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Shaping Our Professional Leadership Practice to Improve Students’ Learning Success Saskatchewan Principals’ Short Course Jim Jutras, Ph.D. July 6, 2016
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Challenges Our leadership practice must be clearly aimed at our students’ learning success. We can intentionally build our repertoire of leadership practices based on our experiences, the research base, and the needs and aspirations of our students. We should aim for maximum leadership impact! We should strive to build a collective leadership practice. We should strive to build a professional approach to our leadership. Leading successfully is complex, but has wonderful benefits.
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Session Overview Why Leadership? Evidence for Specific Leadership Practices Ten Proven Leadership Practices in 4 Categories Setting Direction Developing People Building a Learning Organization Improving the Student Learning Program Adding to our Leadership Repertoire: Shaping Our Practice
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Why Leadership? Our Students’ Learning Success & Wellbeing Our Community & Societal Health Great Pedagogy at Scale The Challenge & Complexity of Change in Schools Cuban’s Ocean Storm Metaphor Heifetz & Linsky re: What we are asking of people
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Why Leadership? “Adaptive change stimulates resistance because it challenges people’s habits, beliefs, and values. It asks them to a take a loss, experience uncertainty, and even express disloyalty to people and cultures. Because adaptive change forces people to question and perhaps redefine aspects of their identity, it also challenges their sense of competence. Loss, disloyalty, and feeling incompetent: That’s a lot to ask. No wonder people resist.” Heifetz & Linsky, 2002, p. 30
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Why Leadership? “Highly effective leaders can have a dramatic influence on the overall academic achievement of students.” Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005
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Why Leadership? “ The relationship between leadership and student achievement is profound and significant, both in the statistical and in the practical sense of that term.” Reeves, 2008
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Why Leadership? “In developing a starting point for this five-year study, we claimed, based on a preliminary review of research, that leadership is second only to classroom instruction as an influence on student learning. After five additional years of research, we are even more confident about this claim. To date we have not found a single documented case of a school improving its student achievement record in the absence of talented leadership.” Leithwood & Louis, 2012, p. 3
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From Leadership Styles to Specific Practices The Adjectives: InstructionalShared TransformationalSituational AdaptiveEthical ServantConstructivist Principle-CentredPrimal
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From Leadership Styles to Specific Practices “ Eschewing any particular model of leadership, we examined the actual practices across models for which there was significant evidence of desirable results.” Leithwood & Louis, 2012, p. 6
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From Leadership Styles to Specific Practices “The fervor of debates over which model offers the greatest leverage for understanding how school leaders contribute to learning has reduced over the years. … The term “leadership for learning” has come to subsume features of instructional leadership, transformational leadership, and shared leadership.” Hallinger 2010
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Research Sources for Leadership Practices Research Connecting Leadership Practices to Student Learning Success Research on Large Scale Improvement of Learning Research on Leadership Outside of Education Research-based Leadership Frameworks Our Reflections on Episodes of Learning Success and the Role of Leadership in Such Success
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Connecting Leadership Practices to Learning Leithwood & Louis (2012) Robinson, Lloyd & Lowe (2008) Marzano, Waters & McNulty (2005) Marzano & Waters (2009) re: district leadership
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Large Scale Improvement of Learning Fullan (2014) re: England, Ontario Hopkins (2007) re: England Reeves (2011) re: PIM studies; 90/90/90 Sahlberg (2015) re: Finland Bishop et al (2010) re: New Zealand Cross Cities (2005) re: Big American Cities Wagner (2011) re: Surpassing Shanghai
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Leadership Outside of Education Heifetz & Linsky (2002) re: Adaptive Change Goleman et al. (2002) re: Primal Leadership Kouzes & Posner (2007) re: Personal Best Leadership Collins (2001) re: Good to Great Hargreaves et al (2014) re: Uplifting Leadership
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Leadership Frameworks ASCD (2016) Ontario (2008, 2012) Saskatoon Public (2011) Good Spirit (2016) Saskatchewan Reads for Administrators
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Role of Leadership in Learning Success Reflect on an episode where student learning improved (data shows this). What was the role of Leadership in achieving this success? What did the leaders do that was helpful? Think, Pair & Share
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Criteria for Selecting Leadership Practices Power: The greatest impact on students’ learning success (including closing gaps) Situation: What your school or system needs Your leadership team’s focus (strategic plan, e.g. Saskatchewan Reads, Following Their Voices) Gaps in your current repertoire Your interests Other?
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Setting Direction Brainstorm a list of words that we use in education and in life when we think of where we are heading.
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Setting Direction: The Proven Practices 1. Creating & Inspiring a Shared Vision 2. Establishing Focus & Living Priorities 3. Finding Efficacy: Self & Collective
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1. Creating & Inspiring a Shared Vision Leithwood & Louis: Building a Shared Vision Marzano: Vision Robinson: ES =.42 for Establishing Goals Goleman: Visionary leadership as the most positive of the 6 styles in impact on climate Kouzes & Posner: Inspire a Shared Vision is one of 5 practices
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1. Creating and Inspiring a Shared Vision Connect to others’ hopes, dreams & aspirations Ownership (Bishop et al.) Heifetz & Linsky re: Adaptive or Technical Change? Paint picture and ensure everyone knows their role: Kouzes & Posner Ensure capacity (initially some learning goals) Ensure alignment of provincial, division & school
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1. Creating & Inspiring a Shared Vision: Power of UP Uplifting Leadership (Hargreaves et al. 2014) Uplift is an aerodynamic force that enables birds and machines to defy gravity Up is one of our first words spoken by children. We say “up” with a raised pitch. We lift up our eyes. Up is a direction, an inviting one. Up is a feeling, an expression of optimism.
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2. Establishing Focus and Living Priorities “ The compelling conclusion of the research is that schools with higher levels of focus not only have higher levels of student achievement but also are better able to implement other essential leadership and teaching strategies.” Reeves, 2011, p. 51
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2. Establishing Focus and Living Priorities Having priorities means that your day is different, that the priorities are a big part of your everyday world.
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3. Finding Efficacy: Self and Collective What is Efficacy? “A belief about one’s own ability (self- efficacy) or the ability of one’s colleagues collectively (collective efficacy) to perform a task or achieve a goal. It is a belief about ability, not actual ability.” Leithwood & Louis, 2012, p. 108) High efficacy: when teachers and leaders believe that the main cause of student achievement is effective teaching and leadership, something within their control. Low efficacy: when teachers and leaders believe that the main causes of student achievement are demographic factors, causes beyond their control. (Reeves, 2011)
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3. Finding Efficacy “ … the PIM research so far suggests that schools with the highest efficacy scores experienced more than three times the gains in student achievement over 3 years when compared with schools with the lowest efficacy scores.” Reeves, 2011, p. 37 “When we expect that we have an impact on student achievement, we are right. When we expect that we are impotent, we are also right.” Reeves, 2006
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3. Finding Efficacy How does it work? “Efficacy beliefs … determine how much effort people will expend and now long they will persist in the face of failure or difficulty. The stronger the feelings of efficacy are, the longer the persistence.” Leithwood & Louis, 2012, p. 109
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3. Finding Efficacy: Our Shared Beliefs SK Reads “Developing Shared Beliefs in a SK Reads School” Ontario’s Parameter #1: 4 Beliefs (Sharratt & Fullan, 2012) Belief in our students Belief in ourselves as teachers & leaders Say why we do what we do Belief in early intervention Following Their Voices: Requirement to address deficit thinking Bishop et al. (2010)
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3. Finding Efficacy: Importance of Collective “Leader efficacy explains significant variation in annual achievement scores.” Leithwood & Louis, 2012, p. 115) Leader Collective Efficacy had more explanatory power than Leader Self Efficacy Fullan (2014) encourages leaders to be district and system players, a part of a collective leadership
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Developing People: The Proven Practices 4. Promoting & Participating in Teachers’ Professional Learning & Development 5. Enhancing Professionalism of Teachers and Leaders
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4. Promoting/Participating in Teachers’ Learning “ The average impact (0.84) of these leadership practices on student outcomes was twice that of any other leadership dimension. … Much of the evidence that contributed to this finding was about leaders themselves participating in the learning in the role of leader, learner, or both.” (Robinson, 2011, p. 104)
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4. Promoting/Participating in Teachers’ Learning “ So the principal’s role is to lead the school’s teachers in a process of learning to improve their teaching, while learning alongside them about what works and what doesn’t.” (Fullan, 2014, p. 55)
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4. Promoting/Participating in Teachers’ Learning “Success at the school level is a function of the work of principals, themselves acting as lead learners, who ensure that the group focuses on a small number of key elements; specific goals for students; data that enable clear diagnosis of individual learning needs; instructional practices that address those learning needs; and teachers learning from each other, monitoring overall progress, and making adjustments accordingly.” Fullan, 2014. p. 63
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4. Promoting/Participating in Teachers’ Learning Why is it so powerful? Symbolic Importance Leader Models Importance of Being a Learner Leaders Can Join Professional Discussions Leader Credibility Leaders Learn About Challenges and Necessary Conditions Robinson (2011)
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4. Promoting/Participating in Teachers’ Learning Knowing About Professional Learning Professional Learning Should: Be Intensive, on-going, & connected to practice; Focus on student learning and address the teaching of specific curriculum content; Align with school improvement priorities and goals; Build strong working relationships among teachers. Darling-Hammond et al. (2009)
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4. Promoting/Participating in Teachers’ Learning Ensure that the huge investment of time and effort in professional learning is focused on learning models that are powerful enough to result in the learning improvement of students. See Hattie, Marzano et al., Bennett & Rolheiser, Joyce, Weil & Calhoun for ideas on teaching/learning strategies that work for our students.
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5. Enhancing Teachers’ Professionalism Powerful Concept, Worthy of our Attention Sahlberg (2015) on the strength of the teaching profession in Finland Darling-Hammond (2009) advocates for enhanced professionalism Hopkins (2007) on the limits of prescription and the necessity of professionals in schools leading successful improvement Professional Educational Leaders?
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5. Enhancing Teachers’ Professionalism Attributes of Teacher Professionalism Teachers’ practice is knowledge-based (rigorous preparation and on-going professional learning focused on research- proven practices) Teachers participate in a shared practice Teaching is client-oriented Teachers are responsible/accountable Teachers have a contract with their community: Professional autonomy in turn for quality assurance Teachers serve public good through leadership
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5. Enhancing Teachers’ Professionalism I want my grandchildren to benefit not just from competent individual teachers, but from the strength of an entire profession. Those individual teachers should be standing on the shoulders of the profession, should benefit from the synergy of current teacher teams, and should rely on the wisdom and research knowledge of teachers who came before them.
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Building a Learning Organization The Proven Practices: 6. Building Relationships & Trust 7. Building a Professional Community (Teams) 8. Sharing Leadership More Widely
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6. Building Relationships and Trust “Leadership is a relationship. Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It’s the quality of this relationship that matters most when we’re engaged in getting extraordinary things done.” Kouzes & Posner, p. 24
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6. Building Relationships and Trust Robinson re: Relationships are crucial to all 5 Dimensions. All leadership is in relationship. Marzano: re: Relationships & Optimizer Elmore on professional relationships within which professionals can challenge each other’s ideas. Goleman on the emotional aspect of leadership.
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6. Building Relationships and Trust Determinants of Trust (Robinson, 2011) Respect Personal Regard Competence Integrity
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7. Building Professional Communities A one room schoolhouse: Our tradition DuFour & Marzano (2011) “There is considerable evidence that when teachers work together on the right work, even for as little as one hour each week, we can expect gains in student achievement.” p. 74 Leithwood & Louis: Building collaborative cultures Marzano et al: Culture: Fosters shared beliefs & a sense of community and cooperation Elmore, 2000: “Isolation is the enemy of improvement.”
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7. Building a Professional Community Shared Focused LeadershipInstruction Achievement InstructionalProfessional LeadershipCommunity Leithwood & Louis, 2012
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7. Building a Professional Community “ … professional community amounts to more than just support. It also includes shared values, common focus, and collective responsibility for student learning, reflective dialogue about improvement, and the purposeful sharing of practices …” Leithwood & Louis, 2012, p. 33
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7. Building a Professional Community “The key to generating widespread impact on student learning then, resides in mobilizing the group to work in specific, intense, sustained ways on learning for all students. We have seen that this work involves teachers working together to examine individual student progress, decide on and implement best instructional responses, learn from each other what is working, and build on what they are learning.” Fullan, 2014, p. 67 The importance of leaders being district and system players. (Fullan, 2014)
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7. Building a Professional Community Leaders have the responsibility to provide time and structure for teachers to collaborate. DuFour & Marzano, 2011 Countries that have made the greatest gains in recent decades provide teachers with significant time to work collaboratively: analyze student learning, engage in lesson study, engage in action research, observe each other’s teaching, etc. (Darling-Hammond, OECD, Sahlberg, etc.)
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8. Sharing Leadership Printy and Marks (2006) are clear that teachers can make important contributions to instructional leadership and that “best results occur in schools where principals are strong leaders who also facilitate leadership by teachers.” p. 130 It is clear that a principal’s power is not diminished by sharing leadership. It is in fact amplified.
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8. Sharing Leadership Shared Leadership results in improved instruction and enhanced professional community, both of which have a direct positive impact on students’ learning. (Leithwood & Louis, 2012) Marzano et al. re: Input
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8. Sharing Leadership Teacher Leadership: Literacy teachers, Learning leaders, Coaches, Data team leaders, etc. Developing Leadership in School Teams
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8. Sharing Leadership: Elmore’s 5 Principles Purpose is improvement of instructional practice regardless of role 2. Instructional leadership requires continuous learning 3. Learning requires modeling 4. Roles & activities of leadership flow from the expertise required for learning and improvement 5. Exercise of authority requires reciprocity of accountability and capacity Elmore, 2000
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Improving the Student Learning Program The Proven Practices 9. Participating in the Technical Core (CIA) 10. Monitoring Students & Adults
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Improving the Student Learning Program “ The closer educational leaders get to the core business of teaching and learning, the more likely they are to have a positive impact on students’ outcomes.” Robinson, Lloyd & Rowe, 2008
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9. Participating in the Technical Core Marzano on Knowledge of and Involvement in Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Robinson: ES =.42 for Ensuring Quality Teaching Leithwood & Louis: Positive impact of Instructional Leadership on quality of instruction and on Professional Community
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9. Participating in the Technical Core Robinson suggests four ways that leaders of high- performing schools ensure the quality of teaching: Active oversight and program coordination Active participation in collegial discussions of pedagogy Observe in classrooms and offer constructive feedback Systematically monitor student progress
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9. Participating in the Technical Core Instructional Decisions: A Common Good? Instructional Frameworks (Coherence) SK Reads (gradual release of responsibility) Following Their Voices (culturally responsive pedagogy of relations)
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9. Participating in the Technical Core Criteria Power Works Curriculum Culture $ for B & G Match Strategies Coop Learning Guided Reading Explicits PWIM Reciprocal Etc.
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9. Participating in the Technical Core Fullan’s Caution re: Instructional Leadership “ … in my view, the shift to instructional leadership has led the principalship down an unproductively narrow path of being expected to micromanage or otherwise directly affect instruction.” p. 39 “… it can be incredibly time consuming for principals, diverting them from doing other things that can shape learning more powerfully.” p. 40 These more powerful actions include being a lead learner and developing teams.
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10. Monitoring Students’ Learning & Adult Actions “The impact of monitoring on student learning is nearly linear. More monitoring, more achievement. And effective monitoring will focus not just on test scores, but on the adult practices that lead to the test scores.” Douglas Reeves in DuFour & Marzano, p. 119
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10. Monitoring Students’ Learning & Adult Actions Leithwood & Louis: Monitoring Progress of Students, Teachers and the School Marzano et al. re: Monitoring Following Their Voices: Goals Setting, Peer Observation & Feedback (exemplary) Data Teams, Data Walls, Learning Walks, etc
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10. Monitoring Students’ Learning & Adult Actions Characteristics of Effective Monitoring: Frequency Student Learning Data and Adult Action Constructive: “Treasure Hunt” Reeves, 2011
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Choosing Your Practices Intentionally Build Your Repertoire of Leadership Practices Apply the Criteria to the Possibilities Power Situation: School & System Needs Your team’s focus (strategic plan) Gaps in your current repertoire Interests Other?
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10 Possibilities: Your Choices? Setting Direction 1. Creating & Inspiring a Shared Vision 2. Establishing Focus & Living Priorities 3. Finding Efficacy: Self & Collective Developing People 4. Promoting & Participating in Teachers’ Learning 5. Enhancing Professionalism
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10 Possibilities: Your Choices? Building a Learning Organization 6. Building Relationships & Trust 7. Building a Professional Community 8. Sharing Leadership Improving the Student Learning Program 9. Participating in the Technical Core 10. Monitoring Students & Adults
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Challenges Our leadership practice must be clearly aimed at our students’ learning success. We can intentionally build our repertoire of leadership practices based on our experiences, the research base, and the needs and aspirations of our students. We should aim for maximum leadership impact! We should strive to build a collective leadership practice. We should strive to build a professional approach to our leadership. Leading successfully is complex, but has wonderful benefits.
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Our Leadership of Learning Learning is the Work! Joyous Work! Meaningful Work! Work Together!
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Our Leadership for Learning If not us, then whom?
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