Mission: School Improvement

1. Mission: School Improvement Roles and Responsibilities of School Improvement Specialists WV Department of Education August 16-17, 2010

2. As You Enter, • Find a marker and add your name around the outside edge of our Circle of Connections. Throughout the two days, draw lines from your name to the names of people with whom you interact. Watch the WEB grow in complexity as connections are made throughout our session.

3. Guiding Questions • What do I believe about how individuals learn and develop? About how organizations learn and develop? • What high-impact strategies can I use to improve the performance of adults and increase student learning? • How can I apply the Instructional Core to my work with schools? • How will I monitor and assess the impact of my work?

4. Guiding Questions, cont’d. • What are essential communication skills to facilitate productive work with members of a school community? (e.g., listening, questioning, reflecting, dialogue, building relationships) • What are the BIG FIVE foci of my work? How are they related to WV’s Standards for High Quality Schools? • What is my role in helping create a community of learners across this group of specialists and coaches?

5. Agenda Monday, August 16, 8:00-4:30 Surfacing Beliefs, Identifying Roles lunch provided Monday Evening, 5:00-7:00 Building Community; Hors d’ouevres Nuts and Bolts of the Work Tuesday, August 17, 8:00-4:30 Communication skills, Theory of Action Lunch Provided

6. Expectations for Participation • Individually, complete the four questions on your handout, “Expectations for Participation.” • For each question, decide which number on the continuum best describes you today. Be ready to share your ratings.

7. Stand Up • Find someone NOT at your table. Share your ratings for the first two questions. Explain to your partner why you chose those ratings. • Listen as they share and explain the way they thought about the first two questions.

8. Stand Up • Find a different person, again not from your original table. Share with one another the ratings you gave for questions 3 and 4. • Talk about what you learned by thinking about these issues.

9. Debriefs • As we model interactive learning strategies throughout our two days together, we want to stop and ask you to reflect: • What was the value for your learning? • How and why might you use this with school staff or learning teams? • How and why might teachers use this with students?

10. Debrief Expectations Survey • Think about the value of your reflecting on your expectations for this learning experience. What was the value? What did you learn? • How might you use this reflection with school staff? What would you hope to accomplish? How would you modify it? • How might teachers use this with students?

11. The Instructional Core Elizabeth L. City, Richard F. Elmore, Sarah F. Fiarman, and Lee Teitel. Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009, p. 22.

12. Important Principles • “Increases in student learning occur only as a consequence of improvements in the level of content, teachers’ knowledge and skill, and student engagement.” • “If you change any single element of the instructional core, you have to change the other two.” Instructional Rounds in Education, pp. 24-25.

13. The Instructional Core We tend to focus on just one part of the core: the teacher. Teachers MATTER…more variability within a school than between schools.

14. The Instructional Core Frequently, Content = standards (intended curriculum) Often not related to TAUGHT curriculum

15. The Instructional Core What students bring to school Students need to be engaged in the instructional process; they affect what they learn

16. Look for Relationships “It is the relationship between the teacher, the student, and the content—not the qualities of any one of them by themselves –that determines the nature of instructional practice, and each corner of the instructional core has its own particular role and resources to bring to the instructional process.” Instructional rounds in Education, p. 24.

17. The Instructional Core Often, we address a single component: teaching strategies or new texts (content) or curriculum. Can’t be successful unless we address all three. Examples: standards, cooperative learning, higher level thinking, project-based learning.

18. The Instructional Core is Job 1 • This is your job. • You’ll bring your own expertise, learn from research and other literature, and learn from experiences of those who have done this kind of work.

19. Closing the Achievement Gap Specialists (CAGS) • Worked for five years in the role you are about to assume. • CAGS made a difference throughout the state in improving achievement narrowing gaps.

20. Look at the Data • For reading and language arts, look at the graphs, figures 1 and 2. Individually, answer the following questions: • What conclusions can your draw? • What questions do you have? • What other data would you like to see?

22. Predict • What the state data might show in math…for sub-groups, across the years 2003-2008… • For the state • For the CAG schools

24. Look at the data • For math, figures 4 and 5. Which of the data verified your predictions? Which surprised you?

25. Speculate • In your table groups, think about what the CAGS might have done to help improve student learning and to reduce the discrepancy between sub-groups by race, SES, and special learning needs. • Appoint a Recorder to keep a list of your group’s ideas.

26. How did CAG work relate to the Instructional Core?

27. Throughout this session • Reflect on what you can do to affect the instructional core. • The answer determines your success.

28. Session: Learner Product • To guide your work as school improvement specialist • Focused on work related to the Instructional Core • Identifying ways in which your work can be assessed Creation of a Personal Theory of action

29. What is a “Personal Theory of Action?” A personal theory of action is an “if/then” statement, detailing the cause-and-effect between what an individual does and the results for student learning and achievement.

30. Introduction to the Job of school improvement specialist: six levers to assist in the work

31. Six Levers • A lever is a simple machine that makes work easier; for example, it enables the lifting of items otherwise too heavy to lift. • The closer the fulcrum is to the object being moved, the easier it is (the less force is required) to move the object.

32. Six Levers • We have identified six levers that make the work of school improvement easier—and more possible. • Just like the “simple lever,” the closer the fulcrum is to the need for change, the easier movement will be.

33. Six Levers • Who is closest to the need for change (student learning outcomes)? • Teachers are closest; administrators are next; you are farthest away from students (the focus of change.) • Use the levers with teachers and administrators. Teach them about these levers.

34. Six Levers • Developing Relationships • Establishing Focus and Coherence • Creating a Collaborative Learning Culture • Initiating and Sustaining Change • Maximizing Individual and Organizational Capacity • Promoting Data-informed Decisions

35. Individual Reflection: Ink Think • Focus your thinking on these 6 levers. • Jot down preliminary responses for what each means to you, as a school improvement specialist, and how each is important for the work that you will do. • Work silently. • Be prepared to record your responses on wall charts when directed.

36. Prepare for Ink think • Number off from 1-6. • Re-group with others who have your same number at the paper that corresponds to your number.

37. Ink Think • For your assigned lever, silentlycreate a mindmap with others in your group. Add to the ideas that others post as well as creating your own. Building relatioinships Connecting ideas Solving problems Sharing ideas wondering

38. Move in a Clockwise Direction • Continue using your group’s marker color. Read through the ideas generated by the previous group(s). Add to them; provide examples; continue to expand. Matching standards relevant somethin Number of computers working This n that Another Building Relationsihps Appropriate use New idea smothering something

39. Ink Think: Making Meaning • Return to your original chart. • Read through all of the ideas; Identify 3-4 dominant ideas that emerge • Be prepared to share with the large group

40. How can thought leaders expand our views? • Individually read the articles assigned to your group. As you read, highlight concepts of interest and ideas you would like to remember. Also, look for: • confirmation of ideas that appear on the wall charts; and • concepts and ideas that did not emerge through the Ink Think process.

41. How can thought leaders expand our views? • Select a facilitator and recorder for your group. • During the next 40 minutes, you will complete the activity and take a self-managed break before, during, or after you complete your tasks. • Read the articles • Discuss as a group • Add relevant and new ideas to your group’s mind-map in black marker

42. After Reading, • Facilitator will lead group discussion using these focusing questions: • What do these authors add to your understanding of our lever? What meaning do you derive from the article about the process of our work? • How does the author expand your understanding of any of the six levers? Entire Group ensures that all members contribute ideas.

43. During Discussion • Identify discrete new ideas that don’t currently appear on the mind-map. • Be sure to add them, in black marker, so that the entire group can benefit from your reading and discussion.

44. Debrief ink think • Think about the process of Ink Think. What was the value? What did you learn? • How might you use this learning tool with school staff? What would you hope to accomplish? How would you modify it? • How might teachers use this with students?

45. Surfacing Personal Beliefs

46. Reflective Questioning • Individually, complete the left-hand column of your handout, “Reflective Questioning,” identifying important beliefs you hold about how people learn. • When you have completed that (or when time is called) turn your attention to the right-hand column and record ideas about the implications for your work in schools; that is, how will your beliefs affect your working?

47. Reflective Questioning • Organize into teams of three. • Select a role for each member: Interviewer, Reflector, and Observer.

48. Reflective Questioning Allocated Time: 8 minutes Purpose: To reflect deeply on your own practice and to learn from your colleagues—while practicing questioning, active listening, and analysis skills.

49. Role of Interviewer Interviewer:use reflective questions to elicit reflection from your partner about beliefs about learning and implications for his or her new work. Your role is to listen intently, probe gently when necessary, promote thinking and reflection, and help the reflector to make meaning for himself or herself. Listen and question to understand, not to judge.

50. Role of Reflector Reflector:Consider the questions from the interviewer. Reflect to make meaning about your beliefs about learning—and how these might affect your work. Talk openly about your ideas and questions that you have about implications for your work. Feel free to introduce your own questions as you think.