theory on staff
Culture of Quality Data
On chart paper, please answer the following questions with your school team:
• What is a culture of quality data?• What does it look like?• What does it sound like?• What is the evidence?
The School’s Culture…
dictates, in no uncertain terms, “the way we do things around here.” Ultimately, a school’s culture has far more influence on life and learning in the schoolhouse than the state department of education, the superintendent, the school board or even the principal can ever have…
Roland Barth (2001)
Continuum of Community Function
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Toxic Laissez-faire Congenial Collaborative Accountable
Toxic – All about the teacher, adults not nice to one another or to the students
Laissez-faire – Teacher centered, autonomous, individual contractors
Congenial – Counterfeit, confuse niceness w/collaborative, focus not on kids
Collaborative – Have structures and skills in working together for improved student achievement
Accountable – Able to acknowledge and deal with difficult data effectively;Move beyond familiar solutions and approaches; Let go of instructional practices that do not work; Call one another on unmet expectations or violated norms. Source: Skillful Leader II, Warnock presentation
Changing Cultures
• Bringing about cultural change in any organization is a complex and challenging task.
• Phil Schlechty (2005) refers to the challenge of reculturing as “disruptive change” because it “calls upon the system and those who work in it to do things they have never done”. It has been referred to as “2nd order change”- a dramatic departure from the expected and familiar.
CHANGE is difficult…
Those who undertake a 2nd Order Change - such as transforming their schools into Professional Learning Communities must realize that change is difficult but not impossible.
Anxiety, discomfort and conflict will accompany 2nd Order Change initiatives. 17
1st and 2nd Order Change
First Order Change:• Extension of past• Within existing paradigms• Consistent w/ current norms,
values• Incremental• Linear• Implemented w/ current
knowledge, skills• Implemented by experts
Second Order Change:• Break w/ past• Outside existing paradigms• Conflicts w/ current norms,
values• Complex• Non-linear• Requires new knowledge,
skills• Implemented by stakeholders
8 Common Mistakes
1. Allowing too much complacency • Establish a sense of urgency
2. Failing to create powerful guiding coalition• Create guiding coalition• ID critical number of champions re: change process
3. Underestimating the power of vision• Vision = direction, alignment, inspiration• Without direction, individuals “do their own thing”• Lack of direction leads to “permission” or “debate”
8 Common Mistakes
4. Under communicating the vision by a power of 10• 2nd Order Change requires credible and frequent communication• Important to communicate vision often• Unite leadership focused on vision• Action aligned to vision
5. Permitting structural, cultural obstacles to block change process
• Confront obstacles: PD, structures, staff, policy
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8 Common Mistakes
6. Failing to create short-term wins• Build on incremental gains; avoid “long march”• ID goals, performance criteria, celebrate
7. Declaring victory too soon• Know difference between “win” and “victory”• Successful change must be anchored in culture• Celebration provides impetus to tackle bigger problems
8. Neglecting to anchor changes firmly in culture• “Change” is part of the way we do things• Behaviors must be rooted in social norms, shared values
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Managing Complex ChangeSource: Ambrose, Adapted from Villa and Thousand (1995)
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Required Elements Result
Vision Skills Incentives Resources Action Plan Collegiality PositiveChange
*** Skills Incentives Resources Action Plan Collegiality Confusion
Vision *** Incentives Resources Action Plan Collegiality Anxiety
Vision Skills *** Resources Action Plan Collegiality Resistance
Vision Skills Incentives *** Action Plan Collegiality Frustration
Vision Skills Incentives Resources *** Collegiality Treadmill
Vision Skills Incentives Resources Action Plan *** Isolation
Complex Change…•Requires leadership greater than one person can provide.
•Distributed leadership maximizes the collective strengths of individuals in a coherent, adaptive, and sustainable organization. •It requires individuals to assume responsibility, take action, learn and grow for the benefit of the whole. 23
How do we impact culture?• Begin by focusing on changing BEHAVIORS.
• Attitudes follow behavior. That means people accept new beliefs as a result of changing their behavior. (Fullan)
• Behaviors and emotions change before beliefs so we need to act in a new way before we get insights and feelings related to new beliefs. (Elmore)
What will it look like?
From …• A focus on teaching• Emphasis on what was
taught• Coverage of content
• Infrequent summative assessments
• Remediation• Isolation
To …• A focus on learning• A fixation on what
students learned• Demonstration of
proficiency• Frequent common
formative assessments• Intervention• Collaboration
Roles and Responsibilities in Creating a Culture of Quality Data
Learning Target:
Understand the roles that need to be involved in building a culture of quality data
Roles and Responsibilities Group Activity
• In your teams, please choose one person to record your answers on the worksheet.
• Be ready to share with the group.
Assessing the Culture ofQuality Data
Learning Target:
Assess your current culture of quality data to help develop a plan of action
Assessing Your Culture of Quality Data
• After completing the chart together in your school teams, please take some time to answer the questions that follow.
• Share a few thoughts with the whole group.
• We will re-visit this chart as we journey through this initiative.
The Impact of Quality Data
• In small groups, answer these questions:– What is the impact of missing kids?– What is the impact of mislabeling kids?– What is the impact of having only historical
data?– What other systems depend on student data?
Getting to Know Data4SS
Computer Lab Tips:• Sit with your school team• Assign one person to be in charge of the
computer operations (one computer per team to get started)
• When it’s “Tutorial Time” please avoid using your computer until it is over, then we can explore