Developing Educational Leaders

Building a learning-centered leadership system

Ad Hoc Committee on Educational Leadership

         Rep. David Cook Rep. Bill Abernathy Rep. David Rainey Rep. Johnnie Roebuck Jodie Mahony, House Staff Teri Dorrough, ADE Janinne Riggs, ADE Deborah Coffman, ADE Beverly Williams, ADE       Mary Gunter, Arkansas Tech Kieth Williams, Harding John Hoy, Lee County School District Beverly Elliott, Arkansas Leadership Academy Tom Kimbrell, AAEA Gary Kees, Arkansas River Education Services Co-op

Importance of School Leaders

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Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school.”

The Wallace Foundation, 2004 research review

“[S]chools are unlikely to show substantial improvements without highly effective principals.”

SREB, 2007

Other States’ Work

Alabama  Convened Governor’s Congress on School Leadership to develop recommendations on school leadership strategies  Requires universities and school districts to implement a joint screening and selection process to identify potential school leaders

Other States’ Work

Delaware  Working to create a cohesive leadership system that includes a 90-hour professional development licensure requirement, a three tiered licensure system and help for school districts to develop principal succession plans

Other States’ Work

Iowa  2007 legislation requires the adoption of statewide standards for school administrators, creates a mentoring program for beginning superintendents and requires school districts to provide career development plans for administrators

SREB Recommended Strategies

 States should adopt learning-focused leadership standards  Universities and school districts should work together to recruit, select and prepare aspiring leaders  States should adopt tiered licensure that ensures that leaders demonstrate their ability to improve student learning

SREB Recommended Strategies

 States should create alternative pathways to entry-level licensure  States should provide training and support for leadership teams in low-performing schools  States should ensure that policies, practices and available resources support school improvement and student performance  and hold leaders accountable

Licensure

 Arkansas offers three types of administrator licenses: building-level, district-level and curriculum program administrator  All require license holders to have a teaching license, a graduate degree and at least four years of teaching experience  Must have building-level license before obtaining district-level license

Leadership Degree Programs

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Nine Arkansas Universities offer building level programs in educational leadership Henderson UA-Fayetteville ASU Arkansas Tech

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Harding

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UCA

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UA-Monticello

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UALR

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SAU

Mentoring

  Beginning principals and curriculum administrators are required to participate in mentoring for at least one year State pays for mentor’s training and time as well as supplies, such as books, that the beginning administrator needs  There is no state mentoring requirement for superintendents

Professional Development

Administrators must complete 60 hours of professional development in:  Technology (six hours)  Parent involvement (three hours)  Data disaggregation  Instructional leadership  Fiscal management

Professional Development

Survey of co-ops found:  All 15 co-ops provide some professional development for administrators, although the content varies considerably  Most co-ops offer a two- or three-day conference designed for administrators  The Arkansas River Education Service Co-op offers a two-year program for aspiring superintendents

Professional Development

Other leadership programs:  Arkansas Leadership Academy: School Support, Master Principal, Superintendent Institute  Arkansas Superintendent Academy (Arkansas Tech)

Arkansas Superintendents Survey

Survey of all 245 superintendents found:  On average, Arkansas superintendents have just over 19 years of administration experience   About 92 percent said they would recommend mentoring for beginning administrators The top subjects in which they said new administrators should be mentored are budgeting and finance, school laws and regulations, and school board relations

SREB Arkansas Assessment: Commendable Actions

 With state funding and support, all universities have redesigned their leadership programs around national standards  Universities and districts provide school based experiences as part of their leadership development programs  Universities offer a customized program for candidates with a master’s degree in a field other than educational leadership

SREB Arkansas Assessment: Commendable Actions

 ADE mentors receive some training, and districts receive funding for mentoring program  The state is building a comprehensive data warehouse that will make it possible to track the performance of administrators as tied to student achievement

SREB Arkansas Assessment: Commendable Actions

 Leadership Academy’s School Support program provides regular coaching to four high-need schools (in years 1 and 2 of AYP)  Master Principal designation requires evidence of successful school results

SREB Arkansas Assessment: Gaps in the System

 Local school districts should be more involved in the recruitment and selection of candidates admitted to leadership programs  The state does not have an effective strategy for attracting and preparing highly qualified persons from high-need districts to become school leaders in those districts

SREB Arkansas Assessment: Gaps in the System

 Graduates’ impact on schools and student achievement is not systematically tracked and evaluated  Formal university-district partnerships that assess local district needs and collaborate on the design and delivery of leadership programs are not required  There is no state commission or oversight group for leadership system redesign

Next Steps

 Issues for further study  Potential recommendations