Leadership, Teaming and Collaboration for School Reform

Robert Sheffield, The College Board

November 8, 2007

Agenda

• First Order Change vs. Second Order Change

• From Philosophy to Action

• Case Study from Volusia County, FL

• Data Analysis and Strategic Planning

First Order Change vs.

Second Order Change

First Order Change

Most of the reform that we experience in schools is considered to be First Order Change.

First Order Change can be described as:

•Incremental

•Product Driven

•Reversible

•Contextual

First Order Change

Examples of First Order Change:

• Smaller Classes

• New Instructional Materials

• New Instructional Technology

• Reduction of Counselor to Student Ratios

• Increases in Funding

First Order Changesare valuable,

but do not challenge the fundamental

assumptions upon which the school is

organized.

Second Order ChangeSecond Order Change is needed to establish schools that are both excellent and equitable.

Second Order Change can be described as:

• Revolutionary

• Values Driven

• Irreversible

• Transformational

Why is Second Order Change Necessary?

A system is designed to produce exactly what it produces.

Therefore, if we want different results we must change the system!

Culture Transformation

• Our schools reflect our society

• Our schools reflect our values

• Our schools reflect our history

• Our schools reflect our future

Importance of Culture

Structural innovation cannot be understood and should not be undertaken without considering culture.

Fred Newmann

Importance of Culture

Structural change that is not supported by cultural change will eventually be overwhelmed by the culture, for it is in the culture that any organization finds meaning and stability.

Phil Schlechty

Listen to their words!Many of those in low performing schools say, “We have high mobility, high bilingual, low SES, and low parent support! You know we are doing pretty good in spite of those kids!”

Many of those in high performing schools say, “We have high mobility, high bilingual, low SES, and low parent support! THEREFORE, we must adapt to compensate for those factors!”

It is what people say after they describe their challenges that provides clues about the degree to which they are willing to adapt and change.

External vs. Internal Focus

Changing the language

★From “complaining” to “commitment”

★From “they” to “we”

★From “what we can’t stand” to

“what do we stand for?”

Focus on what “we” can control!!!

As an educational leader, what can you put in writing as a promise to every student in your school?

External vs. Internal Focus

From Philosophy to Action

Distributed Leadership

Research shows:

“Throughout our ten-year study, whenever we found an effective

school or an effective department within a school, without exception

that school or department has been a part of a collaborative

professional learning community.”

-Milbrey McLaughin

Research Shows: Need for a collaborative culture

“Improving schools require collaborative cultures …without collaborative skills and

relationships, it is not possible to learn and to continue to learn as much as you

need to know to improve.”

-Michael Fullan

What is Collaboration?

A systematic process in which we work together,

interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual

and collective results.

-DuFour, DuFour & Eaker

What is Collaboration?

• Meaningful experience

• A sense of being a part of something larger than self

• A sense of being connected

• A sense of being generative

Peter Senge

School Teams Must Move

•From Participation

•To Cooperation

•And Ultimately to Collaboration

Keys to Effective Teams• Embed collaboration in routine practices of the

school, with the focus on student learning

• Time for collaboration built into the school day and school calendar

• Team Norms of Behavior to guide collaboration

• Teams pursue specific and measurable performance goals

• Teams have access to relevant information

• Intervention strategies are Systematic, Timely, and Directive

Dick Dewey

Team Norms

The standards of behaviors by which we agree to operate while we are in a group.

Steps for Establishing Norms

• STEP 1 – Members identify own needs

• STEP 2 – Members share their norms

• STEP 3 – Clarify “look like” and “sound like” for abstract norms

• STEP 4 – Ask for missing norms. Recommend or prompt others

Steps for Establishing Norms

• STEP 5 – Ask for agreement from total group

• STEP 6 – Work toward consensus with the norms

• STEP 7 – Contract to give feedback. Get commitment to norms from all members

• STEP 8 – Post norms and review them frequently

J. Killion/NSDC

SMART Goals Contribute to a Results-Orientation

Strategic and Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Results-Oriented

Time-Bound

Conzemius & O’Neill

Why Do SMART Goals Work?

• SMART goals focus on results!

• SMART goals focus on the few things most likely to have the greatest impact!

• SMART goals have both short and long term impact!

Strategic and Specific

• Focus on the Greatest Area of Need and/or the Greatest Area of Opportunity

High Leverage

Greatest gains will be seen

• Specific students, skills, and/or desired results

Measurable

• Seeking concrete and tangible evidence

• How will we know when it is accomplished

Attainable• How large is the gap?

• Identify goals that are most important to you and worthy of your commitment

• Develop the focus, attitudes, skills, energy and resource capacity to reach them – Grow and expand to match your goals

• Plan the steps wisely

Results – Oriented

• Learning Goal (vs. a teaching goal)

• Product Goal (vs. a process goal)

• Results (vs. Good Intentions)

Time – Bound

• A specific time frame is critical

• Builds internal accountability and commitment

Are these SMART Goals?Strategically aligned with the school-wide goal of increasing enrollment in Advanced Placement courses; by December of the 2008-09 school year, we will:

• Offer open enrollment to AP courses

• Increase the percentage of the student population attending our College Readiness nights by 25%

• Decrease the number of students dropping AP courses from 23% of the overall AP enrollment to less than 10% of the overall AP enrollment by developing support programs for struggling students and communicating with parents

Create Systems that are:★Directive

★Timely

★Systematic

Big Idea 1: A Focus on Learning

“Do whatever it takes!”

Implement Action Plans for students who need additional

support.

Plan your strategies for systematic school

improvement.

CASE STUDY

Volusia County Schools

Collaborative Analysis Project

Volusia County Schools

Demographics• 66,000 students – 10th Largest District

• 35% Minority Population

• 40% Free or Reduced Lunch

• Per Capita income of Volusia County - $22, 574

• 18% of Volusia County residents are college graduates

VCS 2007 and Oppaga 2003

2003-2008 District Strategic Plan

Objective 2:

50% of 24 credit standard diploma students in each high school will successfully complete one or more AP or IB courses.

Objective 6:

The percentage of African American, Hispanic, and low socio-economic students enrolled and academically successful in advanced programs of study will be within 3% of the racial, ethnic, and socio-economic distribution of the district as a whole.

Systematic Approach

• Expansion of AP program

• 8th – 11th grade PSAT

• AP Potential

• Professional Development Requirements

• Pre-AP and Vertical Team Trainings

• SpringBoard

Collaborative Analysis

The Collaborative Analysis Project was based on the assumption that we needed to make greater efforts to ensure high levels of academic rigor for all students.

Collaborative Analysis

The project was based upon several best practices proven to be effective:

1. Collaboration

2. Data – Driven

3. Results – Oriented

Collaborative Process

The Collaborative Analysis teams consist of administrators, counselors, instructional coaches and department chairs from each secondary school.

District personnel provided training for teams in half day workshops.

Data-DrivenTeams review end of the year school data to determine the best student scheduling options for the coming year.

Teams are looking for students scheduled “under” their ability for success.

Results - OrientedEach team must quantify the number of schedule changes made and the number of students rescheduled for remedial and advanced rigor courses.

District personnel compile district-wide data and then create racial and ethnic reports to track progress towards Strategic Plan Goals.

Data Analysis and Strategic Planning

Data Analysis and Strategic Planning

STEP 1 – Review your schools data

STEP 2 – Identify Greatest Area of Need and/or Greatest Area of Opportunity

STEP 3 – Create 2 SMART Goals to address the identified areas

STEP 4 – Discuss strategies to accomplish the SMART Goals