Learning Together to Develop More Effective Principal Supervisors Will Miller President, The Wallace Foundation Principal Supervisor Initiative Bidders’ Conference February 7, 2014

Our discussion today Wallace’s approach to philanthropy Why focus on public education? Why focus on education leadership? How the field has changed Wallace’s work in education leadership 2

The Wallace Approach Mission: Improve learning and enrichment for children in the United States Commitment to continuous improvement Board self-reflection 20 years ago led to a new approach More than money; sharing knowledge 3

The Wallace Approach (Our theory of change) Understand the Context (Engage with the external environment to identify knowledge gaps, field interest, and time lines) Catalyze Broad Impact (Improve practice and policy nationwide) Generate Improvements and Insights (Build promising new approaches and new evidence/knowledge) 4

Mutual learning, mutual benefit 5 Benefits for your district Benefits for effective policymaking Benefits for districts that do not receive grants Benefits for Wallace … depends on credible objective evaluations.

Why focus on public education? 6

7 “Too many of our kids are dropping out of schools. That’s not a white, black or brown problem. That’s everybody’s problem.” President Barack Obama April 5, 2011 “The civil rights issue of our times” “Our challenge is to make sure every child has a fair chance to succeed in life. That is why education is the great civil rights issue of our times.” President George W. Bush January 19, 2002

A fundamental disadvantage 8 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment (%) 4.7% 14.8%

Why focus on education leadership? 9

Leadership key to student learning “Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school.” -- How Leadership Influences Student Learning, Kenneth Leithwood, et al, University of Minnesota, University of Toronto, “Six years later we are even more confident about this claim.” -- Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning, Louis, et al, 2010

Principals key to teaching quality “It is the leader who both recruits and retains high quality staff. Indeed, the number one reason for teachers’ decisions about whether to stay in a school is the quality of administrative support – and it is the leader who must develop this organization.” -- Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World, Linda Darling-Hammond, et al, Stanford University,

What effective principals do Shape a transformational vision of academic success for all students Create a hospitable climate Manage people, data and processes Improve instruction Lead the professional learning community Cultivate leadership in others Lead the leadership team 12 Source: The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning, January 2012

But: A good leader is hard to find There is no shortage of certified principals – but there is a shortage of qualified principals -- Beyond the Pipeline, % of superintendents around the country report difficulty finding qualified principals. 61% of superintendents in urban areas can’t find the leaders they need -- Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World, 2007

Wallace’s education leadership initiative: Our strategies: 26 states; 15 main urban districts Commissioned research to fill knowledge gaps and evaluate across sites Professional learning communities for states, districts, partners 14 Resulting in: Over 70 research reports 140 sustained, high quality initiatives (including 24 pre-service training programs) 15 new non-profit organizations

The field in

The field in

The evolution of our education leadership work 17

18 The evolution of Wallace’s education leadership initiatives First Generation 26 states; 15 districts $300 Million Lessons Principal Supervisor Initiative 6 districts $24 Million Emerging Question: If principal supervisors in urban districts shift from overseeing compliance to shaping principals’ instructional leadership capabilities and if they (both incumbents and aspirants) are provided with the right training, support and number of principals to supervise, would this improve the effectiveness of the principals with whom they work? Principal Pipeline Initiative 6 districts Lessons $75 Million Emerging Question : If an urban district and its principal training programs provide large numbers of talented, aspiring principals with the right pre-service training and on-the-job evaluation and supports, will the result be a pipeline of principals able to improve teaching quality and student achievement, especially in schools with the greatest needs?

Thank you! 19