MASA Mid-Winter Conference Courageous Journey January 28, 2010

1. MASA Mid-Winter ConferenceCourageous JourneyJanuary 28, 2010 • Farmington Public Schools • Sue Zurvalec, Superintendent • Catherine Cost, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Services • Oakland Schools • Martin Chaffee, Consultant, School Quality • Leaders In Edu • Tom Nugent, IndependentConsultant/Coach

2. Moving Farmington Forward:Creating a Culture of Learning Leadership for Learning Collaboration And Teamwork Farmington Forward Creating a Culture of Learning Accountability For Results

3. Objectives for our Presentation: • Share the Farmington story • Develop leaders • Create collaborative teams • Share accountability

4. The Challenges • meet the needs of a student population that is growing more ethnically, culturally and economically diverse • close achievement gaps • increase achievement for ALL students?

5. Enrollment 1998-2009

6. Vision: High achievement by all students, where learning is our most important work.

7. Superintendent’s MASA Courageous Journey Cohort 2 Personal Growth Outcomes I wanted: • Improve my leadership skills to build a highly effective leadership team with a focus on continuous improvement • Develop capacity of leaders throughout the District to lead systemic improvement

8. Superintendent’s Goals: “The How” - Strategies • Model the Way – “It starts with me.” • Inspire a Shared Vision (stop blaming, have the courage to challenge) • Create Shared Accountability (ownership for student achievement to improve the system)

9. 7 Points Of Learning: Leadership How It Grows Where It Starts Leadership for Learning Collaboration And Teamwork Farmington Forward Creating a Culture of Learning Accountability For Results

10. 2006-2007 Challenges • Turnover in CO Administration • New leadership team members • Second year as superintendent • Began MASA Courageous Journey

11. Leadership for Learning – 2006/07 CO Team Norms CO Team 360° CO Individual growth goals Leadership for Learning Collaboration And Teamwork Farmington Forward Creating a Culture of Learning Accountability For Results One Farmington Brand

12. What Has Changed? • CO Team assessments – progress in building trust and commitments • Addressing fear of conflict • Accountability and support are team’s major challenges

13. CO Team:What Has Changed? Focus changed to setting the vision, monitoring for results: • Laser-like Focus – monthly strategic sessions • Restructured Instructional Leadership for increased Accountability • Transition from Retirements – loss of momentum and new energy

14. Collaboration and Teamwork 2007/08 Leadership Team Development Dept and School Leaders 360° Norms and Assessments Individual growth goals Stages of team development Senior leadership coaching First Team Leadership for Learning Collaboration And Teamwork Farmington Forward Creating a Culture of Learning Accountability For Results One Farmington Brand Focus on performance feedback

15. Teamwork and Collaboration One Team One Vision One Focus on Student Achievement

16. Superintendent’s Goals: “The How” - Strategies • Model the Way – “It starts with me.” • Inspire a Shared Vision (stop blaming, courage to improve) • Create Shared Accountability (ownership for student achievement to improve the system)

17. Courage Team 08/09 • 360° participants – self organizing • Outside formal hierarchy • Influenced change in leadership team meetings • Facilitated and participated in their individual table groups • Individual acts of leadership

18. What Has Changed? • Leaders Take Accountability for Self Improvement and Team Improvement • Individual Leaders Challenge Processes • Leaders Take Ownership for LT Design • Leaders Collaborate to Ensure LT Results • Leaders Challenge Committees to Collaborate • Reflection on our Learning

19. Moving Farmington Forward: Creating a Culture of Learning School Grade level teams Teacher Leadership Classrooms Leadership for Learning Collaboration And Teamwork PLCs Tripod Farmington Forward Creating a Culture of Learning Framework for Student Engagement Shared Accountability For Results Using data to improve our practices SMART goals Teaching and Learning

20. Setting the Challenge - Beginning the Journey • If not now,when? • If not here,where? • If not us,who?

21. Beginning Practices –Prior to 2006-07 • Sent all school teams to PLC training with DuFour • Joined MSAN – Minority Student Achievement Network • Courageous Conversations around race – Glenn Singleton – awareness and dialogue • Beginning to examine our data and minority achievement gaps

22. Listening to All Voices2006-07 • Tripod Student Survey to understand classroom learning environment • First year created controversy – issues of trust by students, staff and parents

23. Building the Culture2007-08 • Farmington Forward • Bringing goals forward • Operationalizing the Vision and implementing the Goals • Tripod survey – 2nd year • Understanding and owning results • Professional development • Framework for learning • SMART Goals & PLCs

24. 7 Points of Learning: Getting to the ClassroomTeaching and Learning Conceptual Framework* Trust Climate Cooperation Distributed Leadership Curriculum Goal Orientation Instruction Diligence Student Engagement Targets Organizational Domains Assessment Success/Satisfaction Culture for Learning Student Achievement Learning Conditions Feasibility Relevance Enjoyment Teacher Support/ Press Peer Support *Based upon Tripod Project, Ron Ferguson, PhD. Harvard

25. Using Data to Focus our Learning: Student Engagement“Press & Support” 2008-09 • Getting to the classroom level • PLC SMART goals • Data Teams • Time for collaboration • Support through Professional Development • Effective strategies for engagement, motivation – • Changing school culture • Modeling PLCs, using data • Motivation

26. What Has Been the Impact?Where are We in this Journey? • PLCs self assessments – Results, trends • Three year Tripod Survey Trends • SMART Goals

28. Next Steps: • Our PLC target rubric needs more clarity. • Connecting “my classroom climate” with “my students’ achievement” • Growing teacher leadership systemically is essential. • Teachers must lead this work at the school and District level to improve instruction.

29. Summary: Creating a Culture of Learning • CO Team – Senior leadership team • Leadership Team – District leaders • School/ Teachers Classroom PLCs Leadership for Learning Collaboration And Teamwork Farmington Forward Creating a Culture of Learning Accountability For Results

30. Some of My Learnings Along the Way • Leaders can’t mandate collaboration – you have to create the conditions in which it grows • The Leader can’t be the “problem solver” – you enable others to act

31. Some of My Learnings Along the Way • Leaders have to model what is expected of others – Change starts with yourself first. • Leaders ask “What have we learned?” • In transitions, there is loss before growth. Letting go of the past is hard but essential for change and learning to occur.

32. We’re Learning as a System:Create Collaboration • Create the structures and create accelerators in the change process • Provide the training • Engage to motivate • Give meaningful feedback • Press and Support

33. We’re learning . . . Engage to Motivate • Tune into aspirations • Encourage dissident voices • Encourage Leadership • Listen

34. We’re Learning . . .Tune Into Aspirations • Envision the Future • Speak to emotions • Create symbols See Feel Change

35. Sue.Zurvalec@farmington.k12.mi.us 248.489.3339 Catherine.Cost@farmington.k12.mi.us 248.489.3327 Martin.Chaffee@oakland.k12.mi.us 248.209.2118 Tom Nugent – Coach@LeadersInEdu.com 313.655.3483 For more Information and Questions. . .