Courageous, Collaborative Leadership

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Courageous, CollaborativeLeadership

• Patti Kinney
• National Center for Middle Level Leadership
• National Association of Secondary School
  Principals
• kinneyp_at_principals.org
• 703-860-7256

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This presentation will

• provide you with quotes, stories, resources, and
  tools to provoke your thinking and to use with
  your staff.
• challenge and inspire you to think of leadership
  through different frameworks and perspectives.
• give you time to reflect, respond, and set goals
  for how to move yourself, your school, and your
  staff forward in your school improvement efforts.

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Courage

• derived from the French word
• coeur meaning heart

The ability to face danger, difficulty,
uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by
fear or being deflected from a chosen course of
action
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Seeing the obvious course of action
Stuck!
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Coming along side and giving support
The National Anthem
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Doing whats right in spite of opposition
R A D I O
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Standing up for what you believe in
B I L L Y E L L I O T T
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Group Task

• As a group discuss
• What is your definition of courage?
• How does your definition of courage apply to your
  position as a leader?
• What are some personal examples of courageous
  leadership?

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Collaboration

• The prescriptions for improving schools must not
  come primarily from outside of schools. The most
  lasting and important changes will come from
  within and will draw on the great resources
  within schools.
• Roland Barth

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Collaboration

• Improving schools requires the creation of
  collaborative cultures. Without the
  collaborative skills and relationships, it is not
  possible to learn and continue to learn as much
  as you need to know to improve.
• Michael Fullan

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Collaboration

• Indeed, virtually every other profession in
  modern life has transitioned to various forms of
  teamwork, yet most educators still work alone.
• Change Leadership A Practical Guide
• to Transforming our Schools

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Collaboration

• Schools with strong professional learning
  communities were four times more likely to be
  improving academically than schools with weaker
  professional communities. We can no longer
  afford to be innocent of the fact that
  collaboration improves performance.
• Anne C. Lewis

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Collaborate!

• Choose one of the preceding quotes
• Share with a colleague what you do as a leader
  to
• raise the awareness of the issue embedded in the
  quote and
• encourage those in your school to take action to
  address the issue in their day to day work.

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• The prescriptions for improving schools must not
  come primarily from outside of schools. The most
  lasting and important changes will come from
  within and will draw on the great resources
  within schools.
• Improving schools requires the creation of
  collaborative cultures. Without the
  collaborative skills and relationships, it is not
  possible to learn and continue to learn as much
  as you need to know to improve.
• Indeed, virtually every other profession in
  modern life has transitioned to various forms of
  teamwork, yet most educators still work alone.
• Schools with strong professional learning
  communities were four times more likely to be
  improving academically than schools with weaker
  professional communities. We can no longer
  afford to be innocent of the fact that
  collaboration improves performance.

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A Framework for Leadership
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The Recipe for Change

• A vision of what might be plus a dissatisfaction
  with what is must be greater than the cost of
  change.
• Garmston and Costa

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It begins with a vision

• Leadership is the capacity to translate vision
  into reality.
• Warren G. Bennis

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• The pig who knew what he wanted to do!

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Vision begins in the mind and heart of the school
leader

• be developed, nurtured, and shared with others
  before it can become a full-fledged reality
• be based on a set of sound educational beliefs
  that speak to the dignity, equality, and
  uniqueness of the students served by the school.
  
• be able to clearly articulate these beliefs and
  demonstrate by both actions and words that he or
  she holds firm to them.
• requires courage to challenge practices that are
  detrimental to students or to deal with issues or
  situations that are out of alignment with the
  schools vision.

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• If you dont know where you are going, you will
  end up somewhere else.
• Yogi Berra

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Group Task Vision

• What are three words that capture the essence of
  your vision for your school?
• What evidence of your vision would a visitor see
  at your school?
• What area of your vision needs to be given
  additional attention?

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Focusing leadership on

• Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
• Developing School Culture
• Developing and Nurturing Leaders

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Leadership for Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment
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An acceptance of responsibility for student
achievement
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Leadership Map
Achievement of Results
Causes The Antecedents of Excellence
Doug Reeves, www.leadandlearn.com
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Most Effective Strategies

• Alignment of standards, curriculum, instruction
  AND assessment
• Assignment of teachers based on student need
• Modeling and Mentoring of instructional
  strategies
• Engaging classroom environments

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Most Effective Strategies

• Deep content analysis, including big ideas and
  essential questions
• Monitoring that is frequent and visible
• Interdisciplinary assessment
• Teaching strategies that focus on differentiated
  instruction and student engagement

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Pause to reflect and share

• In the area of curriculum, instruction, and
  assessment, what do you most want to accomplish
  at your school that will take courage and/or
  collaborative leadership?
• What "frame" do you need to move into to
  accomplish this?

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Leadership for Developing School Culture
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A culture of collaboration and shared
decision-making
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• If you want to change and improve the climate
  and outcomes of schooling -- both for students
  and teachers, there are features of the school
  culture that have to be changed and if they are
  not changed, your well-intended efforts will be
  defeated.
• If you attempt to implement reforms but fail to
  engage the culture of a school, nothing will
  change. Seymore Sarason

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Healthy School Climates

• Honest, open communication
• High expectations
• Trust and confidence
• Recognition and appreciation
• Teacher involvement in decision making
• Collegiality
• Caring and humor
• Traditions that strengthen school culture

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To sustain change, the principal must nurture a
culture that

• Promotes teamwork
• Encourages debate on effective practices
• Values input from all members of the school
  community
• Cultivates leadership skills in others
• Empowers others to make decisions and enact
  changes

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Todays principal must

• Ask questions rather than provide all answers
• Facilitate the process of school improvement
  rather than prescribe how it should be done
• Suggest alternatives to former policies and
  practices rather than mandate the ones that will
  be used

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Todays teacher must

• Participate in discussions regarding their
  professional practices
• Be involved members of the school, seeking ways
  to make curriculum integrative, relevant, and
  challenging for ALL students
• Collectively share expertise to help the school
  solve problems, make decisions, and set policy

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Pause to reflect and share

• To improve your school culture, what do you most
  need to focus on that will take courage and/or
  collaborative leadership?
• What "frame" do you need to move into to
  accomplish this?

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Leadership in Developing and Nurturing Leaders
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Mr. Peabodys Apples by Madonna
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Creating Great Schools
by Phil Schlechty

• Every Teacher a Leader
• Every Leader a Teacher
• Every Child a Success

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A passion for young adolescents

• Is it best for the students?

8th Grade Montpelier, Vermont 1946
8th Grade Essex, Vermont 2007
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Advocacy is no longer an option

• advocacy - local level
• Superintendent, board members, key community
  members, parents
• Advocacy - state level
• Policy makers, state legislators, Department of
  Education
• ADVOCACY - national level
• Federal officials, congressmen, senators

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A role model for risk-taking and reflective
learning

• Example is not the main thing in influencing
  others. It is the only thing.
• Albert Schweitzer

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Do our students and staff see us

• trying new things?
• admitting we dont have the solution for every
  problem?
• making mistakes and learning from them?
• sending the message its okay not to know
  something, but its NOT okay to refuse to seek
  out the answer?

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Risk Taking

• Its the very action of taking a risk, rather
  than the result, that creates the opportunity for
  personal growth.
• The very definition of taking a risk implies a
  chance of loss or harm, be prepared to model how
  best to handle the consequences of an
  unsuccessful endeavor.

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Reflective learners are risk takers who

• try new things to learn new things
• re-examine and challenge their professional
  practices
• take charge of their own learning
• build a culture of learning - for both students
  and staff

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Risk Taking and Reflection Key Elements in
School Improvement

• School improvement is about people improvement
• Challenging, changing, refining, strengthening
  the pedagogy, beliefs, and values of those who
  work together in the school.
• Professional development is infused into the
  school routine
• Sharing/discussion of professional articles,
  existence of study groups, exchange of new ideas,
  action research, formal/informal discussions
  regarding best practices, commitment to student
  success.

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We need leaders committed to

• hiring teachers that are highly qualified AND
  highly effective
• Those who understand developmental needs,
  competent in content, skilled in delivering
  instruction, knowledgeable of appropriate
  assessment practices
• ensuring new teachers are effectively inducted
  into school culture through mentoring and
  professional development
• helping teachers develop the skills, knowledge,
  and resources necessary to make effective
  learning-based decisions

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Encourage effective teaching by

• providing feedback that promotes effective
  instruction
• analyzing and using data to drive school
  achievement
• keeping the school focused on maintaining high
  expectations for every student

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Pause to reflect and share

• To develop the leadership skills of others in
  your school, what must you accomplish that will
  take courage and/or collaborative leadership?
• What "frame" do you need to move into to
  accomplish this?

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Putting it all together

• School Leadership that WorksMarzano, Waters,
  McNulty (ASCD)
• Research Project
• 21 Leadership responsibilities and their
  correlation to student achievement

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• Affirmation - recognize and celebrate school
  accomplishments
• Change Agent - actively challenge the status quo
• Contingent Rewards - recognize and reward
  individual accomplishments
• Communication - establish strong lines with and
  between teachers and students

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• Culture - foster shared beliefs and a sense of
  community/cooperation
• Discipline - protect teachers from issues and
  influences that detract from teaching time or
  focus
• Flexibility - adapt behavior to the needs of the
  current situation, comfortable with dissent
• Focus - establish clear goals and keeps them in
  the forefront of schools attention

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• Ideals/Beliefs - well-articulated and shared
• Input - involve teachers in design and
  implementation of decisions and policies
• Intellectual Stimulation - ensure staff is aware
  of most current theories and practices, regularly
  discussed
• Involvement in Curriculum Instruction, and
  Assessment - directly involved in
  design/implementation of curriculum, instruction,
  and assessment activities at the classroom level

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• Knowledge of C, I, and A - knowledgeable of
  current/best practices in these areas
• Monitoring/Evaluating - monitor the effectiveness
  of school practices and their impact on student
  achievement
• Optimizer - inspire and lead new and challenging
  innovations
• Order - establish a set of standard operating
  principles and routines

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• Outreach - advocate for and speak about the
  school to all stakeholders
• Relationships - demonstrate an awareness of the
  personal lives of teachers and staff
• Resources - provide teachers with necessary
  materials and professional development
• Situational Awareness - aware of the details and
  undercurrents in the school and use the
  information to address current and potential
  problems
• Visibility - quality contact and interactions
  with teachers, students, parents

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Group Task

• Read through the list of 21 leadership
  responsibilities and choose your top five in rank
  order in terms of their impact on student
  achievement.

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Leadership Responsibilities

• Intellectual Stimulation
• Involvement in C, I, A
• Knowledge of C, I, A
• Monitoring/Evaluation
• Optimizer
• Order
• Outreach
• Relationships
• Resources
• Situational Awareness
• Visibility

• Affirmation
• Change Agent
• Contingent Rewards
• Communication
• Culture
• Discipline
• Flexibility
• Focus
• Ideals/Beliefs
• Input

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Research Results

• 12. Focus
• 13. Contingent Rewards
• 14. Intellectual Stimulation
• 15. Communication
• 16. Ideals/Beliefs
• 17. Involvement in C, I and A
• 18. Visibility
• 19. Optimizer
• 20. Affirmation
• 21. Relationships

• Situational Awareness
• Flexibility
• Discipline
• Outreach
• Monitoring/Evaluating
• Culture
• Order
• Resources
• Knowledge of C, I, and A
• Input
• Change Agent

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Resources

• This We Believe in Action, NMSA 2005
• Editor, Tom Erb
• School Leadership that Works, ASCD 2005
• Robert Marzano, Timothy Waters, Brian McNulty
• Change Leadership A Practical Guide to
  Transforming our Schools, Jossey-Bass 2006
• Tony Wagner, et.al
• Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice, and
  Leadership, Jossey-Bass 2003
• Lee Bolman, Terrence Deal

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Read Alouds with a Leadership Message!

• Through the Cracks
• Carolyn Sollman, Barbara Emmons, Judith Paolini
  
• Dumpy La Rue
• Elizabeth Winthrop
• Mr. Peabodys Apples
• Madonna
• Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!
• Dr. Seuss
• I Hope You Dance
• Tia Sillers, Mark Sanders
• I Can Make A Difference
• Marian Wright Edelman

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