PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
What Research Tells Us About How School Principal’s Improve Student Achievement
EDUCATION IN ONTARIO, CANADA
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Provincial Matter
2.1 million students in public schools
27% of students born outside Canada
Nearly 50% of Toronto students speak English as a Second
Language
• 22.53 Billion spent on public education annually
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OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
ONTARIO: A TRUE STORY
TODAY
20 YEARS AGO
Students
Universities
Businesses
Parents
Politicians
Teachers
Average performance
Unprepared Students
Unprepared Workforce
Lacked Confidence
Blamed Teachers
Low Self Esteem
Policies
High Expectations
Leadership
Students
Universities
Businesses
Parents
Politicians
Teachers
High Performance
Satisfied
Happy
Confident
Supportive
Empowered
OISE’S ROLE
Providing Research
Development of Resources
Training of Educators and Leaders
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ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY OUTCOMES
75%
90%
85%
138,000 Additional Graduates
70%
80%
65%
75%
70%
60%
65%
60%
55%
55%
50%
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50%
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Do you believe that all students
can achieve high standards given
the right time and support?
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SHARED BELIEFS IN ONTARIO
Each Student can achieve high
standards, given the right time and
the right support.
Each teacher can teach to high
standards, given the right
assistance.
High expectations and early and ongoing intervention are essential.
Image Source: http://golden-falls-trading.com/
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OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
WHAT YOU BELIEVE MATTERS
Mean Math Scores
Beliefs about teaching and learning
NORWAY
489
ALBERTA CANADA
518
Percentage of teachers who agree or strongly agree with the following statements
My role as a teacher is to facilitate student’s
own inquiry.
Students learn best by finding solutions on
their own
Students should be allowed to think of
solutions to practical problems themselves
before the teacher shows them how they are
solved
Thinking and reasoning processes are more
important than specific curriculum content
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94.5%
95.8%
52.6%
82.5%
94.1%
94.0%
78.0%
87.3%
OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER
Activity
Turn to the person next to you and
share the name of someone you
consider to be a great leader
List 2-3 qualities that make you
admire them.
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WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US
ABOUT GREAT SCHOOL LEADERS
“Principal Leadership has significant effects on
student learning, second only to the effects of the
quality of curriculum and teacher’s instruction.”
-Kenneth Leithwood and Carolyn Rielh
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WHAT PISA TELLS US
PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Around 510,000 students from over
60 countries took part in the PISA
2012 assessment of reading,
mathematics and science,
representing about 28 million 15 yearolds globally.
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LEADERSHIP NEEDS TO ADDRESS
1.Problem Solving and Application
2.Equity High Standards AND Raising
Low Performing Students
3.Valuing Teachers
4.How You Spend Money Counts
5.Believing Students Can be
Successful
6.Differentiated Instruction
7.Quality Teaching PLCs, Growth
Plans
8.Strongest Principals and Teachers in
Most Challenging Schools
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Do class sizes make a big
difference when it comes to
student achievement?
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OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
HATTIE’S META ANLYSIS OF IMPACTFUL TEACHER
LEADERSHIP
NEGATIVE IMPACTS
• Retention
• Student Mobility
• Television
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LIMITED POSITIVE IMPACTS
• Class Size
• Homework
• Ability Groupings
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HATTIE’S META ANALYSIS OF IMPACTFUL TEACHER LEADERSHIP
1.Student self-reported grades
2.Piagetian programs
3.Response to intervention
4.Providing formative evaluation
5.Micro-teaching
6.Classroom discussion
7.Comprehensive intervention for learning
disabled students
- John Hattie (2009)
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ONE SCHOOL BOARD’s IMPROVEMENT
2004-2007 EQAO: GRADE 3 GRADE 6
Level 3 &4
2004
2007
READING
44%
90%
WRITTING
40%
87%
MATH
50%
83%
INCREASE
46%
47%
33%
Image Source: http://blog.aeseducation.com
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LEVERS TO SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
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A small number of ambitious goals
Leadership at all levels
High standards and expectations
Mobilizing data and effective practices as a strategy for improvement
Intervention in a non-punitive manner
Reducing distractions
Being transparent, relentless and increasingly challenging
- Dr. Mary Jean Gallagher Ontario Ministry of Education
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ONTARIO’S LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
SCHOOL LEVEL LEADERSHIP
Direction
Relationship
Developing
Improving
Practice
Instruction
• Build a Shared • Modeling the • Build
• Beliefs and
Vision
School’s
Collaborative
Expectations
• Create High
Values
Cultures and • Curriculum
Expectations • Building
Distribute
• Teaching/Lear
• Communicate
Trusting
Leadership
ning
the Vision and
Relationships • Create
Strategies
Goals
that Stimulate
Professional • Assessment
Professional
Learning
• Resources
Growth
Communities • Learning
Community
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Securing
Accountability
• Student
• Teacher
• Self
OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
Activity
Pick one of the 5 areas on the chart
Go down the column and check off
items that you are currently achieving.
Discuss with a partner how you are
achieving these.
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OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
ONTARIO’S LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
PERSONAL LEADERHSIP RESOURCES
Cognitive Resources
Social Resources
Psychological Resources
• Problem-solving expertise • Perceiving emotions
• Optimism
• Knowledge of effective
• Managing emotions
• Self-efficacy
school and classroom
• Acting in emotionally
• Resilience
practices that directly
appropriate ways
• Proactivity
affect student learning
• Systems Thinking
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ONTARIO’S LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: PROBLEM SOLVING
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Effective problem solvers all:
Asked “What needs to be done?’
Developed action plans
Took responsibility for decisions
Took responsibility for communication
Focused on opportunities not problems
Ran productive meetings
Thought and said “we” not “I”
- Peter Drucker 2004 Harvard Business Review
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ONTARIO’S LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: SOCIAL RESOURCES
• Perceiving emotions
• Managing emotions
• Acting in emotionally
appropriate ways
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Activity
In partners, take turns showing
boredom, impatience, resistance
and interest without using any
words.
Is your partner able to identify
which emotion you are
displaying?
OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
ONTARIO’S LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESOURCES
OPTIMISM
The hopeful
confidence in
the future
SELF-EFFICACY
Belief in one’s
ability to
succeed
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PROACTIVITY
Acting in
advance of
situations
RESILIENCE
Angela Duckworth
Grade 7 Mathematics students
success was not just a function
of IQ but rather resiliency was a
strong predictor of success in
mathematics.
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HAPPY VALLEY CASE STUDY
Activity
Read the Happy Valley Case
Study in a small group
What would be the first 3 things
you would do and why?
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BE AN INTENTIONAL COACH
“That research found that intentional,
deliberate, and sustained teacher coaching
by a school leader has positive benefits for
student learning, while time spent on
informal classroom walkthroughs (by
principals) negatively predicts student
growth, despite the popularity of the latter
as an espoused IL behaviour.”
- Steven Katz, OISE (2015)
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BE A CO-LEARNER
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Understand the power of permission.
Establish conditions where educators have permission to not know, to be
imperfect, and model this through their own actions and openness to
learning.
Be vulnerable – acknowledge when you don’t know and openly share what
and how you are learning.
Position student learning and well-being at the heart of all discussions and
decision making.
Make room for everyone – ensure equity of voice and diversity of opinion.
Expect challenges and mistakes – welcome them and learn from them
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BE COURAGEOUS
• Give yourself credit for accepting responsibility for
“courageous conversations”
• Approach it as a two-sided, “open-to-learning” conversation
• Take into account the reasons for resistance
• Use “Conversation Starters”
• Choose the time for conversation wisely
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Should all Principals be expert
teachers?
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WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED AT OISE
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A belief that all children can learn and be successful is key
Next to the classroom teacher, the School Principal is the next most important factor in
student achievement (Dr. Ken Leithwood – OISE)
Having a vision and targets are important
Leaders must be intentional (Dr. Steven Katz – OISE)
Supportive organizational structures and targeted financial resources matter
There must be coherence with all stakeholders around school improvement and student
achievement (Dr. Carol Campbell - OISE)
Improving the underachieving student’s performance raises all student achievement
Professional learning communities where teachers and Principals co-construct learning
opportunities raises the level of teaching and student achievement (Dr. Doug McDougall,
Dr. Joseph Flessa – OISE)
OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
LEARNING IS THE WORK
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Be Focused – it is all about the students
Be intentional and prioritize – you can’t do it all
Be brave – you are the inspiration
Be relentless – the work is hard
Be a team-member – find a professional friend
Be confident – you will make a difference
OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
“If you want something new, you
have to stop doing something old.”
“The best way to predict your
future is to create it.”
- Peter Drucker
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THANK YOU
CONTACT US
OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto
5-103 252 Bloor Street W
Toronto, ON, M55 1V6 Canada
[email protected]
1-416-978-2474
www.oise.utoronto.ca
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OISE | Continuing and Professional Learning