Knowledgeable and Skillful Leadership “Only the organizations that have a passion for learning will have an enduring influence.” (Covey, 1996) Reading First Superintendents’ Summit October 2005 Ronni Ephraim Chief Instructional Officer Los Angeles Unified School District

Assumptions What we do has significant impact on students The professional practice of educators and the culture they create in their schools has a significant impact on students Developing the leadership and learning capacity of teachers, school-based administrators, and district leadership is the best strategy for sustained instructional improvement

The Power of Collaborative Leadership The most promising strategy for sustained, school improvement is building the capacity of the school personnel to function collaboratively. But collaboration alone will not guarantee school improvement.

Loose/Tight Leadership Effective leaders don’t simply encourage schools to go off and do whatever they want, but rather establish clear parameters and priorities that enable schools to work within established boundaries. Richard DuFour

LAUSD Theory of Change Key Elements Standards-based Curriculum Highly Skilled Instruction Collaborative Leadership Professional Development/Coaching Periodic Assessment/Use of Data Personalization

Elements Are In Place The research clearly shows that we have put all of the elements of a successful reading initiative in place. So….. What is missing? Why, after 5 years, are less than 50% of our students speaking, reading, and writing on grade level?

Assumptions You cannot lead or teach what you don’t know You will not lead or teach what you do not understand You cannot inspire that in which you do not believe

Professional Development Leaders will not provide professional development and HOPE that teachers will implement new learnings Leaders will plan and provide professional development and EXPECT reflection and action that leads the school (every classroom, every grade) towards its goals Move from study to expected action

Professional Development Intended Curriculum Refined Teaching and PD Implemented Curriculum Learned Curriculum

We Need to Decide… What do students need to learn? What procedures do we need to put in place at our school to be sure EVERY teacher is knowledgeable about what they need to ensure students know? How will we provide teachers time to build shared knowledge about the “intended” curriculum and reflect on the results of their teaching?

Intended Curriculum Role of Coaches Must be expected to coach Must be given time to lead lesson study Must have the principal’s support to focus on their coaching duties Must be held co-accountable for student learning

Intended Curriculum Must get past the “right” way to do things and talk about “better” ways of teaching Must deeply understand the core purpose of the lessons and what we want students to know at the end of a lesson, series of lessons, or unit Need to read the research and provide opportunity for discussion and reflection

The Implemented Curriculum The Leader’s Role The best designed curriculum has no impact unless it is taught (intended vs. implemented) well The likelihood of implementation increases if teachers feel ownership of the curriculum Ownership is directly related to beliefs, competence and engagement, and time

The Implemented Curriculum - Time We need to ask how time in the classroom is being used LAUSD Reading First evaluation report is clear on our misuse of time When, after 5 years, our teachers are still spending half an hour on calendar, it is our fault for not teaching them why this is not a good use of time

Learned Curriculum Using the Data The data informs us about the gap between the intended curriculum and the implemented curriculum When: A few students do not do well – focus on intervention for the students When large groups of students do not do well – focus on professional development for administrators, teachers, and coaches

Learned Curriculum If we believe all kids can learn: What is it we expect them to learn? How will we know when they have learned it? How will we respond when they don’t? Addressing these questions will help us address the preparation and achievement gaps!

Learned Curriculum Can we agree on the criteria by which we will judge the quality of our students’ work? Can we agree that assessment data tells us about our teaching? Can we agree that assessment data tells leaders about their leading and what next steps must be?

The Refined Curriculum Create systems to provide teachers with time to reflect on their practice and learn from one another Create systems to provide teachers with time to work with their coach Ensure that the coach’s time is protected for this purpose

The Refined Curriculum Stop leaving it up to each teacher to decide how to respond when students don’t learn In most schools we are very loose on this! The harsh reality is that most students play LOTTO….What they learn is a function of who they have as a teacher and the actions of the principal No urban school district has ever changed teaching. We tend to add new initiatives to “fix the system.”

Three Focus Questions If you are the student, what message does the school seem to be sending you? What is the response of the school when it becomes apparent that students are not learning to read on grade level? Given the practices and procedures of this school, what conclusions can you draw regarding its assumptions about the purpose of the school?

A Systematic Response to Students Who Are Not Learning At 3 weeks…… At 6 weeks…… At 12 weeks…… At 18 weeks…… The difference between intervention and remediation is that intervention is timely and purposeful! What is your school plan for students who are not learning?

Leaders Ensure Time to Work Together We can achieve our fundamental purpose of high levels of learning for ALL students only if we work together. We must cultivate an accountable, collaborative culture through the development of high performing teams. Leaders guide the school to agree on purpose!

Keys to Effective Teams Collaboration embedded in routine practices Time for collaboration built into the school day Teams focus on key questions Products of collaboration made explicit Team norms guide collaboration Teams pursue specific and measurable performance goals Teams have access to relevant information

Shifting from Developing Individuals to Developing Collective Capacity We cannot supervise teachers to excellence. We must create the supportive conditions for teachers to develop excellence!

Contrasting Approaches to Professional Development Incentives for Incentives for individuals to attend pursuing learning a wide variety of directly linked to courses and/or school and district workshops goals Individuals select from Collaborative learning potpourri of offerings External focus Internal focus – job embedded

Renewal Strategy Needed We assess our individual and collective effectiveness in helping ALL students learn at high levels on the basis of results rather than activity Shift from being “in a hurry” to “creating a sense of urgency” about learning to read

The “BIG IDEAS” that Must Drive School Leaders We accept learning as the fundamental purpose of our school and therefore are willing to examine ALL practices in light of their impact on learning. We are committed to working together to achieve our collective purpose. We cultivate a collaborative culture through a belief in shared leadership. We assess our effectiveness on the basis of evidence and results rather than intentions. Individuals, teams, and schools seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote improvement.

Checking Our Own Reality 2004-05 CST Results Language Arts

Why Reading First? What is it WE hope to do for children? How can we INSPIRE discussions about: The research? The tools we have in place, how hard they are to use, how inconsistently we are using them, and how far we have to go in our own learning and actions to be accountable to our students? How can we ensure coaches are doing their intended work and doing it well? How can we be sure coaches are doing work WITH teachers and not FOR teachers?

Hand in Hand, We All Learn “Ultimately there are two kinds of schools: learning enriched schools and learning impoverished schools. I have yet to see a school where the learning curves…of the adults were steep upward and those of the students were not. Teachers, administrators, and students go hand and hand as learners… or they don’t go at all.” Roland Barth