Indisputable laws of leadership: A Courageous Conversation

A COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION
THE EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Keystone Oaks School District
July 28, 2011
David O. Saenz, PhD, EdM, LLC
Clinical and Consulting Psychologist
(412) 853-2000
dosaenz@psych-consulting.com
www.psych-consulting.com

How education has changed…..

Participants will learn:
1) What 35 years of research
shows about leadership
and student achievement
2) 10 things Top Tier Schools
do
3) What Redefining failure
means
4) Re-Defining the role of
Principal as Leader– what
top tier principals do

Life’s 10/90 rules
• Health Rule: 90% of your
health is based on 10% of
your lifestyle habits (diet,
exercise, positive
emotionality)
• Selling Rule: 80-90% of all
sales are completed by 10-
20% of the salespeople.
• Carp Rule: People carp 90%
of the time over things that
happen 10% of the time
• Money Rule: <10% of the
people own 90% of the
world’s wealth

Factors Accounting for Variance in Student Achievement
7%
13%
80%
Student factors School Teacher
(Sanders and Horn,1994; Marzano, 2003; Miller, 2003; Waters, Marzano, McNulty, 2002)

Most vs. Least Effective School &
Teacher Outcomes
• A student scoring
@ 50th percentile
will score @ 50th
percentile after 2
years in an average
school with an
average teacher.
(Marzano et al,
2003).

2 years in a “least effective” school
with a “least effective” teacher,
that student’s achievement level
plunges to the 30th percentile
(Marzano et al, 2003).
Most vs. Least Effective School & Correlations
with Student Outcomes

Factors Accounting for Variance in Student Achievement: Ineffective
School and Ineffective Teacher

2 years in a “most effective” school
with a “most effective” teacher, the
student jumps to the 96th
achievement percentile. (Marzano
et al, 2003).
Most vs. Least Effective School &
Teacher Outcomes

Factors Accounting for Variance in Student Achievement:
Highly Effective School and Effective Teacher

The principal’s effectiveness is bilateral– it can affect
student achievement in both directions.

0
20
40
60
80
100
Start of year Ineffective School &
Teacher
Average School &
Teacher
Effective School &
Teacher
Ineffective vs. Average vs. HighlyEffective School and Teacher
End of Year Outcomes bySchool Type

Glass ½ Full Leadership
Things we
should
know before
jumping in
the pool

Good is the enemy of great
"We don't have great schools,
principally because we have
good schools. We don't have
great government, principally
because we have good
government. Few people
attain great lives, precisely
because it is easy to settle for
a good life. The vast majority
of companies never become
great precisely because they
become quite good. - and that
is their main problem."
(Collins, 1994, 2009)

New definition of failure (Seth Godin, HBR, 2010)
• If the women’s line is 50 people long at
Heinz Field, it’s a failure- it’s a failure of
design, of gender relations, and of
resources. Because it’s not currently
treated as a failure, it doesn’t get
addressed. We’re fine with the status
quo and no one speaks up. (Seth
Godin, HBR, 2010)
• If your new laptop arrives 7 days later
than promised, it’s a failure.
• If the potholes in Pittsburgh don’t get
fixed for 10 weeks, it’s failure.

Types of Failure (1-5 ratings)
• Failure of design.
– If your performance review system doesn’t lead
to good to great performance from everyone, is
this a design failure in hiring, coaching, training,
and/or firing?
– If one of the teachers is not performing up to
standard 8 months after the start of the year, is
this a failure?
–If several at risk students struggle in one school
and worsen throughout the school year, is this a
failure?

• Failure of opportunity. If your assets are
poorly deployed, ignored, or decaying--
would this be a failure?
– Staff are the #1 asset, if several negative staff in
2 schools, flourish… would this be a failure?
–If staff training does not lead to substantive,
concrete changes in teaching, is this a failure?
–If the district does not get exceptional
leadership from it’s principals and
superintendent, is this a failure?
–List 3-5 failures in assets per school

• Failure of priorities. If we choose to focus on work that
doesn’t create real value, is this a failure?
– % of time used on nonessential leadership tasks
– % of time focused on poor performers (soccer team)
• Failure of will. If we prematurely abandon important
work or programs because of internal resistance, loss of
interest, loss of focus, or lack of backbone and long term
thinking, have we failed?
– Flavor of the month programs, such as discipline
programs/systems and goals
List 3-5 school related items in your building
connected to failure of priorities and will.

• Failure to quit. If we stick with a mediocre
idea, goal, teacher, or committee too long
because of lack, vision, initiative or guts, is
this a failure?
• The most self-referential form of failure is the
failure to see when we’re failing due to
misplaced determination to continue on,
denial, fear of humiliation/shame or
habituated lack of interest or focus on the
issues. Never waste a good failure!
List 3-5 school related items in your building
connected to each idea above

The challenge….
• Of the issues that face the district as a whole, which
5 manageable ones interfere most with improving
student achievement (e.g., staff morale, looming
district decisions, leadership behaviors)
• Of the many unused possibilities that stand before
KOSD, which 3-5 manageable ones afford the
greatest opportunity for improving student
achievement across the board?
• Of the many successes at KOSD, which 10 are you
most proud of?
• How are successes celebrated at KOSD?

Excellent leadership is like kissing
In the pursuit of a relationship, we don’t stop at
the first kiss…………….
Excellent
leadership
is a
consistent,
sustained
effort over
several
years.

#1. 1-2 key
stakeholder
meetings per
week. Brief
problem solving
agenda that uses
data and PLC
strategies (Pareto
Analysis, Cause-
Effect diagram,
Root Cause
Analysis,
accountability
note system)
10 Interrelated Actions of Top Tier Schools

#2. Leadership is focused on student
achievement and isn’t sidetracked by
noise (clique behavior, favoritism, gossip,
own agenda, routine decisions) . Leader
isolates KRA’s from noise with ease.
#3. There is sustained follow through on
decisions– a strong commitment to
sustained reform.
#4. Leadership is distributed and decen-
tralized. Principal akin to jazz conductor.

#5. Excellent quality and quantity PD.
#6. Critical information is quickly,
easily, and openly shared.
Information ≠ power.
#7. High demand of teachers matched
by high support. 1/1 levels.

#8. High expectations of staff and students.
Expectations are clearly laid out and unequivocally
stressed at every meeting. Data collection and
conversations return to such expectations.
#9. A collaborative relationship with staff. Decisions
that affect staff are typically made with genuine
staff involvement and buy-in.
#10. A single minded focus on both academics and an
orderly, safe, and studious school environment.
High Structure and routine in classrooms &
common areas. A clear articulation, daily, hourly,
of this focus.

13 things I hated
as a CEO
(the underbelly of leading)
When Noah heard the
weather forecast, he said
“Quick, build an ark!" That's
Leadership.
When he got on the ark, he
said "Don't let the elephants
see what the rabbits are
doing!" That's Management!

13 things I hated as an Administrator
1) Managing – Painting a picture and leading is 10X more
interesting than executing. Stressing over the details is
much tougher than actually making things work.
2) Correcting – I’d rather be liked and popular than to
correct and redirect staff. I’d rather attend after work
parties/ make friends, be a part of the psychic friends
network, than have to confront poor performance.
3) Waiting – Patience was always in short supply. I was
the leader and therefore what I wanted should occur
on the spot. But I learned that immediate info and
commitment was generally unreliable.
4) Submitting – I was the boss, and therefore knew more
- so things should be done my way.
5) Failing – I thrived on success and abhorred a
challenged idea and not being able to sell it.

6) Feedback: Getting honest, real time feedback on
my shortcomings and failures.
7) Having blinders: Failing to know or recognize
when my time was up (or staying long after the
passion was gone). Some leaders are only there for
a season:
Some leaders get things started…
Some leaders guide the organization through
transition…
Some leaders only handle the tough times…
Some leaders help organizations start again…
Some leaders close things out graciously….
13 things I hated as a CEO

8) Having to set a high bar- staff will seldom
ever outperform the bar the leader sets (work
ethic, character, vision, accomplishing goals and
objectives…)
9) Looking for fresh ideas or cultivating a spirit
of change and growth. I’d much rather maintain
and cruise than retool my vision and goals.
10) Look at my own performance, alone, in the
dark.

11) Take Responsibility - Leadership meant I couldn’t
duck out when things didn’t pan out. The essence of
leadership is the willingness to make the tough
decisions. Being lonely was a way of life, and I had to
accept that (this is why presidents have dogs).
12) Deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the
agony of conjecture and half truths. Live the serenity
prayer.
13) Taking risks- A preference for living within my comfort
zone and waiting quietly to getting on the wire and
balancing the need for continued improvements and
still stay on a plateau. Doing nothing b/c I wanted to
wait until what I did was so well done that no one could
find fault with it.

• What are the top 5 relevant things you dodge
b/c it’s uncomfortable?

THE FUTURE…
Is not ahead of us, it’s
already happened!
Unfortunately it’s
unequally
distributed…

Outcomes at Iredell-Statesville Schools
(K-12, NC; 21,000 students)
• Cohort graduation rates (the percentage of
ninth-grade students who graduate from high
school four years later) increased steadily
from 64 percent in 2002-2003 to 80.7 percent
in 2007-2008.
• At 96.03 % attendance rate (ranking third out
of 115 comparison school districts in 2006-
2007).
• Teacher turnover rate below the state average

• Achieved 94 percent of its Adequate Yearly
Progress goals
• The End-of-Grade (EOG) Reading Composite
improved from 75 percent of students
proficient in 2000-2001to 90.6 percent
proficiency in 2006-2007.
• Also, I-SS closed the EOG reading proficiency
gap between African-American children and
all students from 23 percent to 12.3 percent.
Outcomes at Iredell-Statesville

• The lowest dropout rate (3.5 percent) for
students in grades 9-12 in its history
• Class size in core subject areas decreased
from 21.8 students in 2001-2002 to 18.6 in
2007-2008
• SAT scores rose from 991 (2002-2003) to
1056 (2007-2008) with the state rank rising
from 57th (out of 115 school districts) in
2003 to 7th in 2008.
Outcomes at Iredell-Statesville Schools

• I-SS uses its Model to Raise Achievement and Close
Gaps (RACG). In the classroom, five key learning
questions form the basis for action by focusing
discussion and analysis on what students should
know and be able to do:
–(1) What does this student need to know?
–(2) How will he/she learn it?
–(3) How will we know he/she has learned it?
–(4) What will we do if he/she has not learned it?
–(5) What will we do if he/she already knows it?
Some things Iredell-Statesville did

The challenge…
• What would a truly
high performing
school environment
look like, sound like,
feel like?
• What would a truly
high performing
classroom look like,
sound like, feel like?

• So, what would it take to make this happen?
– What 4-6 decisions could be made today to take KOSD in
that direction?
– What would the outcomes be for each step?
– Who would spearhead each effort?
The challenge…

A meta-analysis of 30 years of research on the relationship between
school leadership and student achievement
(Waters, Marzano & McNulty, 2003)
10 (out of 21) factors that most affect the relationship:
– Culture- fosters a shared belief and sense of community and
cooperation
– Order- sets standard operating procedures and routines
(strong school structure, clear and unequivocal expectations,
consistent pos/neg feedback)
– Teacher input- involves teachers in the design and
implementation of critical decisions and policies
– Affirmation– recognizes and celebrates school
accomplishments and acknowledges failures/setbacks/
problems
– Outreach- is a strong and supportive spokesperson and
advocate for the school to all stakeholders

The research on the relationship between school
leadership and student achievement
• Change agent- is willing to challenge the status quo and acts on
this willingness
• Ideals & beliefs (values)- clearly communicates and operates
from a strong set of beliefs, ideals and values about education
• Monitors, assesses and evaluates- closely monitors the
effectiveness of daily teaching and leadership/management
practices, and their impact on student learning
• Straightforward- is open, honest, forthright. Manages both
sides of the spectrum- confronts and challenges and rewards
acknowledges.
• Intellectual stimulation- ensures that faculty and staff are
aware of their current theories and practices and makes these a
regular aspect of the school’s culture

Why do women live longer than men?

What No One Will Ever Tell You…. But I Will
Sooo… why do women
live longer than men?....

At the heart of all great leaders is
Effective Communication
• The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion
that it has taken place. George Bernard Shaw
• People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.
- John C Maxwell
• The art of communication is the language of leadership.
James Hume
• People only hear about half of what others say to them,
understand only half of what they hear, believe only half of
what they understand, and remember only half of what
they believe. (Univ of Maine)

How communication is received and delivered
Body language Tone Words
55%
7%
38%

Research based factors associated with
effective leadership
• In your heart (not your brain) think of 1-3 people
who have most positively influenced your life.
– List them and beside each one, note 1-2 things that they
did/who they were that resulted in their being a source
of power/influence in your life.
• Usually it’s a mom, dad, preacher, coach,
neighbor… rarely is it your boss

#1 reason you picked this person(s) is because they
genuinely care about you. If you don’t love people,
you’ll never lead them.
#2 reason you picked them is because they believed in
you
#3 reason is because they’re fair… no double standard,
no duplicity, no favorites, no glossing over concerns,
no holding back on those who don’t perform. Who
carries the baton in a relay?
#4 reason- they expected excellence and accepted
nothing less
Research based factors associated with
effective leadership

• Established Professional Learning Communities
What Iredell-Statesville did

Teacher Perceptions of Effective Principals
• According to research on effective leaders (Canales et al,
2008; Blanchard & Johnson, 2001; teachers viewed the
following greater effectiveness on their part (and thus
better student achievement):
– Representation- the leader’s ability to speak and act as
the representative of the group.
– Demand Reconciliation- the leader’s ability to reconcile
conflicting demands and reduce disorder to a system of
order, structure and routine.
– Tolerance of Uncertainty- the leader’s ability to tolerate
un- expected uncertainty and postponement without
anxiety or upset

Why is change hard? The elephant and the rider…
Brief lessons on change…

The rational mind [rider] is
Analytical, reason bound and slow to act

Emotional Mind [elephant] is impulsive
and very susceptible to habit

Perched atop the Elephant and holding the reins. The
analytical Rider appears to be in control, but the
emotional Elephant is powerful and enormous in size
relative to the Rider.
The analytical Rider's ability to strategize for long-
term goals can easily be thwarted by the emotional
Elephant's desire for instant gratification

Why is Change so Hard?
The Elephant isn't always the bad guy
He has strengths as well as weaknesses, as does the
Rider. In his capacity for emotion, the Elephant can
supply the energy and determination needed to
reach a goal.
The Rider, on the other hand, despite his analytical
ability, can actually slow down progress if he is
unable to stop analyzing, reasoning, and examining
every detail to reach final decisions.

You have to make dual appeals in order to effect change: "The Rider
provides the planning and direction, and the Elephant provides the
energy“. 3 underlying principles:
1) What looks like resistance to change is often a lack of clarity
2) Self-control is an exhaustible resource
3) To change behavior, you have to change the situation

3-point pattern for change
1) Direct the Rider: Indecision Slows Progress
2) Motivate the Elephant: Let Him Dream Your Dream
3) Shape the Path: Tweak the Environment
Define your goals--not just your ultimate goal, but each
step--script your critical moves. “Find the feeling" and
“Shrink the change“. You can't move the Elephant with
facts; you have to generate enthusiasm for the
destination. Give the Elephant a series of small goals
leading to small successes, and larger goals will seem to
shrink. If you are in a setting that is not conducive to
your success, your goal becomes that much more elusive

Because people do not move from
inactionableto-dos and projects to well
defined, do-able, next actions. Put their power
of analysis to work on figuring out how to get
to a motivating destination or goal, rather than
using analysis to resist the change. SEE-FEEL -
CHANGE, but rather ANALYZE-THINK-CHANGE
“Attribute people’s behavior to the situation
they are in, but rather to the way they are.”

Strategic Change Leadership
> Direct the Rider
> Motivate the Elephant
>Shape the Path
Shape the Path, motivate the
Elephant, and direct the Rider at
the same time, and you are on
your way

Correlations between leadership and student
achievement
• 2 variables that determine whether or not leadership
will have a positive or negative effect on student
achievement:
– Leadership’s ability to correctly identify and focus on those
factors that actually improve school-wide and classroom
practices for their building/district (and thereby increasing
student achievement). I.e.,, Knowing the right thing to do,
when to do it, how to do it and why it’s being done… and
holding each other accountable.
– Does the leader understand the magnitude and “order’ of
the types of improvements/changes they want to make?
Can they adjust their leadership practices according to the
needs of the change process?

Methods for increasing teacher effectiveness;
thereby increasing student performance
• Implement a coherent, meaningful PD and
ensure that teachers are given adequate time,
feedback, and supports to put what they have
learned into practice.
–Ensure that PD is not only relevant/
meaningful, but also presented in a manner
that is engaging, inviting and challenging.
–Reflects best available research and practice
in teaching, learning, and leadership

• Focus on consistency across domains
– Consistent feedback

Leadership 900 Course
• Good questions expose reality, and they allow
teachers to find their own solutions rather than
having them rely on the Leader/Manager
• Why Leaders don’t ask questions:
– The need to appear infallible, competent or
omniscient
– False view that the leader’s role is to trouble-shoot or
solution find
– Fear of getting the answer they don’t want to hear
Lead by asking questions and not only giving
instructions

• Getting hung up on too many targets and
measures: In being an administrator in your
school, what 3 measures would you base your
success on? The success of the school as a
whole?
• How much time is actively and deliberately
devoted to pursuing these measures.

• Lincoln was once asked how much time it took
him to write the Gettysburg Address, his
response was: “All my life!”
• The leader’s job is to create more leaders by
fostering acts of leadership throughout the
system rather than assuming leadership exists
only at the top.
• The Leader isn’t always the one at the helm… it‘s
the one with influence (being at the helm is
positional leadership only, having influence is
genuine leadership).
• Listening precedes arm-waving and directing.

• T/F: Leaders do strategy and managers do the
details?
• Convincing the higher ups of the need for change
is best done by doing it. Find a common
cause/problem/solution, identify fellow freaks
who see what you see and work to make the
changes you can, then show the higher ups after
you’ve seen some success.
• Allow only for new mistakes… make it known you
only accept new mistakes.

• Great leaders sense what’s emerging, they’re
tapping into and being a part of the zeitgeist.
They’re a part of things and not external change
agents acting upon things. Great leaders ride the
waves
• McKinsey & Co. asks: What makes for a fantastic
work environment? 3 top answers:
– It’s open and honest- I trust my boss
– I’m stretched and valued- If I’m not there, I know I’ll be
missed
– Permission is given to take risks by allowing for some
decisionmaking

• The school principal "is expected
simultaneously to be a servant-leader, an
organizational and social architect, an
educator, a moral agent, a childadvocate and
social worker, a community activist, and a
crisis-negotiator-= all while raising students'
standardized- test performance" (Blackman
and Fenwick 2000).

World Class Principal-ship
1) Take some risks with your teachers: the
chef who ate with his customers
2) Practice servant-leadership- mentor a
teacher
3) MBWA- “Every minute in your office is a
minute lost” (Jack Welch)

1)The spirit
of the
Squirrel
2)The way of
the beaver
3)The way of
the Goose
(Blanchard and
Sheldon)
World Class Principal-ship

What No One Will Ever Tell You…. But I Will
So… why do women
live longer than men?

Image can change in a second……

Discipline Problems in Context
It’s too easy to blame the school when the student:
– Arrives to school hungry almost every day
– Comes from a home where there is domestic violence
(Craig in chest for 7 years at Gainesville)
– Lives in a home where drugs/alcohol dominate (parent who
gives daughter beer from fridge)
– Has a father or mother who is incarcerated
– Is the victim/survivor of severe emotional, physical
and/or sexual abuse (father dips daughter in oil: Child on Cadillac wheelchairs,
Nick preferred corrections to home at Gainesville)
– Comes from a home where parents show little to no
concern or interest in the student or their schooling
(parent tells us not to call back again, your problem)

Discipline Problems in Context
– Has a an undiagnosed learning disability or severe
emotional/ behavioral disorder (ADHD combined,
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mood Disorder, etc.)
– Sleeps on the floor (tents in the San Juaquin)
– is homeless, sleeps in the back of a car (tents)
– lives in foster care (Tyrique and Pythons in the garage)
– has been removed from their home and family by
CYF/the courts, etc.
– The student has lost a parent or family member
– Student has learned to wear down the adults in their life

Factors Accounting for Variance in
Student Achievement
• School-level and teacher-level factors account for
approximately 20 percent of the variance in student
achievement.
– 39 percentage-point difference in student achievement
between students with “most effective” and “least
effective” teachers. In classrooms headed by teachers
characterized as “most effective,” students posted
achievement gains of 53 percentage points over the course
of one academic year, whereas in classrooms led by “least
effective” teachers, student achievement gains averaged
14 percentage points . (Sanders and Horn,1994; Marzano, 2003)
• Student characteristics-- home environment, learned
intelligence/background knowledge, and motivation —
account for 80 percent of the variance in student
achievement. (Marzano, 2003; Miller, 2003; Waters, Marzano, McNulty, 2002)

Correlations between leadership and student
achievement
• r=.50 correlation between leadership and
student achievement found in some studies.
This translates into 1 Standard Deviation in
demonstrated difference and an associated
19% point increase in academic achievement.
• Correlations work both ways– 1 SD below can
translate into similar declines in student
achievement.

Correlations between leadership and student achievement
• 2 variables that determine whether or not leadership
will have a positive or negative effect on student
achievement:
– Leadership’s ability to correctly identify and focus on those
factors that actually improve school-wide and classroom
practices for their building/district (and thereby increasing
student achievement). I.e.,, Knowing the right thing to do,
when to do it, how to do it and why it’s being done… and
holding each other accountable.
– Leader understands the magnitude and “order’ of the
types of improvements/changes they want to make, and
then adjust their leadership practices according to the
needs of the change process
• Race-ethnicity account for 1-2% of the variance in test
scores (ACT). (Noble, 2001; Chambers, 1988; Noble et
al., 1992; Noble et al., 1999; Noble and McNabb, 1989)

• Put another way, a student scoring at the 50th
percentile who spends two years in an average school,
with an average teacher, is likely to continue scoring at
the 50th achievement percentile. That same student,
having spent two years in a “most effective” school
with a “most effective” teacher, rockets to the 96th
achievement percentile. The converse also holds: If this
same student spends two years in a “least effective”
school with a “least effective” teacher, that student’s
achievement level plunges to the third percentile
(Marzano, 2003).

School Factors and Student Achievement
• Alienated teachers vs. effective teachers
• More training vs. relevant, meaningful training
• Inflexible vs. flexible curriculum
• Limited support vs. mentoring, tutoring, social
support

Barriers to Communicating
• EXPECTATIONS
• RISKING
• FIXING:
• PROJECTS
• SCAPEGOATING
• AVOIDANCE
• SPEAKING IN CODE
• PROBING

•Derailing
• Name calling or belittling
• Being the Reactor
• Absolute Statements
•Need to be right
Barriers to Communicating

Barriers to active listening…
• PLACATING
• CONFLICT AVOIDANCE (CHAOS)
• SILENCE
• EXCLUSION
• BOUNDARY OR
• BARRIER
• CONTROL
• BLAMING

Barriers to Listening Effectively
• Selective Listening
• Being a fixer
• Using "You" or "We" statements
instead of "I" statements
• Daydreaming
• Automatic Talking

Barriers to Listening Effectively
Listening exercise…
Principal & LES strategies for working &
communicating effectively (planning
segment of 5-10 minutes, following
discussion of LES roles)

Leadership is like beauty, it’s hard to define…..
But we know it when we see it. (Bennis)

The Level 5 leader
“The good-to-great executives were all cut from the
same cloth. It didn't matter whether the company
was consumer or industrial, in crisis or steady state,
offered services or products. They:
– are self-confident enough to set up their successors for
success
– are humble and modest
– have "unwavering resolve.
– display a "workmanlike diligence - more plow horse than
show horse
– give credit to others for their success and take full
responsibility for poor results. They "attribute much of
their success to 'good luck' rather than personal
greatness.“ (Jim Collins, 2003)

Indisputable laws of leadership: A Courageous Conversation

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Similaire à Indisputable laws of leadership: A Courageous Conversation

Similaire à Indisputable laws of leadership: A Courageous Conversation (20)

Plus de David O. Saenz PhD, EdM, LLC (Licensed Psychologist)

Plus de David O. Saenz PhD, EdM, LLC (Licensed Psychologist) (6)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Indisputable laws of leadership: A Courageous Conversation