Weekly E-Newsletter | July 29, 2013 Hello, This week, we invite participants to join a focus group to share ideas about facilitating and nurturing teacher leaders in schools. We also feature resources related to collective and distributed leadership, and announce a webinar about technology use in schools being hosted by Education Week. ________________________________________ Invitation to Join a Focus Group You are invited to participate in a focus group to inform a print-based tool that Jobs for the Future (JFF) is developing related to Growing Teacher Leaders: Strategies for Collective and Distributed Leadership. The focus group will take place on Thursday, August 8 from 2:30pm to 3:30pm Eastern/11:30am to 12:30pm Pacific. A draft of the tool to review will be sent to participants in advance. JFF staff will virtually facilitate the focus group using a conference line and online collaborative discussion tools. Designed for principals and other school-based administrators, the goal of the tool is to provide a blueprint for effective leadership in action. Examples and models for teacher leadership programs will be presented through case studies. The tool will provide a guided action plan for encouraging teacher leaders in secondary schools. If you are interested in participating, please register by Tuesday, August 6. ________________________________________ Featured Resources: Collective and Distributed Leadership Title: Learning From Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning Source: Alaska Comprehensive Center The largest in-depth study of school leadership to date, this report gathers and analyzes quantitative data confirming that education leadership has a strong impact on student achievement, as measured by student test scores. The study shows that leadership is most important for strengthening a school’s professional community—an environment where teachers work together to improve classroom instruction. It also finds that rapid turnover of principals correlates to lower student achievement. In addition, the study reports that, although the principal remains the central source of leadership in schools, he or she is far from the only source. The highest performing schools operate by collective leadership that involves many interested participants in decision-making, including parents and teachers. ________________________________________ Title: Creating the Sociocultural System Conditions Needed for Rapid and Sustainable School Change: A Collective Leadership Approach Source: Education Northwest This study examines the overarching challenge that teachers face—knowing how to participate in collective leadership to effect significant change. The study documents the work of four elementary schools in Missouri that demonstrated increased student achievement and shared leadership capacity over the previous two years. In addition to exploring the school leadership teams’ conceptions of shared leadership, the study examines a framework of seven organizational conditions that were found to support a collective approach to leading change: • Two-way communication and widespread participation in decision making • Clarity of roles and responsibilities • Feedback, recognition, and celebration • Mutually supportive and trusting relationships • Collaborative learning and inquiry • Collective mindsets conducive to school change • Attention to shared purpose and focus for the whole school ________________________________________ Using the Resources Together These two documents can help schools effectively utilize collective or distributed leadership to reach their school reform goals. The first resource presents findings from a study of collective leadership and describes the ways that collective leadership can lead to increased student achievement. The second study describes seven organizational conditions that can contribute to a positive collective leadership environment. Used together, the resources can lead to an effective and comprehensive approach to collective leadership. ________________________________________ Webinar: Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education Wednesday, July 31; 2:00pm to 3:00pm EDT This webinar features a discussion about education in the digital age and ways that technology can make learning more relevant, efficient, and productive. It will be led by Darrell West, who will discuss key findings from his book, Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education, which examines new models of education made possible by enhanced information technology. West will explain how today’s educational institutions can engage students successfully to provide them with the skills needed to compete in an increasingly global, technological, and online world, and will share the potential contributions of blogs, wikis, social media, and video games and augmented reality in K–12 and higher education. For more information or to register, please visit: edweek.org/ew/marketplace/webinars/webinars.html Have a wonderful week! UPCOMING WEBINAR ________________________________________ Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education Wednesday, July 31, 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT ________________________________________ Join the STLC We invite you to join the STLC to participate in the group discussions and receive invitations to new webinars. About the STLC The School Turnaround Learning Community provides states and districts with easy online access to resources and networking that enables them to support schools more effectively. schoolturnaroundsupport.org Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any suggestions or questions Terms of Use | Questions? Email [email protected] You are receiving this email because you are a member of the School Turnaround Learning Community. Hello, This week, we feature resources about using data to help students graduate high school ready to succeed in college and careers. We also announce a webinar on a Blended Approach to Credit Recovery. ________________________________________ Questions? Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Help ________________________________________ This email was sent to infomillers14@gmail by U.S. Department of Education • 400 Maryland Ave • Washington DC 20202 • 800-USA-LEARN
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:53:43 +0000
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