40. Overcoming Barriers to Transformation Through System-Wide Leadership Dr. Carol Johnson, Superintendent Central Dauphin School District

We believe that we can no longer wait to do right by our students in preparing them for a challenging world and for life after school. We need to move beyond a focus on basic academics to a far greater emphasis on learner engagement and personal skill development. We need to do so in a way that is relevant to the 21 st Century, not the one in which we grew up, a century that ended more than 14 years ago. More importantly, we need to do this as a district, not as one teacher in a single classroom. It is our duty to provide a high quality education to every child in every classroom in every school in our district, regardless of where those children live. A zip code cannot be what determines educational outcomes. Dr. Carol Johnson

The Goal of the Central Dauphin RRR Initiative To transform learning, teaching, and leading in every Central Dauphin classroom and school through a focus on positive relationships and rigorous and relevant instruction.

Building a System-wide Approach for Rigorous Learning #ModelSchools

Rigor/Relevance Framework #ModelSchools

The Central Dauphin School District Located in suburbs of Harrisburg 14 th largest district in Pennsylvania District covers 118 square miles 92,000 residents 11,000 students - 41 languages - 40% poverty 13 elementary schools 4 middle schools 2 high schools 900 professional staff

Focus on the Foundation Align curriculum maps to core standards and rigorous / relevant instruction Transform learning and instruction through a focus on rigor, relevance, and relationships Build leadership capacity at all levels— classroom, school, district

Year 1 ( )  Dr. Bill Daggett speaks at a CDSD district in-service in March 2013  Introductory 1-day professional development sessions (Summer 2013)  Leadership Academy for all administrators (August 2013)  WE SURVEYS in all CDSD schools (September 2013)  District in-service focused on rigorous instruction (October 2013)  Strategic planning at school and district level (Nov – Feb. 2014)  Leadership coaching for school leadership teams (Jan. – May 2014)  Instructional coaches support 115 Cohort 1 Teacher Leaders (Jan. – June 2014)  Teacher-led district in-service (March 7, 2014)  All teachers and staff apply what they are learning (March – June 2014)

Changing Course and Owning the Process After October 2014 Reacting to feedback Learning from our mistakes Embracing agility The absolute requirement for superintendent engagement

Non-Instructional Staff Nurses, psychologists, social workers, home and school visitors, and other specialists: Trained as teams to find ways to enhance each school’s relationship with stakeholders (staff, students, parents)

Para-Professional Staff Classroom para-professionals worked with special educators to: Help students with modified assignments Help students with Close Reading activities Help make life skills and other specialized classes more rigorous

Year 2 ( )  Teacher-led 1-day professional development sessions (Summer 2014)  Leadership Academy for all administrators (August 2014)  60 Cohort 2 Teacher Leaders trained with a focus on building lessons on authentic performance tasks (Aug. – Sept. 2014)  Teacher-led in-service focused on rigorous instruction (September 25, 2014)  Math practices and model lesson professional development  Leadership coaching as school leadership teams guide rigorous and relevant learning and teaching in their school (Oct – May 2015)  Instructional coaching for 92 Cohort 3 teachers in every school (Oct – Apr. 2015)  Teacher-led district in-service in every school (March 6, 2015)  All teachers and staff apply what they are learning to their work (ongoing) Collaborative planning Develop more teacher leaders Bring it to life in each school

Year 3 ( )  Teacher-led 1-day professional development sessions (Summer 2015)  Leadership Academy for all administrators (August 2015)  60 Cohort 4 Teacher Leaders trained with a focus on vocabulary strategies and analyzing student work (Aug. – Sept. 2015)  Dr. Bill Daggett kicks off school year with all staff (August 27, 2015)  Teacher-led in-service focused on vocabulary strategies (September 2015)  Principal and teacher-led in-service focused on analyzing student work (October 2015)  Leadership coaching as school leadership teams guide rigorous and relevant learning and teaching in their school (Oct – March 2016)  Instructional coaching for identified teachers in every school (Oct – Apr. 2016)  Teacher-led district in-service in every school (March 2015)  All teachers and staff apply what they are learning to their work (ongoing) Collaborative planning Develop teacher leaders Bring it to life in each school

The Core of CDSD’s RRR Initiative Teacher-led professional learning Modeling rigorous instruction Cohort 2 Cohort 1 Cohort 3  115 teacher leaders  Coached in developing & teaching rigorous lesson  Led March 7 th in-service with colleagues  60 teacher leaders  Coached in developing & teaching rigorous lesson  Lessons built around performance tasks  Led September 25 th in-service with colleagues  92 teacher leaders  Coached in using powerful instructional strategies Close Reading Reflective Writing  Led March 6 th in-service with colleagues 327 Cohort 4  60 ‘repeat’ TLs  Coached in using powerful instructional strategies Vocabulary Analyzing student work  Will lead September in-service with colleagues

Leadership Coaching and Support  2013 Summer Leadership Academy – administrators introduced to RRR concepts, tools, and overview of three-year initiative  Leadership coaching provided in all 19 schools  Review of school’s needs assessment reports  Formation of school leadership teams  Development of school strategic action plans  Coach / principal walkthroughs using CIR  Districtwide RRR Team guides initiative implementation  Developed vision statement for RRR initiative  Reviews participant feedback and recommends adjustments  2014 Summer Leadership Academy – focus on leading the transformation of learning and teaching in every classroom and every school

The Tipping Point Increased teacher collaboration Encouraging signs of progress in the use of Close Reading Reflective Writing Performance Tasks More system-wide collaboration Teacher to teacher Teacher to Principal Teacher to Superintendent

The Herd is Moving Generally Westward Everyone is included. Teachers are trying to transform the way they teach. Students are being challenged by more demanding learning expectations. We are making learning more engaging, more relevant, more like the real world.

One Brief Shining Moment

#ModelSchools My Journey Video

Core Beliefs of the RRR Initiative We believe that to be prepared for 21 st Century citizenship, our students must be strong readers, writers, and critical thinkers. Our ultimate goal is to afford every student the opportunity to be college and career ready upon graduation. We will base our measures on more than the outcomes of high stakes tests. We are preparing our students for the biggest high stakes test of all – to succeed in life after high school.

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