WMU & FCS

Developing a Leadership Pipeline and Turning Around

Schools Simultaneously

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Purpose

Western Michigan University is in partnership with two school districts—Flint Community Schools (FCS) and Battle Creek Public Schools (BCPS) and to develop a leadership pipeline and partner in the turnaround or improvement of priority schools within each district.

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Guiding Principles for Improving Our Schools

a) The emphasis focuses on enhancing both school leaders’ knowledge and skill and conditions in which they function

b) The project is job-embedded, action-oriented, and results-driven

c) We acknowledge the school is the unit for change with support from the central office

d) We take into account the unique conditions associated with turning-around schools

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Overview• Recruit and select 20 teacher leaders and 5 principals (including those

from priority schools) from each district• Professional development (PD) will focus on important aspects of

classroom instruction, teacher leadership and the principalship, with a particular focus on conditions

in urban school districts • Participating principals and teacher leaders will engage in a school

renewal process to improve their schools• Principals and teachers will be evaluated via locally adopted teacher

and principal evaluation systems and incentives will be provided to utilize, place, and retain in the districts the talents in the pipeline.

• Principals and teacher leaders will be given autonomy to improve their schools.

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Selection Process for 20 Teacher Leaders

1. Interested teacher leaders will be observed by two project staff members in partnership with their principals using the district-adopted teacher evaluation tool;

2. Teacher leaders will prepare a portfolio demonstrating their passion for school leadership and their competencies along both Danielson’s The Framework for Teaching and Michigan’s Teacher Leader Standards;

3. Teacher leaders will make a presentation on their portfolio to the selection committee.

4. Priority given to special education and English Language Learner (ELL) teachers who meet the overall proficiency level

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Incentives for Teacher Leaders

1. Selected teacher leaders will receive $2,000 a year for participation

2. $? a year for performance and progress – scoring on post-assessment between the highest two levels or making a half-a-level progress in a year.

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Selection Process for 5 Principals

1. Principals of priority schools have preferred status for inclusion, remaining positions will be open for competition;

2. Principals will prepare a portfolio using locally principal evaluation system;

3. Principals will also be evaluated by their direct supervisor;

4. Principals will make a presentation on their portfolio to the selection committee.

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Incentives for Principals

1. Selected principals will receive $2,500 a year for participation

2. $? a year for performance and progress – scoring on post-assessment between the highest two levels or making a half-a-level progress in a year.

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Learning Activities

1. Comprehensive and differentiated professional development; 2. Each participant will work with a mentor to develop an

Individual Renewal Plan based upon initial and follow-up evaluation, developing at least three renewal activities for the relevant tool(s);

3. Working with the school’s stakeholders and the mentor, a team of a principal and four teachers will develop and implement a School Renewal Plan, developing at least three activities for each of the three set of standards for the whole school;

4. The participants, the project staff, and mentors will form a learning community (both on-line and face to face), sharing and reflecting upon their thinking and actions.

School Teams

• Each teacher leader will be assigned to a school team within their district

• Each school team will have a principal and four teachers to work together to develop a minimum of 3 renewal activities for each of the three sets of standards to turnaround or improve schools.

• Participating principals will stay with their schools. • If a participating teacher leader’s principal is also a

participant, the participating teacher leader will stay with his or her school.

Leadership Pipeline and Turnaround Grant

Focus for Renewal Activities and Professional Development

Renewal activities and professional development for school teams will be derived from the following three major components

Quality classroom teaching Danielson’s The Framework for Teaching (2013) with four domains and 22 sub-domains

Teacher leadership Michigan’s Teacher Leader Standards adopted by MDE (2013), a slightly revised version based on Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium’s (2011) Teacher Leader Model Standards, with seven domains

Principal leadership Reeves’ Leadership Performance Matrix (2011) with 10 domains

TimelineYear Schedule Focus

Year I Half-day sessions in Oct., Dec., Feb., and Apr. in each district, and one-day sessions in June and Aug. for both districts

Baseline evaluation using the three tools (Danielson’sand Teacher Leader standards for teachers and Reeves’for principles) or locally adopted teacher and principal evaluation systems

Training on the research base and best practices related to the three sets of standards and tools;

Develop Individual Renewal Plan based on theassessment

Establish a school teams of one principal and fourteachers for each school to engage in planning andImplementing School Renewal Plan to turn around orimprove schools

Receive on-going mentoring

Share learning among participants using the five levels ofLearning

Conduct evaluation using the three tools at the end ofFirst year

Document the efforts and improvement based on theIndividual Renewal Plan

FCS Budget Proposal

Principal $2,500.00 x 5 $12,500.00

Teacher Leaders $2,000.00 x 20

$40,000.00

Secretarial Support($22.00 per hour x 10 hours per month x 12 months

$220.00 x 1

$2,640

Project Manager $10,000.00 x 1 $10,000

Consultants $15,000.00 x 4 $60,000.00

Mileage2 x per year x 26 people @ .55 per mile

$1,716.00

$1,716.00

Books for research and study3 books per year per participant

$30.00 $2,340.00

Laptop Computer $1,500.00

$1,500.00

Microsoft Surface Tablets and Keyboards (26)

$1,200.00 x 26 $31,200.00 ($9,600.00)

Printing (Office Depot) .02 BW per copy150,000 copies

$3,000.00 $3,000.00

Misc. SuppliesUSB drives, chart paper, markers etc.

$3,000.00 $ 3,000.00

GRAND TOTAL $146,296 ($153,200)

Proposed FCS Budget Proposal

Principals $2,500.00 x 5 $12,500.00Teacher Leaders $2,000.00 x 20 $40,000.00

Principal Incentives $2,000.00 x 5 $10,000.00

Teacher Leaders Incentives $1,500.00 x 20

$30,000.00

Secretarial Support($22.00 per hour x 10 hours per month x 12 months)

$220.00 x 1

$2,640.00

Project Manager $10,000.00 x 1 $10,000.00

Consultants $15,000.00 $15,000.00

Mileage2 x per year x 26 people @ .55 per mile

$1,716.00

$1,716.00

Books for research and study3 books per year per participant

$30.00 $2,340.00

Substitute Teachers $1,729.00 per day for 20 teachers x 2 days(includes $3,200 from WMU)

$1,729.00

$1,729.00

Microsoft Surface Tablets and Keyboards (26)

$500.00 x 26 $13,000.00

Printing, Misc. SuppliesUSB drives, chart paper, markers etc.

$1,775.00 $1,775.00

GRAND TOTAL $153,200

Collaborative Planning and Timeline

1. Selection process of teacher leaders and principals - District2. Two project staff members in partnership with their principals using

Danielson’s The Framework for Teaching to observe teacher leaders - District 3. Portfolio contents and rubric for scoring – District and WMU4. Selection Committee and Presentation Schedule –District and WMU5. Focus Groups and Individual Interviews- WMU leads with District input6. Determine and schedule initial PD on overall approach to school renewal –

WMU and District7. Develop and review individual renewal plans – District and WMU8. Assign School Teams - District9. Develop and review school renewal plans - District and WMU10. Determine and schedule PD based on individual and school renewal plans -

District leads with WMU input11. Other….