MOD3 DISCUSSION1
1
Ashlee robinson
RE: Discussion 1 - Module 3
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Two evidece based leadership stratgies that that could be employed to help promoste postive social change are:
1. ) "Evidence-based leadership links how evidence is used to how well the school operates and improves" (Lewis & Caldwell, 2005). Meaning that it is essential to identifiy and collect authentic and authoritative evidence that relates to learning. This can look like improving organizational effectiveness and performance. Furthermore, Brittan (2002) very concreatly discusses ways to imporve leadership to promote better culture.
1. Learning organizations “actively incorporate the experience and knowledge of its members and partners through the development of practices, policies, procedures, and systems in ways which continuously improve its ability to set and achieve goals, satisfy stakeholders, develop its practice, value and develop its people, and achieve its mission with its constituency.”
2. Knowledge management "is the “process by which the organization generates wealth from its intellectual or knowledge-based assets.” This includes the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge to improve learning and teaching and to guide decision making and priority settings."
3. Evidence-based leadership "creates and nurtures an emphasis on stra tegic planning, action research, monitoring, evaluation, and review. Evidence-based leadership establishes an infra structure that provides indi viduals, collegial groups, and staff members with the time and resources."
We as educators and future leaders can employee this mindset and stratgies to help aide in a better overall community which inturn creats a more positive change.
2.) "Effective leaders seek answers about how to survive in a rapidly changing environment (Willis, 2009). Leaders need to be able to adapt to all changes and manage internal and external changes to create a positive social enviorment. Leaders have to be willing to go to bat for the changes that need to happen, as well as being willing to actually initate the change. Willis, 2009) describes this "leader" specifically as, "being involved in creating or responding to change in order for the community to prosper and meet the challenges of constantly changing environments. Such leaders are aware of the importance of gaining the support of significant individuals and groups as they promote social change." Thus, this strategy stems from the leader holding themselves accountable and taking the extra step to empower others to be on board.
References:
Britton, B. 2002. Learning for change: Principles and practices of learning organizations. Sundbyberg: Swedish Mission Council.
Lewis, Jenny. & Caldwell, Brian. (2005). Evidence-Based Leadership. The Education Forum.
Willis, Matt. (2009). Facilitating Social Change Leadership Theory. Journal of Leadership Education. Association of Leadership Educators.
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Transcripit to Ashlee video
I currently work in a 5-8 middle school as a Title 1 English Interventionist. I served this role for almost 10 years now. When choosing a role for the Grand City task force, I chose the intervention specialist. I represent Mayor Keller’s task force to discuss how over the last decade, the way students learn and fill achievement gaps have changed drastically. It is essential that our current stakeholders immerse themselves in what is the new 21st century and the skills students desperately need to be college and career ready. It is important to be an educational agent of change. According to Kimbrue (2015) Associate of Data & Policy at The Chicago Public Education Fund, “An agent of change is someone who is willing to stand in the gap, spark tough conversations, and encourage their network to improve our system for the greater good, these galvanizing leaders empower their peers, stakeholders and partners to join the coalition that moves the needle toward equitable change from neighborhood to city to state.” Kimbrue’s statements are a true testament to why collecting and analyzing data is so important in education. Classrooms and schools that are data driven allow teachers to respond to problems more effectively, construct new teaching methods, and advance skill sets faster. Furthermore, it also allows teachers to target specific interventions for students. There is also the data that has been collected that can be imperative to a teacher when helping students. This data looks more specifically into the schools multicultural population , socioeconomic status, and learning styles or accommodations. According to MILLS (2018), the educational work of social justice leaders is to “foster successful, equitable, and socially responsible learning and accountability practices for all students.” Thus, make schools more accommodating and responsive to the needs of different groups of students, as well as practice embracing cultural diversity. This data is also essential to the role of educational leader of change. The importance of collaboration among cross-specialization groups is an effective tool that allows general education teachers, special education teachers, learning specialists, administration, or even counselors to work together to meet the needs of individual students. It should not be the job of just one teacher to sustain an inclusive classroom. When teachers of different fields work together, it creates safe and effective learning conditions for students as well as teachers to accurately problem solve. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (2021), “The primary purposes of collaboration include: identifying and sharing effective academic, behavior, and social-emotional instructional practices, ensuring that practices are consistent across all providers, and ensuring that the students benefit from those practices.” Furthermore, working to make meaningful change, and data-informed decision making is essential for a collaborative group to initiate and implement plans for educational and community change. Effective progress monitoring, and a multi-tiered system of supports are both effective strategies to make meaningful changes to a student or whole school community based on the targeted area. This goes hand in hand with collaborating with families to help “ leverage your families’ assets — their background knowledge, interests, and culture. As we saw throughout the pandemic, families play a key role in supporting their children’s education. We must partner with families to help their children and to ensure that all students achieve” ( National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2021). The use of ongoing data is crucial in education. Providing evidence of students' learning is the best practice for both acceleration and remediation. Teachers must be trained on how to appropriately read and analyze data, to make decisions that greatly impact a student's learning. “An increased availability of technology, financial support from policymakers, and greater accountability for student outcomes have all contributed to the increased focus on data use for educational improvement globally” (Marsh & Farrel, 2015). References Chenoweth, K. (2015). How do we get there from here? Educational Leadership, 72(5), 16-20. Kimbrue, Rashida. (2015). What Does It Mean To Be An Agent of Change? Impact and Insights. EP Chicago Alumni Board. Associate of Data & Policy at The Chicago Public Education Fund. MILLS. (2018, May 9). Social Justice in education: The role educational leaders play. Marsh, J. & Farrell, C. (2015). How leaders can support teachers with data-driven decision making: A framework for understanding capacity building. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 269-289. doi:10.1177/1741143214537229 National Center of Learning Disabilities. (2021). Collaboration: Partnering with colleagues, families, and caregivers to promote student success. Reports and Studies. Walden University (2016). Grand City education and demographic files [PDF}. Author
VIDEO
https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/c3Qq04VOaJS
RESPONSE2 JAZIMINE BRWNLEE Transcript to video also I will upload video
Philosophy of Educational Change and Data Use Educational change is very imperative in the school systems today. Cultures are changing and so is the world around us. The pandemic has changed education as well and everyone is still figuring out how to bounce back from this adversity. During the years of online learning, many students either didn’t learn as much as they could or just didn’t show up for class. Some teachers were stressed and doing the bare minimum to educate the students. Now that the students are back in the building, teachers are understanding how the pandemic has affected the students. They are working day and night trying to improve the students’ deficits, especially in reading. “Education is the most important gift that we can give to people. Every individual can be transformed with the right educational opportunity,” (Robinson, 2012). This is very important because it displays that educators believe in their students and believe that they are capable of learning. If every stakeholder believes this, our students wouldn’t be failing at the rate that they are. Being in the field of education, we try to do what is best for the students and provide them with the tools necessary to become lifelong learners beyond school. There is not one way to achieve this task because everyone has their own belief of what children need and ensuring they receive it. In my opinion, children need to be in an environment that feels safe, cared for, nurturing, and free of judgment. As educators, we should also be promoting children’s selfawareness, competence, self-worth, resiliency, and physical well-being (NAEYC, 2005). A lot of times, we like to resolve issues or handle our students' battles and that is not what they need. When we bear children’s pain without dismissing it, they learn that something can hurt, but that they can handle it (Cohen, 2016). If we rescue children from feeling pain by fighting their battles for them, they will not learn to stand up for themselves (Cohen, 2016). This is the system we are 2 working in, where you have to teach the students how to be resilient and social-emotional learning before reaching them academically. People do not understand the nature or ramifications of most educational changes (Fullan, 2016). They become involved in change voluntarily or involuntarily and in either case experience uncertainty about its meaning, form, or consequences (Fullan, 2016 pg. 27). I have implied that there are several things at stake, for instance, changes in goals, skills, philosophy or beliefs, behavior, and so forth (Fullan, 2016). Educators must understand that changes will happen and they need to be able to adjust when they do. Hence, let's take data for instance. Data use is becoming a prominent strategy for educational innovation and improvement across countries (Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin, 2016). When data is put to use, it can lead to improvements in teaching that allow children to be more effective learners (Koralek, 2004). Assessment data can be shared with families and other stakeholders who want to know whether a curriculum or teaching approach supports desired outcomes for children (Koralek, 2004). This impacts assessments in positive ways. However, it can have impacts that aren’t always positive. Not all teachers are proficient in teaching all areas that support all students in developing healthily. More funding needs to be provided to have more professional development. Also, teachers have to differentiate instruction to support the learners. Therefore, data use is important and educators must know the policy of their state on data. As I read the Georgia Student Assessment Program, it stated that the purpose of the program is to measure student achievement of the state-adopted academic content standards (GaDoe, 2021b). It assesses results to improve teaching and learning (GaDoe, 2021b). The program provides uses formative and summative assessments to aid teachers with awareness of how teachers can improve their teaching and learning. This approach to assessment offers data 3 for a variety of stakeholders to inform decisions, whether at a policy, district, school, or classroom level to support the improvement of Georgia's education system (GaDoe, 2021b). The assessments are based on the Georgia Performance Standards of Excellence. GaDOE is using a new technical specification by the IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS Global) called the Competency and Academic Standards Exchange (CASE) to enable machine-readable, linked data versions of state standards (GaDoe, 2021a). According to GaDoe, districts and individual educators can build crosswalks to their local learning targets, organize assessment results, and discover content through these crosswalks (2021a). Hence, stakeholders use these standards to guide their teaching and learning as well as to assess students' understanding of each standard. The purpose of assessment from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is to make ethical, appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment a central part of all early childhood programs (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003). Also, the purpose is to assess young children’s strengths, progress, as well as needs, use developmentally appropriate assessment methods, be culturally and linguistically responsive, and be tied to children’s daily activities (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003). Although there are many benefits to administering assessments, there are also issues or downsides to assessments. As educators, we have to decipher what is best for the students we serve and will better support them by closing the learning gap our students are facing. To have an achievable outcome, educators must determine what is hindering their students from performing well on these assessments and create interventions to assist the students. That’s why I feel as if making standardized testing the sole means for demonstrating understanding doesn’t support all children and what they know. The tests created don’t always align with what the student knows 4 or was taught in the classroom. Sometimes, it requires the students to read between the lines and just know the information. 5 References Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. GaDoe. (2021a). Georgia Performance Standards of Excellent. GaDOE. December 7, 2021. https://www.georgiastandards.org/standards/Pages/Proposed-New-GPS.aspx GaDoe. (2021b). Testing/assessment. GaDOE. December 7, 2021. https://www.gadoe.org/ Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/default.aspx Gonzalez-Sancho, C., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. doi: 10.1177/1478210316649287 Koralek, D. (2004). Child and Program Assessment: Tools for Reflective Educators. YC: Young Children, 59(1), 12. Microsoft Partners in Learning (Producer). (2012). Sir Ken Robinson – The role of policy in education [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= cMVjEkM3g38 National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Jazmine Brownlee
RE: Discussion 1 - Module 3
Top of Form
Educational change is very imperative in the school systems today. Cultures are changing and so is the world around us. The pandemic has changed education as well and everyone is still figuring out how to bounce back from this adversity. During the years of online learning, many students either didn’t learn as much as they could or just didn’t show up for class. Some teachers were stressed and doing the bare minimum to educate the students. Now that the students are back in the building, teachers are understanding how the pandemic has affected the students. They are working day and night trying to improve the students’ deficits, especially in reading. Therefore, the educational change agent creates a plan that supports educators in making changes that will aid in the students becoming better learners.
Data use is becoming a prominent strategy for educational innovation and improvement across countries (Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin, 2016). When data is put to use, it can lead to improvements in teaching that allow children to be more effective learners (Koralek, 2004). Assessment data can be shared with families and other stakeholders who want to know whether a curriculum or teaching approach supports desired outcomes for children (Koralek, 2004). This impacts assessments in positive ways. However, it can have impacts that aren’t always positive. Not all teachers are proficient in teaching all areas that support all students in developing healthily. More funding needs to be provided to have more professional development. Also, teachers have to differentiate instruction to support the learners. Therefore, data use is important and educators must know the policy of their state on data.
Collaboration is identified as an essential twenty-first-century skill, and research supports that professional learning is enhanced by collaboration among teachers (Morel, 2014). Collaboration thrives in an environment in which the school leader has developed a climate conducive to collaboration. Three essential elements that are necessary for the climate are involved in significant work, trust, and consistent processes (Morel, 2014). When pairs or teams work together, the goal must be worthwhile and the expectations must be high (Morel, 2014). That means the work and planning must be relevant and not just busy work to pass time.
There are several strategies that I believe leaders should possess in order to promote positive social change in the education setting. Leaders should build positive and professional learning communities that are driven by the trust of all stakeholders. Building trust display that each stakeholder is trusted enough to fulfill their duties without being micromanaged at all times. Also, I believe leaders should use data to drive instruction. When using data to drive instruction, the lessons become intentional and geared towards the whole child. Learning how the whole child learns can support teachers in providing strategies that will aid in the student's ability to perform.
Reference:
Gonzalez-Sancho, C., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. doi:
10.1177/1478210316649287
Koralek, D. (2004). Child and Program Assessment: Tools for Reflective Educators. YC: Young Children, 59(1), 12.
Morel, N. (2014). Setting the stage for collaboration: An essential skill for professional growth. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 81(1), 36-39. doi: 1080/00228958.2005.10532081
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Kendall Pankake
Kendall Pankake: Initial Discussion Post
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Rationale for Being an Agent of Change and Importance of Data
Based upon my experience, the majority of educators enter the profession for the purpose of supporting positive change. Positive change can come in many forms, but it seems to be the driving factor for most educators. Fullan (2016) continually referred to the importance of data to assist in the change process. It was also suggested to first assume that there is a lack of capacity to successfully support change, and to create consistent and meaningful opportunities to build capacity (Fullan, 2016). As a leader, it is crucial to look at all elements of the change process and to find creative ways to build a team of change agents.
Rationale for Cross-Specialization Collaboration and Importance of Data
Fullan (2016) referenced several items that are part of a recipe for successful change. One of the main elements is recognizing that “all successful strategies are socially based and action oriented (Fullan, 2016, p. 48). The research shows that collaboration is key to ensuring capacity is built to support successful strategies for change (Fullan, 2016). Opportunities for cross-specialization collaboration should be centered around data. In my experience, this is a good strategy to ensure that a team is focusing on tangible problems and finding tangible solutions.
Leadership Strategies
There are two leadership styles that I strive to represent. The first is to exhibit qualities of a transformational leader. Yusuf et al. (2021) determined that transformational leadership can have a positive effect on delivering educational services. Furthermore, Liana et al. (2021) conducted a study that determined that servant leadership has a positive effect on teacher quality. I believe that these are the two leadership strategies that not only support the most successful agents of change, but also align well with my personality as a leader.
References
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers
College Press.
Furtasan Ali Yusuf, Anis Fauzi, & Anwar Malik. (2021). The Effect of Transformational
Leadership and Organizational Culture on The Quality of Education Services. INSANIA: Jurnal Pemikiran Alternatif Kependidikan, 26(1), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.24090/insania.v26i1.4713
Linda Liana, & Dylmoon Hidayat. (2021). The Effecs of Servant Leadership, Organizational
Climate, and Work Motivation on Teacher’s Performance in A Level Education Centre. Kelola: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, 8(2).
Leading Change with Data and Collaboration
Kendall Pankake
Walden University
EDSD 7900: Capstone Project
Dr. Sandra Johnson
September 25, 2022
Leading Change with Data and Collaboration
Introduction and Role
Hello, my name is Kendall Pankake. I currently serve in the role of a high school assistant principal. My main purpose is to support the high school principal in her achievement of district goals as they relate to secondary education. While there is not an assistant principal on Mayor Keller’s task force, I believe that I can relate to members of the team as leaders in general. Specifically, I bring an expertise related to being an instructional leader and an agent of change. Some of the data shared by members of the task force related to office referrals, suspensions, graduation rate, and occupations (Walden, 2017a). These are areas with which I am very familiar and have had experience in improving. Chenoweth (2015) stated that an effective principal believes in the capacity of all students to achieve. This statement describes the lens through which I lead.
Being an Agent of Change and Data Use
In the case study by Cho et al. (2015), it was evident that teachers were unimpressed by technology with which they were provided that was supposed to provide them with an easily accessible and meaningful platform to use data. For teachers, the platform was not user-friendly and they felt unprepared to use the information effectively (Cho et al., 2015). For leaders, the vendor was uncooperative and unhelpful (Cho et al., 2015). The lesson learned from this case study is that it is crucial to properly vet the companies with which the district plans to work. Furthermore, in order to build capacity for a staff to be agents of change who can effectively use data, proper tools and training must be provided. Guidera (2015) highlighted the importance of transparency and communication related to data use. It became clear through this article that when a leader purposefully selects data to communicate to families, families feel more confident and trusting in their child’s school system (Guidera, 2015). Chenoweth (2015) provided tangible ways to use data for immediate change. For example, it was suggested that teachers use results from assessments to identify which students understood a topic and which students are in need of re-teaching or enrichment (Chenoweth, 2015). Also, Chenoweth (2015) suggested the practice of identifying patterns in data and using them to improve instruction. Ideas from the Marsh and Farrell (2015) article juxtaposed with these suggestions inasmuch as teachers do not always have access to proper training to effectively utilize the wide range of data with which they are presented to make deep instructional changes. In order to yield changes, data must be collected, organized, and analyzed (Marsh et al., 201).
Collaboration Among Cross-Specialization Groups
Mayor Keller created a task force with members of cross-specialization groups to achieve a common goal (Walden, 2017a). Reed (2015) identified a major issue related to leadership to be a lack of communication. It is crucial to listen to others without judgment (Reed, 2015). The research suggested finding creative ways to create opportunities for collaboration among colleagues and demonstrated effective changes that can be made when teachers and leaders have the chance to share ideas. Collaboration was identified as a huge support for professional learning (Morel, 2014). Morel (2014) suggested that collaboration can support a complex society, increase teacher job satisfaction, is effective for adult learning, and can serve as an important example for students. As a leader, I strive to find creative ways to provide these opportunities for staff and to include discussions around data as part of these interactions.
Summary and Conclusion
In summary, as an assistant principal, I will continue to support the building principal in building teacher capacity for data use. This will support teachers to be agents of change in their classrooms as well as the greater school community. I will ensure that I strive to remove barriers to data use including making sure that teachers have technology that is user-friendly. It will be crucial to continue to create opportunities for teachers to have collaborative conversations where, instead of admiring problems, they utilize the data to find creative solutions to improve student achievement. With the suggestions from the research, I believe that positive change is inevitable.
References
Chenoweth, K. (2015). How do we get there from here? Educational Leadership, 72(5), 16-20
Cho, V., Jimerson, J.B., & Wayman, J.C. (2015). Data system implementation: A leader
navigates people problems around technology and data use. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 18(2), 134-143. doi:10.1177/1555458915584677
Guidera, A. R. (2015) Parents need access to education data- and need to know it’s secure. Phi
Marsh, J. & Farrell, C. (2015). How leaders can support teachers with data-driven decision
making: A framework for understanding capacity building. Educational Management Administration & Leadership , 43(2), 269-289. doi:10.1177/1741143214537229
Morel, N. (2014). Setting the stage for collaboration: An essential skill for professional growth.
Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin , 81(1), 36-39. doi: 1080/00228958.2005.10532081
Sterrett, W., & Irizarry, E. (2015). Beyond “autopsy data”: Bolstering teacher leadership, morale,
and school improvement. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership , 18(1), 3-13. doi:10.1177/1555458914551828
Reed, M. (2015). To find solutions, look inward. Educational Leadership, 72(9), 80-85.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2017a). Grand City opening task force meeting [Video
file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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