Engaging in a Practical & Reciprocal Relationship Between Effective Leadership & Coaching

1. Engaging in a Practical & Reciprocal Relationship Between Effective Leadership & Coaching Brian Gaunt, Ph.D. Clark Dorman, Ed.S. Amanda March, Ph.D.

2. Who are we? Who are you? Introductions

3. Your Participation is Needed • Using the (worksheet) provided (5 min): • Question #1: What are you particularly interested in learning about today? • Question #2: What is your goal with regards to leadership/coaching or PBS/RtI? • Question #3: What barriers or concerns are making it difficult to implement PBS/RtI at your site?

4. Agenda • Statewide Integrated Model of a Multi-Tiered System of Support • Effective Leadership Characteristics • Coaching Skills/Functions • Reciprocal Relationship b/w Leadership and Coaching • Applications at the school, district, state level • Activity: Implementing Leadership/Coaching models

5. Building & Implementing a Statewide Integrated Model of MTSS

6. Statewide Context • Barriers to implementing MTSS as a data-based service delivery system for ALL students: • Gen Ed vs. ESE • Academic vs. Behavior • Silos, Multiple Initiatives, Limited Resources (i.e., fragmented infrastructures) • Limited Knowledge of Implementation Processes • Limited Capacity for Program Evaluation Efforts

7. Big Idea! • We need to model a collaborative, integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process at the state level so that we can advocate for it at the district and school level. • Common language to describe MTSS… • Common understanding for how to use MTSS…

8. Resources • MTSS Implementation Components: Ensuring Common Language & Understanding • http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/mtss_q_and_a.pdf

9. …To Align & Integrate Evidence-based Practices (Curr/Instruct/Assess) School, Family & Community Engagement Program Evaluation & School/District Improvement MTSS (Data-based Problem-Solving) Align: ESEA/IDEIA/State Statutes/SEA & LEA Policies& Procedures Leadership, Coaching Skills, Professional Development & Staff Evaluation

10. Context + _______________________________________________________________________ =

11. What is MTSS? A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a term used to describe an evidence-based model of educating students that uses data-based problem solving to integrate academic and behavioral instruction and intervention. • The integrated instruction and intervention is delivered to students across multiple tiers based on student need. • Need-driven decision-making seeks to ensure that district resources reach the appropriate students (and schools) at the appropriate levels to accelerate the performance of ALL students to achieve and/or exceed proficiency.

12. Mission and Vision The collaborative vision of the FL PS/RtI & FLPBS/RtI:B Projects is to: • Enhance the capacity of all Florida school districtsto successfully implement and sustain a multi-tiered system of student supports with fidelity in every school; • Accelerate and maximize student academic and social-emotional outcomes through the application of data-based problem solving utilized by effective leadership at all levels of the educational system; • Inform the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of an integrated, aligned, and sustainable system of service delivery that prepares all students for post-secondary education and/or successful employment within our global society.

13. Leadership & Coaching • Characteristics, function, skills…not titles or persons. • “Teams” are the context for applying both • Leadership without coaching = ? • Coaching without Leadership = ? • Answer: implementation failure. (Fullan & Knight, 2011)

14. Characteristics of Effective Leadership

15. Context: Workgroups • Coaching • Program Evaluation • Data-Based Problem-Solving (DBPS) • Leadership/Teaming • PK-12 Alignment • Family and Community Engagement

16. Workgroup Goals: • Evidence based definition of Leadership empirically linked to improved student outcomes • Provision of support to districts to realize the components of the definition

17. Definition: Effective district leadership is evidenced by teams or individuals who: • Establish and articulate a clear vision with a sense of urgency for change, maintain focus and deliver a consistent message of implementation over time • Focus on schools (districts are successful when schools are successful) • Create relationships with stakeholders based upon mutual respect and shared responsibility • Engage in expert problem solving • Invest in professional development (Leithwood, 2010; Barnhardt, 2009; Crawford & Torgeson, 2007)

18. Definition: • Establish and articulate a clear vision with a sense of urgency for change, maintain focus and deliver a consistent message of implementation over time • Message not always developed collaboratively • Need for change/innovation must be perceived as immediately necessary • Must be communicated frequently

19. Definition: • Focus on schools (districts are successful when schools are successful) • Help principals become stronger leaders, improve classroom instruction, and access to data management systems that facilitate effective, timely data-based decision-making • Are current data systems meaningful and integrated? • Problem of change is the problem of the smallest unit

20. Definition: • Create relationships with stakeholders based upon mutual respect and shared responsibility • Internal and External Stakeholders • Leadership depends on “collective capacity” so these relationships are critical, not optional • Engage parents and other community stakeholder in the “turnaround efforts”

21. Definition: • Engage in expert problem solving • Identify the correct barriers and goals efficiently and effectively • Engage in good problem analysis with an understanding that there are many typical barriers to attaining school goals. • Know that there are several identified strategies for removing barriers and achieving the vision and apply appropriate strategies based upon school-specific needs • Evaluate the effectiveness of implemented strategies

22. Definition: • Invest in professional development • Building a comprehensive system for delivering meaningful PD of staff must be considered a major priority for the great majority of district leaders • Need training and technical assistance that is job embedded, ongoing and sustained aimed at building capacities directly related to turnaround challenges • Planful, Strategic, Capacity Building

23. Discussion: • Questions • How does this model resonate with you? • What value does this model have potentially for your organization? • How would this model help you to reach your organizational goal(s)? • Share Out

24. “Coaching exists to bring about change” Sprick, Knight, Reinke, & McKale (2006) MTSS Coaching Definition & Model

25. A “New Role” for Coaching “School improvement will fail if the work of coaches remains at the one-to-one level. Coaches are systems leaders. They need development as change agents at both the instructional level and the level of organizational and system change. It’s time to recast their role as integral to whole-system reform.” ~Michael Fullan & Jim Knight (2011)

26. MTSS Coaching Definition Coaching(v.): application of a set of activities that provide dynamic support and facilitation to develop the capacity of school/district leadership teams to implement MTSS aligned with the school/district improvement plan in order to enhance student outcomes. Tenets include: • Not necessarily a person, but a set of skills and activities • There are some essential skills sets required of the leadership team to support & complete the activities

27. MTSS Coaching:from Definition to Application • Coaching to facilitate MTSS capacity in schools and districts requires the following skill domains: • Problem-Solving Facilitation Skills • Content Knowledge • Leadership Support • Professional Development

28. 1) Problem-Solving Facilitation Skills • School-Based Consultation Activities • Individual consultation • Small group problem-solving consultation (Gutkin & Curtis, 2008) • Systems-level consultation (Curtis, Castillo, & Cohen, 2008) • Problem-Solving & Facilitation Skills • Knowledge of empirically validated consultation models/approaches • Communication skills (i.e., questioning, listening, summarizing, paraphrasing, delivering, integrating, empathizing) • Interpersonal collaborative skills (i.e., relationship-building, trust, shared decision-making) • Knowledge and skills to effectively facilitate the 4-step & 8-step problem-solving processes

29. 2) Content Knowledge

30. 3) Leadership Support • Coaching develops the leadership skills of teachers and principals in order to address whole-school organizational improvement, facilitate reallocation and deployment of resources, and evaluate outcomes(Neufeld & Roper, 2003) • MTSS Leadership (Leithwood, 2010; Barnhardt, 2009; Crawford & Torgeson, 2007) • Establish a vision with a sense of urgency for change, maintain focus and deliver a consistent message over time • Focus on schools (districts are successful when schools are successful) • Create relationships with stakeholders based upon mutual respect and shared responsibility • Engage in expert problem solving • Invest in professional development

31. 4) Professional Development • Educators need ongoing PD to obtain skills necessary to implement any change effort (Sansosti, Telzrow, & Noltemeyer, 2008). Examples of PD required of all educators in MTSS include: • Developing and gathering data sources • Interpreting data • Matching interventions to student need • Presenting intervention outcomes to others • Engaging in problem-solving processes • Coaching facilitates PD at the individual, small group, and whole-school or district/regional levels within an continuous improvement framework (Borman, Feger, & Kawakami, 2006).

32. MTSS Coaching Model

33. Coaching Responsibilities 1) Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills 2) Use data-based problem-solving to answer a variety of questions 3) Disseminate evidence-based content knowledge a. Organizational Change/Implementation Process b. Integrated MTSSS Three-Tiered Model c. Best Practices in Reading, Math, Behavior Instruction d. Best Practices in Family and Community Engagement (FACE) 4) Facilitate team-based collaborative problem solving 5) Support leadership team and staff capacity to sustain a MTSS 6) Provide professional development training and technical assistance 7) Evaluate the impact of coaching activities and supports

34. MTSS Coaching Model Discussion • How does this model resonate with you? • What potential value does this model have for your organization? • How would this model help you reach your goal(s)?

35. A Reciprocal Relationship between Effective Leadership Characteristics and Coaching Functions Leading & Coaching

36. Leadership + Coaching Leadership Characteristics Coaching Responsibilities Effective interpersonal communication Data-based problem-solving Content Knowledge Org. Change Integrated multi-tiered system Academic/Behavior Families/Communities Team Facilitation Support leadership Provide PD Evaluate impacts • Vision, focus, consistent message of implementation • Focus on schools • Relationships based on respect & shared responsibility • Expert problem-solving • Investment in PD

37. Leadership & Coaching It’s about problem-solving as a team!

38. = Teamwork!Who can… • Set a vision, provide the urgency for change, a consistent focus and message of implementation over time? • Ensure a focus on schools as the unit of analysis? • Facilitate effective team processes and problem-solving? • Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication towards establishing relationships based on respect and shared responsibilities? • Participate and contribute to data-based problem-solving & decision-making? • Provide content expertise in system’s change, curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices? • Invest and provide PD? • Evaluate school improvement impacts on student outcomes?

39. A Team Is A Team • Vision/Mission • School Focus • Facilitation Skills • Purposeful Relationships • Problem-solving • Content Expertise • Professional Development • Outcome Evaluation Provide Supports Matched to Needs (Student & Implementation) State Data-Based Alignment With Mission/Goals Districts System Goals & Expectations Schools Communicate Needs With Data (Student & Implementation)

40. State Leadership Team & MTSS Coaching Support

41. Big Idea! • We need to model a collaborative, integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process at the state level so that we can advocate for it at the district and school level. • We need a common language and common understanding!

42. Common Language/Understanding • MTSS Implementation Components: Ensuring Common Language & Understanding • http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/mtss_q_and_a.pdf

43. MTSS Project Team • Inter-Project Leadership Team (ILT) • MTSS Vision/Mission Statement • Model Development Work Groups: • Leadership, Coaching, Integrated DBPS, PK-12 Alignment, Family & Community Engagement, & Program Evaluation • “Departments” • Product Development & Integration Sub-group • Professional Development Sub-group • DAPPS Management & Evaluation Sub-group • State/District Program Evaluation Sub-group • FLDOE inter-department collaborative Sub-group • F&CE Communication Network Sub-group

44. MTSS Project ILT External Focus Internal Focus Short-Term Model Development Existing Project-Specific DAPPS Implementation & Evaluation MTSS Model Integration & Product Development DOE Leadership & Statewide Integration (EXTERNAL PROJECT ACTIVITIES) (MTSS INTERNAL PROJECT ACTIVITIES) PS/RtI Elem Model PS/RtI Secondary Model Integrated PK Model FLPBS K-12 Internal Professional Development Integrated DBPS Model Internal MTSS Evaluation Model PK-12 Align Model F&CE Model Leadership & Coaching ALL Students Families & Community Partners Grade/Content Instructional Teams School Leadership Teams DAPPS Teams – District Support FLDOE Leadership, Projects, & Networks Network of District Support Specialists/Coordinators/Facilitators District Leadership Team

45. District Leadership Team & State Coaching Support

46. District Action Planning & Problem-Solving Process • Collaboration of PS/RtI & FLPBS • 2-4 person district teams • For Pilot: Leadership and Evaluation support • Overview of DAPPS Process • Step 1: Application & Readiness • Step 2: District Needs Assessment • Step 3: Action Planning – Group problem-solving used. • Step 4: Delivery of Training and TA • Step 5: Evaluation

47. What is the DAPPS?(District Action Planning and Problem Solving) • Systems-level data-based problem solving process • Open-ended process; not a prescription • Professionalizes, rather than personalizes, decision-making around difficult issues • Inclusive, rather than exclusive, process • Customized to the needs, goals, culture, capacity and pace of individual districts • Not our agenda!...but, promote DISTRICT agenda

48. Needs Assessment:Prioritizing Planning Goals • Needs Assessment • Archival Data • MTSS Survey Data • Interview Data • Summary Report • Problem ID: Student outcomes • Problem Analysis: • Fidelity? • Infrastructure? • Consensus?

49. School Leadership Team & District Coaching Support

50. School-based Teams • School-based Leadership Teams? • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)? • Intervention Teams? • Support Teams? • …etc. • How many teams is too many? To few? • Depends; In relation to what purpose?