AHDS Annual Conference 2016 - Karin Chenoweth

Learning from
Schools that
Succeed
Karin Chenoweth
Association of Head Teachers and Deputies in Scotland
November 4, 2016

Now You – Poll
What are the most powerful
explanations for this correlation?

© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST
Is there something we can learn
from those and other
“Unexpected Schools?”

Source:
George Hall Elementary School
Mobile, Alabama
444 students in grades preK-5
- 99 % African American
- 99% Low-Income
Source: Alabama Department of Education

Source:
Grade 5 Reading—SAT 10 results
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004
Nationallynorm-referencedpercentilerank
George Hall All Students in Alabama Black Students in Alabama
Alabama Department of Education

Source:
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005

Source:
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006

Source:
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Source:
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Source:
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source:
24%
53%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Source:
24%
88%
53%
61%
35%
47%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Grade 5 Math—SAT 10 results
29%
94%
46%
60%
32%
46%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Source:
Graham Road Elementary School
Falls Church, Virginia
356 students in grades K-6
13% Black
16% Asian
64% Latino
81% Low-Income
51% English language
learners
Fairfax County School Profiles

17
100 100 100 100
85
78
74 74
0
20
40
60
80
100
Overall Hispanic English Language Learners Low Income
Grade 5 Reading, 2008
Graham Road Elementary School Virginia

21
37
70
60
38
39 38
38
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009
Grade 6 Reading Overall --EXCEEDING STANDARDS
Graham Road Elementary School Virginia
Source: Virginia Department of Education
Note: In 2008, 98% of Graham Road 6th graders were proficient in reading.

Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia
Mathematics Pass Rate & School Poverty, 2007-08
GRAHAM ROAD ES
All Students = 97% Pass/Pass Advanced
Hispanic = 95% Pass/Pass Advanced
Total%StudentsPassing
% of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced Meals
Source: Fairfax County Public School System

I have spent more than ten years
trying to identify and learn from
schools like George Hall and
Graham Road.

Poll
Where does your school fall?

Briefly:
Unexpectedschools share
twenty-five characteristics,
ranging from “They establish
an atmosphere of respect” to
“They are nice places to work.”
2007

Briefly:
Unexpected Schools share five processes:
• They focus on what kids need to learn;
• They collaborate on how to teach it;
• They assess frequently;
• They study data to find patterns in
instruction;
• They systematically build relationships.
2009

Let’s get a quick sense of what each of
those mean.

#1 Focus on what students need to learn

That may be obvious, but American
classrooms have been plagued in the past
by a lack of clarity of goals and a tradition
of autonomy which has led to teacher
isolation, “hobby teaching,” and – too
often – an emphasis on “skills” at the
expense of content.

To ensure that their students learn everything needed,
schools will often “map” out their instruction
• East Millsboro Elementary School

Ricardo LeBlanc-Esparza, principal
Fort Logan Elementary School, Colorado

#2 Collaborate on how to teach
what children need to learn
Port Chester Middle School

The education paradox:
Teachers are the most important in-school factor for student
achievement.
BUT
No one teacher can be sufficiently expert in the content, the
curriculum, pedagogy, and the students
to teach all things to all children.

Only by working
together to pool
their knowledge
and expertise
can teachers be
successful with
all the students all
the time.
Ware Elementary School

#3 Assess frequently to see if students are learning
Frequent assessment is nothing new in
classrooms, but these schools use
frequent formative assessment not to
give a grade but to see if students are
learning what they need to know and to
let the teachers know what they are
doing that is working – and not working.
East Millsboro Elementary School

#4 Use data to inform instruction

#5 Build personal relationships of trust
Granger High School

This can take the form of daily advisory periods…
Granger High School

…“morning meetings”…
Fort Logan Elementary School

…hugging…
Bethune Elementary School

…teachers working individually with students…
University Park Campus School

… groups of students…
Imperial High School

…and each other.
Norfork Elementary School

…and school leaders working with mentors.
Garfield Prep

Jason Allen, social studies teacher, Elmont Memorial High School

“The need to improve the culture,
climate, and interpersonal
relationships in schools has
received too little attention.”

“Background knowledge takes a central
role rather abruptly as reading shifts
from being mostly about decoding from
kindergarten through second grade to
being mostly about comprehension in
third grade and beyond. One
consequence is that kids who don’t
have very rich background knowledge –
often those from impoverished homes –
start to struggle with reading in third or
fourth grade, even though they had
been doing fine up to that point.”

“The key question is whether
teaching can shift from an
immature to a mature
profession, from opinions to
evidence, from subjective
judgments and personal
contact to critique of
judgments.”

EFFECT SIZE:
A measure of the strength of a factor on achievement
Effect Size Meaning
1.0 Associated with improving
achievement by 2-3 years
0.4 The hinge point at which we judge
success of all innovations.
0.2-0.4 Average of what teachers normally
achieve in a year
0.00 Indicates no influence on achievement
John Hattie, Visible Learning

Effect Size Factor
0.93 Teachers working together to evaluate their impact on student
learning
0.72 Teachers getting maximum feedback from others about their
effect on student learning
What Works Best in Education: The Politics of Collaborative Expertise:
John Hattie, June 2015
John Hattie, https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/corporate/global/pearson-dot-
com/files/hattie/150526_ExpertiseWEB_V1.pdf

Effect Size Factor
0.93 Teachers working together to evaluate their impact on student
learning
0.72 Teachers getting maximum feedback from others about their
effect on student learning
0.57 Home environment and socio-economic status
0.23 Finances
0.21 Lowering class size
What Works Best in Education: The Politics of Collaborative Expertise:
John Hattie, June 2015
John Hattie, https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/corporate/global/pearson-dot-
com/files/hattie/150526_ExpertiseWEB_V1.pdf

Collaborate
Assess
DataBuild
Relationships
Focus
on
content

But how do teachers in unexpected
schools learn to work in these ways?

© 2012THE EDUCATION TRUST
At the end of
HOW It’s Being Done
I said that leadership
seems to be important.

This, too, is backed up by considerable research.

- Sir Michael Rutter, reflecting in 2002 on 15,000 Hours,
his 1979 study of a dozen non-selective secondary
schools an economically depressed part of London.
(emphasis added)
“The overall school organization or
management features that stand out
include good leadership that provides
strategic vision, staff participation with
a shared vision and goals, appropriate
rewards for collegial collaborative
working, attendance to staff needs and
rewards, and effective home-school
partnership.”

-
Source: Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom & Anderson (2010). Learning from leadership: Investigating the
links to improved student learning. The Wallace Foundation: www.wallacefoundation.org.
Leadership is necessary to improve
schools.
Conclusion from a 6-year study in 9 states, 45 districts
and 180 schools:
“To date, we have not found a single case of a school
improving its student achievement record in the
absence of talented leadership.”

The effect of leaders is
second only to teachers.
The total (direct and indirect) effects of leadership on student
learning account for about a 1/4 of total school effects.
Source: Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom. (2004). How leadership influences student
learning. The Wallace Foundation: www.wallacefoundation.org.

Leadership attracts and retains teachers.
Although a wide range of working conditions matter
to teachers, principal leadership is key.
Source: Ingersoll, Richard (2001) Teacher Turnover and Teacher Shortages: An Organizational Analysis, American Education Research Journal

So leaders are important.
But what is it leaders DO that is so important?

Getting It Done was a study of 33
principals (including 3 assistant
principals) in 24 high-performing and
rapidly improving schools with large
percentages of students of color and
students from low-income families.
2011

Those fractal patterns begin with beliefs.

Instead of telling you what the unexpected school
leaders believe, I’m going to
let them speak for themselves.

-Molly Bensinger-Lacy, former principal
Fairfax County, Virginia
“Through my teaching
experiences, I learned
that my students were
capable of learning just
about anything I was
capable of teaching.”

--Von Sheppard, principal,
Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School
St. Paul, Minnesota
“It is so important to dispel the
myth that these children can’t
learn to high standards. There’s a
belief system out there that they’re
not as smart as white kids. We’re
on a mission to conquer every
myth and every test.”

Ricardo LeBlanc-Esparza, former principal
Granger High School

Bonnie Hess, principal, Chadwick Elementary, Baltimore County, Maryland

"Many people say all children can
learn. Well, that's true. But a parakeet
can learn, too. We look for people who
believe that children can excel.”
-- Jeffrey Litt, founding principal and superintendent of
the Icahn Charter Schools in New York City

“Teachers have to believe that
they can teach all children.”
-- Sharon Brittingham, former principal
Frankford Elementary School
Indian River School District, Delaware

Dan St. Louis, principal, University Park Campus School, Worcester, Massachusetts

“If we are in education,
it is incumbent on us
to make sure we are
living up to the
American Dream and
the promise of public
education.”
-- Frank Lozier, principal
Laurel Street Elementary
Compton, California
Laurel Street Elementary School

-- Craig Gfeller, assistant superintendent,
Prince William County Public Schools
and former principal
West Gate Elementary School
Prince William County, Virginia
“The route for poor
children out of
poverty is us.”

At Your Table
Agree on a summary of the beliefs
held by unexpected school leaders

84
Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it now.

“Although people may differ
in every which way – in their
initial talents and aptitudes,
interests, or temperaments –
everyone can change and
grow through application and
experience.”

It’s one thing to have these beliefs, but
how do Unexpected School leaders
institutionalize them?
86

One way is that the leaders never miss an
opportunity to witness and honor the
struggle, but then immediately counter
the problem or the popular belief – and
look for solutions.

Terri Tomlinson, former principal, George Hall Elementary School

Poll
What are the beliefs of your
teachers and staff members?

Making Beliefs Visible
90
BELIEF STRATEGY ACTION BY UNEXPECTED SCHOOL LEADERS MY ACTIONS
Buildbeliefthatallstudentscanmeetorexceedstandards
Acknowledge reality and move on to other realities.  Share examples of schools, departments, or grade-level teams beating the odds with
targeted groups.
 Celebrate small successes while keeping the more rigorous end goal in mind for each
student.
 Insist that we focus on only those factors over which the school has significant control.
Make culture one of excellence  Celebrate significant progress and achievement in gatherings, publications and visual
displays.
 Highlight the accomplishments of departments, grade-level teams or individuals able to
support all students to make significant academic gains.
 Expect continuous improvement for all students—lowest to highest achieving.
 Model high expectations and continuous improvement for self.
 Challenge enrichment/elective teachers and support staff to set and achieve goals of
excellence.
 Distinguish excellence from mediocrity.
MAKING BELIEFS VISIBLE
INSTRUCTIONS: How do you establish/maintain beliefs about high expectations and teachers’ power to change lives? List one action you already take and one
from the middle column that you plan to add to your repertoire:

During the break – any
questions?

Let's Get This Started!
(start at second 50)

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it now.

Instilling beliefs are key to the culture shift you
need in a school.

“Beliefs mean nothing if you don’t know
how to build a master schedule.”
-- Conrad Lopes, former principal
Jack Britt High School
Fayetteville, North Carolina

In other words, unexpected school leaders organize the school
around the belief that all children can learn
Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Collaborate
Assess
DataBuild
Relationships
Focus
on
content

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Collaborate
on
instruction
Assess
Study
Data
Build
relationships
Focus on
what kids
need to
know

M. Hall Stanton Elementary
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
487 students, K-6
African American: 99%
Low Income: 99%
Source: https://sdp-webprod.phila.k12.pa.us/school_profiles/servlet/

Source:
M. Hall Stanton
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), 2002
Grade 5 Reading
12
21
57
0
20
40
60
80
100
Stanton Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Stanton Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2002-2009

“These were the most vulnerable
children in the community and
because there was no belief they
could learn, the children had
taken ownership of that. The
principal was incompetent and
the teachers closed themselves
in their rooms… Attendance was
not good. Parents were out of
control....The school was dirty, it
was not child-centered, it
certainly wasn’t safe.”
--Barbara Adderley

“You always
start with
the data.”
--Barbara Adderley, former principal
M. Hall Stanton Elementary

What data?
Walkthrough observations of classrooms
Reading data
Math data
State assessment data
Attendance and discipline data
Student work

Initially Barbara Adderley
made decisions about
professional development
needs of the staff based
on data. Most
professional development
was whole-school, taught
by Adderley (e.g., how to
implement guided
reading, how to use math
games as part of the
math curriculum, etc.)
Fairly quickly, the two
instructional coaches
became part of a team
that helped Adderley
determine professional
development needs and
they often taught
specifics of math and
reading instruction as
well as bringing back
district-level training that
they received.
As they became more
proficient, teacher
leaders joined in making
professional
development decisions
and in providing the
professional
development.
Professional
development was less
often school-wide and
more often tailored to
the needs, as
determined by the data,
of individual teachers or
grade-levels.
Data used to determine PD:
Walk-through observations of classrooms
Reading data
Math data
State assessment data
Attendance and discipline data
Student work
•Each grade level met 1x per week with principal and coaches during
planning period.
•Each academy met 7:30 -9:30 a.m. every two months in a different teacher’s
room for breakfast, book study, and sharing of best practices (coverage of
classes and stipends were provided).
•Whole school met 1x a week for professional development (early dismissal
of students).
•New teachers met every Tuesday 7:30-9 a.m. with principal and coaches to
discuss pedagogy and math and literacy content (stipends provided).
•Additional staff development provided Saturday morning (stipends
provided).
Professional development at Stanton

“ Some of our children
live in pretty dire
circumstances. But we
can’t dwell on that,
because we can’t
change it. So when we
come here, we have to
dwell on that which is
going to move our kids.”
--Barbara Adderley, former principal,
M. Hall Stanton Elementary, Philadelphia

Source:
M. Hall Stanton Grade 5 Reading
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA),
• Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2002-2009
57%
21%
12%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
PercentProficientorAdvanced
Pennsylvania Overall Philadelphia Overall Stanton Overall

Source:
M. Hall Stanton Grade 5 Reading
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA),
• Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2002-2009
57%
64%
21%
40%
12%
24%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
PercentProficientorAdvanced
Pennsylvania Overall Philadelphia Overall Stanton Overall
Departure of Barbara Adderley

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Study
data
schedules

Schedules
K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
8:30 Opening Opening Opening Opening Opening Opening Opening
8:35
8:40 Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning
8:45 Meeting / Meeting / Meeting / Meeting / Meeting / Meeting / Meeting /
8:50 Calendar Math Calendar Math Calendar Math Calendar Math Calendar Math Calendar Math Calendar Math
8:55 Block Block Block Block Block Block Block
9:00 LANGUAGE MATH LANGUAGE MATH ENRICH-MENT SS/SCI LANGUAGE
9:05 ARTS SpEd IA ARTS Flaherty ARTS
9:10 Ahmed READING Ginsberg WeinerC
9:15 Swift Parker Malton
9:20 Mutispaugh Hammel, WeinerE
9:25
9:30
9:35
9:40
9:45 SS/SCI
9:50 Brain Break
9:55
10:00 SS/SCI ENRICH-MENT
10:05 WRITING
10:10 Ahmed-- Recess
10:15
10:20 Harris Harris--
10:25 Lang. Play for extend on days Lang. Play for
10:30 M, T, W 30 min w/o 60 min of R, F 30 min
10:35 enrichment Ahmed-Wilson LANGUAGE
10:40 ENRICH-MENT (2nd/3rd) ARTS
10:45 READING MATH
10:50 Swift Recess Flaherty
10:55 Hammel, E. Weiner C. Weiner
11:00 Lunch Parker Recess
11:05
11:10
11:15 Recess Lunch
11:20
11:25 Lunch
11:30
11:35 WRITING, WS
11:40 Lunch ENRICHMENT Parker
11:45
11:50 Lunch LANGUAGE
11:55 ARTS
12:00 Writing, WS Lunch
12:05
12:10 MATH
12:15 Flaherty
12:20 SS/SCI SS/SCI WeinerC
12:25
12:30 Recess
12:35 Lunch Recess
12:40
12:45
12:50 READING
12:55 Malton
1:00 ENRICHMENT LANGUAGE Hammel, WeinerE LANGUAGE
1:05 ARTS Ahmed-CRS ARTS
1:10 Harris 1-2 (4th and 5th) WRITING, WS
1:15 Note: On Thurs Murtispaugh WeinerC
1:20 enrichment does Recess SS/SCI
1:25 not fall exactly SS/SCI Parker
1:30 into this block
1:35
1:40
1:45 READING
1:50 MATH MATH Malton
1:55 Murtispaugh Flaherty Hammel, WeinerE
2:00 MATH Ginsberg
2:05 Ahmed
2:10
2:15
2:20 ENRICH-MENT ENRICH-MENT
2:25
2:30
2:35
2:40
2:45
2:50
2:55
3:00 NOTE: coaches may be coaching or teaching

Constructing the Master Schedule at Graham Road

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Study
data
schedules
Discussion
protocols

Like other
“It was my job to say
these are the most
important things. Not
field trip logistics, not
individual discipline
problems.”
-- Molly Bensinger-Lacy, former principal

Action Plan:
Adapted from root cause graphic attributed to Kaoru Ishikawa, K. (1986). Guide to Quality Control.
Protocols

Action Plan:
Assign each of new students to a classroom “buddy” who has demonstrated excellent school
citizenship to help them acculturate; principal meet with parents to discuss importance of school
attendance; Pair new teacher with a teacher who is highly skilled at developing classroom routines;
set aside 20 minutes per day for intervention with each of the six students, providing direct
instruction of colors, numbers, etc. Revisit in two weeks.
Our
Challenge
6 students
who have not
mastered any
of the
objectives –
colors,
numbers,
shapes, etc.
Four students brand new to
school who have never
attended school before
We missed a week of school
due to weather events
One of the teachers is
new and hasn’t mastered
classroom management
Students have received little
direct instruction on shapes,
colors, letters
Parents don’t help
them at home
Some are chronically
absent
Adapted from root cause graphic attributed to Kaoru Ishikawa, K. (1986). Guide to Quality Control.

The point of discussion protocols is to make sure that
data is used to identify the good, the bad and the ugly.
Other points to note:
•Data is shared publicly
•Data is used to observe the effect of changes
and:
•Avoid personal preferences
•Make professional judgments
Studying data is not about shaming but helping staff to be evaluative
and creating a system that can identify problems and fix them.

This is, at root, the scientific method.
Identify a
problem
through data
Examine
existing
research on
the problem
Fashion a
solution in
light of
research
Gather data to
see if problem
was solved
If problem was
solved extend
solution; if
not, start
again

But note –
There are very difficult waters to tread:
• There is tedium involved in continually gathering and
reviewing data – it takes perseverance
• This process challenges teachers’ autonomy
• This process requires directly confronting the weakness of a
teacher’s skill – not to shame but to get that teacher the
help needed.
• Some of the solutions that emerge might run antithetical to
the favorite practices of teachers.

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Study
data
schedules
Scientific
method
Discussion
protocols

What’s another example of systems
underlying a process?

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Focus on
what kids
need to
know
schedules

126
Reading (continued)
Early First Second Third Fourth
Understanding, analysing
and evaluating
– investigating and/or
appreciating fiction and non-
fiction texts with increasingly
complex ideas, structures and
specialist vocabulary for different
purposes
To help me understand stories
and other texts, I ask questions
and link what I am learning with
what I already know.
LIT 0-07a / LIT 0-16a /
ENG 0-17a
To show my understanding across
different areas of learning, I can identify
and consider the purpose and main
ideas of a text.
LIT 1-16a
different areas of learning, I can identify
and consider the purpose and main
ideas of a text and use supporting
detail.
LIT 2-16a
different areas of learning, I can:
 identify and consider the
purpose, main concerns or
concepts and use supporting
detail
 make inferences from key
statements
 identify and discuss similarities
and differences between
different types of text.
LIT 3-16a
different areas of learning, I can:
 clearly state the purpose, main
concerns, concepts or
arguments and use supporting
detail
 make inferences from key
statements and state these
accurately in my own words
 compare and contrast different
types of text.
LIT 4-16a
To show my understanding, I can
respond to different kinds of questions
and other close reading tasks and I am
learning to create some questions of my
own.
ENG 1-17a
respond to literal, inferential and
evaluative questions and other close
reading tasks and can create different
kinds of questions of my own.
ENG 2-17a
comment, with evidence, on the content
and form of short and extended texts,
and respond to literal, inferential and
evaluative questions and other types of
close reading tasks.
ENG 3-17a
To show my understanding, I can give
detailed, evaluative comments, with
evidence, on the content and form of
short and extended texts, and respond
to different kinds of questions and other
types of close reading tasks.
ENG 4-17a

Second
To show my understanding across different areas of
learning, I can identify and consider the purpose and
main ideas of a text and use supporting detail.
LIT 2-16a
To show my understanding, I can respond to literal, inferential
and evaluative questions and other close reading tasks and can
create different kinds of questions of my own.
ENG 2-17a

Poll
How closely has your school focused on
what students need to learn?
(Literacy and English)

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Focus on
what kids
need to
know
schedules
System to
develop
agreement on
what kids
need to know
System to
develop
agreement on
how students
will demonstrate
knowledge

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Focus on
what kids
need to
know
schedules
Agreement
on what kids
need to know
Agreement on
how students
will demonstrate
knowledge
Monitoring
and support

Source:
Elmont Memorial High School
Elmont, New York
1,739 students in grades 7-12
76% African American
14% Latino
9% Asian
1% White
44% Economically
Disadvantaged
New York State Department of Education,2016

Source: New York State Department of Education, 2016
92 91 91 92 91
78
65 65
88
70
86
0
20
40
60
80
100
All Students African American Hispanic White Economically
Disadvantaged
Not Economically
Disadvantaged
Graduation Rates, 2015
Elmont New York

Source: New York State Department of Education, 2016
43
46
17
39
46
32
10
13
44
17
44
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
All Students African American Hispanic White Economically
Disadvantaged
Not Economically
Disadvantaged
Graduating with an Advanced Designation, 2015
Elmont New York

INDIVIDUALIZED
GOALS
Classroom Management Skills
Lessons containing essential elements
Lessons responsive to the curriculum
LESSON PLANS
Review for aim, motivation, and summary
Peer support
Review organizational activities
OBSERVATION
Build on strength, minimize weakness
Be effective
No more than three recommendations
Be supportive
Rate the lesson
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Peer observations
Faculty workshops, staff
Development days, department conference
Small group workshops
COMMITMENT TO
SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES
Match assignment to interest and ability
Extra help
END-OF-THE- YEAR
EVALUATION
Factual data
Summary of progress
Instruction/professional development
Involvement in school activities
Bottom-line rating
Elmont Observation System

“…at one point in the lesson you took a sub-standard response
that was not elaborated on….You admitted that, in the interest of
time, you took the response and moved forward with the lesson.
As we discussed, setting standards and having students meet
those standards includes the proper responses..”

Diane Scricca, former principal, Elmont Memorial High School

Only by working
together to pool
their knowledge
and expertise
can teachers be
successful with
all the students
all the time.
137
Poll
Does your school have a system to monitor
whether all students are held to high
standards and provided support?

“Growth is hard, and growth has
a lot of stumbling blocks along
the way.”
-- Beth John, superintendent
Pass Christian School District, Mississippi
138

“You’re never
done. If you
think you’ve
arrived, it’s
time to leave.”
- John Capozzi, former principal

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Build
relationships
Systems of
respect
(discipline)

“Discipline is all
about building
relationships.”
- Vincent Romano, principal
Malverne High School
Malverne High School

“How kids function
is an absolute
consequence of
how adults
function.”
-- Deb Gustafson, principal
Ware Elementary
143

Source: Ware Elementary School

The point is that they have
SYSTEMS
to ensure that students – and teachers – feel
themselves to be valued members of the
community.

“The principal and I would go on the playground
and I would see a lone African American
student playing by themselves. I’d ask the
principal, “Look out on the playground, what do
you see?” They’d look and look in frustration
trying to figure out what lesson I was trying to
teach them, but just couldn’t see that student
who was right in front of them, sad and playing
by themselves….Students need a sense of
belonging and the principal and teacher must
[create it].”
-- Von Sheppard, former assistant superintendent
Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Boulder, Colorado
(also former principal, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School)
Every level of leadership should be concerned about the
question of relationships and culture.
146

Beliefs
The kids can do it
We can do it
We must do it NOW
Build
relationships
Systems of
respect
Systems of
support

“There are systems within systems within systems.”
– Sergio Garcia, principal, Artesia High School

It is through these
systems that leaders
can help transform
“islands of
excellence”…
…into patterns of excellence.
150

PLANNING FOR THE
5 ELEMENTS
Focus on what students
need to learn and for which
they will be held
accountable
Collaborate on ways to teach so that
most students get it
Assess as a team which students get it
and need to move on and which
students need additional help; make
plans for each group of students
Collaboratively study data to find
patterns in instruction and student
performance
Have school-wide systems to build personal relationships
that develop the trust needed to teach and learn
What systems do we have in place to
ensure we do this?
(i.e. weekly meetings; quarterly retreats;
regular reviews or reports of student data,
etc.)
What evidence (research or data) supports
our practices?
Has student achievement improved with
our current practices?
If no: what should we stop and
start doing?
If yes: How could what we do be
strengthened?
(Maybe borrow an idea from an
Unexpected School)
Planning Next Steps

153
To return to our original question…

Is there something we can learn from
those and other
“unexpected schools?”

Only by working
together to pool
their knowledge
and expertise
can teachers be
successful with
all the students
all the time.
157
Poll
Please tell me what you think about this presentation.

Let’s talk
about
the elephant
in the room
159

31
27
23
13
7
How do principals spend their time?
“Internal administrative tasks” –
budgets, human
relations/personnel, reports,
regulations
Curriculum and teaching-related tasks
Student interactions
Parent interactions
Other
It all adds up to about 60 hours a week – a little more for high
school principals; a little less for primary school principals
Source: Principals’ time, tasks, and professional development: An analysis of Schools and Staffing Survey data, Northeast and Island Regional Educational Laboratory, IES, 2016.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2017201.pdf

• Legal compliance
• Managing business/community partners
• Managing parent relationships
• Professional development and faculty meetings
• Gathering and organizing data
• Responding to the central office
• School improvement plans
• State audits
• Attending meetings
• After-school activities and sports
• Celebrations and recognition events
• Master schedules
• Arrival/Dismissal duty schedules
• Attendance system
• Budgets
• Supplies
• Hiring staff
• Supervising/disciplining staff
• Ensuring a safe & clean environment
• Establishing school-wide routines
• Discipline and school culture
• Managing crises
The school leader to-do list
In the Getting It Done study we found that all of the principals considered themselves to be instructional
leaders – but no matter how you define the job, principals – and district leaders -- still have buildings to
manage, which includes:
161

Anyone tired
just thinking
about that list?

1. By putting instruction at the
center of their managerial functions.
163

In other words:
In every one of the managerial functions a principal has,
instruction can be secondary or primary. Unexpected
School leaders make it primary.
In this way they build the systems necessary to support
the instructional program.

2. They build capacity and distribute
leadership among teachers and staff.
“It’s not my job to run the building.
It’s everyone’s job.”
-- Diane Scricca, former principal
166

Centennial Place Elementary School
Example:
Distributed leadership
167

Centennial Place had three
leadership teams:
1. Grade-level chairs
Responsible for communication and logistics
across school – would meet with principal 7:30
a.m. every Thursday, bringing any concerns
from their grade level and then disseminating
information back.
2. Design Team
Responsible for curriculum and instruction and
leading collaborative planning activities.
3. School Improvement Council
Responsible for all matters related to school
climate and culture
168

In other words, there is a lot of leadership
to go around.
Note: Unexpected School principals do
NOT make or approve all decisions – too
many decisions need to be made, and
waiting for principal approval would tie a
school up in knots,
incapable of moving forward.
169

“I don’t make any
decisions without my
team. I tell them what I
see and ask what they
think.”
- Mary Haynes-Smith, principal
Bethune Elementary School, New Orleans

Schools do not stumble into excellence; they are
led there by people who know what they’re
doing.
171

“Analytically, improvement research entails
getting down into the micro details as to how
any proposed set of changes is actually
supposed to improve outcomes. Unfortunately,
such careful on-the-ground systems thinking
rarely characterizes most educational reforms.
Typically, a reform's logic of action is vague and
almost always underspecified. When such
reforms are scrutinized closely, zones of wishful
thinking—gaps in understanding, questionable
assumptions about causes and effects and tacit
beliefs of the form ‘and then something good
will happen’—regularly abound.”

“How kids function
is an absolute
consequence of
how adults
function.”
-- Deb Gustafson, principal
Ware Elementary
174

Here’s how the folks at Graham Road Elementary
thought about formative assessment:
•A team-constructed COMMON ASSESMENT:
•Requires everyone to analyze & arrive at a common understanding of the objective.
•Strengthens teacher expertise and eliminates the educational lottery.
•Establishes ownership for student performance. There are no surprises on the
common assessment.
Slide used by Graham Road Elementary School team at Education Trust national conference, 2009

“The way to improve
reading comprehension is
to improve the child’s
background knowledge.”
Note: Dan Willingham has a new book coming in
2017 that will include much more research and
will be more of a resource for educators.

“The major purpose of assessment in schools
should be to provide interpretative
information to teachers and school leaders
about their impact on students, so that these
educators have the best information possible
about what steps to take with instruction and
how they need to change and adapt.”
-- John Hattie
Education Week, October 27, 2015

Effect Size Factor
1.44 Student self-assessment and self grading
0.73 Accurate feedback to and from teachers
What does research say about assessment?
0.57 Home Environment
0.57 SES
John Hattie, Visible Learning

AHDS Annual Conference 2016 - Karin Chenoweth

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