dimension 10 approaches to curriculum and instruction the cass framework for school system success...
TRANSCRIPT
Dimension 10Approaches to Curriculum and Instruction
The CASS Framework forSchool System Success
March 9, 2010
SESSION OUTCOMES
To build our understanding ofevidence informed practicehigh performing school systemsleadership that improves student learning
within the context of the CASS Framework for School System Success
Learning Our Way Forward
CASS – Building School DistrictLeadership Capacity:
Framework for Success
School DistrictPractices
ReflectionDialogue
CollaborationSharing
Research &Evidence
PersonalLearning
Organizational Learning
PilotProjects
CASS Framework for School System Success
What do we mean by evidence based practice?
Page 5
Union of evidence with professional judgment
Professional wisdom adaptation to context where research consensus is incomplete or absent
Best available evidence professional expertise cumulative knowledge avoid fads
THE CASS FRAMEWORK: Informing System Leadership Reflection and Action
Informed Prescription• Knowledge-rich/external prescription• 1990s: externally imposed “knowledge-rich” strategies• Tightly orchestrated from the top/absence of ownership
Informed Professional Judgment• Knowledge-rich/professional judgment• Collective, not individualistic• Best knowledge pursued continuously through cultures of
interaction inside and outside the school
CASS Framework for School System Success
What do we mean by high performing jurisdictions?
Page 7
High Performing Jurisdictions
Broad measures raising the bar closing the gap – every student learns
Review of High Performing Districts Leithwood 2008 overall support for the 9 characteristics single characteristics – suggestive, not conclusive helpful to inform context based professional
judgement
GOALS OF MOVING AND IMPROVING 2.0
To sustain system leadership capacity building in Alberta and to implement the CASS Framework for School System Success
CASS VISION and MISSION
Leadership excellence for world-class public education
CASS, the professional voice of system education leaders, provides leadership, expertise and advocacy to improve, promote and champion public education
LEADERSHIP MATTERS
Leadership is second only to teaching in it’s influence on learning
Leithwood 2006
SCHOOL and SYSTEM LEADERSHIP IN TRANSITION
DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONS
New school and system leaders
CONTEXT TRANSITIONS
Rapidly evolving contexts– social, technological, economic, environmental . . .
LEARNING / TEACHING TRANSITIONS
Emergence of evidence informed practice– engaged learning, assessment, PLCs, embedded
PD . . .
LEADERSHIP MATTERS
Leaders as explorers not travelers
Charting the future not following a well-worn path
Different challenges require different leadership
Minister David Hancock (October 20, 2009)
INSPIRING LEADERSHIP MATTERS
Reaching out to the community requires a unique kind of leadership
Working with curricula that reflects the real world requires a unique kind of leadership
Ensuring that every student learns every day requires a unique kind of leadership
Minister David Hancock (October 20, 2009)
STRATEGIES THREE and FOUR:Research and Evidence Informed Practice
CASS Practice Standard (2008)• 8 Leadership Dimensions – informed individual practice
CASS Framework for School System Success (2009)• A collaboratively developed articulation of 11 dimensions of
system leadership practice that best available evidence and practical wisdom identify as positively impacting student learning
• informed collective practice of the system leadership team
Leadership is second only to teaching in its influence on learning (Leithwood 2006)
STRATEGIES THREE and FOUR:Research and Evidence Informed Practice
Framework and Standard Rubrics (Critical Reflection / Assessment)
• University of Lethbridge – Task Force (Spring 2010)
Framework Based Surveys (28 Cohort Jurisdictions)
• University of Alberta – Leithwood (March 2010, 2011, 2012)
System Leadership Progress Reports (28 Cohort Jurisdictions)
• June 2010, 2011, 2012
Member Dialogue on Evidence Based Practice (62 Jurisdictions)• Zone Meetings – Special Education, HR & Curriculum Symposia
• Learning Sessions (VC, Online & Face to Face) – Learning Modules
Framework Revisions – (August 2010, 2011, 2012)
STRATEGIES THREE and FOUR:Research and Evidence Informed Practice
Research Symposia• November 2008 – February 2010 – Fall 2010
• International / National Papers: System Improvement & Leadership
• CASS Papers: Paulette Hanna, Dot Negropontes, Edgar Schmidt & Donna Barrett, David Lynn (former president)
Alberta Universities • Rubrics, surveys, research into district leadership practice
• Dialogue and inquiry into evidence informed leadership
• Twelfth Dimension – 21st Century Learning Technology Leadership
Sharing Moving and Improving Research• Memorial University : Derm Madden & Brian LeMessurier (Oct 2009)
• CASS Connections (Fall 2009), American Education Research Association (May 2010), Canadian Society for Studies in Education (proposed June 2010)
STRATEGY FIVE: Lateral Capacity Building
Lateral Leadership Capacity Building Cohorts• Building capacity while working toward jurisdiction goals• Calgary Cohort: 9 System Leadership Teams – Levin et al• Edmonton Cohort: 18 System Leadership Teams – Fullan et al• Commitment to share expertise, experience and data
Team Leadership Academy (May 12 – 14 Banff)
• Building capacity while working on team and system planning• Andy Hargreaves, Dennis Shirley and Amanda Datnow• 150 – 180 system and partner organization leaders
STRATEGY SEVEN: Research Informed Induction Practices
CASS Research• Lorenz (2005) An Induction Program for the Alberta
Superintendency• Gunderson (2004) A Conceptual Framework for a Superintendency
Leadership Formation Program
Alberta Research• Teacher Induction Symposia (Alberta Jurisdictions), Alberta School
Leadership Framework, Workforce Planning
International Research• Growing research base: leadership induction, mentoring and
coaching
STRATEGY SEVEN: Research Informed Induction Practices
RESEARCH 2009 – 2010 2010 – 2011
Standards Based CASS Standard & Framework
CASS Standard & Framework
Orientation One Day Session Summer Academy
Mentorship Informal Mentorship Trained Mentorship
Like-group support Informal Cohort Learning Cohort Learning
Large-group support CASS as a supportivecommunity of practice
CASS as a supportivecommunity of practice
Learning Our Way Forward
The CASS member is an accomplished leader and teacher who ensures that each student is provided the opportunity for optimum learning.
Leadership Dimensions1. Visionary Leadership
2. Instructional Leadership
3. Human Resources Leadership
4. Ethical Leadership
5. Effective Relationships
6. Organizational Leadership and Management
7. External Influences on Education
8. Chief Educational and Chief Executive Leadership
November 2008
CASS Practice Standard
SCHOOL and SYSTEM LEADERSHIP in ALBERTA
Principal Quality Practice Relationships Vision Instructional Leadership Managing Operations &
Resources Larger Societal Context Developing Leadership in
Others Leading a Learning Community
CASS Practice Standard Relationships Vision Instructional Leadership Management & Organization External Influences Human Resource Leadership Ethical Leadership Chief Educational & Chief
Executive Leadership
THE CASS FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL SYSTEM SUCCESS (September 2009)
A collaboratively developed articulation of 11 dimensions of system leadership practice that best available evidence and practical wisdom identify as positively impacting student learning
THE CASS FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL SYSTEM SUCCESS
Evidence Informed CharacteristicsExemplarsBroad range of measures
High PerformingSchool Systems
The Best Available Evidence + Practical Wisdom
The evidence base for any single district characteristic should be considered suggestive but far from conclusive (Leithwood, 2008).
THE CASS FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL SYSTEM SUCCESS
A. VISION and DIRECTION SETTING1. Jurisdiction-Wide Focus on Student Achievement2. Targeted and Phased Focuses for School Improvement3. Strategic Engagement with the Government’s Agenda for
Change and Associated Resources
B. ORGANIZATION DESIGN and ALIGNMENT4. Infrastructure Alignment
C. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT5. Jurisdiction-wide sense of efficacy6. Investing in Instructional Leadership7. District-wide, job embedded professional development for
leaders and teachers
The CASS Framework for School System Success
D. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING8. Building and Maintaining Good Relations9. Engaging Parents
E. THE PRIMACY of CURRICULUM and INSTRUCTION10. Approaches to Curriculum and Instruction11. Use of Evidence for Planning, Organizational Learning and
Accountability
The best available evidence suggests that High Performing School Systems engage in
VISION and DIRECTION SETTING
1. Jurisdiction-wide focus on student achievement characterized by
• developing a widely-shared set of beliefs and vision about student achievement; and
• including in this vision the concepts of “closing the gap” and “raising the bar”.
• adopting district-wide performance standards.
“getting beyond the rhetoric of ‘all students can learn’ (Cawelti, 2001)
the belief about the ability of one’s colleagues, as a whole, to perform a task or achieve a goal
Attribute success to effort rather than talent
Cause people to persist long enough to master whatever the task or goal
Is associated with highly desirable outcomes whether focus is on students, teachers or leaders
McCormick (2001)
COLLECTIVE EFFICACY
The best available evidence suggests that High Performing School Systems focus on
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
6. Investing in Instructional Leadership
• Change the conceptions of leadership expected of senior staff and others.
• Hold principals directly accountable for the quality of instruction in their schools.
• Encourage principals to supplement the instructional leadership in their schools with central office expertise as needed.
• Provide opportunities in the district for principals to further develop their instructional leadership capacities.
• Use external expertise to develop instructional leadership in the district.
The best available evidence suggests that High Performing School Systems focus on
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
7. Jurisdiction-wide, Job Embedded Professional Development for Leaders and Teachers
• Ensure that the time and money allocated to professional development reflects its value to the district.
• Refocus routine institutional practices in the service of professional development.
• Align the focus of professional with district and school improvement needs’
• Differentiate professional development opportunities to reflect needs of individual schools, administrators and teachers.
• Use contemporary learning theory as the foundation for designing professional develop methods.
The best available evidence suggests that High Performing School Systems focus on
THE PRIMACY OF CURRICULUM and INSTRUCTION
11. Use of Evidence for Planning, Organizational Learning and Accountability
1. Basic models2. Analysis-focused models3. Data-focused models4. Inquiry-focused models
Ikerno & Marsh (2007)
THE PRIMACY of CURRICULUM and INSTRUCTION
10.Approaches to Curriculum and Instruction which
• establish student performance standards;1. adopt jurisdiction-wide approaches to curricula and approaches
to instruction capable of achieving the standards; 2. align all of the elements of the technical core.3. focus on the quality of instruction.
The best available evidence suggests that High Performing School Systems engage in
REFLECTING ON THE CASS FRAMEWORK for SCHOOL SYSTEM SUCCESS
REFLECT on the selected component of this Framework Dimension
DISCUSS AND CHART
1. your sense of what Alberta school systems are doing well in this area
2. aspects of the Framework Dimension that could be the subject of further
inquiry and development in Alberta school systems.
3. Suggestions to improve this Dimension of the CASS Framework
Moving and Improving Upcoming
Leading Our Way Forward April 20 - 21
This Century Learning Technology Success April 28 Pre-Conference
Team Leadership Academy May 12 – 14 Banff
Andy Hargreaves, Dennis Shirley and Amanda Datnow
Summer New Leadership Academy July 5 - 7 Banff