1. Leading Student Achievement: Our Principal Purpose What we are learning from this year’s evaluation
Kenneth Leithwood

2. The Evaluation
Two Recommendations…..

3. First….
The success of this phase of the LSA project depends on ensuring sufficient attention to the key learning conditions.
This means continuing to disseminate information about these conditions to all participants and encouraging them to engage their teachers in better understanding of these conditions and how they can be further improved

4. Second…
The key learning conditions need not be viewed as something distinct from such other provincial initiatives as the school effectiveness framework or the leadership framework.
Efforts should be extended to demonstrate the interdependence of these initiatives and to help teachers and LSA participants understand that interdependence.

5. Considering the student achievement data
Results
Considering the student achievement data

6. Relationships between Key Learning Conditions, Leadership, And Grade 3 Achievement
Acad Press
Climate
TeaEff
Trust
Time
PLO
Leader
Gr. 3 Read 08
N = 128
.39**
.38**
.29**
.31**
.18*
.03
.15
Gr. 3 Write 08
.44**
.32**
.35**
.37**
.13
.10
.25**
Gr. 3 Math 08
N= 129
.34**
.21*
.27**
.11
.02
.14
Gr. 3 Mean
Achieve 08
.43**
.06
.20*

7. Relationships between Key Learning Conditions, Leadership, and Grade 6 Achievement
Acad Press
Climate
TeaEff
Trust
Time
PLO
Leader
Gr. 6 Read 08
N = 120
.41**
.49**
.37**
.45**
.26**
.11
.22*
Gr 6 Write 08
N = 119
.40**
.34**
.43**
.18
.14
.21*
Gr. 6 Math 08
.46**
.50**
.44**
.12
Gr. 6 Mean Achieve 08
.51**
.48**
.24**
.13

8. A Working Theory of LSA Effects
.65
Key Learning Conditions
.36
Student Achievement
Leadership

9. Structural Conditions Teachers’ Internal States
Time
PLCs
.45
-.20
.68
Learning Conditions
Academic Press
Disciplinary Climate
.53
.19
Student Achievement
Leadership
.16
.03
.68
Teachers’ Internal States
Trust
Collective Efficacy
An Improved Working Theory [explains 22% of variation]

10. In sum…
Special emphasis on development of academic press and disciplinary climate
PLCs and PLTs should be considered part of the infrastructure for developing key learning conditions

11. Phone interview results Teaching Learning Critical Pathways Initiatives Important Accomplishments

12. 1. Development of Principals’ Instructional Leadership
I now feel more part of the instructional team and the learning process. I’m learning my role as support for my teachers…I’ve discovered the need for additional resources for the intermediate division and can supply this. I’ve always wanted to be involved and now I am.
Because Pathways work begins with principal/teacher teams, principals have quite practical opportunities to learn how to support their teachers and to build an instructionally significant role for themselves.

13. 2. Focused Instruction
For the LSA project as a whole, descriptions by a small proportion of principals of how TLCP work contributed to student learning by encouraging more focused, specific and prescriptive forms of teaching is a very significant finding.
Encouraging more staffs to move in this direction would hold considerable promise for enhancing student learning.

14. 3. Contribution to Other Key Learning Conditions
Pathways work seems to have provided principals with opportunities to further develop most of the key learning conditions endorsed by LSA, even though the priority awarded the learning conditions pre-dated LSA’s sponsorship of TLCPs. As one principal noted:
[The Pathways work] has touched upon them all. It is evident in the manner of our discussions, especially around teaching strategies. Without trust we not accomplish this initiative. It has certainly impacted on us all. We’ve always been a trusting staff but this initiative was a catalyst to increase this through our discussions.

15. Areas for Further Attention

16. 1. Big Ideas
Considerably more help should be provided to participants to help them better understand the nature of big ideas and their central role in the TLCP process.

17. 2. Establishing Baselines as Part of Tracking Student Progress
Lack of understanding about the importance of establishing a baseline when tracking progress is a common one. It deserves some targeted attention through LSA activity.

18. 3. Building Well–functioning PLCs
Consider additional ways in which to further the development of those conditions required for productive PLC functioning.
This problem seems destined to persist throughout the life of the project.

19. 4. Time and Other Challenges
Consider preparing a list of recommendations - or some other resource - which would provide very practical examples of how to respond to the challenge of “not enough time”.

20. Final Thoughts