Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009Alternative Approaches to

Pathways and Distributed Leadership

Daphannie StephensCenter for Urban School LeadershipU.C. Berkeley

Pathways Connections Drawn from W. Norton Grubb, “Sunup to Sundown and Beyond: Leadership Challenges in High Schools and in Multiple Pathways”.

Quality criteria 1.2.7 Staff Collaboration and

3.2.2 Site Level Leadership

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Distributed Leadership

Hierarchical authority Expert & relational influence*

Articulated divisions in task responsibility defined by position

Spans task, responsibility & power boundaries of traditionally defined roles*

Top down mandates Collective goals*Singular actions Collective activity

comprising a quality or energy that is greater than the sum of individual actions*

Delegated Distributed

*Spillane, Diamond, 2007; Bennet, et al 2003

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Situation“The situation of practice can make it more or less difficult to employ certain means and achieve certain ends…from a distributed perspective, however, aspects of the situation do not simply ‘affect’ what school leaders do as some sort of independent variable… aspects of the situation such as organizational routines and tools in interaction with people define leadership management and practice.”

Distributed Leadership in Practice-Spillane, Diamond 2007

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

SituationPathway Structure

Organization -routines, tools, policies, systems, collaboration

models

Staff - will, skill, knowledge, capacity

Student -engagement, achievement

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Pair ShareWhat are the distributive leadership successes & challenges, hopes & concerns at your school?

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

What is the role of the principal in a distributed model?

“ A large part of leadership agency involves coordinating and maintaining organizational routines and tools in order to create desired outcomes…”

Distributed Leadership in Practice-Spillane, Diamond, 2007

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Facilitative Leadership Styles

• Situational awareness, development & monitoring

• Transformation supportDirect IndirectTechnical Adaptive*Task Oriented RelationalControl (micro) Coordinate (macro)Player Coach

*Leadership Without Easy Answers, Ronald Heifitz

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Areas of Consideration: A Multi- Tiered Approach

Students

Staff

System

Self

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Coherent Action PlanLeader System Staff/Faculty StudentsVision Structure Team

PerformanceDemonstration

Distributed Leadership

Routines Team Interactions

Interactions

Support Tools Professional Development

Engagement

Learning Culture Learning Learning

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Leadership SupportWhat are the leadership styles and/or areas of work that you gravitate towards?

How has this helped or hindered?

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

Taking It BackWorksheet Journal:

Given your situation & leadership style…

What do you need to focus on to strengthen your site level leadership support & staff collaboration?

Center for Urban School Leadership University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education © 2009

1. Form cross district trios2. Protocol Steps:• 4 minutes - Present your situation & question

• 8 minutes - Discuss the presenters concern sharing your ideas and questions

• 3 minutes - Presenter shares new thinking

3. Select next presenter & start again!

Consultancy