Ellen Goldring Department of Leadership, Policy & Organizations Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

1. Learning Centered Leadership for Learning-Centered Schools April 11th, 2008 Ellen Goldring Department of Leadership, Policy & Organizations Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

2. Agenda • What is learning-centered leadership? • What behaviors and actions can we take? • Starting the process: The LEAD Action Planning Cycle

3. We are learners too!

4. Fish is Fish

5. “The first step in learning, I decided was unlearning, casting off old habits and assumptions. No one had ever explained this to me. . . the unlearning happened by necessity, almost by force.” J. R. Moehringer, The Tender Bar

6. “So after a day in which I was part cafeteria manager, registrar, disciplinarian, social worker, procurement officer, nurse, human resources officer, and chief financial officer of a multi-million-dollar budget, I took some time to reflect on the primary job I have ahead of me this year: being the instructional leader of a school that must raise its test scores by 10 percentage points across the board, or face increased sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind Law.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14442740 - Principal Lisa Moreno, one of 170 new principals in the Chicago public school system this year. Since 2004, more than 350 of the school system's principals have retired. Like Chicago, many other school systems across the country are facing the same turnover, as baby boomer principals near retirement age.

7. How do you spend your time? • Political Leadership (community) • Managerial Leadership (building, finances, paperwork) • Instructional Leadership • Planning/setting goals • Own professional development • Other

9. How principals report spending their time: Spring 2005. Based on 5 log reports

11. Leadership • Leadership matters. • In difficult times, leadership matters even more. • In periods of significant organizational transition, leadership is the major controllable factor in explaining organizational performance.

12. Leadership • Instructionally-focused and change- oriented leadership are especially effective frames for education. • Team leadership seems to offer promise for enhancing organizational performance.

13. Learning –Centered Leadership • Staying consistently focused on learning, teaching, curriculum, and assessment • Making all the other dimensions of schooling (e.g., administration, organization, finance) work in the service of improved student learning

14. Learning Centered Leadership I. Vision for Learning II. Instructional Program III. Curricular Program IV. Assessment Program V. Communities of Learning VI. Resource Acquisition and Use VII. Organizational Culture VIII. Social Advocacy

15. I. Vision for Learning A. Developing vision B. Articulating vision C. Implementing vision D. Stewarding vision

16. II. Instructional Program • Knowledge and involvement • Understand learning needs of individuals (teachers, students, parents) B. Hiring and allocating staff • Supporting staff • Arranging, providing professional development to support and develop expertise; provide resources; offer incentives D. Instructional time

17. III. Curricular Program A. Knowledge and involvement B. Expectations, standards C. Opportunity to learn D. Curriculum alignment

18. IV. Assessment Program A. Knowledge and involvement B. Assessment procedures C. Monitoring instruction and curriculum D. Communication and use of data

19. V. Communities of Learning A. Professional development B. Communities of professional practice C. Community-anchored schools

20. VI. Resource Acquisition and Use A. Acquiring resources B. Allocating resources C. Using resources

21. VII. Organizational Culture A. Production emphasis B. Learning environment C. Personalized environment D. Continuous improvement

22. VIII. Social Advocacy A. Stakeholder engagement B. Diversity C. Environmental context D. Ethics

23. Leadership Behavior Framework

24. Definitions of Core Components High Standards for Student Learning—There are individual, team, and school goals for rigorous student academic and social learning. Rigorous Curriculum (content)—There is ambitious academic content provided to all students in core academic subjects. Quality Instruction (pedagogy)—There are effective instructional practices that maximize student academic and social learning. Culture of Learning & Professional Behavior—There are integrated communities of professional practice in the service of student academic and social learning. There is a healthy school environment in which student learning is the central focus. Connections to External Communities—There are linkages to family and/or other people and institutions in the community that advance academic and social learning. Performance Accountability— Leadership holds itself and others responsible for realizing high standards of performance for student academic and social learning. There is individual and collective responsibility among the professional staff and students.

25. Definitions of Key Processes Planning—Articulate shared direction and coherent policies, practices, and procedures for realizing high standards of student performance. Implementing—Engage people, ideas, and resources to put into practice the activities necessary to realize high standards for student performance. Supporting—Create enabling conditions; secure and use the financial, political, technological, and human resources necessary to promote academic and social learning. Advocating—Promotes the diverse needs of students within and beyond the school. Communicating—Develop, utilize, and maintain systems of exchange among members of the school and with its external communities. Monitoring—Systematically collect and analyze data to make judgments that guide decisions and actions for continuous improvement.

26. Our Conceptual Model

27. Figure 1. Learning-Centered Leadership: Core components & Key processes

29. Leadership Action Goals From each core component select up to 2 or 3 specific leadership behaviors that you and a team can implement that you believe are most important given your school's priorities and needs. Once you have selected these behaviors, rewrite them as behavioral objectives or actions. 1. I will _____________________________________________________. 2. I will ______________________________________________________. 3. I will ______________________________________________________.

30. LEAD Action Planning Cycle Describe Evidence and Data to Monitor Implementation and Change LISTLearning Centered Leadership Behavior EstablishProcesses for Implementation Articulate Challenges and Needed Supports

31. Figure 4. LEAD Action Planning Cycle Guide

32. Building Community • Taking collaborative action as a school and community • Need to discuss shared values and aspirations • Choosing where to begin is important • Establish priority and focus direction • Ask questions—inquiry minded • Recognize important data • Which data are relevant • How can we use it to keep focused and learn