Building a Cohesive Leadership System for Massachusetts School and District Leaders

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Building a Cohesive Leadership System for
Massachusetts School and District Leaders

• Caryl Brayton Toole
• Kristin Burke
• Joan Connolly

MASC/MASS Joint Conference Four Points
Sheraton Hyannis, MA November 16, 2007
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The Massachusetts Story
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First the Good News

• Massachusetts has long been considered a leader
  in Education Reform
• 4th and 8th grade scores in both reading and math
  on the National Assessment of Educational
  Progress (NAEP) are the highest in the nation
• 87 of students in the class of 2009nearly nine
  out of tenpassed BOTH the English and Math MCAS
  exams on their first try (Up from 68 in 2001)
• MA SAT scores exceed the regional and national
  averages

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And Now the Challenges

• Achievement Gap
• MCAS scores have improved in almost every grade,
  but the achievement gap is wide.
• High School Graduation Rate
• Graduation rates are unacceptably low for all
  student groups, especially Black and Hispanic
  students.
• College/Career Readiness
• Too few high school graduates are prepared for
  college/ careers
• Too many students are not completing college
• Global Competition
• While at the top nationally, MA students are not
  at the top on international measures of
  performance

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What Research and Practice Tells Us

• We need skilled leaders who
• Understand and implement standards-based
  education
• Provide strong leadership for instructional
  changes leading to improved student performance
• Understand the challenges and provide leadership
  for change

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The Bottom Line

• 19 of districts and 39 of schools in
  Massachusetts have Accountability Status, meaning
  they have failed to meet annual performance
  targets as required under the No Child Left
  Behind (NCLB) Law
• Too many Massachusetts students drop out of high
  school before graduation too few graduate from
  high school college ready too few ever graduate
  from college

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What Can We Do

• After ten years of Educational Reform initiatives
  and working with underperforming schools to
  address the needs of their students, we have
  strong evidence that a new kind of leadership for
  learning is the key to successful school reform.
• The Department of Education has developed an
  ambitious and comprehensive vision for
  educational leadership in Massachusetts, with the
  goal of creating a standards-based and fully
  aligned accountability system for school leaders.

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Cohesive Leadership System

• Funded in part through the Wallace Foundation
• Partnership with the Boston Public Schools and
  the Springfield Public Schools
• Alignment of Professional Standards for
  administrators based on the latest research and
  best practices with input from all stakeholders
• Gap analysis of nine state university principal
  preparation programs
• Creation of performance assessment and rubric to
  be used state-wide

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Cohesive Leadership System (continued)

• Will articulate the developmental stages of
  individual leaders through mastery
• Identify the guidance, support, and professional
  development that must be met to effectively
  provide for the success of leaders
• Will radically change the way that leaders work
  together and the way that leaders conceive of
  their purpose as change agents
• Create a larger and deeper pool of highly
  qualified leadership candidates in the state

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Executive Leadership Program for Educators
(ExEL)

• To strengthen leadership in urban and high-need
  districts along with the DOE in order to improve
  the ways the department and districts work
  together
• Multi-year collaborative effort of the Harvard
  Business School, the Harvard Graduate School of
  Education, the John F. Kennedy School of
  Government, with Wallace Foundation support
• To work with districts and their teams to bring
  high quality teaching and learning to scale

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National Institute for School Leadership (NISL)

• A two-year executive development program,
  designed to prepare school leaders to meet the
  challenges of increased accountability
• Based on research and best practices from the
  fields of education, business and military
• Focused on school principals and other school
  administrators
• Ensure that effective standards-based
  instructional leadership becomes the core of the
  school principals role

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National Institute for School Leadership

• Building a deeper understanding of what
  constitutes primary evidence for student learning
• Changing how principals allocate their time
  during the day
• Developing a principals ability to strengthen
  the decision-making and critical thinking
  capacities for their faculty
• Funded by the DOE customized to meet the needs
  of Massachusetts school leaders

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National Institute for School Leadership

• NISL advances these changes by promoting
• knowledge gains in four areas
• Nature and structure of standards-based
  instructional systems in schools
• Application of learning theory to teaching
  practices
• High-quality English language arts and
  mathematics instructional programs that address
  essential academic goals
• Strategies, approaches, and tools for developing
  the professional capacity of a schools staff

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National Institute for School Leadership

• NISL focuses on skill-building to strengthen the
  capacity of principals in the following areas
• Formulating a clear vision that will inspire
  others in the community
• Thinking strategically
• Leading the creation and implementation of
  fully-aligned, standards-based instructional
  systems
• Building effective math, reading and writing
  programs
• Designing and implementing effective professional
  development programs
• Managing for results to produce steady
  improvements in student achievement

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National Institute for School Leadership
Principal changes behavior
NISL Training Program
Improved academic instruction
Improved student achievement
Principal shares NISL concepts with staff
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Summary of NISL Growth

• In FY05, there were two cohorts, with 69
  participants in NISL
• FY06ten cohorts, 279 participants
• FY07576 school leaders enrolled
• FY08800 will have completed or are currently
  participating in NISL training

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NISL Districts
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Massachusetts Educational Leadership Alliance

• The Educational Alliance is a collaboration of
  professional organizations, service providers,
  and the Department of Education that provides
  state-wide policy direction and designs and
  delivers leadership services and support to
  current and aspiring school and district leaders
  to enhance student development and achievement.

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Massachusetts Education Leadership Alliance
(continued)

• A partnership of MASC, MASS, MSSAA, MESPA, Future
  Management Systems, Atlas Communities, and the
  DOE
• The goal is to improve student achievement
  through leadership training and support
• Building vertical leadership systems, improving
  skills and knowledge of standards-based teaching
  and learning
• All Principals and Superintendents in five pilot
  districts are receiving coaching around
  developing leadership teams
• Information and training for 60 aspiring leaders
• Support for small and rural districts
• Transitions for six districts (Superintendent and
  School Committee)

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• History
• In January, 2006, educational leaders from MA DOE
  and the MA Association of School Superintendents
  (MASS) met to discuss the increasing numbers of
  women superintendents actively seeking support
  from their respective agencies.
• Out of this meeting grew a partnership between
  the two agencies
• With funding from the Wallace Foundation, the
  Womens Educational Leadership Network was formed.

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• Purpose of the WELN?
• The Womens Educational Leadership Network (WELN)
  aims to support current and aspiring female
  leaders by
• Creating networking opportunities for women
  leaders
• Developing trainings specific to participants
  needs

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• Why Support Women?
• In 2000, the American Association of School
  Administrators (AASA) released the results of a
  ten-year study of the American School
  Superintendent. This study revealed interesting
  facts related to women in the Superintendency
• Of the 13,728 school districts in the US, only
  18 are led by females.
• 79 of all teachers in the US are women and 90
  of all superintendents are former classroom
  teachers.
• 75 of elementary teachers are women about 75
  of the superintendents in the survey did not
  teach at the elementary level.
• Glass, Thomas E., Bjork, Lars, Brunner, C. Cryss
  The Study of the American School Superintendency,
  2000 A Look at the Superintendent of Education
  in the New Millennium

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• Why Support Women? (continued)
• In 2007, the Womens Educational Leadership
  Network created a survey and collected data
  based on the AASA survey that revealed
  interesting information about the female
  superintendents in Massachusetts
• Of the roughly 386 school districts in
  Massachusetts, 30 are led by females.
• Of the 18 women superintendents surveyed, only 2
  were elementary school teachers and 50 were
  special education teachers.

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• Accomplishments to Date
• The WELN Steering Committee has planned an
  average of two events a year, which have included
  influential female educational leaders
• Based on the needs identified by the
  participants, the following topics have been
  covered at these events
• Gender and Race in the Superintendency
• Budget and Finance
• Wellness
• Politics and Leadership in Education

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• Who Participates in the training?
• MASS and MA DOE invite Superintendents within the
  public K-12 education system
• Superintendents are encouraged to bring current
  and aspiring women leaders within their districts
• Attendees have ranged from Superintendents, to
  Principals, to SPED Directors, and teacher
  leaders
• To date, participants have come from 85 different
  districts and 4 education collaboratives

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Womens Educational Leadership Network

• As we go forward
• We will continue to strive to meet the identified
  needs of the Womens Educational Leadership
  Network through our twice yearly trainings
• We are in the process of developing regional
  learning communities for women educational
  leaders across the Commonwealth
• We will continue to study and learn from our
  women leaders and try to identify what makes
  Massachusetts ahead of the nation in promoting
  women in the Superintendency

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Adaptive Leadership Training for Superintendents

• This training was developed in 2005 as a result
  of a new partnership between the Massachusetts
  Department of Education, The Wallace Foundation,
  and the Massachusetts Association of School
  Superintendents.
• A significant number of superintendents have
  taken advantage of this training opportunity.
• 80 have participated in large group formal
  trainings
• Berkshire County Roundtable has held trainings
  for all of their superintendents
• Cape Cod Roundtable has held trainings for their
  superintendents and North Shore and South Shore
  Roundtables held trainings and have on-going
  groups that meet and use adaptive protocols for
  consultation and problem-solving
• There will be training for all new
  superintendents (32)

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Adaptive Leadership Training for Superintendents

• The training was offered in both large group
  format
• (presentations at winter and spring MASS
  meetings) and in small groups of thirty or less.
• Adaptive training has been an integral piece of
  the Massachusetts Cohesive Leadership System. The
  training has provided superintendents with
  additional tools and skills to lead large scale
  reforms in districts across the Commonwealth.
• The training focuses on Ron Heifitzs theory of
  leadership. His theory centers around a leader
  claiming a higher set of aspirations and
  mobilizing her people to be more creative and
  collaborative in working together to realize
  those aspirations.

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Adaptive Leadership for Superintendents

• According to Heifitz, superintendents learn to be
  better at thinking politically engaging
  partners connecting with the opposition
  acknowledging their part of the mess dealing
  with casualties nurturing trouble makers and
  observing signals.
• Many superintendents have taken this training
  back to their own leadership teams, thus
  embedding the work in their school districts.
• Several small groups of superintendents continue
  to meet, using the protocols to problem solve and
  share strategies, thereby increasing capacity for
  change and reform.

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Adaptive Leadership Training for Superintendents

• Protocols of Adaptive Leadership are also
• used in leadership networks in Massachusetts,
• including
• The Urban Superintendents Network
• The Womens Educational Leadership Network
• The MASS Superintendents Roundtables

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For more information, please contactCaryl
Brayton Toolectoole_at_doe.mass.edu781-338-3536or
Kristin A. Burke (for WELN)kburke_at_doe.mass.edu78
1-338-3568