Resource Guide for the Standards and Rubric for School Improvement

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Standard One:
School and District Leadership



Standard Two:
Curriculum, Instruction, And Professional Development



Standard Three:
Classroom And School Assessments



Standard Four:
School Culture, Climate, And Communication



ADE Calendar of Events



Best Practices Academies

1.4 Teacher Leadership

Leadership is developed and involved at all stakeholder levels, with a strong emphasis on teacher leadership.

Every school and school district is stronger if and when it cultivates teachers as leaders; teacher leaders form the backbone of a school. They are go-to people; they understand the workings of the institution and how to make things happen, yet they may not be the individuals in formal leadership positions.

Charlotte Danielson, "Strengthening the School’s Backbone," Journal of School Development, Spring 2005, 26(2) NSDC, www.nsdc.org/members/jsd/danielson262.pdf

Level of Performance: Exceeds Standards
  • Teachers serve in a variety of leadership capacities that significantly guide the school's instructional, programmatic, and fiscal operations.
  • Teachers clearly understand their leadership roles and responsibilities in the overall governance of the school. A specific or formal policy, procedure and/or planning document exists that outlines these roles/responsibilities.
  • There are multiple effective, and formal structures in place for students, parents, and community stakeholders to offer guidance in school operations.
  • Research-based procedures concerning shared decision making are embedded and practiced consistently and effectively throughout the school.

Related Resources

Tools
NEW! Online Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems   
This website provides resources to support the building of effective teacher evaluation systems.
Publication Date: 2011
Publisher: National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality

Criteria for Selecting School Leadership Team Members   
This tool from Nine Lessons of Successful School Leadership Teams: Distilling a Decade of Innovation presents criteria that can help select members of a school leadership team.
Author: Bill McKeever
Publication Date: 2003
Publisher: WestEd

Dialogue Guide for Facilitators   
Dialogue Guides are models for conducting interactive discussions across stakeholders in states and districts. These packages make new use of dependable and publicly available information. Each Guide circulates a common set of source materials and suggested procedures for involving various audiences. In this manner, stakeholders (families, practitioners, professional associations, professors, policymakers, legislators) all over the country can begin interacting in new ways around implementation issues.
Publication Date: May 2005
Publisher: IDEA, NASDSE, US Office of Special Education

Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported By Rigorous Evidence   (to edit this resource, contact WestEd)
This guide, developed by the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, provides educational practitioners with the tools needed to distinguish interventions supported by scientifically-rigorous evidence from those that are not.
Publication Date: December 2003
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

Leadership Skills Needed by School Leadership Teams   
This checklist from Nine Lessons of Successful School Leadership Teams: Distilling a Decade of Innovation presents a variety of skills and considerations that contribute to team success. Categories include team development, organizational culture, leadership, systems thinking, teaching and learning research, and standards-based practice.
Author: Bill McKeever
Publication Date: 2003
Publisher: WestEd


Articles
NEW! The Teaching Job: Restructuring for Effectiveness   
This publication states that districts need to fundamentally restructure the job of teachers –changes the working conditions, requirements, expectations, and rewards- for a school transformation to take place.
Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: Education Resource Strategies

NEW! Teacher Leadership: An Assessment Framework for an Emerging Area of Professional Practice   
This article discusses the role of the teacher leader and offers suggestions on how to evaluation this role.
Author: Jeremy Burrus, Katherine Bassett, Teresa Jackson, and Robert Roberts
Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: ETS

Classroom Walkthroughs: Learning to see the trees and the forest   
Pilter and Goodwin discuss how to effectively use walkthroughs to collect data and provide useful feedback to educators to improve instruction.
Author: Howard Pitler with Bryan Goodwin
Publication Date: Summer 2008
Publisher: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)

Differentiation in Diverse Settings: A Consultants Experiences in Two Similar School Districts   
Dr. Tomlinson describes how two districts and their leadership pursue different approaches to addressing the issues of implementing differentiated instruction throughout their schools. Particular attention is given to outlining an effective leadership plan for success in meeting the needs of diverse learners through differentiation.
Author: Carol Ann Tomlinson
Publication Date: August, 2004
Publisher: American Association of School Administrators

How to Develop a Coaching Eye   
This article discusses the skills, knowledge, and strategies needed to become a classroom coach.
Author: Stephanie Feger, Kristine Woleck, and Paul Hickman
Publication Date: 2004
Publisher: National Staff Development Council (NSDC)

Making Math Count: Problem-Solving Time   
This article discusses how creating time for problem-solving discussions can increase student learning.
Author: Katie Gurule
Publication Date: 2007
Publisher: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

Overcoming the Obstacles to Leadership   
This article describes barriers created by the norms of a school culture that teacher leaders might need support in overcoming.
Author: Susan Moore Johnson and Morgaen L. Donaldson
Publication Date: 2007
Publisher: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

Principal Effectiveness: A New Principalship to Drive Student Achievement, Teacher Effectiveness, and School Turnarounds   
This report makes recommendations for school leadership policies geared toward dramatically increasing the number of successful principals.
Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: New Leaders for New Schools

Strengthening the School’s Backbone   
Danielson argues that teacher leadership is often displayed through actions undertaken outside of formal leadership roles. While staff developers may not be directly involved in the designation of these leaders, as they might with department chairs or team leaders, it is asserted that they still play an important part in their development. In order to help teachers become leaders, staff developers must provide them formal training in the types of planning, collaboration, communication, and facilitation which will be necessary to promote their ideas. Less formally, administrators must also demonstrate support for teacher leaders by publicly recognizing those ideas among the teachers’ colleagues, helping teachers think through their ideas and plans of action, getting support from the larger administrative team, gaining access to additional resources (not necessarily monetary), and voicing support to parents.
Author: Charlotte Danielson
Publication Date: Spring 2005
Publisher: National Staff Development Council (NSDC)

Teacher Development: Policies That Make Sense   
This article discusses the need to extend teacher preparation and development.
Author: Joan McRobbie
Publication Date: 2000
Publisher: WestEd

Teacher Recruitment and Retention: A Review of the Recent Empirical Literature   
This article examines the characteristics of teachers who remain in the profession, the characteristics of schools and districts that successfully recruit and retain teachers, and the types of policies that show success in recruiting and retaining teachers.
Author: Glenn A. Daley, Cassandra M. Guarino, and Lucrecia Santibañez
Publication Date: 2006
Publisher: Review of Educational Research

Three Simple Secrets of School-Based Coaching   
The author gives some anecdotal pointers she has learned over her 15 years as a school-based literacy coach.
Author: Juli Kendall
Publication Date: November 29, 2006
Publisher: Teacher Magazine

What It Takes To Be An Instructional Leader   
This brief defines instructional leadership and lists the skills needed to address the role of instructional leader.
Author: Billy Jenkins
Publication Date: 2009
Publisher: National Association of Elementary School Principals

What Keeps Good Teachers in the Classroom? Understanding and Reducing Teacher Turnover   
This article discusses the costs associated with teachers leaving, the characteristics of those most likely to leave, and what can be done to prevent turnover.
Publication Date: 2008
Publisher: Alliance for Excellent Education

Why New Teachers Leave   
This article discusses some of the issues new teachers face that eventually make them leave the teaching profession.
Author: Leslie Baldacci
Publication Date: 2006
Publisher: American Federation of Teachers (AFT)


Useful Links
Nine Lessons of Successful School Leadership Teams: Distilling a Decade of Innovation   
This book uses case studies to help demonstrate the strategies that have been found to help school leadership teams focus on and increase student achievement across schools and districts during a decade of work with the California School Leadership Academy.
Author: Bill McKeever
Publication Date: 2003
Publisher: WestEd

Tiered Instruction/Intervention   
The site offers details and information on the RtI process and articles as well as descriptions of the three tiers.
Publication Date: Retrieved November 2008
Publisher: RTI Action Network

Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success   
This report focuses on standards and assessments, data systems, great teachers and leaders, and re-engineering struggling schools.
Publication Date: 2009
Publisher: Carnegie Council for Advancing Adolescent Literacy


Other Resources
Dr. Archer Video Series   
“Dr. Anita Archer is a talented author and beloved teacher of teachers. This video series is one of her many gifts to the educational community. Produced with support from the Sonoma County Office of Education, it is made available at no cost thanks to her generous spirit.
The series addresses strategic literacy instruction in grades K-8 using a research to practice approach grounded in pragmatic real-world application. Each video is 4 to 8 minutes long, has a particular strategic focus, and was shot unrehearsed in real time. A short viewing guide is included for each video, providing guidance for viewing and feedback for post-viewing applications.” Sonoma County Office of Education
Author: Dr. Anita Archer
Publication Date: 2008
Publisher: Sonoma County Office of Education




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