Jacquelyn Wilson, Ed.D.

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Delawares Cohesive Leadership System

• Jacquelyn Wilson, Ed.D.
• Delaware Academy for
• School Leadership
• University of Delaware

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Leadership

• Leadership matters
• In difficult times, leadership matters
  even more.
• In periods of significant organizational
  transition, leadership is the major controllable
  factor in explaining organizational performance.

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Leadership

• 4. Instructionally-focused and change-
• oriented leadership are especially
• effective frames for education.
• 5. Team leadership seems to offer promise
• for enhancing organizational performance.
• 6. Assessment provides a strategic leverage
• point for strengthening leadership.
• --Joseph F. Murphy, Learning Centered
  Leadership, Vanderbilt University 2007

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Putting the Pieces TogetherA Cohesive System
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies Conditions of Work
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Conditions of Work
Assessing School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation S
chool Boards and Public Engagement Governance Sala
ry, Resources, and Multi-Year Contracts Incentives
Distributed Leadership, Use of Time, and
Succession Roles and Responsibilities Continuum
from Aspiring to Retiring Professional Development
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies evaluation
governance incentives roles and
responsibilities professional development
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies evaluation
governance incentives roles and
responsibilities professional development
L I C E N S U RE
CAREER TIMELINE
CAREER TIMELINE
education
internship
preparation
C E R T I F I C A T I O N
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies evaluation
governance incentives roles and
responsibilities professional development
L I C E N S U RE
CAREER TIMELINE
CAREER TIMELINE
education
internship
preparation
accreditation/ program approval
C E R T I F I C A T I O N
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies evaluation
governance incentives roles and
responsibilities professional development
L I C E N S U RE
CAREER TIMELINE
CAREER TIMELINE
education
induction/residency
internship
preparation
accreditation/ program approval
professional development
R E L I C E N S U R E
Mentoring
C E R T I F I C A T I O N
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Principles of Delawares Cohesive Leadership
System
Delaware School Leader Standards
State and District Policies evaluation
governance incentives roles and
responsibilities professional development
L I C E N S U RE
CAREER TIMELINE
CAREER TIMELINE
education
induction/residency
internship
preparation
accreditation/ program approval
professional development
R E L I C E N S U R E
Mentoring
Mentoring
C E R T I F I C A T I O N
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From Standards to Improved Teaching and
Achievement
Standards (State Role) Delaware has determined
what leaders need to know and do to improve
instruction and learning by adopting national
standards (ISLLC).
Standards (District Role) Delaware has set clear
expectations, aligned to state standards, of what
leaders should do to improve teaching and
learning.
Standards
Training
Conditions
State Role
District Role
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From Standards to Improved Teaching and
Achievement
Training (State Role) All Delaware training
programs are aligned with the Delaware School
Leader Standards, respond to local district
needs, and reflect the realities of the job.
Training (District Role) Delaware 1) collaborates
with the University of Delaware, Wilmington
College, and Delaware State University to provide
high-quality, job-relevant leadership prep
aligned to the standards and 2) provides
continuing professional development and support
to new and practicing principals.
Standards
Training
Conditions
State Role
District Role
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From Standards to Improved Teaching and
Achievement

• Conditions (State Role)
• Delaware provides the necessary data to inform
  leaders decisions.
• Delaware enables flexible use of resources
  (people, time, money) to meet all students
  needs.
• Delaware holds school leaders accountable for
  student achievement.

Standards
Training
Conditions
State Role
District Role
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From Standards to Improved Teaching and
Achievement

• Conditions (District Role)
• Delaware has established hiring, evaluation, and
  succession policies and practices that reinforce
  standards and district learning goals.
• Delaware has given principals the authority and
  incentives to be instructional leaders.
• More resources are being allocated according to
  students learning needs.
• which supports

Standards
Training
Conditions
State Role
District Role
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From Standards to Improved Teaching and
Achievement

• Effective School Leadership Principals who
• Establish high expectations for all students.
• Use data and other means to diagnose shortfalls
  in instructional effectiveness and implement
  plans to strengthen instruction.
• Focus attention on improving instruction.
• and School leadership teams that Plan,
  implement,
• and evaluate
• improvements in
• instruction for
• all students.

Standards
Training
Conditions
State Role
District Role
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From Standards to Improved Teaching and
Achievement

• and contributes to
• Improved Teaching and Student Achievement
• Significantly improving high-needs schools
• Closing the achievement gap
• Lifting achievement of all students to meet high
  expectations

Standards
Training
Conditions
State Role
District Role
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1. Standards

• Delawares CLS scaffolds on the ISSLC National
• Standards for School Leaders.
• Professional growth experiences aligned to the
  school leader standards and tied to licensure
  renewal

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Standards

• The Delaware Performance Appraisal System for
• assessing school leader effectiveness is aligned
• to the Delaware School Leader Standards.
• 1. Vision and Goals
• 2. Culture of Learning
• 3. Management of Learning
• 4. Professional Responsibilities
• 5. Student Improvement

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Standards

• State approval of university preparation
  programs is contingent on the alignment of the
  Masters and Doctorate in School Leadership
  Programs with Delawares School Leader Standards
• University of Delaware
• Wilmington University
• Delaware State University

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2. Developing Policy

• Advisory Committees convened to provide input and
  to make policy recommendations
• Recruitment and Retention of School Leaders
• Minority Recruitment and Retention of School
  Leaders
• Working Conditions for School Leaders
• Professional Development Continuum for School
  Leaders

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2. Developing Policy

• Advisory Committees convened to provide input and
  to make policy recommendations
• School Leader Professional Development Continuum
• National Certification for School Leaders
• Career Path for Teacher Leaders

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Developing Policy

• Policy recommendations are shared and prioritized
  at the annual Policy and Practice Institute
• Policy recommendations are provided to the
  Secretary of Education and to the Executive
  Director of the Delaware Association of School
  Administrators to for their legislative agenda

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3. Engaging the Right People
Bringing the right people together, with a
common vision, focused on specific goalsover and
over and over until the work is done.
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Stakeholders
Higher Education
Superintendents
State Board
Legislators
Secretary of Education
Business Leaders
Local School Boards
DOE Staff
Principals
Organizations DASA, DPA, DASL, DSBA
Have Impact
Engaged
Involved
Knowledgeable
Have Idea
Clueless
PROGRESS CONTINUUM
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HIGHER EDUCATION
SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
LEGISLATORS
STATE BOARD
SUPERINTENDENTS
LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS
DOE STAFF
PRINCIPALS
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
C L U E L E S S
IMPACT
ENGAGED
HAVEIDEA
KNOWLEDGABLE
INVOLVED
STAKEHOLDERS
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Putting the Pieces Togetherto Form DCLS
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4. Multi-Dimensional Interlocking Pieces

• Standards
• State and District Policies
• Conditions of Practice
• Training
• Performance Evaluation
• Governance
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Incentives

• Career Path
• Pre-Service Preparation
• Licensure and Certification
• Mentoring
• Succession Planning
• Distributed Leadership
• Data Warehouse

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Career Continuum
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Advisory and Focus Groups

• Advisory group that provided recommendations for
  professional growth including
• Coaching for new principals
• Induction years one-three
• Incentive for mid and senior career level school
  leaders

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Principal Focus Groups

• 6 regional focus groups
• School leaders with less than 3 years
• School leaders with more than 5 years
• Nominated by the superintendent
• Purpose To gather feedback from practitioners to
  be shared with the Advisory Committee working on
  recommendations related to the professional
  development continuum

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District Succession Planning

• Appoquinimink
• Indian River
• Woodbridge
• Caesar Rodney
• Brandywine
• Christina
• Laurel
• Sussex Academy for Arts and Sciences
• Wilmington Charter School
• Capital

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Career Continuum
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
TEACHER LEADER
PRINCIPAL
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District Succession Planning
During the 2006 2007 school years, out of the
81 candidates involved in Succession Planning, 11
are now in leadership positions. From June 2007
until January 2008, an additional 6 candidates
have assumed leadership positions, either as
assistant principals or principals. Of these
six, four are minority candidates.
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TEACHER LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

• Delaware is working with a consortium of five
  states to develop a teacher leadership program
  that could also become an alternative routes to
  certification program
• Delaware
• Kansas
• Ohio
• Alabama
• Kentucky

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Distributed Leadership

• Providing opportunities for teachers to share
  leadership authority and responsibility with a
  focus on instruction

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DL Training

• Team Building and Conflict Resolution
• SREB Working as a Team
• Marilyn Katzenmeyer- Awakening the Sleeping
  Giant
• ASCD What Works in Schools
• Jim Spillane-Distributed Leadership
• Coming Soon- Learning Focused Strategies and
  Smart Teams

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Distributed Leadership

• Appoquinimink
• Redding Middle
• Indian River
• Selbyville Middle
• Sussex Central High School
• Seaford
• West Seaford Elementary
• Seaford Middle

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Distributed Leadership

• New Castle County Vo-Tech
• Delcastle High school
• Hodgson High School
• Milford School District
• Milford High School
• Red Clay School District
• H.B. DuPont Middle School

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Distributed Leadership

• Christina School District
• Gauger Cobbs Middle School
• Kirk Middle School
• Shue Medill Middle
• Christina High School
• Newark High School
• Glasgow High School

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Distributed Leadership

• Sharon Brittingham, Coordinator and Coach
• Dave Sechler-coach
• Sara Wilkerson-coach
• Kae Keiser-coach
• Linda Rogers-coachnew
• Shannon Wilson-facilitator

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Pre-service Preparation Programs

• University Programs
• Alignment to state standards for school leaders
• Monitoring of quality using a critical friends
  model
• Advisory meetings with school leadership faculty
  and school/district practitioners
• Training for school leadership faculty
• Redesign of programs
• Internships with district partnerships and
  placements

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Revised Licensure and Certification System

• License and certification tied to credentialing,
  mentoring/coaching, performance evaluation and
  professional development

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National Certification for School Leaders

• Incentive for mid-senior level school leaders
• High quality professional development
• Incentive for performance

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Mentoring Developmental Assessment Center

• A state-funded coaching/mentoring program that
  includes
• State-funded coaching for new principals
• Use of the Performance Planning Worksheet
• Training for coaches provided by the New York
  Leadership Academy
• A Developmental Assessment Center for aspiring
  and new assistant principals and principals
• No cost to districts
• Simulation, roles plays, post-conference feedback

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Executive Leadership Program-UVA

• Collaboration with the Department of
• Education and the following district
• Woodbridge
• Christina
• New Castle County Vo-Tech
• Lake Forest
• Indian River

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Executive Leadership and the Balanced Scorecard

• One of the requirements of participation was the
  development of a balanced scorecard. In essence,
  the goal was to develop a systemic approach to
  taking a usually static strategic plan and turn
  it into a dynamic plan that becomes a measurement
  tool, a communication tool, and a strategic
  management tool. The State, with the assistance
  and guidance of this partnership, has developed a
  system that not only transforms a strategic plan
  into an action based process but connects common
  measures across the state, district and state.
  The system is called the Education Success
  Planning and Evaluation System. This system is
  web-based and will allow our nineteen school
  districts and seventeen charter schools to take
  their current strategic planning document and
  transform this into a success plan that outlines
  goal, objectives connected to the strategies and
  resources that support those activities.

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Governance

• Implication Training for School Districts and
  Boards
• Public Engagement

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Correlates of Achievement

• Working with school teams and school leaders to
  look at factors that influence student learning
• Discipline data
• Teacher quality data
• Access to the curriculum

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SAMS Study

• Determining How School Principals and Assistant
  Principals Use Their Time
• Management
• Instruction

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Vision 2015 Executive Leadership Program

• Research
• School leaders behaviors
• First and second order change
• Change leadership
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Job descriptions
• Use of Time
• Conditions of Work
• Positional model
• Allocation of resources
• Alignment of leadership responsibilities to
  influence student achievement
• Professional development needs

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Vision 2015 and Executive Leadership Training

• The Delaware Academy for School Leadership in
  collaboration with the DOE provided training to
  the following districts and charter schools
• Appoquinimink
• New Castle County Vo-Tech
• Kuumba Academy
• MOT Charter School
• Indian River
• Capital

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The Pieces Interlock

• Professional development required for license
  renewal
• State-funded mentoring/coaching program aligned
  to the performance-evaluation system and the
  professional development continuum
• University programs aligned to the standards and
  district partnerships

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The Pieces Interlock

• Performance Evaluation System that impacts
  district hiring practices and succession planning
  and alignment to mentoring program.
• Executive Leadership Trainingstate to district
  to school to classroom, all focused on student
  achievement and sharing progress using a balanced
  scorecard

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System Continues to Need Work

• Coaching/Mentoring Program redesignbased on what
  we have learned through The Wallace Network
• University school leadership programs must
  continue to evolve and deepenfocus on driver
  behaviors during internship
• Data-informed decision-makingusing Delawares
  data warehouse with school leadership teams
• Implications of SAM Studyhow school leaders are
  using their time
• Districts must strengthen succession planning
  models

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Leadership For Learning

• .leadership is all about organizational
  improvement more specifically, it is all about
  establishing widely agreed upon and worthwhile
  directions for the organization and doing
  whatever it takes to prod and support people to
  move in those directions..it is very simple,
  then it is about direction and influence.
• --Leithwood, Day, Summons, Harris, Hopkins,
  Successful School Leadership, 2006

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Alice in Wonderland
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Would you tell me, please, said Alice, which
way I ought to walk from here?That depends a
good deal on where you want to get to, said the
Cat.I dont much care where, said
Alice.Then it doesnt matter which way you
walk, said the Cat. so long as I get
somewhere, Alice added as an explanation.Oh,
youre sure to do that, said the Cat, if you
only walk long enough. ---from Alice in
Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
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Delawares leadership journey the road less
traveled
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Questions