How Leaders Invest Staffing Resources in Instructional Improvement and Equity: Results from a National Study

Transcription

1 How Leaders Invest Staffing Resources in Instructional Improvement and Equity: Results from a National Study Marge Plecki Mike Knapp Tino Castañeda Thomas Halverson Robin LaSota Chad Lochmiller University of Washington Center for the Study of Teaching & Policy American Association of School Administrators Summer Leadership Institute July

2 Teachers as key to learning improvement Staffing costs represent about 80% of spending Persistent inequity of access to high-quality instruction Leaders as key to providing instructional support for learning improvement Declining enrollments and reduced budgets increase the pressure to maximize resource use 2

3 Recruiting and retaining a capable and diverse teacher and administrator workforce (especially in high-needs schools) Strengthening leadership capacity and performance in schools A new staffing niche: Enhancing support for instructional improvement 3

4 Evidence of persistent achievement gaps The link to apparent resource gaps How resource investment is part of learningfocused leadership.. 4

5 The tendency to: --think in terms of annual allocation cycles --replicate last year s allocation --not align with reform priorities The pressure to yield to the tyranny of the immediate crisis 5

6 A dynamic approach that includes considerations beyond the acute and immediate needs of a classroom, school, or district Involves targeted allocation strategies that: --seek a long-term return on investment --leverage other resources to improve learning --prioritize and articulate instructional priorities --require some calculated risks 6

7 Investment may mean allocating new resources But it may also mean reallocating existing resources, especially in the face of fiscal constraints, through-- --altering staffing ratios --modestly increasing some class sizes --restructuring or reducing central office units --substituting positions within base allocations --repurposing staff roles 7

8 1. What prompts educational leaders to alter the investment of staffing resources? What frameworks do they construct to guide resource decisions? 2. What strategies bring staffing resources to bear on improved and equitable learning for all students? 3. How do leaders develop and sustain support for differential resource investment aimed at enhancing equity? 8

9 Comparative case study, combining qualitative and quantitative sources Strategic district sites (4) + school cases within districts (elementary, middle, & high for a total of 14 schools) Atlanta Public Schools (APS) New York City (Empowerment Schools Org.) Portland Public Schools, OR District 4J, Eugene, OR Repeated visits across 1.5 years 9

10 Interviews Superintendents, central office staff, board members, parents & community members Principals, teachers, instructional support staff Observations School and classroom visits Staff meetings at school and district levels Board and community meetings District personnel & fiscal databases School level budgets, staffing rosters, master schedules Student achievement data from state, district & school sources 10

11 Theme 1: Constructing district investment frameworks, alongside other conditions that shape decisions about staffing resources Theme 2: Investing in instructional improvement, through leadership, data capacity, and schoollevel flexibility Theme 3: Investing differentially, to achieve an equityfocused improvement agenda 11

12 Key framing conditions Ebb and flow of fiscal resources Current and potential sources of staff supply Human resource management Collective bargaining agreements and culture The district s accountability system Declining enrollment and increased student diversity reflecting the district s own actions, as well as environmental events and contingencies. 12

13 Mandated Negotiated Marketbased Rewards & Sanctions 13

14 14

15 a) Expertise: Investment in instructional leadership across and within schools b) Informational resources and their use c) Flexibility: Investment in school-level discretion and support for allocating and developing resources 15

16 A straightforward approach: creating district positions that serve multiple schools (within mandated + negotiated frameworks) A substantial alternative: Building a market for cross-school instructional support driven by schools (within market-based frameworks) 16

17 Districts work with individual schools by Default: Leaving it up to the principal Funding particular positions for within-school instructional leadership work. (negotiated) Empowering schools to expand their instructional support cadre (market-like) 17

18 The likelihood of payoff reflects the extent to which districts and schools couple the investment with related changes in work responsibilities, supervisory relationships, and organizational structures. Ultimate pay-off in schools also depends on staff chemistry, a supportive work culture, and persistence in working through ambiguities in mid-level roles. 18

19 Investing in data infrastructure Investing in data literacy and data use Generating new forms of data and opportunities for making sense of it 19

20 The likelihood of payoff reflects the coupling of data infrastructure, support for data literacy, new forms of data, and regular occasions for sensemaking and some linkage to investments in instructional leadership. This was an emerging practice in our study sites 20

21 How districts support principals --Estimating what school principals know and need to know about using staffing resources wisely --Differentiating the mixture of discretion and support How schools make use of the discretion granted to them --Creating alternative staffing, assignment, and time arrangements --Having access to specific strategies to inform decisions

22 When equal isn t equitable Technical challenges: assessing needs and developing distribution policies/formulas Political challenges: identifying district, school, and community needs & priorities Adjudicating competing notions of fairness Investing staffing resources equitably is difficult conceptual work 22

23 Allocation formulas and other technical responses are necessary but not sufficient to address the many dimensions of equity. Community history or prior district leadership practices influence the way leaders think about and take action in response to inequities. Additional challenges emerge when historic advantages are threatened ( perceived margin of competitive advantage ). Dimensions of equity are continually altered or redefined in response to economic, social, cultural, political, and demographic changes. 23

24 Planning for equity: Investing in the process of building awareness, knowledge & consensus Shepherding the ongoing conversation: Anticipating the ebb and flow of support and understanding Anticipating and persevering in the face of pushback: The dividends of an investment in the process 24

25 Putting Equity-Focused Leadership into Practice Creating urgency among stakeholders Managing tensions and conflict that come with action Generating resources and additional support Developing the capacity and will to act at all levels Giving principals ownership of the inequities that they can address Constantly refining what equity means 25

26 To act on equity goals, district and school leaders Target schools and allocate resources in proportion to need and based on identified priorities Invest the most in capacity building for the weakest staff in targeted areas Maximize match between staff skills and student needs Concentrate time and resources for underserved students (e.g., triple dose, before & after school) 26

27 Long-term Time Horizon Risk-Taking Flexibility to Act Data Fluency Access to Tools Knowledge of Effective Options and Their Costs and a web of leadership supports 27

28 Shift away from a focus on reducing the overload on leaders Avoid notions of leaders as superheroes Build collective and distributed leadership capacity at both district, school, and community levels through strategic and differentiated support. 28

29 George Russell, Superintendent Barbara Bellamy, Communications Director Lane County School District 4J Eugene, Oregon 29

30 How have you engaged stakeholders in your efforts to address equity and excellence? What communication tools and strategies do you rely on? How have you built capacity at the school level? 30

31 Electronic versions of this report and related studies are available from: The University of Washington or The Wallace Foundation 31