Leveraging School Leadership Under ESSA National Governors Association – GEPA Institute Danny Carlson December 13, 2016

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Session Outcomes • Understand the influence that school leadership has on teaching, learning and school turnaround • Discuss policy levers governors can use to elevate school leadership and create conditions for success to boost principal pipelines • Identify expanded opportunities to strengthen school leadership under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

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Principal Pipeline

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Theory of Action: Build the Capacity of Principals to Improve Student Outcomes • Principals are second only to teachers among school-related factors in improving student achievement. • Effective principals have a multiplier effect on high-quality teaching and thus is a critical factor in boosting student outcomes, especially in highneed schools. • Strong school leadership is the most important determinant of whether a school can attract and keep the high-quality teachers necessary to turn around schools. National Governors Association

Instructional Leadership: Evolution of the Principal’s Role Then

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Now 

Multiplier Effect

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Room to Improve: Principal Support Systems • 2013 U.S. Department of Education’s sample of LEA use of Title II Part A funds under ESEA found only 4 percent used to support professional capacity of principals.

• 60% of principals report spending less than 1 percent of their work days per year in state or district sponsored professional development. • 43% report that their district does not tailor professional development opportunities to meet their specific leadership needs. National Governors Association

ESSA: Opportunity for Governors to Take the Lead • ESSA, above all else, clearly established the role of decisionmaking around K-12 issues with states and school districts. • While bulk of the work lies with state chiefs and the state board of education, ESSA presents governors with an extraordinary opportunity to exercise leadership over the agenda. • Governors can lead efforts to develop a statewide comprehensive system for the recruitment, preparation, and on-going support for principals. National Governors Association

ESSA Access Points for Governors • State and local districts required to submit accountability plans. • Plans must be developed with “timely and meaningful consolation” with governors.

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ESSA Leverage Point: Developing CapacityBuilding School Leadership Systems • ESSA expands opportunities for states and districts to use federal funding for initiatives to improve the quality of school leaders. • Permissive use of funds from Titles I and II to create or develop capacity-building systems at the state and district levels. • Title II, Part A: States may devote up to 5 percent of their Title II-A allocation for teacher and leader development and an additional 3 percent for leadership investments only. National Governors Association

ESSA Title II, Part A

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Evidence-based School Leadership Activities • Title II requires certain interventions be evidence-based to the extent that the state determines that evidence is reasonably available. • “School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act”

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3% Percent Set-Aside Leadership Activities • Preparation programs o New Leaders, the NYC Aspiring Principals Program, and the University of Virginia (UVA) School Turnaround Specialist Program

• Certification and recertification programs o National Institute for School Leadership (NISL)

• Principal Academies o Tennessee GASL, KY Leadership Academy, PA Inspired Leadership

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3% Percent Set-Aside Leadership Activities (cont.) • Induction and mentoring for early career principals o Maryland Promising Principals Academy

• Differential pay for hard-to-fill positions o Arkansas Master Principal Program

• Programs to recruit and retain school leaders o Communication strategies to broaden candidate pool o Tools to screen and evaluate candidates (e.g., performance-based interview tasks)

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Other Opportunities for Governors to Exercise Leadership • ESSA Accountability Planning Process. Governors also have the opportunity to review and sign off on the plan prior to submission to the U.S. Department of Education. • Bully pulpit. Governors can use the bully pulpit to articulate a vision to elevate principals.

• Convening. Governors can use their position to convene the best

and brightest minds to identify strategies to develop principals as a critical lever for supporting student achievement

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Conclusion • The investment in the development and on-going support of principals is an evidence-based strategy. States and districts can take advantage of the opportunities to direct funds to support principals to improve student outcomes.

• Comprehensive school improvement measures must include rethinking how principals are trained and supported.

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Resources • “School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act” (Rand Corporation) • “Knowledge From Wallace” (Wallace Foundation) • “Building a Stronger Principalship Vol 5: The Principal Pipeline Initiative in Action (Wallace Foundation) • “Perspective: Building Principal Pipelines” (Wallace Foundation) • “Promising Practices in Boosting School Leadership Capacity: Principal Academies” (NGA Center for Best Practices) National Governors Association

Questions?

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