Case Study #2
ELCC Standard 2:
Candidates who complete the program are educational leaders who have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by promoting a positive school culture, providing an effective instructional program based on Georgia standards, applying research based best practice to student learning, and designing comprehensive professional growth plans for staff.
Title: “Leadership During Change”
Questions:
1. In implementing the Learning-Focused model of school improvement, did the school leader develop a positive school culture that was pervasively academic, focused on improvement, and fostered a sense of belonging and cooperation?
2. Did the school leader encourage an effective instructional program based on Georgia standards and apply research based best practice to student learning?
Relevant Standards:
2.1) Promote the development of a positive school culture that is pervasively academic, focused on improvement and that fosters a sense of belonging and cooperation.
(2.2) Provide an effective instructional program based on a standards-based curriculum and Georgia's learning standards using research based instructional strategies to design effective models of instruction that will enhance and accelerate teaching and learning.
(2.3) Apply best research based practices to improve instruction for all students.
(2.4) Design comprehensive professional growth plans that apply proven, systematic processes for improvement through: analyzing human performance; planning for improvements; and designing, developing, and supporting implementation of solutions to close performance gaps.
(2.5) Promote accountability by strategically planning, measuring, monitoring, organizing and managing systems and processes necessary to improve student achievement and organizational effectiveness.
Situation:
This case study describes recent events that occurred at a rural, K-2 primary school as the principal led the school through the process of becoming a Learning-Focused school. Max Thompson’s Learning-Focused model of school improvement is research based and designed to help schools implement school reform and adopt instructional strategies that will increase achievement for all students. Over a span of three years, the principal guided school staff members through the challenging process of adopting new ways of doing things that were much different than the way things were done in the past. The principal of this primary school has been the school leader for several years. Representative of the local community, the student body is predominately Caucasian with smaller percentages of African American and Hispanic students. Although this is a Title I school, it is considered highly successful since it has a history of high Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) scores. The school has made AYP for the past several years. Teacher turnover is very low at this school.
First of all, the movement to the Learning-Focused school model was mandated at the system level. The school principal introduced the Learning-Focused model to her staff at a faculty meeting. She explained that it was part of the system’s vision for continuous school improvement and that teachers and staff would be receiving ongoing training and assistance to help them implement this model. The Learning-Focused training was delivered by instructional consultants. As this new school improvement model was implemented, both teachers and administrators went through training together. The principal and other administrators visited schools that were using the Learning-Focused model and reported highlights of their observations to teachers and staff upon returning.
Over a period of time, the principal led her staff through the five major areas of becoming a Learning-Focused school which include: creating curriculum benchmarks and content maps, learning about new instructional strategies, using assessment as a measure of learning, using effective organizational practices in the school, and engaging in short and long-term planning. Teachers and staff went through the process of receiving professional development, having periods of implementation, and then being observed by school administrators. The teachers were given specific feedback by administrators and concerns or questions about the new expectations were addressed in faculty meetings. Before the Learning-Focused consultants came in to observe the implementation of the new strategies, the principal gave teachers advanced warning. The principal gave teachers more confidence by publicly praising individual and group efforts to meet the new requirements of the Learning-Focused model.
Along with the training and implementation of the new instructional strategies, an important aspect of the Learning-Focused model is curriculum planning and unit development. The principal was aware that some teachers were wary of this new change process and was very proactive in encouraging teachers to collaborate together to create lesson plans under the new Learning-Focused framework. This change process began at a time when the state of Georgia was in the process of converting their content standards from the Quality Core Curriculum (QCCs) to the Georgia Performance Standards (GPSs). Since the teachers were introduced to this new model of teaching and school improvement in steps, the principal allowed the teachers to gradually become accustomed to the changes before mandating the creation of curriculum maps and achievement benchmarks. As the Georgia Department of Education rolled out the new GPSs, the principal allotted teachers time away from teaching to begin working collaboratively to create curriculum maps first in reading and later in mathematics. Not only did the principal give teachers time during the school day to work together, but there was some compensation given to those teachers willing to work after school hours and during their summer vacations.
The school leader not only led and directed the staff through this change process, but she also modified her role as an administrator. She created a leadership team with representatives from each grade level as well as representatives from resource departments to help in planning and making important curriculum decisions. She created a parent/teacher council to gather input from parents about relevant school issues. Rather than simply mandating change, the principal took an active role in the implementation of this new Learning-Focused model. She participated in all training sessions with the Learning-Focused consultants, and also attended the grade level collaborative planning meetings with teachers. She supervised the entire process from training to implementation. As a result, the school has received recognition as an exemplary model of a Learning-Focused school.
Answers to Questions:
1. In implementing the Learning-Focused model of school improvement, did the school leader develop a positive school culture that was pervasively academic, focused on improvement, and fostered a sense of belonging and cooperation?
As the school leader of an already high performing school, the principal’s task in this situation was to maintain a positive school culture while leading teachers and staff members through the difficult process of change. The principal maintained a very positive and encouraging attitude with the teachers throughout the Learning-Focused training process. She promoted her belief that this change was the necessary next step in the process of becoming a better school with the most effective teachers possible. She was careful to recognize the dramatic change this new way of planning and preparing for instruction would create for teachers and was very supportive of teacher efforts to improve academic instruction. The principal increased teacher confidence by giving them public praise as they began to implement the new strategies of the Learning-Focused model. The principal promoted trust by keeping teacher’s informed of when the educational consultants would be coming in to do observations. The principal supported teachers by giving them time to collaborate by grade level for the purpose of developing content units and discussion of best practice. The principal often participated in these collaborative meetings and continues to do so to this day.
2. Did the school leader encourage an effective instructional program based on Georgia standards and apply research based best practice to student learning?
Learning-Focused strategies employ research based best practices to guide schools through the school improvement process. The principal demonstrated her total commitment to this model of school improvement by participating in training, communicating her dedication to this model, observing strategies employed in the classroom, encouraging teachers to collaborate, and recognizing the implementation successes of individuals and group members. Teachers in the school have embraced this model of school improvement as they work together in collaborative groups to plan curriculum units based on the GPSs and discuss implementation of different Learning-Focused strategies in the classroom. The principal continues to encourage an effective instructional program by conducting walk-thrus to observe usage of strategies on a continuous basis and communicating her dedication to this model of school improvement on an ongoing basis.
Evaluation of principal’s leadership style:
I would rate this principal’s leadership style as “Proficient”. This principal faced the tough task of changing ways of doing things in a school that was already successful. Teachers in the school could easily have revolted at the idea of “fixing something that wasn’t broken”. By expressing her confidence in the teacher’s abilities and recognizing their efforts, the principal laid the foundation for the teacher’s acceptance of the upcoming changes in the school environment. The principal recognized the high levels of achievement the school had gained thus far, yet she clearly communicated the need for more growth and improvement in all academic areas. She effectively used praise and recognition as tools in maintaining a positive environment throughout the change process.
Just as the teachers were expected to change their instructional approach, the principal modeled her dedication to improvement by changing her leadership approach as well. The principal accompanied teachers through the professional development process so that she would have a good understanding of the new school improvement model. The principal recognized the wealth of experience and expertise among the teachers and staff and used this to advance the school improvement efforts by encouraging them to collaborate, develop, plan and implement the new Learning-Focused model. The principal was a positive, supportive, and effective leader in guiding the school through the Learning-Focused school improvement process.