Building a District System of Support for Academies

Academy Development and Structure - Academy Leadership

Roman Stearns, ConnectEd Mike Henson, NAF

Agenda

 Introductions, Expectations, and Outcomes  What is a Systemic Approach?

 Why Systems?  What Do Systems Look Like?

 Are We Ready?  Q & A

Introductions & Expectations

 Who are you?

o Role, school, district  What to you expect to gain from this session?

o In a sentence

Outcomes

  Participants will  understand the need for a system of support to ensure sustainability of career academies  be able to articulate the difference between programmatic and systemic strategies have a grasp of the various elements of a district-wide system  have an initial understanding of the implications for moving to a systems approach have a sense of their district’s readiness to implement a system of academies

What is a Systemic Approach?

 Designed to involve, serve, and support all students, teachers, administrators, staff, business and community leaders  Designed for the long-term to be scalable and sustainable  Involves shifting policies, procedures, structures, leadership, and culture  Some examples…

Problem Statement



Principal Support.

Site principal does not adequately understand academy needs and therefore does not provide the level of support necessary for high quality implementation 

Collaboration Time.

Academy teachers do not have adequate collaboration time to design, monitor, and evaluate multidisciplinary projects, examine data, and address student intervention needs

Programmatic solution



Principal Support.

A district administrator or external support provider takes the principal under his/her wing to promote awareness; or replace the principal with someone who is more supportive 

Collaboration Time.

On an academy-by academy basis, negotiate scheduling solutions and/or union waivers that would allow for additional planning time

Systemic Solution



Principal Support.

Establish an ongoing principal leadership development program that systematically builds awareness and capacity of site administrators to deeply understand, support, and provide bold leadership that promotes high quality academy implementation 

Collaboration Time.

Establish in district-wide policies and practices common planning time for academy teams of teachers as a priority when developing master schedules

Why systems?

 Historically, academies have been too

person dependent

and, as such,

susceptible

deterioration when the leader leaves to  Academies have often been developed

in spite of

the system, rather than

with support

from it  It’s the only way to move away from “pilot program” or “special project” status, and toward the

primary strategy

for secondary education

Fundamental Beliefs

 The district is committed to

improving

academies the educational experience and outcomes for

all

students through the use of career-themed  The district is committed to

open choice

and

equity

for

ALL

students  High school graduation and college and career readiness are a K-12 and

community responsibility

What Do Systems Look Like?

 Small group activity o What are the

implications

of shifting to a more systemic approach to supporting academies?

o 8 table groups o 3-5 members each o 20 minutes to grapple with question:

How would district structures, culture, leadership, policies, and practices need to shift in order to…

Systemic Elements

1.

Equity, access, and choice 2.

High quality instruction 3.

Accountability systems 4.

Staffing 5.

Work-based learning 6.

Middle school career exploration 7.

Extended learning 8.

Facilities and budget planning

Report Out

 What are the

two

most compelling ideas that emerged from your group?

OR  What would be the

two

most critical implications for a district interested in moving to a more systemic approach to academy implementation?

Are You Ready?

Complete surveys independently Table discussion:  One person at a time, share one “high” result and one “low” result; for each… o How ready are you?

o How do you know? i.e., What’s the evidence?

Readiness Assessment Guiding Questions

LEADERSHIP, EQUITY, AND SYSTEMS ALIGNMENT

 Does the district have stable and bold leadership?

 Is there evidence of a commitment to equity?

 Are there effective communication channels throughout the district and out to the community?

 Are there potential local, regional partners who are also engaged in similar work to build regional capacity?

Readiness Assessment Guiding Questions

CULTURE

 Is there evidence of a culture of schools being student-centered?

 Is there a culture of data use, inquiry and continuous improvement among adults?

 Does the district have an inclination towards systems rather than programs?

 Does the district and community value innovative approaches?

 Is there evidence of commitment to and experience with collaboration with community, civic, business and postsecondary partners?

Readiness Assessment Guiding Questions

PRACTICE

 Is there widespread dissatisfaction with status quo and eagerness to improve student outcomes?

 Are foundational building blocks already in place in the District? i.e., What is the current state of career and technical education programs and funding?

Q & A

Contact Information

Mike Henson

NAF [email protected]

(646) 584-1477

Roman Stearns

ConnectEd [email protected]

(510) 849-4945