Florida Department of Florida Department of EducationEducation

Teacher and Leader Preparation Teacher and Leader Preparation Implementation CommitteeImplementation Committee

May 9th, 2011Ocala, Florida

Objectives• Provide a brief glance of some current

leadership research

• Overview the criteria for multidimensional leadership assessment (PRESTO)

• Present a new model for principal evaluation based on the research

• Identify where the gaps are in the current FPLS compared to contemporary research on leadership

A backward glance down the leadership research road…

James McGregor Burns (1978), "Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth.”

“There is, in fact, a substantial relationship between leadership and student achievement.” (Marzano, Waters, & McNuluty, 2005)

“…when district leaders are carrying out their leadership responsibilities effectively, student achievement…is positively affected.” (Waters & Marzano, 2006)

“School leaders who focus on students’ achievement and instructional strategies are the most effective.” (Hattie, 2009)

Visible Learning

Zone of Desired Effects

d = 0.4

A Barometer of Influences

Students could have

achieved w/o schooling

What teachers accomplish in a

typical yearThe greatest

impact on student achievement

outcomes

Interpreting Effect Size

Average

Formative Evaluation

When implementing a new program, an effect size of 1.0would mean that, on average, students receiving that treatment would exceed 84% of students not receiving thattreatment

When teachers SEE learning throughthe eyes of the student and whenstudents SEE themselves as theirown teachers

Instructional Leadership Instructional Leadership DimensionsDimensions

Promoting & participating in teacher learning and development

Planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum

Strategic resourcing

Establishing goals and expectations

Ensuring an orderly supportive environment

d=0.91

d=0.74

d=0.60

d=0.54

d=0.49

60%of a school's impact on student achievement is attributable to principal and teacher effectiveness

25% 33%Principal

Teacher

Augustine, Gonzalaz, Ikemoto, Russell, Zellman, Constant, Armstrong, & Dembosky (2010)

Large Scale, Six Year Leadership Study

Largest of its kind to dateNine states, 43 school districts, and

180 elementary, middle, and secondary schools.

Survey Data from 8,391 teachers and 471 school administrators and observational data from 312 classrooms.

“Our research confirms leaders’ potential influence, as well as the limits on their ability, to be the central figure and catalyst for authentic and lasting systemic educational reform.” (Wahlstrom et al., 2010)

Powering Leadership

2nd“To date we have not found a single case of a school improving its student achievement record in the absence of talented leadership” (p.9)

“School’s leaders have animpact on student achievement primarilythrough their influence onteacher’s motivation andworking conditions”

Viewing Leadership Through Three Lenses

CollectiveLeadership

SharedLeadership

DistributedLeadership

Higher-performing schools award greater influence to teacher teams, parents, and students

Leadership practices targeted directly at improving instruction have significant effects on teachers’ working relationships and, indirectly, on student achievement

One of the most powerful sources of districts’ influence on schools and students is through the development of school leaders’ collective sense of efficacy about their jobs

Districts Shape Principals’ Collective Sense of Efficacy By…

1234Investing in thedevelopment ofinstructionalleadership

Assigning priority to the improvement of student achievement and instruction

Ensuring teachers and administrators have access to worthwhile programs of PD

Emphasizing teamwork and professional community

50%

of principals identified seven behaviorsas positive influences on their sense of efficacy:

1. Provision of resources2. Encouragement to develop relationships3. Flexibility in pursuit of district goals4. Insisting on data-based decision-making5. Assisting in the interpretation and use of data6. Policies that enable principals to staff their schools with the people they need7. Clear direction

However, if poorly managed or implemented…

More likely will have null or even negative consequences

For Example…

Investing in the professional development of school leaders had limited effects on efficacy and student achievement unless districts also developed and communicated clear goals for improvement.

“For some time now we havebeen saying that principalsneed to be instructionalleaders, but we now knowthat the same is true forsuperintendents and centraloffice staff.”

McNulty & Besser (2011) p.44

Superintendent Responsibilities

Average r

Non-negotiable goals for achievement and instruction

.33

Board alignment and support of district goals

.29

Defined autonomy; superintendent relationship with schools

.28

Monitoring goals for achievement and instruction

.27

Use of resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction

.26

“Principals play a critical role in student learning, but they are evaluated almost as an afterthought.”

Andrew J. Rotherham, Time, October 21, 2010

A New Model for Evaluation

Criteria for a Multidimensional Leadership Assessment

Presto

Speed, clarity, and adaptability

A Robust Evaluation System

FMLA Framework

A logical grouping of characteristics, traits, and performance indicators

10 Leadership Domains

• Resilience

• Personal Behavior and Professional Ethics

• Student Achievement

• Decision-making

• Communication

• Faculty Development

• Leadership Development

• Time/Task/Project Management

• Technology

• Learning

Resilient

Personal Behavior/Professional Ethics

Student Achievement

Decision-making

Communication

Faculty Development

LeadershipDevelopment

Time/Task/ProjectManagement

Technology

Learning

Performance Continuum

Launching Your Work

Small groups will review the gap analysis and areas the FPLS are silent on to:

• Create clear “word pictures” of the standards

• Incorporate action oriented verbs within the standard that require high rather than low level cognitive functions

• Ensure intent is clear and concise

FMLA Crosswalk

Big Picture View

• Many standards are aligned with contemporary expectations of leaders and will require only minor rework

• Some standards will require a more concerted effort so they reflect the leadership research

• Few areas will require major rework

• In some cases the standards are silent in critical leadership competencies

FPLS Are Silent On…

• Change facilitation

• Systems thinking

• Organization development

• Time management (personal and organizational)

• Focus on prioritized needs

• Leadership development

• Essential behavioral leadership qualities

• Personal learning

Change Facilitation• Change is highly complex, multivariate, and

dynamic

• Predict much more about what truly happens during this process than is typically the case

• Better at attending to the needs of people involved and prevent what often goes wrong

• Future change efforts can be more successful if leaders have a strong knowledge and skill base

Systems Thinking• Recognizes the interrelationships and

interdependencies among parts of the educational system and the community

• Competencies for successful systemic work (e.g., collecting, interpreting, and using data, creating coherence, forging alliances, building capacity, promoting innovation)

• Requires all levels of the system (classroom, school, and district) be given attention

Organization Development• Help members of the

system/organization develop expertise and the capacity to use group and individual process skills to solve its problems

• Building and leading teams

• Effective conversation skills (i.e., dialogue and discussion)

• Group decision-making and problem solving skills

Time Management

• Personal time management that increases the amount of time leaders spend focused on high-leverage practices

• Principals must protect teachers from issues and influences that could distract them from using class time solely for teaching and learning

• Protecting instructional time from interruptions

Focus On Prioritized Needs• More than six priorities inversely related to

achievement

• Schools with the highest levels of focus and monitoring achieved twice the gains in reading over three years compared to schools with lowest levels

• Teachers and leaders burned to a cinder doing EVERYTHING their boards and administrators require—even high scores on implementation of two dozen initiatives – BUT WITHOUT FOCUS, they score LOWER than other schools

Leadership Development

• Facilitating change is a team effort

• While the principal is crucial in successful implementation of change, many others have a responsibility to help

• Identifying potential future leaders

• Mentoring emerging leaders to assume key leadership responsibilities

• Providing evidence of delegation and trust in subordinate leaders

Essential Behavioral Leadership Qualities

• Fred I. Greenstein, one of our keenest observers of the modern presidency, surveys each president's record in public communication, organizational capacity, political skill, vision, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence--and argues that the last is the most important in predicting presidential success

• Resilience

• Tolerance

Personal Learning

• Demonstrates personal understanding of research trends in education and leadership

• Creates a personal professional focus

• Creates a professional development focus

• Applies professional development learning

The Leadership and Learning Center1.303.504.9312

LeadandLearn.comRaymond Smith, Ph.D.

rsmith@leadandlearn.com

Questions and Discussion