NOTES EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS Using Effective Schools Research to Improve Student Success Presented by Lawrence W. Lezotte, Ph.D. 33rd Annual Effective Schools Conference February 16-18, 2016 • Scottsdale, AZ

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Creating the Context & Framing the Challenge of Change 2

Navigating the Perfect Storm 1. Higher Standards 2. Higher Percentage of Challenging Students

3. Fewer Resources 3

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Your school is perfectly aligned to get the results you are currently getting. 4

Schools were never designed, or even intended, to successfully teach ALL students a high standards curriculum. 5

You and your colleagues are already doing the best you know to do given the context in which you find yourselves. 6

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Like most organizations, schools have an enormous amount of inertia to do again what they have always done. All change has to work against a system-in-place. 7

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Senge’s Double-Loop Learning Model Higher Loop

Mission, Core Beliefs, & Core Values

Lower Loop

Tactics, Strategies, & Behaviors 9

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Levels of Culture

Organizational Culture and Leadership

Artifacts: Visible organizational structures and processes (hard to decipher)

by Edgar H. Schein Jossey-Bass (2004)

Espoused Values: Strategies, goals, philosophies (espoused justifications) Basic Underlying Assumptions: Unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings (ultimate source of values and action)

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A System: A network of interdependent components that work together to accomplish the aim of the system. 11

A System Must 1. Have a clear aim.

2. Be managed. 3. Have a pervasive sense of mission. 12

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Clarifying the Aim Answer Two Questions: 1. Effective at What?

2. Effective for Whom? 13

Clear and Focused Mission In the effective school, there is a clearly articulated mission through which the staff share an understanding of and a commitment to the instructional goals, priorities, assessment procedures, and accountability. Staff accept responsibility for students’ learning of the school’s essential curricular goals. 14

CURRENT AIM

Learning for All Whatever It Takes! 15

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES MISSION

NOT a description of Current Reality IS a description of a Preferred Future 16

A Moral Mandate Assure Alignment Between • Intended Curriculum • Taught Curriculum • Tested Curriculum 17

Huge Challenge •

Too much to teach, not enough time to teach it to mastery for all students

•

Organized Abandonment —Do well on the assessments —Need to know for future success 18

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES The following screen is adapted from:

What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action by Robert J. Marzano (ASCD, 2003) 19

School-level Factors (ranked) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Opportunity to Learn Time Monitoring Pressure to Achieve Parental Involvement School Climate Leadership Cooperation

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Opportunity to Learn & Student Time on Task In the effective school, a significant amount of classroom time is dedicated to instruction in essential skills. For a high percentage of this time, students are engaged in whole-class or largegroup, planned, teacher-directed learning activities. 21

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Change Challenges • Achievement Gap Expected to Close • Opportunity Gaps are Present from Day One 22

Systems Problems • Age Trumps Readiness • Current Grouping and Tracking Processes Increase the Gap Problem 23

Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress In the effective school, student academic progress is measured frequently using a variety of assessment procedures. Results are used to improve both individual student performance and instruction. 24

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Accountability Means • Monitoring pupil progress once a year and providing delayed feedback to schools and teachers followed by sanctions where necessary. 25

Accountability Means • Delayed feedback given once a year may satisfy a political agenda but will never change a student’s learning or, in all likelihood, a teacher’s teaching. 26

Paradox • On the other hand, frequent monitoring of pupil performance followed by immediate and precise feedback is one of the MOST powerful strategies available to enhance learning. 27

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Climate of High Expectations for Success

In the effective school, staff believes and demonstrates that all students can master the essential school skills and that they have the ability to help all students attain that mastery. 28

High Standards

High Expectations 29

Belief in the Educability of All Students Teacher Efficacy 30

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES In schools, as in life, you may not get all that you want but, more often than not, you get what you expect. 31

Positive Home-School Relations

In the effective school, parents understand and support the school’s basic mission and are given the opportunity to play an important role in helping the school to achieve this mission. 32

Question: “Can we get bad social service even though we are all good people?” Ron Edmonds

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Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Safe & Caring Environment In the effective school, there is an orderly, purposeful, businesslike atmosphere that is free from the threat of physical harm. The school climate is not oppressive and is conducive to teaching and learning. 34

Violence in Schools Among K-12 teachers, percentage who say this occurred in school setting in the last school year (2008-09): Verbal confrontations

76%

Fights

65%

Staff abused by student

36%

Student with weapon at school None of the above

28% 16%

Source: Zogby for Crisis Prevention Institute survey of K-12 generaleducation teachers, Sept. 26-Oct. 5, 2009.

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Prerequisites to Success •

Staff on duty all the time, everywhere while at work

•

Staff behavior with consistency regarding rules and regulations of the school 36

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Strong Instructional Leadership

In the effective school, the principal acts as an instructional leader and effectively and persistently communicates the mission to the staff, parents, and students. The principal understands and applies the characteristics of instructional effectiveness in management of the instructional program. 37

The Leadership Challenge Take a “followership” to a place they have never been and are not sure they want to go. 38

“Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among school related factors that contribute to what students learn at school.” * Wahlston, Kyla L., et al. Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning: Executive Summary of Research Findings. (2010) 39

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041

NOTES Principal Leader of Followers

Principal Leader of Leaders (Engagement Paradigm) 40

Trustworthy

Competent Forward Looking Enthusiam 41

Correlates Check List 1. Clear and Focused Mission 2. Opportunity to Learn 3. Student Time on Task 4. Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress 5. High Expectations for Success 6. Positive Home/School Relations 7. Safe and Caring Environment 8. Strong Instructional Leadership 42

Dr. Larry Lezotte • Effective Schools • www.effectiveschools.com • 1-800-827-8041