Leadership for Student Achievement National School Boards Association

Leadership for Student Achievement

National School Boards AssociationNational School Boards Association

Inform school board leaders of:

• The content and purpose of NSBA’s Key Work of School Boards.

• Resources available in support of the Key Work of School Boards.

Objective for today’s presentation

How they do it:

Community Engagement

What boards do:

Student Achievement

The Essentials of “Key Work”

VisionStandards

Collaboration Assessment

Climate

Alignment

Accountability

ContinuousImprovement

Vision

Establish a clearvision of student vision of student

achievementachievementas top priorityas top priority

of board, staff, andcommunity

Vision

Community Engagement StrategiesCommunity Engagement Strategies

Involve community in: Vision StatementMission StatementCore Beliefs and ValuesGoals

Vision


• Include community in regular revisions.• Show eagerness to listen to the

community.• Strive for commitment toClear Focus and Direction.Constancy of Purpose.

Vision

VisionStandards

Set clearstandards for standards for

student performancestudent performance

Standards

• Relate to something external and credible in our community.

• Define what students should know and be able to do at key points in their school careers.

• Shared clearly and widely with students, staff and community.

Standards

What external sources do we use to benchmark and validate our standards? Do the standards deal with what students should know and be able to do at key points in their school career? What policies and resources have we provided to disseminate these standards clearly and widely to students, staff, and community?

Standards


Create community forums to discuss:• What standards for our students?• How do our standards compare to state,

national, and international norms?• What needs do parents, business, and

higher ed identify?

Standards

VisionStandards

Assessment

Establish anassessment processassessment process

that measures successat regular intervals

Assessment

Is our assessment program explicitly tied to the standards we have set?

Does it assess both knowledge and skill? Does it use multiple, ongoing measures

(not single, high-stakes testing)? Is there a range of achievement targets

assessed that represent what the local community feels are important educational outcomes?

Assessment

Does it measure more than minimum competencies?

Does it provide progress data for every student?

Do we know and understand how the results of the assessments produced will be used?

Assessment

Assessment

How will results of assessments be shared with teachers and curriculum developers?

How will it be used to alter instruction to focus on greatest needs?

What individual teacher-level progress data does it provide?


Assessment

• Establish community advisors as essential part of development and review

• Assure that assessment program is widely and well explained to the community in meetings and in the press

VisionStandards

Assessment

Accountability

Establish a strongaccountabilityaccountability

process

Accountability

•Find the guilty!

•Blame!

•Punish!

Accountability

What is it?

•Analyze data to determine what is effective and what is not.

•Discuss the data and analysis openly.

•Use the data to make decisions, including changes if necessary.

Accountability

What is it?

• Data analysis is tied to staff evaluation.• SuccessSuccess is tied to public recognition and

lack of successlack of success to visible change.• Disaggregated data is used to assess

success of all students.

What’s a strong accountability accountability process?

Accountability

Accountability

What policy and resources have we provided to include data analysis as an essential component in our district's staff evaluation process?

How do we tie staff and student success to public recognition and lack of success to visible change?

How often do we require the staff to review with us disaggregated data to assess success of all students?

Accountability

How frequently does our district publicly report school- and district-wide data on multiple assessment measures to hold board, superintendent, and principals accountable?

Does the superintendent use individual teacher data to hold teachers accountable?

Do we provide individual student data to parents in a cumulative format to track progress over time?


Accountability

• Include parents and community on accountability team.

• Invite widespread input from community on how data should be disaggregated.


Accountability

• Promote widespread review and comment on published data.

• Establish policy expectation that principals meet with community on school data.


Accountability

• Establish policies and provide opportunities for parents to meet with teachers to discuss their student’s progress.

VisionStandards

Assessment

Alignment

Accountability

Align resourcesAlign resourcesto focus on

enabling students to meet the standards

Alignment

Align resources:Align resources:• Curriculum• Staffing• Training• Books and Materials• Technology• Supplemental services

Alignment

Alignment

Is it congruent with standards (internal and external)?

Is it clearly sequenced/aligned K-12?

What are the opportunities for individual student acceleration?

What are the opportunities and accommodations for students with special needs?

Is it implemented by research-based instructional practices?

Curriculum questions to ask:

Alignment

Are staff assignments based on needs of students and aligned to assure adequate individual attention to students?

Are staff members assigned only to positions for which they are qualified?

Are staff assignments based on accountability data?

Staffing questions:

Alignment

Are funds adequate for the materials needed to implement standards-driven curriculum?

Do we have an established process for local decision-making about use of materials funds, tied to accountability for results?

Learning materials questions:

Alignment

Is technology fully integrated with curriculum?

Is it distributed and used equitably, with focus on achieving standards?

How thoroughly are staff members trained to use technology to enhance instruction?

Technology questions:

Alignment

Are summer school opportunities provided for students who need them?

What provisions are made for students who are not meeting standards?

Do we provide enrichment programs for gifted students?

Are supplemental services provided in addition to regular instructional time, not as a replacement for it?

Supplemental Services questions:


• Process for community input into budget• Business community review of budget

and business practices• Parents on district curriculum review

process

Alignment


• Publish data on school staffing related to meeting standards.

• Parents review and comment on text and materials selection process.

• School staff invites parents in to see technology use.

Alignment


• Resources support parents to help their children with academic work.

• Community volunteers are welcome in schools to help students with academic work.

Alignment

VisionStandards

Assessment

Climate

Alignment

Accountability

Create apositive climatepositive climate

for student successfor student success

Climate

• Empower staff to meet student needs.

• Model mutual respect and professionalism in Board meetings and in work with superintendent and staff.

Climate

• Negotiate employee contracts with expectations for accountability and rewards for successful performance.

Climate

Student Discipline Policy• based on mutual respect and

support for achievement• with clear expectations for a

safe learning environment• with clear and consistent

consequences

Climate

• Assure a good facilities plan with appropriate space for student learning and staff productivity.

Climate

Climate

Do we, as a board, model mutual respect and professional behavior standards in Board meetings and in working with superintendent and staff?

Are we, as a board, committed to a continuous learning environment?

Do we empower staff to meet student needs by providing a policy framework, a clear direction, and adequate resources?

Climate

How do we assure decision-making at the level closest to implementation and tied to accountability?

How do we give recognition for quality staff performance?

Do we have a fair and effective process for evaluation of staff?

Do our employee contracts include expectations for accountability and rewards for successful performance?

Climate

• is based on mutual respect and support for achievement?

creates a strong academic program? increases student opportunities to take

challenging courses? has clear expectations for a safe learning

environment for student success? encourages and emphasizes respect for

lifelong learning? has clear and consistent consequences for

those who violate policy?

Do we have a student discipline policy that:

Climate

How do we assure that facilities provide adequate, appropriate space for students to learn and for staff members to carry out their work?

Is training focused on staff skills and knowledge to assure that students meet achievement standards?


• Include parents on school advisory teams.

• Survey parents and community for satisfaction with district services.

• Share and use the information in the planning process.

Climate


• Encourage community to recognize staff’s quality performance related to student success with standards.

• Encourage community volunteerism to help students learn.

Climate


• Recognize volunteers regularly.• Assure that staff communicates and

collaborates with Social Services and Juvenile Justice system.

• Provide opportunities for public comment at Board meetings.

Climate


• Assure community involvement in facilities planning.

• Make school facilities available for community use.

Climate

VisionStandards


Climate

Alignment

Accountability

Build collaborative relationships collaborative relationships with political and business

leaders to make student success a top community priority.

Collaboration

Collaboration

How do we identify key business and political leaders in our community?

What process do we use to inform these key leaders of our standards and progress towards them?

How do we support these leaders? How do we recognize the

contributions that these leaders make to our educational goals?


Collaboration

• Schedule regular meetings with your state legislators to make them aware of your efforts and progress on student success standards.


Collaboration

• Communicate freely with local elected officials about student achievement issues, activities, and progress.

• Invite them to be part of recognition efforts.

VisionStandards


Climate

Alignment

Accountability


Commit tocontinuous improvementcontinuous improvementfor student achievement

Continuous Improvement

Key elements:


Set standards for performance Benchmark processes Collect data and feedback Know your data! Use data-driven decision making Reward success, eliminate failure Reassess and recalibrate standards

Board sets the tone to create a culture of continuous improvement throughout the school system.


Board members seek training for skills and understanding necessary to carry out the Key Work


•from state association•from NSBA•from community experts

Superintendent and staff• collect and analyze data on student achievement• measure customer satisfaction• make program adjustments


Board regularly reviews summary data and individual school data on student achievement.


Board uses data on student achievement to set priorities for allocating resources.


Board and staff adjust strategic plan as necessary, based on data and community input.



How do we include a commitment to ongoing training of board members in the budget and planning process?

Do we take advantage of existing training from our state association and NSBA, and do we seek customized training as needed to respond to issues identified in the planning process?


Have we established the expectation and provided the resources for the superintendent and staff to collect and analyze data regarding student achievement and make appropriate adjustments to ongoing activities?

Do we formally review on a regular basis both summary and individual school data on student achievement?


Have we set expectations for the superintendent to benchmark key district practices against the most successful districts?

In the yearly budget adoption process, do we use the data on student achievement to set priorities for allocating resources?

Do we adjust the strategic plan as necessary, based on the data and community input?


• Discuss at Board meetings the Board’s development activities and learning.

• Get the community involved in regular data reviews and in making recommendations for program changes.



Board members and district leadership staff

• Participate in meetings of community organizations to discuss student achievement efforts and results.

• Are active with the media to discuss success and improvements.


VisionStandards


Climate

Alignment

Accountability


http://www.NSBA.org/keywork

www.NSBA.org/keywork

Documents

Leadership for Student Achievement National School Boards Association