Table of Contents

CONCEPTS..................................................................... 2 FORMATIVE LEADERSHIP BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ......................................................... 2 FORMATIVE LEADERSHIP FUNCTIONS.......................................................................... 2 FORMATIVE LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES .......................................................................... 3 PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP SUCCESS ELEMENTS (PLSE) ................................................. 4 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF A LEARNING ORGANIZATION IN EDUCATION ........................ 5 TEAM BUILDING: CREATING A CLIMATE FOR EFFECTIVE TEAMING .......................... 5 PRINCIPLES OF THE CUSTOMER-FOCUSED SCHOOL..................................................... 6 STRATEGIES .................................................................. 7 FORMATIVE LEADERSHIP IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES ........................................ 7 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT BY WALKING AROUND (SMBWA) ....................................... 7 DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING ................................................................................ 9

Quality Education Seven Success Elements (QESSE) .................................. 3

STEPS FOR BUILDING TEAM SUCCESS ....................................................................... 12 CUSTOMER-FOCUSED PRACTICES................................................................................ 12 RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION STRATEGIES ....................................................... 14 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING STEPS ................................................................. 14 QUALITY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT .................................... 15

Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle ...................................................................................... 9 Data Collection and Utilization Criteria .......................................................... 10 Examples of School Data Elements In a School Profile ............................... 11

Concepts
Formative Leadership Basic Assumptions High-performing schools are complex systems and operate as learning organizations. The great majority of what goes wrong in a school is due to the fault of the process, not to the fault of an individual. Groups of people working in teams usually have more success than individuals working alone. Decisions should be based on disaggregated data. Everyone needs to be involved in the process of continuous improvement. The critical performance is thinking about better ways to get the job done. The customer/supplier relationship has just as much merit in education as in business. Flexibility and change are imperative. By the time the right way is discovered, a new way is often required. All students can learn at significantly higher levels. The people who know the work best are the ones doing it. Formative Leadership Functions In the high-performing school, the primary leadership role is to help teachers design challenging learning opportunities for students and to assist and support them as they lead students through the learning activities. More specifically, formative leadership encompasses four essential leadership functions. Creating and communicating a shared vision. Promoting and encouraging innovative practice. Establishing learning expectations. Optimizing the talents of everyone within the school. Successful implementation of Formative Leadership requires that attention be directed to the Seven Success Elements of the Quality Education process. Successful teachers and administrators will readily recognize that these elements are consistent with the best practices of effective 2

schools. They also reflect the theories embedded in quality improvement and strategic planning.

Quality Education Seven Success Elements (QESSE)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Institute Formative Leadership Practices. Create a Customer-Centered School Engage in Team Learning Implement Data-Driven Decision Making Institute Measurement Practices Create Opportunities for Celebration Learn from Experience

Formative Leadership Principles Team learning, productive thinking, and collaborative problem solving will replace control mechanisms, top-down decision making, and enforcement of conformity. Teachers will be viewed as leaders and administrators as leaders of leaders. Leadership will be viewed as asking the right kinds of questions rather than knowing all the answers. Trust will drive our working relationships. Leaders assume that the faculty, staff, and students will try to do their best. The leaders job is to support these efforts by driving out fear in every area of the school. Leaders will move from demanding conformity and compliance to encouraging and supporting innovation and creativity. Leaders will focus on people and processes, not on paper work and administrative minutia. The major portion of a leaders time will be spent on value-added activities. Leaders will be customer focused and servant based. Faculty and staff are the direct customers of the principal, and the most important function of the principal is to serve his or her customers. 3

Leaders will create networks that foster two-way communication rather than channels that direct the flow of information in a certain direction. Leadership requires proximity, visibility, and being close to the customer. Leaders will wandering about the school and the surrounding community, listening and learning, asking questions, building relationships, and identifying possibilities. Leaders will is empower the people within the school to do the work, and then protect them from unwarranted outside interference. Leaders have the ability to operate in an environment of uncertainty, constantly learning how to exploit systemic change, rather than maintaining the status quo. Principal Leadership Success Elements (PLSE) Decisions are made on the basis of analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of disaggregated data. Data, information, and knowledge are freely shared with personnel, students, parents, and community members. Systems are developed to remove the barriers to learning. Shared vision is created through examining shared beliefs, imagining future possibilities, and asking the right kinds of questions. Change and innovation are promoted and encouraged. Meaningful conversations about teaching and learning take place continuously throughout the school. Action research and competitive benchmarking drive learning within the school. High-performance expectations are established for everyone in the school. The talents of all personnel are optimized, and leadership at all levels is promoted. An appreciation for, and understanding of, complex systems and how they work (systems thinking) drives the process of strategic thinking. Learning is the basic building block for change and improvement. The leaders mood is optimistic and authentic.

Basic Principles of a Learning Organization in Education Learning always occurs in a context where action is being taken. Learning requires an environment where educators can continually reflect on what they are doing and learn more about what it takes to work as teams. Learning requires that people at multiple levels think together about significant and enduring solutions and then help those solutions become reality. Learning necessitates an understanding of systems thinking as a foundation for the education of students. Learning requires that schools focus on thinking skills and learning skills. Team Building: Creating a Climate for Effective Teaming Total involvement. Every person in the school, professional and support staff alike, must be involved and must view the team structure as the best way to solve problems, increase learning, and bring about continuous improvement. Customer focus. Teams perform the important work of serving customers by identifying and breaking down barriers to successful performance. Appreciation of the value of diversity. The school values creativity and understands that people with different skills, ways of thinking, and views toward solving problems add to the richness of the team's learning and ultimately to the efficiency of the problem solving. Sharing information. An atmosphere of openness, candor, and trust is exhibited through the sharing of information with the team. Effective decisions are rarely made in the absence of relevant information. Listening. Leaders who have accepted the new paradigm of organizational behaviors that revolve around listening, facilitating dialogue and discussion, collaborative decision making, and knowledge transfer are creating the kind of climate that allows teams to arrive at more creative solutions. Scorekeeping. Measuring the team's success, as demonstrated by collecting disaggregated data and developing and using key performance indicators, helps keep the team focused, provides a higher level of individual satisfaction, and improves the overall performance of the team. 5

Continuous improvement. The quality mindset does not recognize an end to improvement. The concept requires the school to support data-based decision making and embrace a never-ending quest for improving service to the customer. Empowerment. The quality school recognizes the value of people and trusts the staff to make good decisions if given the right information and the authority to make changes. Adding value. In the school environment, this means working to improve the teaching and learning process. It involves identifying and removing barriers to learning, and improving opportunities for everyone, including students, faculty, and staff, to increase their success levels. Recognition. Recognizing and rewarding behaviors that are valued throughout the school and community serve to motivate the team to better performance. Principles of the Customer-Focused School Everyone must have a clear understanding about who the customers are. Everyone must recognize that the organization of the school is not for the convenience and benefit of the faculty and staff. It is, instead, for the purpose of producing learning and providing opportunities for students to experience academic success. Everyone must be involved in collecting, analyzing, and learning from the disaggregated data collected from the school's customers. Everyone must be involved in learning as much as possible about the customers, especially the students. The more faculty and staff learn about their customers, the better they will be able to understand and serve their individual and collective needs. Everyone should view complaints as opportunities to learn. Everyone should view parents as partners in the teaching and learning process. Everyone should accommodate students, parents, and each other by making appropriate exceptions to bureaucratic rules and regulations.

Strategies
Formative Leadership Implementation Strategies The actual implementation of the Formative Leadership process is grounded in effective school practices, inviting school success principles, strategic thinking, and common sense. Educators will readily recognize the validity of the following implementation strategies, which are imbedded in the Seven Success Elements outlined at the beginning of this chapter. Faculty and staff are engaged in site-based decision-making through the utilization of problem-solving teams. The concept of a "customer-centered school" is promoted by identifying and eliminating barriers to success and by focusing on the total school environment. Clear processes are established for gathering data and converting it into information and knowledge to make school-wide decisions about how to better serve students. Opportunities are created for free and open exchange among personnel and with other schools regarding ideas and actions for improvement. The isolation of teachers is reduced, and they are encouraged to assume the role of learners. Innovative practices are encouraged by promoting risk taking, reducing the fear of failure, and developing and implementing participant-driven professional development programs, which are grounded in inquiry, reflection, and research. Strategies are developed for building partnerships with public and private agencies, businesses, and other organizations. School Management By Walking Around (SMBWA) Engage in face-to-face contact with your customers. The principals direct customer is the faculty. Instructional leadership begins with spending time--lots of it--with teachers, in and out of classrooms, engaged in conversation about teaching and learning. 7

Create opportunities to solicit undistorted opinions. Tom Peters refers to naive listening, that is listening with an open mind rather than entering a conversation with a predetermined position. Act quickly on what you hear. Quick responses and prompt action will encourage trust and provide broader opportunities for future listening and learning. Probe under the surface by asking penetrating questions. To really understand, you must penetrate the natural reluctance of people to really level with you. This is the only way to bring the unmentionables found in every organization to the surface. What kinds of questions should the instructional leader ask? How do you lead conversations with faculty that focus on creating better learning opportunities for students? The following suggestions offer a point of departure. What do we really believe about how students learn? How well are we providing challenging, interesting work for students? How many of our students are actively engaged on a regular basis? What evidence, other than standardized test data, do we have about how well our students are learning what we want them to learn? What are the major barriers to learning that are most difficult for us to deal with? What do we need, that we do not currently have, to be more effective teachers? What do students need to know and be able to do when they leave our school? How can we better integrate existing technology into the curriculum? How can we better protect teaching and learning time? How can we reduce non-teaching duties? What additional data do we need in order to more effectively understand our students?

Asking these, and similar questions, should lead to broader conversations with individuals and small groups, as well as with the entire faculty. The ultimate objective is to improve the level and degree of productive thinking in the school. The effective instructional leader must get out of the office, mix and mingle with staff, students, parents, and other community members; 8

and lead or participate in conversations about improving the learning opportunities provided students. School improvement efforts are most successful when they are based on research and when the decision-making process is data driven. The quality education process is only effective when teams identify and solve the root causes of problems. It is the responsibility of the instructional leader to guide and support teams as they collect and analyze data in order to identify trends. This trend data should then be used to assist with the identification of problems and support the need for improvement. Data-Based Decision Making

Often, schools that are responding to pressure to increase achievement test scores focus their efforts on raising the scores of a particular grade level or the entire school. This may lead to the appearance of improvement, but the achievement of the lowest-performing students or another subgroup of students may remain unchanged. Unless we continuously work with disaggregated data, we will never know whether all groups of students are learning what we mean for them to learn and what they need to know. Teachers and administrators need to collect, disaggregate, and analyze, and use data to improve teaching and learning. Multiple measures, in addition to standardized tests, should be used. Disaggregating data requires us to explore results more deeply in order to examine individual subsets of results (gender, ethnic, socio-economic group, etc.) The Providence School System analyzed disaggregated mathematics test scores and enrollment data to focus on poor performance in math. They found that fewer students of color were in high-level mathematics courses. When they learned that minority students who do not take algebra or geometry in high school are 40 to 60 percent less likely to complete college, they began offering the same algebra instruction to all students. After six years, failure rates of minority students have decreased significantly and higher-level mathematics enrollment has increased. 9

Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle
Plan Understand and describe the history of the problem. Quality tools: Brainstorming, dialogue Collect customer data in order to understand customer needs. Quality tools: Surveys, Focus groups Analyze the current process. Quality tools: Flow Chart, Affinity Diagram Collect and disaggregate data. Quality tools: Check sheet, Pareto diagram, Histogram, Run Chart, Pie Graph, Tree Diagram, Benchmarking Determine the root cause of the problem. Quality tools: Cause and Effect (Fishbone) diagram Generate possible solutions and implement pilot projects. Collect and analyze data and measure against baseline to determine if pilot project has been successful. Adopt or abandon the change. Begin the process again.

Do Study

Act

Act

Plan

Study

Do

Data Collection and Utilization Criteria

The data must be timely and useful. Avoid collecting information that has little or no bearing on the problem. Focus on the critical success elements that are measurable, such as the key performance indicators. Disaggregate and summarize data in a form that converts it into information. 10

Share information with everyone in the school. Use data only to improve school processes. Information should never be used to threaten or blame. Establish data collection and utilization ground rules before undertaking the task of data collection. Collect and use data that answer questions that are important to the team.

Examples of School Data Elements In a School Profile

All of the data elements should be disaggregated if possible. Standardized test scores Attendance and tardies Discipline referrals Percentage of failing grades Percentage of students on A/B honor roll Percentage of students in extra-curricular activities Number of students receiving awards Library circulation rate Number in advanced diploma and advanced placement classes Number and percent retained Number and percent in remediation classes/summer school Number and percent suspended Counselor contacts Graduation rate Percent of graduates with specific post high school plans Graduate follow-ups Dropout rate Percent involved in academic competitions The school profile should be used to identify the schools strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Input from stakeholders should be used extensively throughout this process.

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Steps for Building Team Success Charge the team with a challenging assignment, one that clearly requires cooperation and teamwork. Allow the team to assume ownership of the work by establishing their goals, timelines, and performance evaluations. Provide all available information to every team member. Provide the team with the knowledge and skills to complete the assignment. Provide the team with time, some during the normal school day, to complete the assignment. Provide opportunity for recognition and rewards for the team. Customer-Focused Practices Narrow the focus on learning. Schools exist to produce learning, not to just provide instruction. Each student is unique. Design opportunities for every student to experience success. Collect information about your students. Schools need to learn about their students just as businesses learn about their customers (data must be disaggregated in order to understand individuals as well as groups). Listen to your customers. Focus on those things that create value-teaching and learning. Measure customer satisfaction. Survey student satisfaction with teaching methods, course content, and extra-curricular activities. Ask such questions as, Were you pleased or displeased with how you were treated in this school? Establish advisory committees and focus groups, and use them productively--pay attention to their advice. Establish teams of professionals charged with the responsibility of reacting to individual and group needs of students. Form alliances/partnerships with other organizations/agencies. Meet regularly to discuss needs/problems and performance expectations. Collect follow-up data on students. Solicit feedback from students who drop out or transfer and from staff who resign or retire. 12

Good customer service begins with positive personal relationships. Implement the invitational education principles and processes. Provide extraordinary response to the concerns/complaints of your customers. Solving peoples problems is quintessential customer service. View every complaint as an opportunity to learn and to improve. Provide fair, honest, and consistent service to all stakeholders. Provide for faculty/staff involvement and ownership in decision-making and problem solving. Faculty and staff, from top to bottom, know best what students and parents value and what they need for success. Link performance measures to goals and strategies. Administer customerfocused measurements on a regular basis. Accommodate appropriate exceptions to school rules and regulations. Deal with individuals on a personal basis. Remember, one size does not fit all. Facilitate teams of teachers working together to evaluate and revise lessons they provide for students. A suggested template for teams to use in Looking at Student Work meetings is shown below.
Step Presentation of student work Description Assignment Relationship to goals Initial observations Expectations Scoring rubrics Questions for understanding Context of work Ideas for teacher Student performance Teaching strategies No input from presenting teacher Thoughts about comments and questions No input from team members Implications for teaching and learning Process Content Time 20 min. Participant Presenting teacher

Clarifying questions Discussion

5 min. 10 min.

Team members Team members

Reflection

5 min.

Presenting teacher

Debriefing

20 min.

Entire team

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Recognition and Celebration Strategies Involvement in the decision-making process: A central tenet of the quality process, total involvement, is both respectful of the person and useful to the organization. The people who know the work best are the ones closest to it; this includes students as well as faculty and staff. Sharing information and providing feedback: All stakeholders in the school want and need information. Timely information provides for more effective performance, measurement of progress toward goals, and a continuous learning culture. Interesting work: Teaching and learning need not and should not be dull and boring for students or teachers. An organizational culture that focuses on and rewards learning provides for a high level of excitement for students and a deep sense of reward for teachers. Giving credit where credit is due: Providing visibility with colleagues, opportunity for leadership, as well as public recognition for a job well done is a motivating factor and will most often result in positive consequences. Designing recognition to encourage excellence: Rewards should be personal and given frequently. Teacher and student recognition need not be elaborate or expensive. It should, however, be regular, sincere, and creative. School Improvement Planning Steps 1. Define the belief system. 2. Develop the vision and mission. 3. Anticipate and plan for the future. Phase 1 Develop the school profile, includes disaggregated data . Phase 2 Conduct a curriculum and instructional audit. Phase 3 - Identify core competencies Phase 4 - Conduct a SWOT analysis. 4. Identify goals. 5. Identify key performance indicators. 6. Develop and implement an action plan.

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Quality Education Assessment

Quality Education Assessment
Please respond to the following statements by indicating to what extent each of these conditions applies to your school. Then, on the score sheet, circle the score you identified for each item, total the scores for each success element, and compare your results with the ranges of desirable performance. STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 1. The school's strengths have been identified and shared with personnel, students, and parents. 2. Action teams are often convened to address specific issues or problems. 3. Innovative practice is promoted and encouraged. 4. Instructional practices are consistent with the latest research. 5. Students receive extra help when needed. 6. Formal evaluation and follow-up characterize team problem solving. 7. Teams are provided with adequate training. 8. Data is collected, disaggregated, and analyzed before decisions are made. 9. Team meetings are used to promote collective learning and growth. 10. Teachers feel free to try innovative practices in their classroom. 11. Survey data is collected from students on a regular basis. 12. Student achievement data, other than standardized test results, are analyzed, disseminated, and explained to all faculty. MILDLY DISAGREE 2 MILDLY AGREE 3 STRONGLY AGREE 4

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STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 13. Teacher input is widely solicited and carefully considered in the decision making process. 14. Survey data is collected from parents and other stakeholders on a regular basis. 15. There are certain instructional methods so widely accepted that they have become standard practice. 16. New teams are formed as new issues and concerns are identified. 17. Evaluation and assessment of programs and processes are conducted on a regular basis. 18. Opportunity to benchmark "best practices" is possible. (Benchmarking involves visiting other schools to observe what works in that particular setting.) 19. Most teachers involve their students in setting goals and in determining the evaluation process. 20. Some time is provided for teams to meet during the school day. 21. Certain school wide indicators of progress (i.e., attendance, grades, discipline referrals, etc.) are tracked and reported to staff, students, and parents. 22. Teachers adjust their teaching techniques based on student feedback. 23. Faculty members discuss issues related to teaching and learning in grade level/ departmental meetings on a regular basis.

MILDLY DISAGREE 2

MILDLY AGREE 3

STRONGLY AGREE 4

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STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 24. In-service training is geared to needs identified by the staff. 25. Student academic success is appropriately recognized and celebrated. 26. Standardized test data are disaggregated, examined, disseminated, and explained to all faculty. 27. All aspects of the school's operation are open to evaluation. 28. Teams are provided sufficient support to successfully complete their task. 29. The school's weaknesses have been identified and shared with the school staff. 30. Teachers collect feedback from students about their classes. 31. The school's faculty is involved in developing annual goals. 32. Most teachers provide ample opportunity for students to experience success. 33. Faculty and staff successes are rewarded. 34. Regular celebrations are held.

MILDLY DISAGREE 2

MILDLY AGREE 3

STRONGLY AGREE 4

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SUCCESS ELEMENT 1. Leadership

ITEMS 1 3 10 15 20 24 29 31

SCORE 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234

TOTAL

RANGE OF DESIRABLE PERFORMANCE 21-32

2. Customer Focus

5 11 14 19 22 25 30 32

21-32

3. Team Learning and Problem Solving

2 7 9 16 23 28

18-24

4. Data Driven Decision- Making

4 8 13 18 26

15-20

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SUCCESS ELEMENT 5. Measurement

ITEMS 6 11 12 17 21 27

SCORE 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234

TOTAL

RANGE OF DESIRABLE PERFORMANCE 20-24

6. Opportunities for Celebration

3 21 33 34 9 13 18 23

12-16

7. Learning from Experience

12-16

Areas in Need of Attention Chart

Success Element Needs Attention (Check) Handbook Module Notes

Leadership Customer Focus Team Learning and Problem Solving Data Driven Decision-Making Measurement Opportunities for Celebration Learning from Experience
2000 Ruth Ash, Maurice Persall

Modules 1, 5, 6 Module 4 Module 2 Module 2 Module 3 Module 1, pp. 19-20 Module 2 Module 1, pp. 15-16 Module 5, pp. 113-123 Module 2

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