Valueadded Instructional Supervision

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Value-added Instructional Supervision
Pennsylvanias Urban Leadership Academy Kenneth
D. Jenkins jenkinskd_at_appstate.edu June 2004
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First thing

• Change your mindset about doing performance
  evaluations.
• If you see it as a chore, those you supervise
  will see your efforts in the same light.
• Few will take this process seriously if the
  principal does not take it seriously.
• Like students, teachers will rise or lower their
  performance to meet the principals expectations.

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Why should you do this?

• Helps you in aligning the taught curriculum with
  the learned curriculum.
• There are few achievement downsides to higher
  alignment between these two curriculums.
• You cant lead improvements over stuff you dont
  understand.

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Second, change your focus

• Alter your observational attention from teaching
  to learning.
• What are the kids doing?
• What evidences of THEIR learning can you observe?
• Takes a little of the inspection mentality away
  from the process.
• Backward map from the observations on learning to
  the teaching that generated it. The feedback is
  more teacher-driven than principal-driven.

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What does this require of you?

• Understanding the work students are doing?
• Understanding the instructional approaches the
  teacher is applying to the curriculum
• Understanding the curriculum
• Resisting the occasional urges to succumb to a
  gotcha mindset.

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OK! So whats next?

• Working on the Work
• In the teaching learning process, we focus a
  lot on inputs (teaching) and outputs (test
  scores), but we spend little time really looking
  hard at the stuff that transitions teaching into
  learning.
• The assignments teachers design for kids to do in
  the name of learning can have as much to do with
  learning success as quality teaching.
• The things that most engage students in
  classrooms is a competent and caring teacher who
  assigns work they find interesting and enjoyable.

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What do I have to do?

• Talk about the work, using actual artifacts the
  teacher uses.
• How well does the work align?
• How well did it engage learners?
• Will students know what theyve learned after
  they finish the work?

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Whew! Is there anything else?

• Of course! You can use observation data as a
  source for small group conversations.
• Gather a small group with some common
  discretionary time for a 20-30 minute
  professional conversation.
• Provide appropriate snacks and beverages.
• Start with an instructional highlight you saw and
  ask the teacher to talk about it to his/her
  peers.
• Invite others to describe successful lessons they
  accomplished recently.
• Thank them!

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What do I have to do to make that happen?

• Get a PDA with a digital camera. In your
  walkthroughs, scribble notes and take digital
  images.
• Use those for feedback purposes as well as
  graphic images of what you observed.

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Ok, thats enough for me right now!

• Nice try, but theres one more thing you might
  do.
• Whens the last time you looked at your own
  teaching with an honest and critical eye?
• Im talking about how we structure the
  professional meetings we conduct and control.

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What are you talking about?

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

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Does this stuff really work?

• Heres a true, true story!

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A Research Study by the NC Principals Executive
Program

• Find places serving a high poverty, high minority
  student populations who were doing well on
  accountability tests.
• Identify what factors (teachers, leaders,
  community, etc.) contributed to the schools
  academic and social success
• Use findings to help school leaders in the state

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School A

• Demographic Profile
• Located in the Northwestern part of North
  Carolina
• 48 of student body is minority
• 35 of parents did not graduate from high school
• 13 of students have limited English proficiency
• 25 of students are exceptional
• 64 of students live in poverty

• Academic Profile
• 1996 Overall Rank 1213(1603)
• 1997 Composite 74.6
• 1998 Composite 76.3
• Exemplary Growth in 1997 1998
• School of Excellence in 2003.

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School B

• Demographic Profile
• Located in the Southeastern part of North
  Carolina
• 72 of student body is minority
• 12 of parents did not graduate from high school
• 11 of students are exceptional
• 62 of students live in poverty

• Academic Profile
• 1996 Overall Rank 408(1603)
• 1997 Composite 58.5
• 1998 Composite 66.7
• Exemplary Growth in 1997 1998
• School of Distinction in 2003.

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School C

• Demographic Profile
• Located in the Southeastern part of North
  Carolina
• 49 of student body is minority
• 29 of parents did not graduate from high school
• 17 of students are exceptional
• 81 of students live in poverty

• Academic Profile
• 1996 Overall Rank 1163(1603)
• 1997 Composite 68.4
• 1998 Composite 72.1
• Exemplary Growth in 1997 1998
• School of Excellence in 2003

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School D

• Demographic Profile
• Located in the Central part of North Carolina
• 62 of student body is minority
• 42 of parents did not graduate from high school
• 38of students are limited English proficient
• 16 of students are exceptional
• 81 of students live in poverty

• Academic Profile
• 1996 Overall Rank 184(1603)
• 1997 Composite 65.5
• 1998 Composite 70.8
• Exemplary Growth in 1997 1998
• School of Progress in 2003.

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School E

• Demographic Profile
• Located in the Southeastern part of North
  Carolina
• 46 of student body is minority
• 16 of parents did not graduate from high school
• 12 of students are exceptional
• 53 of students live in poverty

• Academic Profile
• 1996 Overall Rank 783(1603)
• 1997 Composite 74.8
• 1998 Composite 82.4
• Exemplary Growth in 1997 1998
• School of Distinction in 2003.

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Study Findings

• Professional Relationships
• School Factors
• Teachers
• Leadership

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Professional Relationships

• School Relationships were based on trust, mutual
  across job descriptions.
• Colleagues were willing to work together.
  Collaboration was neither forced nor contrived.
• Teachers were a genuine part of the
  decision-making at the school.
• School Leader recognized that a teachers time
  was valuable they didnt waste it.

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School Factors

• A deep knowledge of the curriculum, both above,
  below, and within their grade level.
• Leadership visibility
• A relationship with parents that reached into the
  community
• Caring school environment every student had
  line-of-sight to at least one adult in the school.

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Findings-About Teachers

• Teachers felt responsible for every student in
  their school...not just those in their classroom!
• Teachers used multiple sources of data to
  determine what was taught and how
• Teachers believed a genuine caring about all
  students is the most important factor in being a
  good teacher
• Teachers described themselves as relentless in
  their efforts to motivate students to meet high
  expectations.

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Findings-Teachers

• Teachers in all five schools describe themselves
  as equally relentless in their efforts to involve
  parents in the academic lives of their children.
• Teachers work together by grade level and as a
  faculty to improve the learning experiences of
  all students.
• Teachers share what is working in their
  classrooms with their colleagues.

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Findings-About Leadership

• Teachers attribute a great deal of their
  effectiveness to the school leadership.
• Distributive leadership was evident. Membership
  on the school improvement team was respected and
  sought after.
• The school principals demonstrated a deep
  understanding of the standard course of study at
  each grade level.
• The school principals were thoughtful and
  protective of teachers non-instructional duties
  and planning time

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Findings-About Leadership

• The school principals made spending time in
  classrooms a priority
• Principals encouraged teacher innovativeness and
  created a culture that was supportive of teacher
  risk taking
• Teachers trusted their principals
• The school principals had a great deal of trust
  in their teachers

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Steps to Turnaround

• Find out who you serve
• Clean it up and make it inviting
• Focus on management to create an orderly and
  disciplined environment
• Focus on instruction
• Focus on professional development
• Celebrate successeven small accomplishments.