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Leaders LeadershipLeaderLeader^ LeadershipLeaderLeaders \ LeadershipLeaderheaders Lei LeaderLeadersLeadershipLeat 'shipLeader lerLeaders fsLeadershiplead} leadersLeac^ OISE/UT s Magazine foi LeaderLeadersLeWX School Leadership in Transition Guest-edited by Kenneth Leithwood Special Orbit Insert Highlights of the 12th OISE/UT Survey of Educational Attitudes 3 Introduction: — Changing Leadership for Changing Times Kenneth Leithwood Promising Directions for Schools and c School Leaders Designing Schools to Foster Teaching and Learning — Daniel L. Duke 9 Professional Communities and Learning Communities: — What School Leaders Need to Know Sharon D. Kruse and Karen Seashore Louis sch-ool u 12 Teacher Leaders — Sherrill Ryan 1 j M2B31mm»j ....- J CD 16 Leadership and Diversity: Establishing and Maintaining Relationships with School Communities — James Ryan ~ ~ •• CO W — Guiding Values for Future School Leaders Paul Begley Illustrations by: Carey Sookocheff CNJ C Implications of Ontario Government Policy for School Leaders o 24 The Critical Role of Principals in Developing School — Councils Kirsten Parker 27 — School Leadership in Times of Stress Kenneth Leithwood o 30 Leadership Challenges of Secondary School Reform — John Charlton CD — 33 Building Partnerships Sandra Dean 36 GO Technology Implementation: Lessons for School and — District Leaders Lyn Sharratt 00 £Z Preparing Future School Leaders 40 — Issues in Principal Certification Mary Marrin and Laura Sheehan o 43 New Directions: Some Reflections from the Centre for — Leadership Development Carol Slater 46 School Leadership Development: State ofthe Art at — theTurn ofthe Century Philip Hallinger CO Standards of Accountability for Educational Policy Making — Kenneth Leithwood orbit A Commentary on the World of Education OISE/UT’s Magazine for Schools Volume 30, Number 1, 1999 School Leadership in Transition Guest-edited by Kenneth Leithwood Editor: Heather Berkeley Editorial Advisors: Paula Bourne, Ardra Cole, George Dei, Mark Evans, Nancy Forgrave, Lynne Hannay, Angela Hildyard, Dave Hunt, Clare Kosnik, Peter Rasokas, Howard Russell, and Ruth Scott Orbitpublishesfourtheme issues pervolume on topicsof concern and relevance forteachers and administratorsworking in schools and school systems, from junior kindergarten to the end of high school. Titles for '97/’98 were: GenderandSchooling;Secondary School Change;ForgingaLinkBetweenAccountability andImprovementin Schools;ThePlaceofPhonics in theLiteracy Program.Titlesfor '98/'99are: From Reform to Renewal:Beyond Bill 160;NewFaceofTeaching;Action Research in Ontario Schools;SafeSchools ’99. For more information, contactthe Editor Phone: (416) 923 6641, ext. 2533 Fax: (416) 975 1925 E-mail: [email protected] website: www.oise.utoronto.ca/orbit OISE/UT 252 Bloor Street West Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6 Design: Saskiavan Kampen/James Ireland Design Inc. Printed and bound in CanadabyThistle Printing. Subscription Rates $40.00 persubscription (4 issues peryear) Inch 7% GST. Bulk rates available, for more information, contactORBIT Phone: (416) 267-2185 Fax: (416) 265-7786 Prepayment is requested. Mail cheque or money orderto: ORBIT 2903 Kingston Road Scarborough, Ont., M1M 1N6 Second Class Mail Registration Number 4511 ISNN 0030-4433 Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement No. 638528 GST # R108162 Leaders h,V9 Kenneth Leithwood Professor and Head, Centre for Leadership Development OISE/UT — A recent issue of Orbit magazine the introduction of the Credit System, intensive local curriculum — From Reform to Renewal:Beyond Bill 160 development and implementation efforts during the seventies and was devoted to an analysis of several eighties,the Secondary Education Review Project (1980), Ontario Schools: differentfeatures ofBill 160 andrelated IntermediateandSecondaryDivisions (1984), theRadwanskireport, The government initiatives. Among the TransitionYears, The Common Curriculum,andjustbefore the current matters discussedwere,for example: governmentwasformed,FortheLoveofDarning. how those initiatives compare to During this period the provincial system saw its fair share of what we know about successful majorstructural changes,as well. Forexample,in 1969,the number reform strategies, the extent to oflocal school administrative units in the province was reduced which such initiatives find support from 1358 to 192.At about the same time, a community college in public opinion, how equitable system was created,alongwith the Ontario Institute for Studies in they are likely to be, and what Education.Since then,French schoolboards have been createdand implications they hold forteachers. dismantled, and Roman Catholic Separate school systems have Also examinedwererecentOntario receivedfull funding for secondary schools.All ofthese initiatives, assessment and accountability alongwithmany others,haveproducedfrequent cycles ofrelatively initiatives, the likely effects on fundamental reexamination by teachers and administrators oftheir student achievement of several practices.Times,inshort,have usuallybeen turbulent. governance changes (school board Whatis unique about ourpresent turbulent timesis the radically amalgamation,school council),and the different values on which current (andpossibly future) reforms are changingrole ofteacherfederationsinthe based,as comparedwithmostpastreformeffortsin Ontario.Three of province.Not considered was what recent these values,inparticular, offer special challenges to principals and government—changes to education mean for othersconcernedaboutthefutureoftheprovince’s educationsystem. school principals those people viewedby many as most directly responsible for the success or failure ot changes in Challenge 1: (Re) Making The Case For Public Education schools.Thisissue ofOrbitexploreswhatthatmeaningmightbe. Most earlierreform efforts were premised on the beliefthata strong public school system was a fundamentalinstrument forbuilding a Changing Times and the Challenges “Out There” prosperous,democratic province and country. One way or another, Byitself,theclaimthatweliveinturbulenttimestellsusverylittlethat those reforms aimed to further strengthen the system. Current is unique or interesting about our times. From the perspective of reforms,incontrast,atleastraisethespecterofprivatizationasalong- educatorsinOnta—rio,rimeshaveseemedprettyturbulentatleastsince term goal.The present government’s political ideology andpolicy the early sixties and many would argue much earlier than that. leanings are clearly in line with those of other neoconservative Post-sputnikOntariousheredinsignificanteffortsatreformthatmore governments aroundthe world,many ofwhich have moved toward orless continuedunabatedthrough,forexample,LivingandLearning, privatization.Andwhile theremaybe insufficientpolitical capitalfor Introduction 3 the government in privatization initiatives at the moment,there is Notonlyistherenomention ofequityasagoal reason to expect continuing exploration ofprivatization alternatives butitsachievementisseriouslyunderminedby in the future. One might even cite as evidence of such future insisting (through funding formulae, for interests, the government’s present willingness to discredit public example) that resources be distributed school teachers through such means as televised misinformation “equally” rather than “equitably.” Surely aboutthe effects ofits currentpoliciesonthe qualityofinstructionin there can be no serious debate,for example, classrooms.And, certainly, removing principals from the teachers’ aboutwhetherourlargecityschoolsystems,as bargaining units, with all that entails by way of “managerial compared with our suburban and rural responsibilities,” potentially simplifies any subsequent efforts to systems, attract a much larger proportion o—f implementprivatizedalternatives. students with special ormore diverse needs Arising from this worry about the direction offuture reforms is needs for second language instruction, needs the challenge to make the case for a strong public school system arisingfromabundleofconditionscapturedinthe within eachschoolcommunity,aswellasmore broadly.Forthosein term “inner cityness.” One need not deny the contact with much ofthe empirical research comparing public existence ofrural poverty or other such problems with eithercharterorprivate schools,this case is fairly compelling,1 outsidelarge cities to agree thatthisisthecase. notwithstanding the theoretical rhetoric ofthose who believe that Successive Ontario governmentshavemadesubstantial creating a market system is the solution, whatever the problem. investments in the pursuit ofequity. In the public school When relevant variables (e.g., family socioeconomic status) are system this has taken such forms,for example,as the funding of controlled,public schools typically compare veryfavorablywith the least-restrictive specialeducationservices andESLprograms.Indeed, alternatives in terms of the range of choices they offer their a large proportion of the real increases in the costs of public “clients” and the achievements of their students. But very few educationoverthepast20yearsinOntario (aswellasmanyother people are either in contact with that research or disposed to be jurisdictions) islikelythe consequenceofthisinvestment.3 convincedby it,perhaps because ofits necessarily technical nature. Nowasignificant segment ofourelected representatives Much ofthe heavylifting,in response to this challenge,has to be seems inclined to the opinion that this investment has done in the local community,andby the local school with as much been squandered,perhaps because the problems giving helpfromothersasitcanmuster.Amongotherthings,thelocalschool rise to the importance ofequity as a goal for public must demonstrate that it is open to the values and needs ofthose it education have not gone away. Indeed, they appear to serves,andisboth effectiveandefficientin respondingto thosevalues have gotten worse. Since the province’s population is andneeds.Itmustdo thatnotjustwith thosewho participate directly considerably more diverse than itwas 20 years ago,this inschooling,butwith othermembers ofthe local communitywhose is not difficult to understand. But it offers no insight long-term interests depend,more than they might recognize,orbe into what such problems would be like had the willingto admit,on the quality ofpublic schooling.Forexample, investment not been made in schools,as well as in other school staffs would benefit from an exercise in which they social services. One need not even have any genuine imaginewhattheywouldneedtodotosurviveasaschoolif empathyfor those with special needs to support equity as a there were several private competitors in theirimmediate goal for public education. Gated communities, high crime community offeringeducational services at comparable rates, and intransigent drug abuse are not characteristics ofa costs.2Then do it. Don’t wait for the competitors to communityin whichanyofuswants to live andraise ourchildren. arrive. As with the first challenge, there is important work to be done School Councils have considerable potential in locallyin makingthe case for equitable public education.Sometimes making the case ofpublic education, as well. For this can be done through the curriculum offered to students.But this other purposes, including those designated for challenge needs to be addressed regionally and provincially,as well, them by the government, their value is sinceinequitiesasoftenexistacross,aswithin,communities.Principals questionable.But formaking the case that strong, along with teachers and other concerned local public schools serve the interests of all stakeholders need to work provincially in community members,it is hard to imagine abetter- as many public forums as possible to positioned organization. create a groundswell of public support forthe reintroduction of Challenge 2: (Re) Establishing Equity as a Goal a social conscience into the for Public Education provinceseducationpolicies.For Most earlier reform efforts assumed equity to be a public educators, excellence fundamental goal for the school system,as well as forthe larger must be seen as a given, and society which it served.Current reforms make much ofexcellence. equityas themoralhighground. 4 c rb i t , Vcl 30, No 1, 1999 . Challenge 3: Cooling Off the Romance With sizedschool systems into largersystems “Common Sense” •small schools disadvantage theirstudents because they are not able By far the majority ofprevious initiatives in Ontario’s to ofter the breadth ofcurriculum thatlargerschools can offer. education system assumed that the knowledge of But none ofthis common sense is true, according to the best experienced educators, and more recently, the evidence available 4 So a third challenge for the profession in the . knowledge produced by the educational research near future is to begin to make more direct,visible,and systematic community,had considerable potential in helping us use ofthe specialized knowledge base that continues to develop on to progress. So consultation wuth members ofthese matters relevant to the future ofschools.At the end ofthe day, the communities was a typical part of the process of only quality that ought to privilege a professional educator’s claims, policy making and policy implementation.While a in comparisonwith the claims ofothers,aboutwhatshould happen small handful ofnotable exceptions can be found,by in schools is that the bulk ofthe evidence, along with collective farthe majority ofthe decisions about education by professional experience, supports that claim.Those who believe the present government largely ignore and public education should continue and become stronger need to sometimes explicitly reject “special knowledge” in view such evidence as a powerful tool in their efforts.To continue favorof“commonsense.” to disregard such knowledge,as some still do, is to shoot oneselfin There is nothingwrongwith common sense as a form the foot. ofknowledge,as long as we don’t assume that it is always correct, or that everyone’s common sense is the same. One In this Orbit Issue problem with most people’s—common sense is that it is wrong on There are thirteen articles in this issue addressing,either directly or matters that are quite critical where the most prudent course of indirectly,challengesfacingprincipals as theywork to improve their action is actually counterintuitive. schools inasignificantly new educationalpolicy environment.One Thesecondproblemwith commonsenseis thatweactually ofthese challenges is to craft,with one’s teaching colleagues and do not recognize,most ofthe time,how counterintuitive community, meaningful directions for the development ofthen- it was at some point in the past. For example, at some school organizations. In their own unique ways, the next five pointin thepastmostpeople’s“commonsense”toldthem articles should help with this task. They offer images of what that the earth was flat,the sun circled around the world, schools couldbe and raise issues that ought to be ofprime concern and the universe operated like a “clock.” None ofthese in craftingan image for one’s ownschool. claimsis nowconsideredcommon sensebecausesomepretty Eachofthesecondsetoffive articlesfocuses onanareaforschool specialized knowledge wasbrought to bear on understanding development explicitly associated with the Ontario government’s how the world works. Ifwe had experienced a common sense reform agenda.The authors ofthese articles go some distance in revolution in science a few dozen centuries ago we wouldall still be unpacking the implications forprincipals ofeach ofthese initiatives livingincaves. offering,intheprocess,guidelinespotentiallyofuseinone’s school. To bring the matter closer to home, it is still considered The threefinalarticles take up issues concerningthe development common sense among many policy makers (and more than a few ofschoolleadershipintheprovince.Foravarietyofreasons,preparing educators) that: future school leaders well,andin sufficient numbers,has become an •childrenwill do betterbyrepeatingagrade iftheyare unsuccessful extremely urgentproblem,especially for many ofour largerschool with some portion ofthe curriculum systems.Two ofthese articles raise issues ofimmediate concern to •the needs ofindividual students are better met by grouping or those involved in the initial certification of vice principals and streamingthemby ability principals in Ontario.The third and final article takes a briefbut •student achievement improvesbysettinghigherstandards comprehensivelooOk at the state-of-the art ofleadership development •“economies ofscale"can be realized by amalgamating medium- aroundtheglobe. Notes and References 1 See,forexample,Gamoran.A.(1996). casehasbeen convincinglydemonstratedin see Slaven,R.(1990).Achievementeffectsof Studentachievementinpublicmagnet, otherjurisdictions.See,forexample, abilitygroupinginsecondaryschools:A publiccomprehensive,andprivatecity high Murphy,J.,& Picus,L.(1996).Special best-evidencesynthesis.ReviewofEducational schools.EducationalEvaluationandPolicy program encroachmentonschool district Research, 60(3),471-500.Forinformation Analysis,18(1), 1-18. generalfundsin California:Implicationsfor abouttheconsequencesofsettinghigher 2 Forexamplesofwhatthismightentail,see Serrano equalization.JournalofEducation standards,agoodsourceisParis,D.(1998). Madsen,J.(1998).Privateanddecentralized Finance,21(3) Standardsandcharters:HoraceMannmeets publicschools:Do theyspeakthe same 4 Onthematterofgraderetention,see,for TinkerBell.EducationalPolicy, 12(4),380- language? InternationalJournalofEducational example,Reynolds,A.(1992).Grade 396.Forevidenceaboutthe effectsofschool Reform,7(1),20-33. retentionandschooladjustment:An size,see,fortitleexample,Fowler,W.,& 3 Actually,itwouldbeverydifficulttoknow explanatoryanalysis.EducationalEvaluation Walberg,H.(1991).EducationalEvaluation preciselytheproportionin Ontario due to andPolicyAnalysis, 14(2), 101-121,366-386. andPolicyAnalysis, 13(2),189-202. budgetreportingprocesses.However,this Onthe effects ofhomogeneousgrouping, Introduction , c o +J u <D GO Promising Directions for Schools and School Leaders For decades educators have been|trained| to feel frustrated and more likely to engage theirimagination. according to the diagnostic/prescriptive model Educational design r—equires a consideration ofvarious facets of borrowed from medicine. Generations of learning environments be they classrooms,programs,schools, — teachers and school administrators have learned or campuses and the relationships among them.Designers — to be problem finders and problem solvers. In lookatinten—dedpurposes suchasthepromotionofteaching fact, it is difficult to imagine schools without andlearning andexplorethepossiblearrangementsoftime, problemsthatneedsolving. space,professional expertise,technology,and othervariables This article is less an indictment of the thatarelikelyto achieve them. Daniel L. Duke problem-solving paradigm than a plea to While educational designers may take into account a Professor and consider the benefits of an alternative variety offactors, they cannot start everywhere at once. Director, approach.Educational design draws inspiration Because where they choose to begin often influences The Thomas from the arts, architecture, and creative where they wind up,it is useful to think about possible Jefferson thinking.When educators think like problem starting places for educational design.At theThomas Center for solvers,they can become overwhelmed by the Jefferson Center for Educational De—sign, we have Educational sheer number and magnitude ofthe problems identified six possible starting places a theory of Design, that confront them.When educators think like learningormotivation,aphilosophyorcoherentset University of designers, they focus more on possibilities than ofideals, a body ofknowledge to be learned, an Virginia problems.As a consequence,they are less likely image ofa well-educated person, a concept of a 6 ) orbit, Vol 30, No 1 1999 "A review of student achievement reflects substantial discrepancies, often based on socioeconomic status and length of residency/7 desirable learning environment, and a specific challenge or issue content,TeamA also recommends redesigning requiringimmediate attention. the teacher evaluation system.They review the Take the last“startingplace.”Let usassume thatwe workinalarge existingperformance expectations for teachers school system made up ofstudents from diverse backgrounds. A and discover that no expectation relates review ofstudent achievement reflects substantialdiscrepancies,often specifically to providing assistance to individual based on socioeconomic status and length ofresidency.The school students. Teachers have grown accustomed to boardasks teams ofeducators to designlearningenvironments where referring students in need of help to special all students have a reasonable opportunity to learn what they are education orasking counselors to re-assign them to expected to learn.The teams decide to focus on different aspects of less challengingcourses. their schools. Team A, from a large comprehensive high school, Byaddinga newperformance expectation related believes that the best way to help under-achievingstudents is to re- to assisting individual students to the teacher design staffdevelopment andteacherevaluation.TeamB,representing evaluation guidelines, teachers will know they must an elementary school with a large number ofimmigrant children, master individual as well as group instruction.Teacher decides to concentrate on scheduling and the organization of evaluators can conduct observations in which they instruction.Team C, from an overcrowded middle school whose zero m on how a teacher is working with one or two students often drop out before completing high school,opts to re- struggling students.Teachers who consistently fail to thinkthecurriculumandthephysicaldesignoftheschool.Letustake assist students in need ofhelp maybe placed on a plan of abrieflookattheresultsofeachteam’sdesignefforts. instructional improvement where they are required to acquire the skills necessary to provide such assistance. Team A Team A discovers that many students who need assistance in Team B academic courses receive relatively little individual help from A review ofstudent achievement atTeam B’s elementary teachers. The further into the school year they go, the further school reveals low scores in science and social studies.This is behind they get and, ironically, the less likely they are to receive not surprising because many of the students come from assistance. When asked why these students receive little help, families that recentlyarrivedfrom abroad.Teachers have been teachers admit that they lack the training to deal with many told to focus primarily on instruction in English. Relatively specialized problems,such as decoding complex reading material little time is spent on science andsocial studies.Teachers also andanalyzingword problems in math and science. admit that these subjects are not ones with which they feel TeamA recommends a new approach to staffdevelopment,one very comfortable. triggered by student performance during the first six weeks of TeamB takes a close look at the allocation oftime each school in the fall. At each grade level, teams of teachers and day and discovers that considerable instructional time is guidance counselors review student grades and identify students unaccounted for. Furthermore, teachers seem to do very who are struggling. Plans of assistance are developed for each little planning together. Coordination within and between student. In cases where teachers lack the expertise to implement a grade levels is lacking. plan,staffdevelopment is provided on site.A resource teacher with A recommendation is made byTeam B to redesign the special training ora local expert is paid a per diem fee (ifthey are organization ofinstruction and the school schedule to not district employees) to spend several days in the teacher’s create more time for instruction in science and social classroom,workingwith the teacher and the student experiencing studies and promote greater coordination among difficulty. Such intensive,student-focused staffdevelopment is far teachers.The corridors ofthe school are designated as more likely to make a difference in teaching and learning than “neighborhoods,”each neighborhood consisting oftwo attendingconferences andtakinginservice courses. “families” of classrooms. A family consists of six Realizing that the importance ofhelpingindividual students may classrooms on one side ofa corridor,arranged in order need to be reinforced at the high school level, where the school fromkindergartenthroughfifthgrade.Onthe otherside culture typically focuses on group instruction and coverage of ofthe corridor are six classrooms arranged in the same Section "...the future of public education depends more on encouraging teachers and administrators to engage their imaginations in the service of learning ../7 order.Within each neighborhood, then, teachers at each spend a semester at CATCE and a semester grade-level are close enough to plan with their colleague studying the regular academic curriculum in the across the corridor (who teaches the same grade-level) as old middle school. During their semester at well as their colleagues along the same side ofthe corridor CATCE, each student chooses three career modules (who teach the same group ofstudents as theyprogressfrom from a menu ofeight possibilities. Career modules kindergarten throughfifth grade). range from environmentalscience and legal science to At the end ofeach corridor.Team B recommends the graphic arts and manufacturing. Each module runs all construction ofa science and social studies learning center day for six weeks and is team taught by an academic large enough to accommodate students from two classrooms teacherwith regularcertification anda clinicalinstructor simultaneously. Each center is to be staffed by a specialist in from the world ofwork. social studies and science who provides direct instruction to Six-week modules are organized around real sets of students in each neighborhood as well as designing activities problems. For example,students in environmental science and assignments that canbe completedin the classrooms. may have to analyze a toxic spill in a local stream and To support this new organization ofinstruction,a version of implement a clean-up effort. Students report to school as if parallel block scheduling is recommended.The day is divided theyare reportingto work,dressinginamannerappropriate to into eightfifty-minute blocks.For each classroom,students daily their activities for the day.Lunch is not organizedby periods. receive fiftyminutes ofreading/language arts andfiftyminutes of Students leave their work area to eat when they reach a logical math as an entire class;andfiftyminutes ofreading/language arts stoppingpoint. andfifty minutes ofmath as a group roughly halfthe size ofthe To support their innovative curriculum,Team C works with entire class.Whena teacheris workingwith one halfofa class on architects to design a school building that does not look like or reading/language arts ormath,the other halfofthe class spends a feel like a school. Instead ofconventional classrooms, students fifty-minute block in the science and social studies center or in work in large, flexible spaces, each containing individual work music orart.Aseventh fiftyminuteblockis dedicatedtolunchand stations as well as open areas for projects and activities.Technology recess, while the remaining fifty minute block constitutes a is abundant. Instead ofa cafeteria, there is a commons to which common planning time for all teachers in a family. During this various food vendors come for several hours each day. No bells planningtime,students go to physical education.Such aschedule punctuate the day nor is there agymnasium.Every effortismade to promotesteachercollaboration,ensuresone hundredminutesaday create an adult-like work environment and foster a sense of ofreading/language arts instruction and one hundredminutes a seriousness ofpurpose. Emphasis is placed on learning to work day of math instruction, provides daily small group work in effectively in teams and assuming responsibility for the quality of reading/language arts andmath,and includes focusedinstruction work completed at CATCE. byateacherspecialistinscienceandsocialstudies. Conclusion Team C These three examples ofschool design are not hypothetical. Each Realizingthat many oftheirstudents drop out after they leave represents the work ofan actual group ofeducators committed to the middle school,Team C wants to design an educational exploring possibilities, not just addressing problems. My personal experience that will increase the likelihood ofhigh school belief is that the future of public education depends more on graduation.They seize the opportunity to rethink the very encouragingteachers andadministrators to engage theirimaginations ideaofaschoolwhentheannouncementismade thatanew in the service oflearning than on the efforts ofpolicy makers to middleschoolisneededtorelieve overcrowding. develop uniformstandards and impose a one-size-fits-all formula on Team C realizes that most oftheir students are more schoolsystems. El interested in findingjobs than preparing for college. Rather than design a conventional middle school,they decide to design a CenterforAppliedTechnology and Career Exploration (CATCE). All eighth graders orbit, Vol 30, No 1, 1999 8