Key Insights of the Urban Excellence Framework

1. Key Insights of the Urban Excellence Framework Defining an Urban Principalship to Drive Dramatic Gains

2. NLNS-Why We Exist • Vision- One day every student will graduate from high school ready for success in college, careers and citizenship. • Mission- To attract and prepare outstanding schools leaders and support the performance of the urban public schools they lead at scale. • Goals- To have hundreds of urban schools led by New Leaders principals over the next several years with 90-100% proficiency and graduation rates.

3. NLNS-Who We Are • Recruitment and Selection- • Highly rigorous admissions process looking for instructional leaders aligned to our beliefs • Admit outstanding individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. • Two-thirds of our leaders are people of color, ranging in age from 26 to 60, and all represent diverse professional backgrounds.

4. NLNS-Preparation • Summer Foundations-a rigorous four-week training institute with NL Residents from across the nation. • Residency Year-a full-time, full-year experience in which the NL Resident works with a mentor principal as a member of the school's leadership team and is supported by a NLNS Leadership Coach

5. NLNS-Ongoing Support • Becoming a School Leader- withsupport and assistance from local program staff – NL seeks to identify and secure school leadership positions in region. • NLNS Community Support-becomes a lifelong member of a national network of educators, access to ongoing pd, access to ongoing support from a Principal Specialist.

6. NLNS-Ongoing Support • NLNS Conceptual Resources- access to high-quality, nationally-provided resources including the Urban Excellence Framework (UEF) Field Guide; UEF-aligned tools, artifacts, and resources; school-wide diagnostic tools and action planning frameworks.

7. NLNS in Greater New Orleans • Recruitment and Residency in Orleans Parish began in 2007 • Currently, 16 NLs in 1st or 2nd year of school leadership positions (Principal or AP level positions) in RSD and Charters in Orleans Parish • Expansion into Jefferson Parish started in 2009 • Currently, 8 residents in Orleans and Jefferson Parish

8. Your Presenter • Thomas Shepley • Background • Principal Development and School Improvement Specialist-NLNS-GNO • Plan of Entry • Diagnosis • Action Planning • Implementation Support • Ongoing Leadership PD • Community Building

9. Why the UEF? • A new type of school principalship can help close the achievement gap. • There is surprisingly little focus nationwide on taking this new principalship to scale. • No framework should become a checklist or one-size fits all approach—not the UEFs intent. • While important research on the principalship has begun, a stronger research base is needed to close the achievement gap. • NLNS developed the UEF as one powerful way to help us achieve our vision, mission and goals.

10. Good News • RAND data indicates that students in schools lead by NL principals for at least three years are making achievement gains faster than comparable schools in the surrounding district by a statistically significant margin. • Nearly 20% of schools led by NL principals for at least two years are making dramatic gains needed to put them on track within five years to 90-100% student success. • The most improved or highest performing schools in five cities or states were led by NL principals.

11. How is the UEF Being Built • Four Key Data Sources • Extent research on effective schools, turnaround schools and leadership. • In-depth case studies of our highest performing NL-led schools. • Site visits to dozens of NL-led schools, pairing high gaining schools of similar size, content and student performance with those making incremental gains. • NL Community experience and expertise.

12. Summary of Key Insights • Major Drivers of Dramatic Gains • A student achievement, data-driven model for continuous improvement of learning and teaching. • A school culture infusing a focus on results, high expectations for every student, order, caring and respectful relationships and a sense of adult and student personal responsibilities for academic achievement.

13. Summary of Key Insights • Leadership Components That Support These Drivers • Modeling specific attributes of personal leadership • Building and managing a high-quality staff aligned to the vision • Instituting operations and systems to put this vision into place initially

14. Summary of Key Insights • We have identified within each Driver and Component: • School Practices- behaviors that could be observed occurring throughout those schools making dramatic gains • Principal Actions- specific leadership actions that are necessary to implement these above school practices. • These are aligned to specific stages of development: • Categories remain the same • Practices and actions change as the stage changes.

15. UEF Stages: Structure Example

16. Category 1-Personal Leadership • Belief-based, Goal-driven Leadership: Leader consistently demonstrates belief in the potential of every student to achieve at high levels • Culturally Competent Leadership: Leader develops deep understanding of their urban context and actively moves the expectations of others in order to ensure high academic achievement for every student • Interpersonal Skills, Facilitative Leadership: Leader builds relationships and facilitates active communities of adults and students dedicated to reaching school goals • Adaptive Leadership: Leader drives and manages the organizational change process to increase student achievement • Resilient Leadership: Leader demonstrates self-awareness, ongoing learning, and resiliency in the service of continuous improvement

17. Category 2-Learning & Teaching • Curriculum aligned to both state and college-readiness standards • Consistent and quality classroom practices, routines, and teaching strategies • Utilization of diverse student-level data to drive instructional improvement • Individual and common planning for effective instruction • Pyramid of academic interventions

18. Category 3-Culture • Adults and students champion school vision and mission • Adults demonstrate personal responsibility for the success of every student • Adults and students live a school code of conduct aligned to the school’s vision, mission, and values • Adults insist on and support students in having and realizing high aspirations for themselves • Families are engaged in supporting their child’s/youth’s learning, conduct, and college/career planning

19. Category 4-Aligned Staff • Recruitment, selection, and placement of aligned staff • Consistent feedback and professional learning to drive instructional improvement • Monitoring and management of staff performance • High-performing instructional Leadership Team

20. Category 5-Operations & Systems • Tracking of clear and focused school goals and strategy adjustment based on progress • Time use aligned to school-wide goals • Budget, external partnerships, and facilities aligned to strategic plan • Stakeholder communication and school system relationship managed to ensure a focus on learning

21. Categories, Levers, Practices • Category 2-Learning and Teaching • Lever B- Consistent and quality classroom practices, routines, and teaching strategies • Practice 1-Schoolwide consistency

22. 2.b.1-Schoolwide Consistency

23. 2.b.1-Schoolwide Consistency

24. 2.c.1-Data Collection and Data

25. Usefulness of the UEF to School Leaders Generally • A strong model that brings together robust knowledge from diverse settings around school leadership that leads to dramatic academic gains • Up to Date and Ongoing Overview of Components and Levers needed for dramatic gains in our schools • Specific school practices that are associated with dramatic gains in schools. • Specific leadership actions that are associated with these high-achieving school practices. • Specific help in answering the “where do I go from here” or “what do I do next” questions

26. Appendices in UEF Document • Barton Elementary Case Study • Dodge Case Study • PS 230 Case Study • Supplemental Information from Extent Literature on School Leadership and Change • UEF Information can be found at: http://www.nlns.org/Results.jsp

27. QUESTIONS? Thank you, From the entire NLNS community!