Transcript Document

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 Changes
are valuable,
but do not challenge the
fundamental assumptions
upon which the school is
organized.
Second Order Change
Second 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
ManyListen
of thosetointheir
low performing
words! 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?”
External vs. Internal Focus
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?
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-Driven
Teams 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 - Oriented
Each team must quantify the
number of schedule changes
made and the number of students
rescheduled for remedial and
advanced rigor courses.
District personnel compile districtwide data and then create racial
and ethnic reports to track
progress towards Strategic Plan
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