Transcript Statewide System of Support

District Role in School
Improvement
Sam Redding
Center on Innovation & Improvement
www.centerii.org
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Units of Change
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District
School
Team (Department)
Classroom
• People—Board member, superintendent,
district staff, principal, teacher, parent,
student
After the Vision and the Mandate
• Offer Incentives
– To encourage
– To discourage
• Build Capabilities
– Knowledge and skills
– Capacities and resources
• Provide Opportunities
– Freedom to innovate
– Space for ownership
The Parable of the Garden
Assignment
Millard Fillmore School
Scores on State Assessment
Year 1
Year 4
Year 7
Year 9
What happened about Year 7?
List 3 actions that most contributed to Millard Fillmore’s improvement.
Change of principals doesn’t count.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Year 12
District
Improvement Strategies
Kenneth Wong
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Strategies
1.
2.
3.
4.
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6.
Build civic and community support for school
improvement.
Provide and support the use of formative, standardsbased assessments.
Provide aligned curriculum; systems for teachers to
enrich and align to instruction.
Institute district-wide processes to affect classroom
instruction.
Align coherent incentives to performance.
Organize support and data processes into coherent
systems rather than fragmented, funding-based
entities.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
1. Build Civic and
Community Support
• Articulate a district vision of continuous school
improvement and urgency in addressing low
performance.
• Enlist mayors and other elected officials to help
marshal widespread support for improvement
strategies.
• Make school improvement a matter of civic
responsibility and pride.
• Educate parents about standards, their role, and
district improvement efforts.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
2. Use Formative Assessments
• Adopt district-wide, standards-aligned
formative assessment with school-level
and teacher-level analysis.
• Disseminate data to parents and teachers.
• Start at the earliest grades.
• Example:
– Northwest Evaluation Association’s
assessments
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
3. Provide Aligned Curriculum
• District provides aligned curriculum guide.
• Teacher teams plan aligned instructional
units individualized to student needs.
• Principals are accountable for productivity
of teacher teams.
• Classroom observations confirm that the
“taught curriculum” is the guaranteed
curriculum for every student.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
4. Focus on Improved Instruction
• Train principals to use teacher teams
effectively and to observe and coach teachers.
• Build strong, teacher instructional teams with
time to plan, clear expectations, and
accountability.
• Standardize classroom observation indicators
for each instructional mode.
• Use peer observations and peer coaching.
• Link professional development to classroom
observations.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
5. Align Coherent Incentives
• Connect teacher and principal performance to
level of compensation.
• Use bonus pay to recruit and retain qualified
teachers and principals.
• Provide incentives to attract good principals and
teachers to schools in need of improvement.
• Include progress in student achievement in
board’s evaluation and compensation of
superintendent.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
6. Build Systems, Not Programs
• Begin with the end in sight—student
learning
• Organize staff to meet ends
• Provide one accessible data system
• Provide each school with a district-level
improvement contact
• Report progress upstream, all the way to
the board, regularly
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Improved Districts:
What Did They Do?
Gordon Cawelti
Nancy Protheroe
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Principles
1. Superintendent provides high expectations and
focused leadership.
2. School boards and community leaders are
engaged in improvement.
3. Results are tied to people.
4. Local curriculum is aligned with state
standards.
5. Resources are reallocated to better support
goals and programs.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Principles (cont’d.)
6. Data drives decisions. Both operational and
outcome data.
7. District intervenes in schools making little
progress.
8. Teachers are focused on student learning.
9. Students with academic difficulties receive
prompt and sufficient intervention.
10. Leadership is spread to the school level.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
1. The Superintendent
• Kept goal of all students learning central,
used it to drive financial and programmatic
decisions.
• Skillfully set direction and gained buy-in.
• Set specific achievement targets.
• Zealously communicated message of high
expectations.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
2. School Boards
• Engaged in periodic self-evaluation.
• Presented united front with superintendent.
• Publicly provided support for reform; helped sell
vision to community.
• Ensured that student learning was the top
priority for attention and resources.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
3. Tie Results to People
• Make accountability part of district culture.
• High expectations and “no excuses” tied to
personal responsibility for results.
• Specific goals, deadlines, consequences for
district and school staff.
• Formative assessments provide data; people
respond with actions.
• Support, resources for staff needed.
• Consequences include recognition, celebration
for individuals, teams, schools, district.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
4. Curriculum
• Intense focus on taught and learned
curriculum
• Alignment of written, taught, tested
curriculum, integrated across grades
• Curriculum guides used continuously
• Sample lessons, other aids provided
• Principals monitored instructional planning
and classroom instruction
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
5. Reallocate Resources
• Goal-based needs govern budgeting
process
• Time allocated to support improving
instruction
• Additional resources for most needy
schools
• Align teacher and principal staff
development to district improvement
effort and school-based needs
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
6. Use Data to Drive Decisions
• Data at classroom, team, school, and district
levels
• Primary focus—connection between instructional
practices and outcomes; application in
instructional decisions—learning walks
• Systems - user-friendly and timely data at
classroom, school, team, and district levels.
• Training and time to analyze and discuss data.
• Application of data to instructional decisions is
essential
• Board learns to understand and use data
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
7. Intervene When Needed
• Assumption: turnaround is possible
• Have well-developed and communicated
policies and procedures for dealing with lowperforming schools
• Have the right leader in place before
restructuring or turnaround
• Benchmarks and timelines with explicit
consequences for not meeting benchmarks
• Monitor interventions closely
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
8. Focus Teachers on Student Learning
• Improvement must begin in the classroom
• Staff development linked to observed
teaching practices
• Everyone knows indicators—for each
mode
• Use the research base on good teaching
– See Mega System
– See Handbook on Restructuring and
Substantial School Improvement
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Staff Development for Teachers (cont’d)
• Expand definition of staff development to
include:
– In-class coaching and peer observation
– Group lesson planning
– Analysis of student work
• Schools’ unique needs should be
addressed, but in ways that focus on
district priorities
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Principals Need Training, Too
• How to observe classrooms and provide
focused feedback to teachers
• How to use data to inform conversations
with teachers
• How to make teacher teams effective
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
9. Help Students Falling Behind
• Intervention is an integral part of the instructional
process.
• Ensure students never get hopelessly behind.
• Train teachers to embed daily, standardsaligned, objectives-based assessment and make
quick adjustments for individual students
• Provide services for students who fall behind
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
10. Spread Leadership
• Balance between district control and flexibility at
the school level.
• Determine what decisions schools can make on
resource allocation, staff assignments, etc.
• Define district-school relationship in letter for
each school.
• Build leadership capacity at the school level.
• Include teacher teams in leadership.
• Provide appropriate leadership roles for parents.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
From Your Assignment
Actions that changed:
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Decision-making structures and processes
Professional development practices and procedures
Information and data systems
Curriculum
Alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to standards
Instructional planning
Instructional time and scheduling
Instructional delivery
Assessment of student learning
Student support services (tutoring, counseling, placement, for
example)
11. Parental involvement
12. Special education
13. Programs and services for English language learners
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Your Touchstone
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
What Matters Most?
• What matters most?
• Who matters most?
• What metrics would measure performance
and need?
• What support would we provide? For
whom?
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Picture a Student
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Parents
Parents’ role is to:
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Love her and talk with her every day
Read to her and listen to her read
Teach her to be kind and to behave in school
Aspire for her to succeed
Expect her to do her best
Build her habit of studying at home
Stay in touch with her teacher
Know her friends and their parents
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Schoolmates
Schoolmates’ role is to:
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Spend their every school day with her
Influence her positively and be influenced by her
Teach her and be taught by her
Never forget her or be forgotten by her
One may become her best friend
One may become her first date
One may . . . I think I’ll stop right there.
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Teachers
Teacher’s role is to:
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Know her well and care about her
Know the subjects well and how to teach them
Meticulously plan every detail of every day
Set and reinforce clear expectations for students
Know what she already knows and what she needs to
learn
• Adapt instruction for her and for each student
• Inspire her to love learning and do her best
• Stay in touch with her parents and support them in their
role
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Teacher’s Team
Teacher team’s role is to:
• Add flesh to the bones of the aligned curriculum
• Develop and share instructional plans, strategies, and
activities
• Monitor the progress of their students
• Adapt their plans, strategies in response to assessments
• Mentor new teachers
• Observe each other’s teaching and make suggestions
• Contribute to each other’s professional growth
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
Principal
Principal’s role is to:
• See that every student has the best teachers possible by:
– Hiring good teachers
– Clearly communicating and reinforcing expectations for teachers
– Monitoring teachers’ performance
– Evaluating teachers’ performance, especially through classroom
observations and student achievement
– Providing teachers with opportunities for growth aligned with
their evaluated performance
– Removing inadequate teachers
• Monitor student and school progress and make adjustments
• Coordinate the work of teams
• Manage the “business” of the school’s operation
• Set the tone of attitude toward students and their families
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
District’s
Support for the School
The role of district’s support to the school is to:
• Provide a rich, aligned, articulated curriculum
• Provide periodic assessment with timely and meaningful
reporting to teachers
• Maintain regular two-way communication with the
principal
• Monitor the school’s operations and performance
• Provide mentoring and professional development for the
principal aligned with the principal’s needs
• Provide professional development for teachers aligned
with their collective and individual needs
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
District’s Superintendent
Superintendent’s role is to:
• See that the school has the best principal possible by:
– Hiring good principals
– Clearly communicating and reinforcing expectations for
principals
– Monitoring principals’ performance
– Evaluating principals’ performance, especially through school
operations and student achievement
– Providing principals with opportunities for growth aligned with
their evaluated performance
– Removing inadequate principals
• Organize and monitor the delivery of district support for the school
• Serve as channel of informed communication among district
constituencies
• Manage the “business” of the district
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
District’s Board
District board’s role is to:
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Establish policies with the student in mind
Negotiate contracts with student in mind
Provide the resources necessary for each student’s success
Provide the best superintendent possible by:
– Hiring a good superintendent
– Clearly communicating and reinforcing expectations for the
superintendent
– Monitoring the superintendent’s performance
– Evaluating the superintendent’s performance, especially in
district operations and student achievement
– Providing the superintendent with opportunities for growth
aligned with their evaluated performance
– Removing inadequate superintendents
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)
People
• Who matters most?
• What matters most?
After the Vision and the Mandate
• Incentives
• Capabilities
• Opportunities
www.centerii.org
• Database of State policies, programs,
progress
• School and District improvement
resources
• Handbook on Restructuring and
Substantial School Improvement
• School Turnarounds
• The Mega System
District Role in School Improvement – Sam Redding (CII)