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Dr. Susan Enfield, SuperintendentHighline Public Schools (WA)
Aurora Lora, Assistant SuperintendentDallas Independent School District
Carmela Dellino, Executive Director of SchoolsSeattle Public Schools
Transforming Central Office/School LeadershipPartnerships to Raise Student Achievement in
High Poverty Schools
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The Case for TransformationUrban districts take many different approaches to reformingcentral office:
Adding/removing departments
Reconstituting superintendents leadership team
Shifting reporting lines
Making huge cuts in central office staff and increasing autonomy
over budget control
Increasing central office monitoring of alignment between
school and district efforts
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Changes to structure and roles alone will not produce results.
School systemscentral office and schools togethermustchange the practices of adults to improve outcomes for
students.
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The Research BaseThe most significant work to date on the role of the central office in
improving student achievement came in a 2010 study of urban
districts engaged in central office transformation as a district-wide
teaching and learning improvement strategy (Honig, Copland,
2010). The study focused on three urban districts:
Atlanta Public Schools
Empowerment Schools in New York City
Oakland Unified School District (CA)
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Findings That Informed Our Work
Developing a theory of action for improving studentachievement through learning-focused partnerships between
central office and principals
All central office staff working together with principals
joint work
Moving beyond customer service to providing high quality
services to schools in support of student learning
Reducing the layers of leadership between thesuperintendent and principals
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The Five Dimensions1. Learning-focused central office principal partnerships
2. Assistance to partnerships
3. Refocusing all central office units on teaching and learningsupport
4. Stewarding the transformation effort
5. Using evidence throughout the central office
( Honig, et al., 2010)
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Todays Focus
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Role of the Executive Director Work with principals individually and in networks to
strengthen principals instructional leadership
Help central staff and community members understand how
the role of principal has shifted from building manager to
instructional leader
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Effective Practices of EDs Providing differentiated support based on the instructional
leadership skills of principals
Modeling instructional leadership
Developing and using tools
Brokering resources
Helping principals serve as resources for one another
(Honig, et al., 2010)
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What impact does this have on high-poverty
schools?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2010 2011 2012
All Students
FRL
ELL
Sped
Roxhill Elementary3rd - 5th Graders Proficient on Math State Assessment MSP
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What impact does this have on high-poverty
schools?
Roxhill Elementary3rd - 5th Graders Proficient Reading State Assessment MSP
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2010 2011 2012
All Students
FRL
ELL
Sped
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Over the last four years, student growth and percentage
of students proficient on the Reading and Math
Washington State Assessment (MSP) continue to
improve.
Roxhill Elementary moved from a Level 1 (lowest
performing in the district) to Level 3 school.
Achievement gap for ELL, FRL, Special Ed,Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American students is
lower than the district average in all categories.
Evidence that this is Effective
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Learning Focused Principal
Partnerships Led to Student Growth
Strategies Implemented School and district culture focused on excellence for all
High quality teachers in every classroom
Use of data to inform instruction and interventions Frequent progress monitoring
Extended learning opportunities after school and Saturday
Academy
Highly effective professional learning communities
Strengthened family and community partnerships
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Considerations for Other Districts:Sharing Our Lessons Learned
People and programs come and go, but practices endure--
focusing on instructional leadership practice at the school
and central office level is critical.
The superintendent should be the executive sponsor of the
transformation work, but it must be fully embraced by
everyone at the senior level of the organization
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Considerations for Other Districts:Sharing Our Lessons Learned
A communication strategy that engages principals early in the
process is critical.
Engage the board in what this transformation work requires
and why it is needed so that policies support it and there is
governance support
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Considerations for Other Districts:Sharing Our Lessons Learned
Provide regular professional development for ExecutiveDirectors to maximize effectiveness
Kick-off retreat to fully introduce them to the work
Monthly professional development on coaching principals
Job-embedded professional development/coaching days
Ensure supports are in place at central office to keepExecutive Directors focused on instruction
Be thoughtful about ED:principal ratios
Other central office departments must understand how they can supportEDs and principals
Coordinators and parent specialists/ombudsmen can take non-instructional issues off the plates of EDs