The Time is Now: Leadership that Matters

Kim St. MartinKalamazoo RESA Principal’s Institute

August 2, 2010

Setting the Context for Today

• You have been meeting as a group since January to discuss RtI and practices/processes associated with an RtI framework

• This week is about leading RtI practices– 21 Leadership Responsibilities will be

discussed along with strategies leaders can use to make their lives easier!

Setting the Context for Today

• Practices/Processes:– Tuesday: Managing Student Behavior– Wednesday: Effective Data Driven Meetings– Thursday: Formative Assessments– Friday: Research Supporting Implementation

& focused action planning around one of the practices you have heard between Tuesday-Thursday

Agenda

• RtI and Kalamazoo County• Common Barriers Regarding RtI Implementation• Leading in the Face of Challenges • The Principalship: A Historical Perspective• Research Supported Leadership Practices• Creating a Purposeful Community and Leading

in the Face of Change• Strategic Leadership: Strategies, Tools, and

Resources

RtI and Kalamazoo County

The “Superintendents of school districts in Kalamazoo County endorse and support RtI as a key instructional framework.”

“This endorsement recognizes the critical importance of using student performance data at the district, building, and classroom level to inform instructional decisions based on research based interventions. It also acknowledges the need to commit district resources to creating the conditions necessary for student success.”

May, 2010

6:

Leading Response to InterventionLeading Response to Intervention

Continuum of Supports: Leadership Perspective

•Leadership practices that are applicable for all staff regardless of what is being implemented•21 Leadership Responsibilities

•Purposeful community•First order change leadership

•Targeted leadership practices for staff who are “on the fence” with the adoption of implementation of practices.•Responsibilities associated with second order change are utilized with groups of staff members who are cautious or unclear about the implementation of RtI practices/programs

•Intensive support with individual staff who are resistant to what you are trying to lead. More of your time, energy, and resources will be used specific to the reasons why they are resistant and/or sabotaging the practice

Implementation of RtI

• Three stages (broad perspective)– Consensus: continuously working to achieve– Infrastructure: Beginning to develop the

infrastructure necessary for implementation– Implementation: Occurs at multiple levels.

Data is used to determine the effectiveness of the systems created and adjustments are made as needed

Activity• Assess where your building/district is in

the stages of implementation for an RtI model for reading and behavior? – What kinds of barriers are you facing when

trying to move your staff through the stages of implementation with a particular practice or program related to RtI

– Assign a recorder and list the barriers on chart paper and post

Let us not forget why we are here….

Common Issues Impeding Successful RtI Implementation

• Reading wars• Assessments for different

purposes (timed vs. untimed; meaningful vs. quick assessments of discrete skills)

• Use of intervention “programs” and possible pitfalls for being responsive to students’ needs

• Explicit and systematic instructional practices

• Inclusion of students with disabilities in core instruction

• Belief that ALL kids can learn

• Elements of “scientifically based research”

• Anger toward state and federal involvement in educational policies

• Philosophies around the role schools play in student behavior

The leader’s role in eliminating issues that are impeding RtI implementation is magnified

Challenges of the Principalship

So much to do…so little time!

Activity Part I

• On your own, describe a “typical” day in your life as a principal.

• Create a list of things that occupy your time and attention on a daily basis.

Activity Part II• Group Processing:

– Roles: • Facilitator• Recorder: use chart paper for posting• Time Keeper

– Task: (Group)• Identify common themes that emerged amongst the group• Identify the top three principal tasks/duties that occupy the

majority of time• Identify what principals are able to spend the LEAST

amount of time

Example• Top 3 Things Occupying Majority of Our Time

– List– List – List

• 3 Things We Spend the Least Amount of Time (but are still important)– List – List– List

Principal’s∧ Job Description?

• Many principals report, much of the administrator’s job is spent engaged in important but fundamentally non-instructional activities

Real

Allocation of Time and AttentionResearch Findings:

• 17%- managing by walking about the school• 14%- human resource related activities (i.e.

teacher evaluation)• 13%- discipline• 20%- office related tasks• 25%- meetings or schedule conferences with

parents and/or students• 11% for interruptions and working on the culture

of the building

Bledinger, Arirata, Jones (2000)

The Principalship: A Historical Perspective

Changing Role of the Principal:Historical Perspective

Then….

• Principals were primarily expected to be managers

• Maintain the status-quo by “keeping a lid on things”

• Buffer teachers from outside distractions (competing district priorities, behavior problems, angry parents)

Now…• Instructional leaders• Create a culture of high

expectations• Establish clearly defined

goals• Create a safe and orderly

environment• Engage with staff in

frequent professional development

• Increase parental involvement

Leader or Manager…or Both?

• Principals experience a constant pull between wanting to be an instructional leader (to do what they thought they were hired to do) and finding the time to complete the necessary managerial tasks so the school can function smoothly

What does the research say about effective schools and

the role of the principal?

Key Components of Emerging from Research

• Two lines of inquiry emerged from the research:– Key characteristics that constituted “effective

schools”– Principal’s involvement with the school’s

instructional program

Characteristics of “Effective Schools”

• Strong administrative leadership• Instructional leadership by the principal• High expectations of students and staff• Safe and orderly environment• Primary focus on learning• Resources focused on achieving key

objectives• Regular monitoring of student learning

progress

(Lezotte, et. al)

Missing piece in the Effective Schools research: specific

leadership practices that are well defined and provide

direction as to how to proceed

Principal Practices that Support Student Achievement

Synthesis of the Research

Cotton’s 25 Leadership Practices

• Safe and orderly school• Vision and goals

focused on high levels of learning

• High expectations• Self-confidence,

responsibility, perseverance

• Communication/Interaction

• Visibility and accessibility

• Positive and supportive school climate

• Emotional and interpersonal support

• Parent/community outreach and involvement

Cotton’s 25 Leadership Practices

• Rituals, ceremonies and other symbolic actions

• Shared leadership, decision making, staff empowerment

• Collaboration• Instructional leadership*• Support of

teacher autonomy

• On-going pursuit of high levels of student learning

• Norm of continuous improvement

• Discussion of instructional issues

• Classroom observations and feedback to teachers

Cotton’s 25 Leadership Practices

• Support risk taking• Professional

development opportunities and resources

• Protecting instructional time

• Use of student progress data for program

improvement

• Monitoring student progress data for program improvement

• Recognition of student and staff achievement

• Role modeling

“Instructional Leadership” Considerations

• Many of Cotton’s 25 Leadership Practices were encompassed in research that teased out instructional leadership practices (see page 26 for a listing)

Activity

• At your table, read through Cotton’s 25 leadership practices listed on the activity sheet entitled, “Cotton’s Leadership Categorization Activity”

• Categorize the leadership practices

What Effective Principals Don’t Do

• “Absent from [the effective principals’] responses were such verbs as control, manage, direct, command, and regulate.” (Bartell, 1990, p. 121).

• Principals characterized as average “spend nearly all of their time on organizational maintenance and pupil control activities” (Gaziel, 1995, p.179-180)

What Effective Principals ‘Do’

• Principals of high performing schools spend much of their time engaged “in instructional leadership activities, student relationships, teachers’ professional development, and parent-principal contact”

Extension of Cotton’s Work

• Marzano, Waters and McNulty extended the body of research pointing to effective principal practices to support student outcomes

• They quantified the leadership practices and wanted to determine:– how much of an impact principal leadership

has on student outcomes– if all principal practices were equally important

Their findings…

What do Principals Need to do?

• Focus time and attention on the things that will improve student outcomes

• Bottom Line: “the correlation between the leadership behavior of the principal in the school and the average academic achievement is .25

Marzano, Waters, McNulty, 2005

Interpreting “.25”

Interpretation of a Correlation of .25 in Terms of Expected Passing Rates for Schools, Depending on Leadership Effectiveness

Percentage of Schools Passing the Test

Percentage of Schools Failing the Test

Schools with Principals Rated in the Top Half of All Principals Based on Leadership Effectiveness

62.5% 37.5%

Schools with Principals Rated in the Bottom Half of All Principals Based on Leadership Effectiveness

37.5% 62.5%

Figure 3.2: Marzano, Waters, McNulty, 2005

Principal Behaviors…All Equally Important?

• No, the responsibilities are NOT all created equal

• The rank order of the responsibilities changes depending on what type of innovation (i.e. RtI) principals are trying to lead

• Depending on how staff view the change required of them for the innovation (RtI), the principal needs to deploy one set of leadership practices over another

Principal Behaviors…All Equally Important?

“The extraordinary principals…embody all or nearly all these traits and actions. And as we shall see, the picture that emerges of their effectiveness is much more than a mere collection of behaviors” (Cotton, 2003, p. 7).

The 21 responsibilities “are, or at least should be standard operating procedures for effective principals” (Marzano, Waters, McNulty, 2005, p. 62).

21 Leadership Responsibilities

• Affirmation• Change Agent• Contingent Rewards• Communication• Culture• Discipline• Flexibility• Focus• Ideals/Beliefs

• Input• Intellectual Stimulation• Involvement in

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

• Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

21 Leadership Responsibilities

• Monitoring/Evaluating

• Optimizer

• Order

• Outreach

• Relationships

• Resources

• Situational Awareness

• Visibility

Activity• Review the document entitled, “School Leadership

that Works….”• Read through the principal responsibilities and their

definitions • Looking back at your time allocation activity from this

morning, were the duties/tasks identified as occupying more of your time the same as the leadership responsibilities having the largest effect sizes?

• Identify next to your group’s time allocation chart paper identify the names of the responsibilities for each activity your group listed

Creating a Strong Foundation by Building a Purposeful Community

Creating a Purposeful Community

• There exists a shared belief that ALL kids can learn and the collective group shares ownership in achieving the goals

• All assets from staff are developed and fully utilized in order to achieve the desired outcomes

• The goals and priorities that are accomplished MATTER to the entire staff (collective community)

• The staff have clearly defined and agreed upon processes for doing business (i.e. norms)

Fostering a Purposeful Community

• Nine of the 21 leadership responsibilities are the sole responsibility of the principal in order to establish the foundation necessary for a purposeful community:– Optimizer -Relationships– Affirmation -Communication– Ideals/Beliefs -Culture– Visibility -Input– Situational Awareness

Activity• Looking at your document, “School Leadership that

Works…” review the definitions and further explanations for the nine responsibilities associated with creating a “purposeful community”

• Identify the top three where you think you demonstrate most frequently

• Identify the bottom three where you think you are unable to frequently demonstrate

• Discuss what you listed and your reasons why for the responsibilities you are unable to frequently demonstrate

Considering “Change”

Change is Hard

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof.” (John Kenneth Gaibraith)

Order of Change

• First order change are changes that are perceived to be a continuation and refinement of existing beliefs and practices. They can be implemented with current knowledge

• Second order change are changes that are perceived to be a significant break from current practices and will require new knowledge, beliefs, and/or resources

McREL, 2006

Characteristics of Second Order Change

• Departure from the normal way of doing business

• Challenges existing paradigms• Conflicts with prevailing values and norms• New knowledge and skills are needed• Resources that do not currently exist will be

necessary• Resistance by others who do not have a

broad perspective of the district/school

Activity

• Identify the a practice or program you led the implementation of and staff perceived it as second-order change

• Write it down

Leading Second Order Change

• Second order change is positively related to only 7 of the 21 leadership responsibilities (listed in rank order)

– Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment*

– Optimizer– Intellectual Stimulation– Change Agent– Monitoring/Evaluating– Flexibility– Ideals/Beliefs

Why those seven?

#1 Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

• Knowledge of RtI and its impact on the curricular decisions (or the curriculum in general), instructional practices, and assessment procedures is essential

• Staff will turn to you for this knowledge and might challenge you regarding the research base

• How are staff challenging you (or the district) regarding RtI? List the questions?

#2 Optimizer

• Cheerleading does not just benefit sports teams! You must be the driving force behind the implementation of the new innovation

• Fostering a shared belief amongst staff that RtI can and WILL produce great gains in student outcomes through collective, hard work

#3 Intellectual Stimulation

• In order to be knowledgeable about RtI you need to intentionally deepen your knowledge about its theory and practices

• It is essential to systematically deepen the knowledge of the staff (i.e. discussions, book studies, vicarious experiences)

• This responsibility is primarily about how you foster the knowledge of your staff

#4 Change Agent

• Second order change may seem uncomfortable and the outcome may seem uncertain

• It is important to challenge the current way of doing business and be willing to move forward in the face of uncertain outcomes

#5 Monitoring/Evaluating

• Continuously monitoring the impact of RtI

• This requires looking at data in an objective manner

• Staff need to view the data as well

#6 Flexibility

• The leadership style during the stages of implementation for RtI will need to adapt as situations warrant

• This will require directive and nondirective leadership at different points of implementation

#7 Ideals/Beliefs

• Your own ideals and beliefs must be consistent with those of RtI

• You cannot lead something you do not believe in…it is like a vegetarian selling meat

• This might cause you to reflect on your role in the organization and whether or not there is a goodness of fit

Activity

• Refer back to the practice you identified as being perceived by staff as second-order change

• Individually complete the activity sheet entitled, “Second Order Change Responsibilities Reflection Sheet”

• Share with your group

Pitfalls of Second Order Change

Sound Familiar?

• “I have staff who are saying I am not communicating effectively. They always told me that was a strength of mine until recently. I wish I knew what I am doing wrong.”

• “There is suddenly a great deal of in-house arguing between my staff who are supportive and unsupportive of the use of DIBELS.”

• “I feel like I am loosing control with my staff. I am constantly trying to put out fires because any little comment that I make about what we are doing is being twisted and used against me.”

Negative Affects of Leadership Responsibilities

• Four of the Leadership Responsibilities are negatively affected by second order change:– Culture– Communication– Order– Input

This does not mean the leader intentionally tries to undermine the four leadership responsibilities. It means the leader might pay a price in relationship to the four leadership responsibilities when leading a second order change initiative

Culture

• Strongest negative relationship with second order change

• Common language, understanding, team spirit have all been impacted as a result of the innovation

Communication

• Since second order change is perceived as a deviation (break) from current practice, staff may think that communication has broken down as a result of a focus on RtI.

Order

• The routines that staff have come to enjoy and rely on are changing due to the implementation of the RtI

Input

• Since some of the RtI practices are being perceived as a departure from current belief/practice staff feel as though their input is not being taken into consideration

• Example comments:– “This is being shoved down our throats!”– “We are not even being asked if this is what is

best for kids.”– “When we are asked, they do what they are going

to do regardless of what we say.”

Activity

• Based on the four leadership responsibilities that are negatively associated with second order change, identify those that you feel have been problematic for you in the implementation of the practice you identified

Bottom Line

• Leading second order change cannot be entered into lightly

• Be cautious but deliberate

• It is complex and calls for decisive, quick action

Prestine, 1992

“I’m increasingly persuaded that schools that go slow and a little at a time end up doing so little that they

succeed in only upsetting everything without accruing the benefits of

change” (Fullen, 1993, p. 8).

Leading First Order Change

Characteristics of First Order Change

• Extension of the past• Aligns with paradigms• Consistent with the values and norms of the

district/school• Implementation is possible with current knowledge

and skills• Resources that are currently available are used to

implement the change• Common agreement with the necessity of the

innovation

Leadership Responsibilities for First Order Change

• To some degree all 21 leadership responsibilities were important to first order change

• But not all 21 responsibilities are equally important in first order change– Top priorities: Monitoring/Evaluating,

Ideals/Beliefs, Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

– Low priorities: Change Agent, Optimizer, Flexibility

Why didn’t “they” teach me any of this stuff or other critical things that I find myself doing and having to learn on the fly when I was going through my

leadership coursework?

Good News (or Bad News)• An analysis of coursework aspiring principals

completed revealed:– Majority of the courses focused on “technical

knowledge” (law, finance, facilities, data research training, technology)

– Only 13% of the course time focused on preparing principals to address the demands of accountability, emphasis on state assessments, and to meet the demands of NCLB

– PRINCIPALS WERE NEVER EXPLICITLY TAUGHT!

Hess and Kelly, 2005

Disappointing Statistics• 69% of principals believed leadership

programs were not adequately preparing leaders to meet today’s challenges

• 80% of superintendents also believed the preparatory programs were inadequate in preparing principals

• 96% of practicing principals believed that interactions with their colleagues better prepared them than graduate courses

Lashway, 2003

I’m Convinced But My Staff is NOT!

We principals do ANYTHING to promote buy-in!

Pre-Planning

• Ask yourself these questions:– Can I implement this alone (without a district-

wide effort)?– How does this integrate with the

vision/mission of the district? Other building and/or district initiatives?

– Will my staff be receptive to this? Which staff might perceive this as second-order change?

Pre-Planning

– Will majority of the staff view this as a second-order change?

– What elements of this might present philosophical challenges?

– Am I well-versed in this and understand the research base that this is based on?

• If no, do I have access to resources (knowledgeable people, books, information to increase my depth of knowledge)?

Pre-Planning

– What do the 7 leadership responsibilities necessary for leading second order change look like through the lens of this practice/program/intervention?

– What are any and all possible questions, comments, challenges that I might receive from staff, other principals, and central office administrators?

Activity• Looking at the “pre-planning questions” listed

on the previous slides, identify the following:– How often before you announce to staff the

practice/program that will be “coming down the pike” do you ask yourselves these questions?

– Which questions do you typically ask yourselves?– Which questions have you forgotten to ask

yourselves and wish you had done so?

The decisions the principal must make about how to lead the

adoption of the practice/program hinges on the order of change….

Leading Second Order Change

• Second order change is positively related to only 7 of the 21 leadership responsibilities (listed in rank order)

– Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

– Optimizer– Intellectual Stimulation– Change Agent– Monitoring/Evaluating– Flexibility– Ideals/Beliefs

Negative Affects of Leadership Responsibilities

• Four of the Leadership Responsibilities are negatively affected by second order change:– Culture– Communication– Order– Input

Remember: Communication, Input, and Culture are three of the nine responsibilities that are necessary to create a

purposeful community

Activity

• Identify possible steps you can take to compensate for the possible perception that you are not fulfilling the four leadership responsibilities negatively associated with second-order change– Example: Arrange for fun, staff activities to

occur more frequently during-TGIF, Road Rally to compensate for Culture

Leadership and Chess?

Leadership and Chess?

• Skillful leaders are very strategic about the decisions they make and the steps in which they take to move forward

• Being strategic requires leaders to pre-plan and anticipate any and all reactions, questions, problems, solutions to problems, level of support, etc.

What does it take to be a chess genius?

Characteristics of a Chess Genius

• Intelligence• Hard work• Motivation and values• Good teaching• Concentration• Character and background• Confidence• Coping with failure• Ability to overcome unconscious blocks

http://chess.nuvvo.com/lesson/7172-characteristics-of-a-chess-genius

Parallels of a Chess Genius & Leadership

• Intelligence Intellectual Stimulation

Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment

• Motivation and Values Ideals/Beliefs• Good Teaching Intellectual Stimulation• Concentration Focus, Monitoring &

Evaluating

Parallels of a Chess Genius & Leadership

• Character and Background Change Agent• Confidence Optimizer• Coping with Failure Affirmation,

Change Agent,

Monitoring/Evaluating

• Unconscious Blocks Situational Awareness

Regardless of how well the leader anticipates and prepares

for challenges at the building level the necessity for central

office support is critical for successful implementation

Provides guidance, visibility, funding, political support for MiBLSi

StudentsStudentsStudentsStudents

Building StaffBuilding StaffBuilding StaffBuilding Staff

School Leadership School Leadership TeamTeam

School Leadership School Leadership TeamTeam

LEA District LEA District Leadership Leadership

TeamTeam

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Across State

Multiple District/Building Teams

All staff

All students

Multiple schools w/in local district

Who is supported?Who is supported?

How is support How is support provided?provided?

Provides guidance, visibility, funding, political support

Provides coaching for District Teams and technical assistance for Building Teams

Provides guidance and manages implementation

Provides effective practices to support students

Improved behavior and reading

ISD SupportsISD SupportsISD SupportsISD Supports

Regional Regional Technical Technical AssistanceAssistance

Regional Regional Technical Technical AssistanceAssistance

MichiganMichiganDepartment of Department of

Education/MiBLSi Education/MiBLSi LeadershipLeadership

MichiganMichiganDepartment of Department of

Education/MiBLSi Education/MiBLSi LeadershipLeadership

Multiple schools w/in intermediate district

Provides guidance, visibility, funding, political support

MiBLSi Statewide Structure of Support

Whose Got Your Back?

Levels of Protection and Support

• Central office support is critical• The role of the school district is to

standardize the process and the role of the building is to customize the implementation

• Principals must not be “hung out to dry.” Important decisions that need to be made should carry with them a guarantee that if the going gets tough then the support will be there

Defining “Protection” & “Support”

• Protection: – Resources of time, money, people are

allocated to do the work that is required to implement the evidence based practice

– Obstacles and barriers for implementation are removed

– High level of protection from outside influences and from people attempting to sabotage efforts. This requires a great deal of Situational Awareness on the part of the leader

Activity

• Identify some strategies staff have used to “sabotage” efforts.

• How did you know it was happening?– Did a staff member tell you?– Did you find out because it was too late?

• What strategies did you use to counter the sabotaging?

Defining “Protection” & “Support”

• Support:– When staff who are resistant to changing

practices and beliefs begin to cause harm by being negative and/or taking their complaints to the board, parents, and community it is important for the superintendent and assistant superintendent to step in to stop the damage

– If the damage has already been done then central office administrators are on “clean-up” duty

Layering Support

• The necessary layers of support for successful RtI implementation requires support up and down all levels– Teachers need support from their principal– Principals need support from their assistant

superintendents– Superintendents need support from their

ISD/RESA superintendents

Cautionary Tale

• Everyone needs support and protection at some level

• Often times larger school districts view their needs, situation, and challenges as being unique from other surrounding districts

• Never assume that is the case. In our experience the challenges, situations, and needs facing districts within a region or district are similar

Cautionary Tale

• Uniqueness can equate to loneliness and loneliness can equate to maintaining the status quo and a lack of improvement

Activity• Thinking back to the practice you

identified, list the people “who had your back.”

• Identify the individuals that you are unsure of as having your back but that you see as influential and necessary to support your adoption efforts – Why do you feel they are essential in

supporting you? What status or position do they hold that will help your efforts?

Tools and Resources for Managing Resistance and

Promoting Consensus

Influencer

• Focuses on finding the “real reasons” behind the problems many organizations face. Uses eight principles to help influence change: increasing motivation & ability through personal, social and structural sources.

Essential Points

• Identify schools who have successfully adopted the evidence based practice you are considering for adoption (“Positive Deviants”)

• “Model the Masters” and ask the principal/staff/central office administrators to try to identify the “vital behaviors” that staff (and leaders) engaged in that made the adoption successful

Essential Points

• Ask whether or not personal stories & field trips (“vicarious experiences”) were used to influence staff to support the adoption and implementation– Words don’t change behaviors. Real-life

experiences change behaviors. Vicarious experiences, and personal stories can influence as well.

Essential Points

• When the going got tough and challenges occurred, ask how they were overcome (“Recovery Behaviors”)

Crucial Conversations

• Focuses on helping people speak with complete candor and complete respect, no matter the issues or individuals involved. Helps guide people to align purposes, resolve disagreements, surface the best ideas and make decisions.

Crucial Confrontations

• Focuses on refining processes for improving accountability and addressing staff performance gaps by learning to motivate others without using “power” and without taking over.

Activity

• Review the “Influencer” guiding questions and example of discussion questions.

• How might you use this book and/or the principles described in this book with central office, fellow principals, and leadership team members?

• Discuss whether or not the guiding principles of the “Influencer” can help you prepare for leading in the face of change, resistance, and fear.

Thank You!

Kim St. Martin; MiBLSi Technical Assistance Coordinator

Kalamazoo RESA

kimstmartin@me.com

(269) 492-8434