INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP

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INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP

• From Rhetoric to Reality

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Why havent we gotten it yet?
Inadequate training
Misguided priorities
Too hard and too fuzzy
Not valued by superintendents
Dont really know how
Too little time
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Making the Transitions
FROM
TO
Inspection
Observation
Supervision
Colleagueship
Giving Directions
Distributing leadership
Slogans
Core values
My school
My classroom
Collaborations
Teacher isolation
Control
Participation
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Making the Transitions
FROM
To
Testing
Accountability
Focus on teaching
Focus on learning
Patrolling
Presence
Filling time
Investing time
Being busy
Changing
Business as usual
Working the work
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50
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When your thinking shifts, you are better able to
accomplish
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What Do You Control, Really?

• Climate for learning
• Quality of student work
• Quality of instructional practices
• The school schedule
• Your schedule
• Employment

• Classroom assignments
• Use of space
• Budget allocations
• Community engagement
• Setting instructional priorities
• Rewards/sanctions

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Three Key Questions
Do those things you actually do control add value
to transforming instructional leadership from
rhetoric to reality?
How do you leverage those things you control into
strategic practices for school improvement?
Where are the best practices? Whos doing it the
right way? Where can you go to learn?
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Describe a Best Practice
Make sure the vision for the school clearly
articulates that kids and their success is at the
core. Then, every public utterance, inside or
outside the school should relate to kids,
learning, and improvement.
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Describe a Best Practice - 2
Use time, particularly professional meeting time
to drive the school constantly toward the core.
Too much professional time is spent on peripheral
rather than substantive issues. For example

• 330 -- Administrative Action items
• 340 -- Report from Leadership Team re
  school-based staff development options for the
  summer
• 350 -- Presentation by (grade level, department,
  team, etc.) on their progress in meeting school
  improvement goals
• 405 -- Preparation for improving reading scores
  -- an examination of student work on teacher-made
  reading tests aimed at comprehension
• 420 -- Stories of successful interventions in
  ___________
• 430 -- Adjourn

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Optional Work Days Revisited

• Morning
• 800 -- Do stuff in rooms
• 845 -- Coffee and treats
• 900 -- Thinking creatively on how to solve the
  problem of low reading and math scores for our
  African-American 6th graders
• 1030 -- Reflection break in small groups
• 1100 -- Drafting an action plan
• 1200 -- Lunch

• Afternoon
• Individual work activity
• Internet research
• Professional reading
• Work on your own professional growth plan
• Previewing films
• Other as individually designed

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Describe a Best Practice - 3

• Do Action Research
• Effectiveness of homework
• How time is used
• Retention of instructional focus
• Overcoming obstacles

• Do the Math
• Know your data
• Use multiple sources
• Attendance
• Behavior
• Student work
• Grades

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• Web Sites
• NCREL http//www.ncrel.org
• Pathways to School Improvement
  http//www.ncrel.org/sdrs
• U.S. Dept. of Education http//www.ed.gov
• Laboratory for Student Success
  http//www.temple.edu/lss
• Southwest Education Development Laboratory
  http//www.sedl.org
• West Ed http//www.wested.org
• SERVE http//www.serve.org