Leadership in Reading First: A principled team

1. Leadership in Reading First: A principled team Sharon Walpole University of Delaware

2. Introductions and Some History 1997-98: Data for Beat the Odds study collected 1998-99: Beat the Odds study data analyzed; dissertation data collected; REA authorized 1999-00: Instructional coordinator with experienced principal; REA federal reviewer; REA staff visits; REA work in Iowa and Georgia 2000-01: Instructional coordinator with inexperienced principal; Reading Rockets documentary filmed 2001-02: REA coordinator at neighboring school 2002-03: Move to Delaware 2003-04: LC Handbook; Reading First in Delaware 2004-05: Reading First in Georgia; ERRFTAC consultant

3. What’s Happening with Coaching? • Several different models that vary as to their focus (school or classroom) and their content (reform or improvement) • IRA is teaming with researchers interested in coaching (e.g., Rita Bean, Cathy Toll, Camille Blachowitz, Sharon Walpole) to survey coaches and produce a descriptive document • General stance: Coaches need ongoing support in a variety of areas • IRA and NCTE are teaming to draft standards for coaching (Bean, Walpole, Farstrup) • One sure thing – coordination is essential

4. What’s Happened in DE? Year 1: Developed PD plan for coaches and beginning state-level monitoring Year 2: PD for coaches separated from monitoring Reapplication: Individualized plans for each district Year 3: PD for coaches and principals together plus additional PD for coaches

5. Literacy Coach’s Focus In Data Analysis First Priority Second Priority Regrouping Program Evaluation To what extent is my program keeping Benchmark children at benchmark? Form needs-based groups for classroom instruction To what extent is small-group work moving strategic children to benchmark? Choose instructional emphasis To what extent is my program moving Intensive children to benchmark? Assign children to interventions To what extent are classroom effects apparent?

6. Literacy Coach’s Focus In Data Analysis First Priority Regrouping Form needs-based groups for classroom instruction Which DIBELS reports should I use? Choose instructional emphasis Do you have curriculum materials to accomplish this? Assign children to interventions

7. Literacy Coach’s Focus In Data Analysis Second Priority Program Evaluation To what extent is my program keeping Benchmark children at benchmark? To what extent is small-group work moving strategic children to benchmark? To what extent is my program moving Intensive children to benchmark? To what extent are classroom effects apparent?

8. State-Level Year-End Data, 2004-05

9. General Impressions • We are increasingly successful in prevention-based instruction in Kindergarten • We need to continue to experiment in intervention, particularly for second and third grade Consider time, focus, and explicitness for needs-based work? Consider additional intervention programs?

10. Cross-Sectional Analysis How well are the kindergarten children this year doing compared to last year? • Did they start out stronger or weaker? • Did they make more or less progress between fall and winter? And yes, these are different children, but the teachers are the same and the program is the same

11. For Kindergarten Beginning of kindergarten status includes weighted combinations of measures Middle kindergarten directs attention to initial sound fluency End of kindergarten directs attention to phoneme segmentation fluency *You have to look at your own data, considering all measures, to really evaluate your program

12. State K Cross-Section

13. For first grade Beginning of first grade status includes weighted combinations of measures Middle first grade directs attention to nonsense word fluency End of first grade directs attention to oral reading fluency *You have to look at your own data, considering all measures, to really evaluate your program

14. State 1 Cross-Section

15. For Second Grade Beginning of second grade status includes weighted combinations of measures Middle second grade directs attention to oral reading fluency End of second grade directs attention to oral reading fluency *You have to use the cognitive model of assessment to interpret these data

16. State 2 Cross-Section

17. For Third Grade Third grade data include only oral reading fluency *You have to use the cognitive model of assessment to interpret these data

18. State 3 Cross-Section

19. Cohort Analysis Given children’s experience at your school over time, to what extent is your instructional program actually accelerating literacy growth over time? (and you are right when you say it’s not EXACTLY the same children if your population is highly transient)

20. State Cohort K-1

22. State Cohort 1-2

24. State Cohort 2-3

26. Questions for Leaders • To what extent have you set and communicated the plan? • To what extent are teachers understanding and implementing the curriculum? • How are they using time? • How are they monitoring progress and adjusting their instruction and groupings? • How well are they using intervention options?

27. For Coaches If you’re not getting the results you want, you have to do something different. Start with yourself Work more closely with administration. Spend more time in classrooms. Focus your pd time on differentiation.

28. What leadership lessons have been learned at ERRFTAC?

29. PD on PD – a tall order • Respectful of participants Combination of formal presentation and time for you to talk and plan • Informed by the research on PD Content, process, context Teacher change, student achievement Evaluation • Concrete example • Time for reflection

30. What do you bring to your team?What do you need from your team? • SBRR knowledge of development? • SBRR knowledge of instruction? • Research on adult learning? • Research on professional development? • Research on school change? Teacher change? • Research on leadership? • Experience in these areas?

31. Guskey, T. R., & Sparks, D. (1996). Exploring the Relationship between Staff Development and Improvements in Student Learning. Journal of Staff Development, 17(4), 34-38.

32. Administrator Knowledge/Practice School Policies Content School Culture Supervision/Evaluation Process Teacher Knowledge/Practice Context Improved Achievement Connections with Families Quality of Staff Development Parent Knowledge/Practice Parent Education

33. Planning for Quality Content Process Quality of Staff Development Context

34. Impact of Quality Administrator Knowledge/Practice Quality of Staff Development School Culture Supervision/Evaluation Teacher Knowledge/Practice Connections with Families Parent Education Parent Knowledge/Practice

35. Road to Achievement Administrator Knowledge/Practice School Policies Teacher Knowledge/Practice Improved Achievement Parent Knowledge/Practice

36. From Staff Development to Student Learning(Guskey & Sparks, 1996) Administrator Knowledge/Practice School Policies Content School Culture Supervision/Evaluation Process Teacher Knowledge/Practice Context Improved Achievement Connections with Families Quality of Staff Development Parent Knowledge/Practice Parent Education

37. Successful School Reform is … • Specific The program is sufficiently detailed. • Powerful The program produces results. • Authoritative Leadership is involved and informed. • Consistent The program is uniformly implemented. • Stable The program is not changed without reason. Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented? Review of Educational Research, 72,433–479.

38. A teacher change process(Guskey, 1986) PD Target Areas

39. Ongoing Evaluation of PD efforts Participant Reactions Participant Learning Organizational Support +Teacher Practice Bottom Line: Student Achievement Thomas Guskey, Educational Leadership, March 2002.

40. The Effective RF Principal Joseph Murphy, in Leadership for Literacy: Research-Based Practice, PreK-3 (2003, Corwin Press), summarizes key qualities possessed by principals of schools where achievement is strong.

41. An effective principal A Real School story . . . (how I got into the schoolwide business)

42. The More-Effective Principal And in real life . . .

43. The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal

44. The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal

45. Setting Goals The More-Effective Principal My principal Has a more child-centered vision Knew every child and every family Sets manageable, realistic goals Targeted a specific dimension Sees student performance as central Collected, analyzed his own data Expresses goals in measurable terms Talked the numbers, questioned Uses goals for planning Not the feds, not the district . . . Asks parents & staff to help set goals Had a “kitchen cabinet”

46. Communicating Goals The More-Effective Principal My principal Periodically reviews & discusses Established the concept of state of school Actively clarifies goals Served as a sounding board Has teachers who know goals Created excitement and shared vocab Has teachers who see themselves Believed in his staff as good instructors

47. Promoting Quality Instruction The More-Effective Principal My principal Insists on certain teaching strategies Established a schoolwide reading program Favors interactive teaching Corrected my modeling Assigns teachers on the basis of Regularly switched grade levels improving achievement

48. Supervising Instruction The More-Effective Principal My principal Relies little on formal observations MBWA Values informal visits and meetings Every classroom every day Often reads about instruction Sometimes crazy things! Often provides specific feedback Reading specialist himself Counsels and assists poor teachers Including out of teaching!

49. Allocating Instructional Time The More-Effective Principal My principal Carefully sets time allocations 90 minutes, cross grade Coordinates time allocations Entire school schedule reframed across teachers Schedules more instructional and fewer Reading instruction never cancelled non-instructional activities Insists on time for basics DIET of words, fluency, comp Protects uninterrupted block Every day, every classroom

50. Coordinating the Curriculum The More-Effective Principal My principal Is highly involved in curriculum After reading, writing, then science and alignment social studies Is concerned with the continuity Empowered gifted education specialist of curriculum from grade to grade