December 2014 Supporting Principals as Instructional
Leaders
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Our Mission The Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) is a
nonprofit service arm of the University of Washington College of
Education dedicated to eliminating the achievement gap that
continues to divide our nations children along the lines of race,
class, language and disability. 2
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Equity Is a Key Principle of Our Work Equal Outcomes Fairness
Access and Support Respect for Differences Achievement of Every
Student Equity 3
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Foundational Ideas 1.If students are not learning they are not
being afforded powerful learning opportunities. 2.Teaching is a
highly complex and sophisticated endeavor. 3.Practice of
sophisticated endeavors only improves when it is open for public
scrutiny. 4.Improving practice in a culture of public scrutiny
requires reciprocal accountability. 5.Reciprocal accountability
implies a particular kind of leadership to improve teaching and
learning. 6.Leaders cannot lead what they dont know. 4
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Getting Alignment Around Instructional Effectiveness DISTRICT
LEADERSHIP Helping district leaders to develop policies, practices
and structure that support principals and teachers in delivering
high-quality instruction. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Helping district
leaders and principals observe, analyze and lead for high-quality
instruction. TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS Developing the teaching
expertise necessary to ensure that all students learn at high
levels. STUDENT LEARNING All students, regardless of race, class,
language and disability, achieve at high levels. 5
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Essential Questions How does a systems shared and common vision
of effective instruction improve student achievement? How do we
create a system to lead for instructional improvement? What
behaviors and practices will we need to put into place to support
the growth of instructional leadership? 6
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Learning Targets Analyze the impact of an instructional
leadership focus. To deepen our understanding of the evidence
needed to measure instructional leadership, teaching, and learning.
To deepen our understanding of how to use our theory of action to
ensure the school system has made it possible for instructional
leadership to be the primary job of the principal. 7
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Outcomes Identify promising practices in analyzing the impact
of an instructional leadership focus area. Identify existing and
needed evidence that measure instructional leadership, teaching
practice, and student achievement. Use the collective intelligence,
experience and expertise of the network to help each superintendent
grapple with identified roadblocks that hinder the principals
ability to focus on instructional leadership. 8
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Cycle of Inquiry 9 Phase III: Implement and Support
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Road Map August/September October DecemberMarch May/June
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Instructional Leadership Inquiry Cycle
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Formative Check-In Reflection and evaluation of the area of
focus. Review of agreed upon evidence collected by the principal
and principal supervisor. Review of student data. Examine feedback
and key ideas connected to progress and growth opportunities.
Determine next steps. 12
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13 Step 1: Analyze student and teacher evidence. Step 2:
Analyze principal leadership practice evidence.
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Evidence Collection Should Respond to the Following Questions:
To what extent did student learning improve in the identified area
of need? What is the evidence? To what extent did teaching practice
improve in the identified teaching problem of practice? What is the
evidence? To what extent did the principal practice improve in the
identified area of focus? What is the evidence? 14
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Determine Evidence of Success What is evidence of success and
how will the evidence be measured?
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Sample Guiding Questions What else do I need to see or consider
to make a final decision what is available to me? What is the
distribution of evidence over time? Has there been demonstrated and
consistent improvement? If there was growth, was the growth
sustained? What is the essence of the indicator? The criterion? Go
back and find the key words in the framework/rubric. What does the
evidence tell you about the evaluatees performance and growth with
regards to this essential aspect of the indicators / criterion?
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Case Study - Principal Web Phase IV Calibration Creating a
protocol for future problems of practice Using your tools System
checks and balances 17
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What Makes Quality Data? What does evidence collection look
like? What are the artifacts collected? Anecdotal evidence? What
evidence is collected as a system/district for all principals?
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Colleague Sharing 19
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Colleague Sharing 22
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Colleague Sharing 24
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Colleague Sharing Participants form small groups to share
artifacts/evidence. Each group selects a facilitator and a
timekeeper to utilize the protocol for sharing and (clarify and
probing) questioning. How are you using this artifact/evidence to
measure the impact of an instructional leadership focus area? What
criteria/criterion do you measure with this artifact/evidence? What
does it tell you about leadership? Teaching practice? Student
learning? 25