Leadership as the Driver of School Improvement: Support for National

Models from Michigan Schools

Roger Goddard, Ph.D.

Senior Fellow, McREL

MAISA June 19, 2013

Leading Models on Leadership and School Improvement

• Tony Bryk and the Consortium on Chicago School Research Model at the University of Chicago• The Essential Supports Model

• Richard Elmore and the Strategic Education Research Partnership IC Group at Harvard• The Internal Coherence Model

• Findings on Leadership and Achievement in Michigan Schools

Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton (2010)

The Essential Supports Model Context

• Long History of School Failure• What Conditions Fostered School Improvement in

Chicago? • The Chicago School Reform Act of 1988• Decentralization of control to local schools• Local School Councils with extensive power

• CCSR in the 1990s and 2000s• Decentralization was not a panacea–between school

variance continued• Longitudinal data collection on leading indicators• Reporting to local schools

The Essential Supports Model

• 5 Essential Supports• School Leadership• Parent-Community-School Ties• Professional Capacity• Student-centered Learning Climate• Instructional Guidance

• Which Schools Improved and Why?

Leadership as the Driver of School Improvement

• Improvements in all other areas depended on the Quality of School Leadership

• Schools scoring in the top quartile in all areas improved the most

• Schools below the top quartile in any 1 area did not improve as much

• Schools in the bottom quartile stagnated

Byrk et al. on School Leadership

“The primary responsibility of school principals is their continuous focus on improving instructional work in the classrooms” (p. 47).

The Strategic Education Research Partnership

• Boston Design Team• Internal Coherence Team• The Development of a Model• Grounded and Refined in Practice• Boston• Fort Worth• San Jose

The Internal Coherence Framework

Testing these Models in Michigan Schools

• Does Leadership Drive Improvement in Michigan Schools?

• 95 Elementary Schools in 72 Districts in Northern Michigan

• What Was Happening in 2009 without Intervention?

Instructional Leadership The principal at this school is very knowledgeable about effective instructional practices.  The principal at this school is very knowledgeable about classroom curricular issues.  The principal at this school provides conceptual guidance for the teachers regarding effective classroom practice.  The principal at this school is very knowledgeable about effective classroom assessment practices.  The principal at this school sets high standards for teaching.  The principal at this school sets high standards for student learning.  The principal at this school is directly involved in helping teachers address instructional issues in their classrooms. The principal at this school helps me with my instructional practices.  The principal at this school pushes teachers to implement what they have learned in professional development.  The principal at this school actively monitors the quality of teaching in this school.  The principal at this school knows what is going on in my classroom.  The principal at this school makes systematic and frequent visits to classrooms.  The principal develops a shared vision of what the school could be like.  The principal at this school encourages people to express opinions that may be contrary to his/her own.

Teacher Collaboration

• Frequent• Formal• Focused on Instructional

Improvement

Research Evidence from MichiganInstruction

al Leadership

Collaboration

Collective Efficacy

Student Achieveme

nt

.70*

.28*

.40*

Source: Goddard, R. D., Goddard, Y. L., Kim, E. S., & Miller, R. J. (2011). A social cognitive perspective on collective efficacy and goal attainment in schools: The roles of principals’ instructional leadership and teacher collaboration. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, New Orleans, LA.

Based on analysis of data from 95 Michigan elementary schools in 72 school districts.

Collective Efficacy and Leadership According to

Teachers• Quotes from teachers in high and low collective

efficacy schools talking about what makes their schools unique.

• Without being asked about their principal, teachers inevitably focused their stories on leadership.

Principals Leading in Ways that are Socially Persuasive and Efficacy

Enhancing

• “We’re told it so many times, it’s just a part of life, we know that to work here you have to do whatever it takes to get the students to succeed. To reach our goal. And, you know, I believe there are enough teachers who have bought into that belief to where if you hear a teacher that may be not be quite there, I believe that by the time they hang around, either they will be there, or they’ll be out the door.”

Principals Providing Vicarious Experiences that Develop Collective

Efficacy

• “I think it was two years ago, when we first started the flexible grouping. I mean, they can do it all they want in district in-service, but until I got to go into another person’s classroom and see the kids actually do it and work and have time with that teacher and ask them questions, that’s what helped me. . . I’d rather see a real teacher teaching than get a packet from someone standing and talking to me.”

Principals Enhancing Collective Efficacy by Encouraging Teacher

Input

• “I think what sets us apart is, to start with, our principal. And the fact that she believes in us, and gives us the space really to do what we need to do for student success. She trusts us to make decisions . . . because she knows that I also am for student success.”

Principals Leading in Ways that are Socially Persuasive and Efficacy

Enhancing

• “We’re told it so many times, it’s just a part of life, we know that to work here you have to do whatever it takes to get the students to succeed. To reach our goal. And, you know, I believe there are enough teachers who have bought into that belief to where if you hear a teacher that may be not be quite there, I believe that by the time they hang around, either they will be there, or they’ll be out the door.”

3-2-1 Wrap-up

3 Most Important Things You Learned

2 Questions You Have

1 Thing You Will Do Differently as a Leader

Questions/Follow-up

rgoddard@mcrel.org