PowerPointPrsentation

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Prof. Dr. Heinz Günter Holtappels Institute of
School Development Research (IFS) Technical
University of Dortmund / Germany
School improvement through leadership and
professional collaboration in self-managing
schools
ICSEI Conference Vancouver/ Canada, 6th January
2009
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Work on curriculum and development of teaching
Internal school constitution, boards and
participation
Human resource management and staff development
Areas of shaping schools through school autonomy
concepts
School organisation and learning organization
School budget and equipment rationing
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Central target in autonomy program and
accompanying research
Quality improvement of school organisation and
teaching and learning
Autonomy of school
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Theoretical Quality Model
School development work concepts, school program,
self-evaluation, teaching development
Input quality System preconditions Education
standards Time structure Resources Teacher
education Support systems Quality assurance Schul
types/system structure Steps of transitions
Process quality School level Readiness of
innovation Leadership and management Teacher
cooperation Working climate Contacts with
parents Classroom level Demands for
achievements Support for learning Adaptivity of
lessons Structured lessons Classroom
management Teacher-student-relationship Students
participation
Output quality Achievements in
subjects Learning behavior Learning
strategies Psychic and social
Dispositions Social behavior Educational
courses Attainments
Social Context
reference Scheerens 2002 Creemers 1998
Holtappels 2008
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Theoretical framework
Central findings in school development
research Serious reforms are more than the
implementation of separate innovations. It means
the change of culture and structures inside
school. (Fullan 1991,169 according Lortie
1975 Sarason 1971) It is not already sufficient
to give schools more freedom through autonomous
structures and to grant a bright scope of action.
Schools are able to use autonomy and to exhaust
their pedagogical possibilities, if they build up
capacity of change through a culture of
organisational learning. (Holtappels/Rolff/Klemm
2008)
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Theoretical framework

• Organizations can learn, but they learn through
  individuals individual learning is a
  crucial condition but not a guarantee for
  organisational learning (ref. Senge 1990)
• Professional work in teams is the base and a
  crucial condition for organisational
  learning
• Institutionalized teams enable teachers for
  professional cooperation with goal
  orientated acting, intensive exchange, shared
  decision making, planning and
  problem-solving (according to Rosenholtz 1991)
• Professional collaboration in teams provides
  opportunities and supportive environments
  for individual and organisational learning and
  for building capacity of change, especially
  for teaching development (according to
  Seashore Louis/Kruse 1995 Leithwood 2000)

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Architecture of school as an learning
organisation
goals, mission statements, standards
requirements beliefs
innovative climate readiness for innovation
individual collective self-efficacy
Visions Motivation
acceptance by the staff
organizational-/ teaching-/ personnel development
transfer of know-ledge, further education,
trainings
innovation-oriented/ leadership
school concept-/school program work
Strategies and procedures of innovation
process steering
Infrastructure of Innovation
internal evaluation as self-evaluation
institutionalized team builing/ professional
learning communities
networks
data driven school development
external counseling/ support
activation participation of the staff
external Evaluation
Reference Holtappels 2007
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Organisational Learning

• An organization that learns, according to the
  theory, works efficiently, readily adapts to
  change, detects and corrects error, and
  continually improves its effectiveness (Argyris
  Schön, 1974) (Marks Louis, 1999, 711).
• A review of empirical research on organizational
  learning in schools alone would make a very quick
  read indeed (Leithwood, K., A. Louis, 2000, 7)
• Marks Louis (1999) (resp.) Marks, Louis
  Printy (2000) presented an index of the capacity
  for organisational learning in their study based
  on quantitative and quality data

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Dimensions of Capacity for Organizational Learning
Project Self-managing Schools Feldhoff/Kanders/Ro
lff 2008
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Distribution of scales/items of the 7 dimensions
regular reflection on work activities with other
teachers (TQ)
exchange in the sense of a Landscape of Schools
(STGQ)
Importance of PD- measures (TQ)
teachers influence on determining the school
budget (PQ)
Project Self-managing Schools Feldhoff/Kanders/Ro
lff 2008
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Granting and using the extended scope of action
Project Self-managing Schools
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Research questions

• How do schools develop under conditions of
  extended autonomy? Can we find relationships
  between capacity of organisational learning and
  relevant school quality factors?
• Which relationships between variables of the
  culture of organisation and the quality of
  teaching and learning can be identified?
• Is teacher cooperation in teams like a
  professional learning community able to
  contribute to organisational learning and to
  influence teaching quality and learning
  achievements of students?

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Data base and methods

• School development program Self-managing
  Schools in North Rhine-Westphalia
  (Germany), 278 schools involved
• three measure points (2003, 2005, 2007)
• questionnaires of principals, steering-groups,
  teachers, students
• 246 schools in panel analyses, student
  assessment (achievements in reading literacy and
  mathematics) in 36 schools teacher
  data n1824 (2007) student data n9407
  (2007)
• Variables competencies of school leaders,
  intensity of teacher cooperation, teamwork
  in PLCs, self-efficacy, readiness for
  innovation within staff, intensity of practice of
  self-evaluation

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Correlations between index capacity of
organisational learning and use of freedom in
classroom and school organization
Project Self-managing Schools Feldhoff 2008
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Correlation between index capacity of
organisational learning and variables on
teaching level
Project Self-managing Schools Feldhoff 2008
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Quality of competencies of principals
longitudinal teacher data
Means on school level
Data base teacher questionnaire, aggregated data
on school level 2003 (n82)/ 2005 (n77)/ 2007
(n70)
Project Self-managing Schools
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Multi level analysise Development of students
achievements in reading literacy depending on
leadership
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Intensity of teacher cooperation longitudinal
teacher data
(1.257)
(1.304)
(1.229)
Project Self-managing Schools
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Culture of organisation (teacher data t1) as
predictors for development of differential
practice of teaching (teacher data t1-t2)
results of multiple regression (Beta-values)
intensity of teacher cooperation
leadership competencies
.09
.22
development of differential practice of
teaching(teacher assessment)t1/2003- t2/2005
readiness for innovation within staff
.45
goal orientation and consensus orientated
conceptual work
.10
-.02
practice of self-evaluation
Multiple R .61/ explained variance 38 /
significance plt.05,plt.001 n80 schools
(teacher data t1/ t2, aggregated on school level)
Project Self-managing Schools
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Different forms of institutionalized teams
Institutionalized teams with possibility to reach
level of professional learning communities can
be found 1) on classroom level as classroom teams
of teachers, - who worked in the same
classroom with students or - on the year
level as year teams with teachers working in
several classrooms or - teams on the
level of educational courses in vocational
schools 2) on faculty level as faculty teams
with teachers teaching the same subject in
several classrooms
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Goals for working in teams as professional
learning communities

• Reducing isolation through intensive
  communication
• Enhancing the capacity for development of
  teacher staff with regard to pedagogical
  work and problem-solving
• Creating a supportive and productive environment
  for teachers
• Giving opportunities for further learning
• Common efforts for improvement of organizational
  and teaching quality
• (reference Hall/Hord 2001)

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Characteristics of professional learning
communities (based on Leithwood 2000)
reflexive dialogue and continuous analysis
intensive communication about teaching and
learning
teacher cooperation for enhancing effectiveness
of teaching
characteristics
focus on students learning achievements
shared goals and values
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Quality of professional teamwork of teachers in
institutionalized teams
Project Self-managing Schools Röhrich/Holtappels
2008
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Impacts on readiness for innovation depending on
teacher efficacy and professional collaboration
in faculty teams
goal orientation of teamwork
readiness for innovation
.263
.769
.695
intensity of teacher cooperation
PLC faculty teams focusing teaching development
.679
.054
n69 CFI .863 TLI .851 RMSEA .110 SRMR .120
Structural Equation Model (teacher data 2007
aggregated on school level)
Project Self-managing Schools Gebauer/Holtappels
2008
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Impacts of leadership competencies and acting of
steering groups on quality of teaching in
mathematic lessons
.60
leadership with focus on teaching and instruction
readiness for innovation within staff
.492
.415
.493
structured and comprehensible lessons (in
mathematics)
.292
teambuilding through steering group with regard
to teaching development
.477
professional teamwork focusing teaching
development
.461
.36
Structural Equation Model (teacher data 2007
aggregated on school level)
(CFI 0,943, TLI 0,934, RSMEA 0,081, Chi²/DF
1,46, n70)
Project Self-managing Schools Feldhoff 2008
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Impact of process variables on quality of
teaching - result of multiple regression
(beta-values)
readiness for innovation within staff
.61
professional teamwork in faculty groups with
focus on teaching development
.24
differentiated teaching patterns(teacher data)
.32
professional teamwork in faculty groups with
focus on evaluation and diagnosis
.13
steering style of steering groups through
bargaining
Multiple R .822 / explained variance 68 /
Sign. plt.01, plt.001 n 42 schools
(teacher data aggregated on school level)
Project Self-managing Schools Holtappels
et.al.2008
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Professional cooperation on classroom level,
self-efficacy and effects on student level -
multilevel path analysis for class year teams
(teacher student data) -
School n 31
intensity of teacher cooperation
readiness for innovation
collective teacher-efficacy
CFI .901 TLI .819 RMSEA .036 SRMR .125
.861
.509
.320
PLC class year teams
.066
Students n1406
math score, 9th grade
quality of instruction
.128
Project Self-managing Schools Gebauer/Holtappels
2008
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Conclusion

• Capacity of organisational learning is a crucial
  key condition for effective use of granted scope
  of autonomous acting
• Learning environment of PLC is supportive for
  teaching development and learning
• Goal orientation in teamwork is able to enhance
  professional collaboration and readiness for
  innovation
• Low impact of PLC on achievement in mathematics
  via classroom management
• Professional collaboration and learning in PLCs
  are key factors for self-management of schools
  and school improvement

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Thank you for your attention!
Contact holtappels_at_ifs.uni-dortmund.dehttp//ww
w.ifs.uni-dortmund.de/
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Correlations between index capacity of
organisational learning and variables of school
organization
Project Self-managing Schools Feldhoff 2008
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Impacts on readiness for innovation depending on
teacher self-efficacy and professional
collaboration in classroom and year teams
goal orientation of teamwork
readiness for innovation
.236
.753
.747
intensity of teacher cooperation
PLC classroom/ year teams focusing student
learning
.756
.260
n70 CFI .862 TLI .823 RMSEA .120 SRMR .091
Structural Equation Model (teacher data 2007
aggregated on school level)
Project Self-managing Schools Gebauer/Holtappels
2008
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Professional cooperation in faculty teams,
self-efficacy and effects on student level
multilevel path analysis for faculty teams
(teacher student data)
School n 31
intensity of teacher cooperation
CFI .841 TLI .709 RMSEA .041 SRMR .133
readiness for innovation
collective teacher-efficacy
.857
.465
.413
PLC faculty teams
.037
Students n1406
math score, 9th grade
quality of instruction
.103
Project Self-managing Schools Gebauer/Holtappels
2008