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Working with your Central Office Staff, Leadership Team, and BoardDennis R. Coe, Superintendent Henry County Schools
Is this your staff?
Central Office “Transformation” Primary focus should be on improving
teaching and learning! Demonstrate servant leadership skills Leverage specific supports for teaching
and learning improvement
Central Office “Transformation” Engages the entire central office in
reform Set high standards for maintaining
professional atmosphere Force staff to re-think how we work with
schools and with each otherSchools shouldn’t operate the same as the 1960’s, why should the Central Office?
Superintendent
Everyone Else
Board Members
Not Just an Organizational Chart
Learning focused partnerships with school principals
Assistance to the central office-principal partnerships
Reorganizing and re-culturing each central office unit
Stewardship of the overall transformation process
Use of evidence to support continual improvement
5 Dimensions of Central Office Transformation
Focus on building capacity of principals to be a true “instructional leader”
Designate central office staff to support individual principals based upon their own particular needs
Model for principals how to act as an instructional leader (board meetings, principal meetings, school faculty meetings)
Redesign principals meetings to focus on academic issues ONLY!
Learning focused partnerships with school principals
Assistance to the central office-principal partnerships
Provide PD to the Instructional Leadership Team
Re-structure duties to free up time for team to devote to helping principals
EVERYONE, not just Leadership Team, responsible for school performance.
Have each central office administrator answer these questions: Who are the principals in the schools
I am responsible for? What are the principals and their staff
doing to improve teaching and learning?
What can I do to help them?
Reorganize and re-culture each central office unit
Evolution of HEART Assist schools in Developing School and
Continuous Improvement Plans Coordinate budget meetings and priorities
around CIP’s. Organize frequent walkthroughs to
observe the implementation of the CIP’s. Help guide schools in a more efficient use
of available funds; identify academic problems within the school; instill a sense of urgency with staff to increase the level of student performance!
Ingredients for a successful Roundtable
Co-workers you can TRUST! Co-workers who are committed. Co-workers who are open-minded. Co-workers who are goal oriented. Most importantly…
Co-workers who are squirrels!
If your schools’ mission is to climb trees, do you hire a squirrel ……
or train a horse?
Realize that transformation is fluid and specific support actions may change
Communicate that the process will not change and that improvements in teaching and learning will always be at the central core
Be strategic in the use of resources and relationships to support the transformation efforts (budget process, walkthroughs, specific professional development)
Stewardship of the overall transformation process
Continuously look at student data to inform decisions about work at the central office
Don’t just rely on standardized test information
Use data to support continual improvement of work practices and relationships with schools
http://youtu.be/CEMmMrnOcmo
Servant Leadership Part II
Ultimately… The litmus test for ALL budget,
discipline, personnel, scheduling, transportation, nutrition, and curriculum MUST be:
“How does this decision affect student learning?”
Tips for Working with your Board
Get them trained and in touch with AASB as soon as possible
Encourage participation in AASB activities
Go with them to meetings when more than 1 is attending!
Training, training, training!
If you don’t have one, develop one for your system.
Differences between elected and appointed boards, and elected and appointed superintendents
Plan a board retreat Have occasional “eating meetings” And MOST IMPORTANTLY…….
Personalized Boardsmanship
Be able to count to 3; in some cases 5
