2013 spring meeting size-alike session “supporting principals as leaders of learning”

2013 Spring Meeting Size-Alike Session

“Supporting Principals as Leaders of Learning”

Overview

The focus of our Spring 2013 Size-Alike Session was a report by the Wallace Foundation entitled, “The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning.”

This report examines the critical leadership role played by principals in improving student achievement and highlights five key responsibilities of principals if they are to become "leaders of learning."

Overview

Each table of participants, separated into size-alike groups of large, medium, and small school districts, were asked to look at one of the five key responsibilities discussed in the report.

The participants were asked to discuss how, in each of their districts, special education leaders and other central office administrators support principals in meeting these responsibilities and what more could be done to assist principals in these areas. The following are notes of these conversations.

The Wallace Perspective

Five key practices that effective principals perform well:

1. Shaping a vision of academic success for all students’

2. Creating a climate hospitable to education

3. Cultivating leadership in others

4. Improving instruction

5. Managing people, data, and processes to foster school improvement.

Shaping a Vision of Academic Success for All Students

Current Supports Needed Supports• Data team to help principals ID

and define best practices (instructional)

• Ask about principals’ concerns instead of just asking them to state their vision. “What keeps you up at night?

• Collaborative evaluation of principals by panel

• PD and regular consultation to principals• Open communication• Principal / asst. principal

attends all IEP meetings and signs off on all evaluations

• Ask staff in building what principal’s focus is and how they support it ongoing

• PD and training for principals to understand special ed, link to Common Core, PD that is already provided to staff

• Provide an understanding that building’s staffing must also ensure all services are being met

• Provide more training on how to evaluate special ed teachers, what those classrooms look like


Current Supports Needed Supports

• Meeting with principals to discuss special ed. law and compliance

• Education• Changed the role of

staff members• Funding• Support staff• Trainings

developed based on staff questions and concerns

• Need time to meet, plan, and work with principals to create a stronger support mechanism for all buildings

• Develop consultant groups with strong principals as facilitators

• PD needs to be developed based on current issues and concerns


Current Supports Needed Supports• Consistently presenting data

to determine needs• In-classroom coaches• Determine / identify “bright

spots” to further develop• Collaborate with other

departments to increase support

• Principal types notes / offers FAPE

• Schedule all IEP in beginning of year to coordinate principal / parent / related service

• Connect vision to belief system

• Provide data and exemplars to promote vision

• Celebrate small successes



• Lead principals mentor for all principals

• School improvement plan includes a school-wide vision

• Professional development

• Central office staff assigned to schools to provide coaching, consults, etc.

• Supporting evaluation of teachers

• Support with instruction, scheduling, interventions, and data

• Professional development with diverse learners to ensure students with disabilities are involved in vision

• Increased support for hiring individuals who believe in the vision

• Assist principals in developing a rubric for evaluating / identifying tightly effective teachers, and how to assist teachers who haven’t embraced inclusion.



• Monthly communication• Data, reports• Provide training

(teachers, principals)• Support special ed. staff

in a variety of ways• Attend meetings• Set standards of practice

for special ed.• Staff special education

in the building• Accountability

• Principal is part of IEP process as district representative

• Better allocation of resources (per IEP mandates)

• Better screening process for support staff

• Professional development

• Help with setting high standards for special ed. students

• Accountability

Creating a Climate Hospitable to Education


• Implement PBIS school-wide

• Common goals• Create shared vision• Weighted student

budget

• Facilitate problems with / for principals

• Advocate for upper management to support culture shift



• Communication regarding special ed. students and pre-school

• Identifying options to suspension / expulsion

• Creating high expectations that are the same for special ed. as general ed. and are indicated by data collection analysts

• Engage in collaborative learning walks with administrator and director

• Integrate a seamless terminology between special ed. and general ed.

• We are available for support information and collaboration modeling

• Professional development for all, not by category

• Empower general education to serve all students include special ed.

• Creating partnerships in safe environments

• Create value for partnerships

• Create ground rules for collaborative problem solving

• Be responsive to admin.• “Plant seeds. Don’t give

them the garden.”• Systems thinkers –

focus groups



• Comprehensive support plans (individualized per school)

• Data coaching, action plans, and tiered support

• District-wide PD, data-driven support plans

• Campus-wide training and site capacity-building through behavior support team

• Support around more specialized issues (i.e. behavioral)

• Build and expect accountability for all students at site level


• Whole-school trainings

• Scheduled time with principals

• Individual student supports

• Principal training / principal buy-in

• Fielding parent concerns – mediating disagreements

• Helping principals really understand different levels of service

• Escalation protocol

Cultivating Leadership in Others

Cultivating Leadership in Others


• PD for both gen. and special ed. teachers to support inclusive learning environment

• Increase use of structures (walk-throughs)

• Teacher / leadership academy with special ed.

• Problem solving one at a time

• Helping principals to know what to look for during walk-throughs

• Assisting principals with the completion of TEM evaluations for special ed. teachers out in the schools

• Embedded support to principals through PD. Walk through process

• Increase level and frequency of support

• Collaborative develop structures by faculty

• Teaching leadership skills

• Evaluation tool / rubric for special ed. Teachers

• Should offer more guidance for principals and training on various areas of responsibility for special ed. teachers

Improving Instruction


• Instructional team review for any school

• Monthly training / collaboration for autism coaches

• Respond quickly to site requests for support

• Support in IEPs that are measureable and high expectations

• Graduation plans with high expectations for all

• IEPs set rigorous goals and drive instruction, not just compliance

• ESE part of review team and part of evaluation

• Integrated at district level

Improving Instruction


• Offer professional development on special ed. Instruction – all staff

• Provide RtI assistance – intervention

• Provide feedback and data

• PBIS support• Assist with evaluation of

staff• Coaching, modeling for

staff and principal• Give programming

recommendations• Principal training for

expectations

• Work on increasing collaboration between special / general ed. from central office

• Become “tighter,” more effective in practices

• More training for principals and staff

• More accountability from principals for success special ed.

Managing People, Data, and Processes to Foster School Improvement


• Data dashboard share: compliance

• Inclusion ratio share by campus

• Academic achievement compare BOY and EOY

• SSA snapshot to schools (IEP compliance, growth)

• Walk through forms with quality descriptors for principals

• Model classroom set-up• Videos of critical

element• Supplemental guide for

special education evaluation

• Additional walk-through to broaden understanding

• Embed special education support to instructional teams

• Individualized data reports

• Combine ELL with special education data

• Use current technology to train administration



• Goal-setting process is focused (asking the right questions)

• Delivery of service• Delegating leadership• Using data for decision-

making• Regular sharing of data• Sharing solutions when

you’ve identified a problem / concern

• Preventative communication (e.g. students’ BPs)

• Facilitate goal-setting with data

• Providing resources to support strategic goals

• Implementing a strong hiring process

• Sharing common understandings

• Clear evaluation procedures

• Protocols / processes and expectations for looking at data



• Limited PD – left to fend for themselves

• Principal academy general ed. and special ed. share

• Info not always shared• Universities are training

teachers to do walk-throughs and learning walks

• Instructional rounds are done by administration, paperwork done by principal

• PD• Principal needs to

support AP more• Need data related to

discussion• More instructional leads


• Campus is first point of contact to address concerns

• Right people around table for conversations

• Systematic plan to principal

• Guiding with questions• Match admin to campus

needs

• Give leadership what to look for

• Be a part of the hiring and evaluating process


2013 spring meeting size-alike session “supporting principals as leaders of learning”

Documents

principals focus

principals id

strong principals

effective principals

vision of academic success

leaders of learning

school principal

special education leaders