INSIGHT—Winter 2004

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

WINTER 2004

INSIGHT Assessment

and

Accountability

e: t d i s n i o por Als al Re ’s TA SA

Annu

WINTER 2004 p. 29

Volume 18

No. 3 FEATURED ARTICLES

p. 18

p. 25

Advocacy, Coalitions, and Core Principles

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by Dawson Orr Emphasizes that the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools will continue to be our best source of strength as we advocate for the schoolchildren of Texas during the 79th Legislative Session Leadership Across the System

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by Michael Fullan Reviews a tri-level solution for system reform and focuses on five central characteristics of leadership as well as the importance of an energizing environment as a turnkey to sustainability Leading Assessment for Learning: Using Classroom Assessment in School Improvement

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by Stephen Chappuis Provides a framework for leaders specific to assessment for learning, including a set of ten competencies that can play a role in student motivation and learning Strategies to Meet the Challenge of the Age of Accountability

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by Sandra Harris Shares strategies that superintendents, principals, and university professors can use to help students achieve academically within today’s high-stakes environment Improvement in a Small School Environment

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by Jo Ann Bludau Gives an overview of how Sweet Home ISD’s strong commitment to rural education and its belief in service to the community has moved the district from an acceptable to an exemplary accountability rating

ALSO OF INTEREST…

TASA Annual Report

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Highlights the association’s activities and services during 2003–2004 Is Your School Board Ready to Compete for TASA Recognition?

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by Margaret Gurecky A how-to guide for nomination from Lewisville ISD, recipient of TASA’s 2004 Outstanding School Board Award

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DEPARTMENTS

Officers

Upcoming Events at TASA

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President’s Message

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Executive Director’s View

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Michael Hinojosa, President, Spring ISD Alton J. Fields, President-Elect, Pleasanton ISD Kay Waggoner, Vice-President, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Dawson R. Orr, Past President, Wichita Falls ISD

Executive Committee Highlight on TASA Services:

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TASA’s Administrator’s Resource Center — Two Information-Packed Electronic Libraries

Arturo Guajardo, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, 1 Karen Rue, Tuloso-Midway ISD, 2 Tom R. Jones, Jr., Tidehaven ISD, 3 Rick Schneider, Pasadena ISD, 4

Book Review: Leadership & Sustainability— System Thinkers in Action

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Gail Krohn, Nederland ISD, 5 Steve R. Johnson, College Station ISD, 6 Dee W. Hartt, Tatum ISD, 7 Eddie Johnson, Harts Bluff ISD, 8 Randel R. Beaver, Archer City ISD, 9 H. John Fuller, Wylie ISD, 10 Vernon N. Newsom, Mansfield ISD, 11 George Evan Kazanas, China Spring ISD, 12 Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD, 13

TASA Headquarters Staff

Rick Howard, Comanche ISD, 14 Alan Richey, Bronte ISD, 15

Executive Director

Johnny L. Veselka

Robin D. Adkins, Perryton ISD, 16

Associate Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development

Judith de la Garza

Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD, 17

Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services

Paul Whitton, Jr.

Associate Executive Director, Governmental Relations

Amy T. Beneski

Assistant Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development

Betty Burks

Michael Downes, Big Spring ISD, 18 Paul L. Vranish, Tornillo ISD, 19 John Folks, Northside ISD, 20

At-Large Members Robert Duron, Socorro ISD Michael G. Killian, Lewisville ISD Thomas Earl Randle, Lamar CISD

Ann M. Halstead

Shelley Schmitz Sweatt, Burkburnett ISD

Pat Johnston

Editorial Advisory Committee

Design/Production

Emmy Starr

Michael Hinojosa, Spring ISD, chair

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems Director, Special Services

TASA General Counsel, Adams, Lynch, & Loftin—Bedford

Neal W. Adams

Alton J. Fields, Pleasanton ISD Jim Hawkins, Killeen ISD Daniel Paul King, Hidalgo ISD Linda G. Mora, Northside ISD Dawson R. Orr, Wichita Falls ISD

INSIGHT is published triannually (spring/summer, fall, and winter) by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2004 by TASA. All rights reserved. TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use. Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators. INSIGHT is printed by Thomas Graphics, Austin, Texas.

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Thomas Earl Randle, Lamar CISD Kip Sullivan, Sul Ross State University

Upcoming Events at TASA Excerpts from TASA’s Professional Development Calendar For more information about any of these workshops/trainings, please call TASA, 800-725-8272, or go online at www.TASAnet.org

Starting in

January 13th Annual First-time Superintendents’ Academy Four Academy Sessions led by Experienced Superintendents and Other Practitioners g Who Should Attend • First- and Second-Year Superintendents g • • • • • • • • •

What You Learn Effective superintendent practices School law Contract negotiations Facility planning School finance and budgeting Time management Technology leadership Instructional leadership Productive superintendent/ board relations

• Session Three: January 11–13, 2005 • Session Four: April 12–14, 2005

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Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy Three Academy Sessions led by Experienced Superintendents and Other Practitioners g Who Should Attend • Aspiring Superintendents g What You Learn • The public school superintendency: realworld roles, what superintendents do, typical career paths to the superintendency, and career satisfactions/opportunities • Superintendents “in the making” or “growing in place,” job experiences that cause growth, outside activities that stretch, and personal learning that counts • Preparation for the superintendent job search; the role of the consultant, the resume, and the interview; and what to expect once chosen as a finalist

Creating Concept-Based Interdisciplinary Units: Designing for Deep Understanding Two-Day Institute with H. Lynn Erickson g • • • • •

Who Should Attend Curriculum Directors Curriculum Development Teams Teacher Leaders Principals Superintendents

g What You Learn • Clear directions on how to design quality interdisciplinary, K–12 instructional units • A step-by-step model for unit design • How to write performance tasks that assess what students must know, understand, and be able to do

• February 14–15, 2005 • Session One: February 1, 2005 (During the TASA Midwinter Conference) • Session Two: April 6, 2005 (During the TASA Spring Conference for School Executives)

Mentoring the Reflective Principal: Collaborative Approaches to Impact Student Achievement

Improved Questioning: Gateway for Increased Achievement for ALL Students

Building Vertical Teams

Seminar Series with Carolyn Downey

Two-Day Institute with Jackie A. Walsh and Beth D. Sattes

g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • Assistant Superintendents • District-level Administrators • Professional Development Specialists • Principals

g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • District-level Curriculum and Instruction Administrators • Principals • Team—Principal Supervisor and 2 or 3 Principals

g What You Learn • Role of the supervisors and other district-level staff in mentoring principals—monthly supervisors’ school visitation • Feeder school principals’ joint academic goals and interventions • Approach to writing/reviewing school improvement plans • Supervisor/feeder school principals’ collaborative examination of classroom practices through observations, calibration, and aggregating the data • Team approach for working with low-performing schools • Listening to the voice of your principals

g Who Should Attend • Curriculum and Instruction Specialists • Staff Development Providers • Principals • Teacher Leadership Teams

g What You Learn • The connections between specific questioning behaviors and increases in student engagement and learning • A professional learning process designed to build campus-based leadership capacity, which supports classroom reculturing required for a more studentcentered approach to teaching and learning

Two-Day Training-of-Trainers Seminar with Betty Jo Monk

g What You Learn • Tools for building shared vision and an educational culture focused on enhancing student learning from a vertical perspective • How to build a foundation that assists vertical teams in reaching the "performing" state of development • Skills to assist the team in its growth

• Two days—Customized for district

Changing the Lens of Instructional Leaders with Walk-Throughs and FollowUp Conversations Two-Day Seminar with Palo Verde Associates’ Carolyn Downey g • • • •

Who Should Attend Superintendents District-level Administrators Principals Assistant Principals

g What You Learn • A powerful supervision strategy for observation, focused on determining the curriculum objective being taught and effective teaching practices • How to plan for and engage in highly successful feedback through the use of reflective questions

• Dates determined by host district

• February 24–25, 2005

• February 17–18, 2005

TASA Midwinter Conference January 31–February 2, 2005 Austin Convention Center 500 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX

It’s not too late to register! www.TASAnet.org

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Relentless Leadership PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE “Energizing leaders make this work possible.”

During the 79th Legislative Session, Texas school leaders will be asked to respond to far-reaching proposals to achieve higher levels of student performance as measured by the state accountability system and NCLB. We have already seen the recommendations outlined by the Governor’s Business Council, Texas Education Reform Caucus, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Texas Business and Education Coalition, suggesting various degrees of change in our current system of accountability and assessment. The proposals range from performance incentives to establishing new consequences for failing schools and increasing the number of charter schools to promote student and parent choice. Other recommendations suggest greater flexibility in the training and employment of professional educators, as well as new systems of financial accountability at the local level. Still others recommend that current standards are appropriate and should remain in place and stable at least until 2008.

In the midst of these myriad proposals for change, the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools remains vigilant in its focus on the adequacy, equity, and capacity of our school finance system.

Throughout the coming months, we must continue to emphasize the coherence and connectedness of these 11 organizations that represent school leaders in every district across the state.

During the coming months, TASA will engage the wisdom and expertise of Michael Fullan to help school leaders build capacity within their organizations in a period of rapid change.

Whatever the outcome of the 79th Session, we must take his message to heart and remain energetic, enthusiastic, and hopeful. As Fullan says, “Change requires extra energy and the motivation to work through the complex difficulties of reform. Energizing leaders make this work possible.” Fullan keynotes the 3rd General Session of the TASA Midwinter Conference, speaking to leading in a culture of change. At the TASA Spring Conference in April, Fullan follows up his Midwinter keynote address with an indepth learning session for school leaders, addressing the need for system reform in an environment of complex change.

As always, TASA members will play a pivotal role in the association’s efforts during the legislative session. Throughout the session, our active involvement and productive feedback are essential to the overall success of our 2005 legislative program. Each of us must stay abreast of current events and activities by keeping up with TASA Daily and Capitol Watch and by lending our full support to the association.

This is a complex and challenging time for public education. As leaders, we must be relentless in both seeking and implementing strategies and achieving higher levels of performance for our students and staff, while continuing to be responsive to the impending challenges that may be brought about in the coming legislative session.

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Challenge . . . Change . . . Opportunity EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW “. . . overviews of state and federal policies and requirements; practical, real-world solutions; and the very latest theories and strategies sweeping public education.”

The New Year promises to be one of challenge for Texas school administrators. The 79th Texas Legislature begins its work on January 11, and even the most optimistic among us sense that the days ahead will not be easy for our public schools. The uncertainty of the coming months and our need to be proactive in dealing with issues at the state level tend to focus attention on the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools and activities at the Capitol. For most of you, however, issues at the local level are of paramount concern.

Rapid change and rising pressure for accountability and compliance are forcing every district to reassess procedures and processes to meet new standards and requirements. Districts from the smallest to the largest are investing significant time and resources in these efforts. The sheer quantity of knowledge required to assess every change and react appropriately dictate that even the most ambitious and forward-thinking leadership teams cannot solve every issue within the confines of their own districts. Fortunately, while varying in resources, personnel, and student populations, all Texas school district have one thing in common—a network of cohorts eager to share with and learn from one another.

Bringing this network together and facilitating the exchange of ideas is the overriding purpose of TASA’s Midwinter Conference (January 31–February 2, Austin Convention Center). In an era of tight travel budgets and increasing scrutiny of professional development expenditures, the Midwinter Conference is a sure bet for every district. Nowhere else in Texas will you find a better opportunity for you and your staff to network with leadership teams from around the state, sharing ideas, concerns, and solutions to challenges districts have in common.

Our line-up of keynote speakers, distinguished lectures, and concurrent sessions is specifically designed to provide comprehensive overviews of state and federal policies and requirements; practical, real-world solutions; and the very latest theories and strategies sweeping public education. As always, TEA staff have been invited to bring you up to date on agency-related issues.

Your entire staff will be fully engaged in a positive learning environment throughout the three days of the conference. Even our exhibits are a professional experience! Education Expo 2005 features the state’s leading vendors of school products and services, while our new Showcase of School Architecture highlights the very best in school facilities.

We look forward to welcoming each of you to TASA’s Midwinter Conference and to your active involvement in TASA’s legislative efforts throughout the coming months.

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Advocacy, Coalitions, and Core Principles

by Dawson Orr

T

he 79th Legislative Session promises to be challenging. There is no question it will call for continued unity of purpose and unwavering resolve on the part of superintendents, school trustees, administrators, and all who advocate for Texas public schools. Our very cohesion—through the Coalition to

Invest in Texas Schools—has already had an impact at the Capitol and will continue to be our best source of

strength as we advocate for the schoolchildren of Texas. As school district leaders—each having a role to play in the ultimate success of the Coalition—we must understand and feel comfortable with the Coalition’s purpose and the principles that guide its work.

Advocacy—a

powerful word that helps define who we are and what we do. Advocacy begins with the recognition that a cause exists that needs support, defense, or intercession. As school leaders we have long accepted and embraced our responsibility to educate our local communities—communities of diverse stakeholders—regarding the needs of children. Our local advocacy takes many forms and uses a wide variety of forums. We interact with school trustees, teachers, parents, local business and community leaders, and taxpayers on a continual basis to advocate and educate regarding the policies, regulations, and resources needed to make our schools a productive, positive, and safe experience for children.

Historically, our ability to provide for the educational needs of our students required that superintendents and district-level administrators broaden their perspective on civic participation to include legislative advocacy. As districts identified common needs based on size, 12

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demographics, and economic circumstances, natural alliances formed. Strength in numbers has always been a part of advocacy efforts. Over time, associations have formed that provide important vehicles to educate legislators regarding specific laws, policies, rules, and funding mechanisms necessary for school districts and school personnel to meet the needs of the students they serve. These organizations have been highly effective, and are indispensable, to the districts they serve. And although districts have more in common than they have differences, legislative responses to district needs have created both the perception and reality that some districts win and some lose in the complex legalpolitical matrix that has evolved. Today, more than ever, there is a need for districts and communities to come together and speak from a unified position regarding the worthy and noble cause that we advocate.

And what better cause to advocate than a quality education for the 4.2 million school-age children being served in the public schools of Texas!

Coalitions—The

need for common advocacy has led to an unparalleled coalition of organizations working together for the common good of Texas schoolchildren.

TASA and TASB, as the two umbrella organizations representing virtually all school districts and children served by public education, have joined with other key associations to develop a framework to guide our advocacy efforts in school finance. The coalition is formally known as the Texas Educational Leadership Collaborative and is also known as the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools. In addition to TASA and TASB, the Coalition consists of the Equity Center, Fast Growth Coalition, South Texas Association of Schools, Texas Association of Community Schools, Texas Association of Mid-size Schools, Texas Association of Rural Schools, Texas Rural Education Association, Texas School Alliance, and Texas School Coalition.

Beginning in September 2003, these associations began the process of dialogue to define a set of core principles that would serve as a framework to guide the school finance legislative advocacy of the respective organizations. The journey was not easy, and much time and effort was necessary by all participants. Coalitions emerge from common needs but are sustained through common dialogue. During the 78th Legislative Regular and Special Sessions, Coalition members, staff, consultants, and superintendents met and communicated regularly to ensure mutual understanding and maintain a common position. The Coalition worked!

Core Principles—While

dialogue allowed the Coalition to present an effective, unified voice, the Core Principles on School Finance represent the social compact that binds the associations together. The complete statement of core principles can be found at the Coalition Web site (www.investintexasschools.org/).

Please review these Core Principles with their complete explanatory language. An abbreviated statement of the Core Principles follows: 1. Adequacy—The state school finance system must provide opportunities for all Texas students to achieve the highly educated status that will enable them to live successfully in our increasingly global and digital world.

2. Equity—The state school finance system must provide a system of equity that includes at least 90 percent of the students within the equalized system and narrows the gap in funding immediately and further reduces it over time.

3. Capacity—The state school finance system must increase the state share by creating stable revenue structures that will enable the state/local partnership to meet the adequacy and equity principles.

4. Local Enrichment—The state school finance system must ensure that enrichment meets the equity principle, provides meaningful discretion, and respects the right of local school communities to allocate resources.

5. Facilities—The state school finance system must provide state support for facilities within the context of equity and local control.

6. Vouchers—The Coalition opposes the use of public funds for voucher and voucher-related programs.

What is the significance of these Core Principles? Very simply, they are statements of core principles that will be used as “a framework for evaluating legislative proposals related to school finance. All organizations that comprise the Texas Leadership Collaborative will not support a school finance bill or combination of bills that fails to incorporate all of these principles.”

In closing, as we prepare for a historically significant legislative session with an uncertain outcome, it is important to remember that as school leaders we are the key advocates for the educational needs of Texas’ schoolchildren. If superintendents do not advocate and influence the decisions that directly affect our students, our districts, and our communities, who will? Our legislative advocacy becomes more effective when we work and communicate collaboratively through a set of meaningful core principles. The Coalition emerged from intentional acts on the part of school superintendents and school trustees to speak with a common voice on the critical issues related to school finance and resource allocation. Please use the Coalition Web site as a primary resource during this legislative session. The TASA staff and Legislative Committee will represent you to the best of their ability. Thank you for the work that you will do in the upcoming months.

Dawson Orr is TASA Legislative Committee chair and superintendent at Wichita Falls ISD.

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Leadership Across the System

by Michael Fullan

Two ideas have converged in our recent work on education reform at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto: (1) the need for system reform, which I call the tri-level solution—what has to happen at the school/community level, the district level, and the system or policy level—and (2) leadership as the key driver (Fullan, 2005).

System Reform The question for system reform is what is needed to bring about trilevel development; i.e., what new capacities are needed at the school/community, district, and system or policy levels (including state and federal). Not only must each level develop new capacities in its own right, but also the levels must interact in new mutually reinforcing ways.

We know a fair amount about the first two levels (school/community and district levels), and we are beginning to see some recent good examples at the third level (system or policy levels). At the school/community level, Newmann et al. provide a good summary of most of the key factors. They found that school capacity was the key to success. They defined capacity as the collective power of the full staff to work together to improve student achievement. Five factors were identified: •

Knowledge, skills, and dispositions of individuals

•

Professional community (the quality of relationships among teachers and between teachers and the principal)

•

Program coherence

•

Technical resources

•

School principal

Schools with these five characteristics were effective at developing school staff as a collective force to improve achievement. Newmann 14

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et al. did not focus on parent and community involvement, but other research confirms that effective schools have a strong two-way rapport with the community (Bryk and Schneider, 2002). As teachers develop their collective competence and confidence, they begin to see parents as part of the solution rather than as part of the problem. Without internal school development, teachers tend to play it safe with parents. Keeping parents at a distance in turn widens the gap between the school and the community.

School/Community and District As we move up the levels in reform, the main point is that the infrastructure matters. Newmann et al. hypothesized that “policies and programs” external to the school would contribute to school capacity. In other words, districts and states could—by policy and design—produce greater school capacity, at least in theory.

However, Newmann and his colleagues found no evidence that school capacity was actually caused by district/state strategies. If the district/state did not cause school capacity, where did it come from?

One can only speculate. My own explanation is that it is a matter of “luck” or “serendipity.” For example, a great principal is appointed, certain teachers gravitate to the principal and to each other, the chemistry is great, and the group gels. If such a combination is a matter of luck, there are two implications: first, it will occur only in a minority of cases; and second, it will not last beyond the tenure of the initial group. Thus, without the proactive involvement of the district, school capacity will always be in the minority and will be ephemeral.

Because school capacity remains in the minority, the work of the Institute and others began with whole districts where the goal was to move forward all—or the vast majority of—schools in the district. We have worked with more than a dozen districts to “raise the bar and close the gap” of student achievement—for example, in literacy and numeracy. The lessons from this work, and that of others, are summarized in Fullan, Bertani, and Quinn (2004).

The lessons we identified are: • Leaders with a coherent driving conceptualization •

Collective moral purpose

•

The right bus

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Leadership and capacity building for those on the bus

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Lateral capacity building

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Deep learning

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Productive conflict

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Demanding cultures

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External partners

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Growing financial investment

Thus, when district leadership understands the change process and corresponding capacity building, they appreciate what needs to be done. They in turn foster collective moral purpose, organize the structure and roles most effectively (the right bus), provide ongoing leadership development for those in key roles, and formulate strategies where schools learn from each other (lateral capacity building).

They pursue deeper learning agendas, appreciate that conflict is part and parcel of moving forward, raise expectations of all to achieve more, and seek external partners and resources that enable them to go even further.

When district leaders understand and use the knowledge base represented by these 10 lessons, we see districtwide success. It is critical, then, that the first two levels of tri-level reform—school/community and district—feed on each other in mutually reinforcing ways.

State-Level Engagement The third level—state policy—is the most difficult to develop because of the political complexity. There is a natural political tendency to focus on accountability rather than to integrate accountability and capacity building. Top leaders—governors, state superintendents, and other senior policymakers—must begin to focus their efforts in different ways. In particular, they need to take seriously capacity building.

This entails thinking differently, developing policies and strategies that focus on leadership development, and allocating corresponding resources to these activities.

We have a small and growing number of examples of state-level engagement. England was the first. In 1997, the Blair government, when first elected, designed an integrated strategy that combined “pressure and support” to focus on literacy and numeracy. There was a strong accountability emphasis, but at the same time there was a major orchestrated strategy to increase the capacity of teachers and school principals to work together to achieve new levels of student attainment. The outcome was impressive, although it raised additional questions with respect to going deeper.

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On the impressive side, large gains were achieved. Using 11-yearolds as the marker, 62 percent were at proficiency levels in literacy in 1997; for numeracy, the figure was 61 percent. By 2002, the scores had reached 75 percent for literacy and 73 percent for numeracy. This represents a remarkable accomplishment, because the whole system moved forward, representing some 20,000 schools. All this within one election period—less than four years!

Leadership

Tbe problem was that the gains leveled off or plateaued by 2001.

The scores in 2001, 2002, and 2003 were identical. The initial highly centrally driven but very supportive strategy was effective— but only to a point. To go beyond the plateau requires a deeper strategy in order to gain the “hearts and minds” of teachers and principals. This is not straightforward, because the additional gains must be real and achieved on a large scale in the system as a whole.

Culture of Change In Leading in a Culture of Change (Fullan, 2001), I examined an equal number of successful cases in business and education, and asked the question, Does leadership across these two sectors have anything in common when it comes to success? The answer is a strong “yes.” The reason is that all successful organizations in complex times are “learning organizations” and, as such, have certain core attributes in common, especially when it comes to leadership.

The leadership in my study had five central characteristics: a strong sense of moral purpose, an understanding of the change process, well-developed relationship skills (emotional intelligence), a capacity to facilitate knowledge sharing, and an ability to help the group achieve coherence and connectedness. These leaders also had a high degree of energy, enthusiasm, and hope. They were energetic, but, more than that, energizing. In fact, the single most important characteristic of effective leaders is that they create energizing environments.

The plateau problem notwithstanding, large systems are now becoming self-consciously engaged in accomplishing large-scale reform. England, as we have seen, has been significantly successful.

More recently, Ontario, Canada; South Australia; and Washington State are all explicitly focusing on tri-level reform strategies in which the goal is to develop each level and their inter-relationships.

In summary, we need more examples where entire systems are actively engaged in tri-level reform—where the criterion of success is large-scale engagement and development of all three levels, with the outcome being continuous improvement through raising the bar and closing the gap of student performance. We have a strong start with a few good examples, but they are very much in the minority. The next phase of reform requires all three levels to co-develop in concert. Otherwise, we will not get large-scale—let alone sustainable—reform.

Leadership is to this decade what standards were to the 1990s, if you want large-scale, sustainable reform. You can get some improvement by tightening standards, but only to a point, as we have seen in England. In order to get deeper change, you have to capture the energy, ideas, and commitment of teachers and principals. It takes leadership—a certain kind of leadership—to do this.

Change requires extra energy and the motivation to work through the complex difficulties of reform. Energizing leaders make this work possible. It is not hard work that tires people out, but rather negative work. Hard work that yields positive results relative to a highly important goal can be energizing, and this is the kind of environment that effective leaders cultivate.

Good to Great Another confirmatory leadership study is Jim Collins’ Good to Great.

Collins and his colleagues conducted research on 1,435 Fortune 500 companies. All the companies by definition were good, but a smaller number were especially good or great as measured by 15 years of sustained economic growth. Collins’ book is about comparing leadership in the two sets of companies. Several major differences stood out.

Collins first makes the distinction between “effective leaders” who can catalyze commitment to vision and standards, and “executive leaders” who can build enduring greatness. To take an educational illustration, the main mark of principals at the end of their tenure at a school is not just the impact on the bottom line of student achievement but equally how many good leaders they leave behind who can go even further.

Second, Collins found that leaders focus early on the “who” as much as the “what.” He uses the metaphor, “How do you get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”

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Third, great organizations “confront the brutal facts”; i.e., they help the organization constantly focus on data and related evidence of how well they are doing, and use these data to inform action aimed at improvement. In education, “assessment for learning”—using student data for continuous improvement—is a similar phenomenon.

Fourth, when the first three forces combine they create a kind of “hedgehog effect” where the organization has great focus and pursuit of core goals.

Fifth, great organizations have a “culture of discipline.” In education, professional learning communities are not just congenial but rather are demanding cultures. They engage in purposeful, disciplined inquiry in order to achieve extraordinary results. There is a great deal of support in these communities, but there are also high mutual expectations.

Finally, Collins found that great organizations do not depend on technology as a major driver but use technology in more integrated ways to accelerate progress.

In summary, the focus on leadership as a turnkey to sustainability is crucial. Great leaders help produce other leaders who can carry on and go even further. With such leaders, turnover is less of a problem. It is not turnover per se that is the problem but rather discontinuity of good direction. In collaborative cultures, turnover is used to the advantage to sustain and deepen reform.

Conclusion Sustaining education reform is a complex endeavor. It has all the attributes of Heifetz and Linsky’s (2002) “adaptive challenges.”

Technical problems, say Heifetz and Linsky, are ones for which current knowledge is sufficient. Adaptive challenges, on the other hand, are more complex and go beyond what we know. Heifetz and Linsky identify several properties of adaptive challenges.

•

The challenge consists of a gap between aspiration and reality demanding a response outside our current repertoire.

•

Adaptive work to narrow the gap requires difficult learning.

•

The people with the problem are the problem and the solution.

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Adaptive work generates disequilibrium and avoidance.

•

Adaptive work takes time.

In other words, the tri-level reform agenda involves adaptive work. Leadership in numbers of the quality described in this article is essential to tackle the challenges of sustainable reform. The

challenge will be enormous, but the focus of the work is increasingly clear. We need not a few good leaders but leadership that in turn develops team-based leadership in others. The chances of making major differences in the lives of students have never been greater.

Michael Fullan is a recognized international authority on educational reform. He is the former dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and has been recently appointed as special adviser to the premier and minister of education in Ontario, Canada.

REFERENCES Bryk, A. & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in Schools. New York: Russell Sage.

Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. New York: Harper Collins.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey–Bass.

Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and Sustainability. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Fullan, M., Bertani, A., and Quinn, J. (2004). New lessons for districtwide reform. Education Leadership.V. 61. No.7, pp. 42–46.

Heifetz, R., and Linsky, M. (2002) Leadership on the Line. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

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Photo © Getty Images, Inc.

Leading Assessment for Learning: Using Classroom Assessment in School Improvement

by Stephen Chappuis o school leaders make a difference in student learn-

D

ing? Although the topic is of perennial interest to those in leadership positions, the attention given

to leaders’ competence and positive impact on student achievement seems to be somewhat more cyclical when it comes to publications on the topic. Considering the current number of Web sites, books, articles, and conferences devoted to the subject of school leadership, we appear to be in a new cycle of examination and study, looking at the topic with multiple lenses from a variety of angles. We may not yet be at the apex; Fullan (2004) predicts that leadership will be to this decade what standards-based reform was to the last.

This most recent examination provides new understandings about the nature of leadership, and is in part influenced by thinking outside of education. Previous contributions from business management (Peters and Waterman, 1982; Covey, 1989 and 1990; Senge, 1990) and from human psychology/motivation (Blanchard and Johnson, 1981) are joined by current thinking and insight (Collins, 2003; Goleman, 2003; and Gladwell, 2000). Former and current thinking share a common foundation in that they all describe principles and values by which leaders can live and work, making it more complex than simply following a checklist of behaviors or practices applied in isolation of a set of core beliefs.

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What is dissimilar, however, is the state of public education itself.

Today’s standards-based environment is very different from when the focus was effective-schools research, and when instructional leadership and teacher supervision were the popular topics in principal training programs. Today, with school improvement taking on more urgency due to accountability legislation and the need to raise test scores, improving leadership knowledge and skill is being leveraged as one more strategy directly aimed at raising student achievement. And because not all school leaders are coming to the position as fully prepared as school systems want and need them to be, there is also a focus on the establishment of professional development programs to help existing and potential leaders better meet the fast-changing requirements of the job.

Cyclical attention notwithstanding, the positive influence that effective school leaders can have on learning continues to be supported in research. As a result, it is natural that scholars and practitioners alike would try to translate research into practice by describing what effective leadership looks like and sounds like.

Barth (1990) wrote “show me a good school and I’ll show you a good principal.” However, nailing down what defines “good,” especially as it relates to instructional leadership, has proved to be somewhat elusive (Waters, Marzano, and McNulty, 2003). Nevertheless, frameworks, reports, and checklists for what leaders should know and be able to do still assist in improving practice (see Sergiovanni, 2001; Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). And Waters et al. present 21 variables strongly associated with positive student outcomes, providing

research-based evidence correlating specific leadership behaviors with higher student achievement. From state departments, corporate foundations, association-sponsored leadership academies, to university centers for improving leadership, there seems to be no shortage of guidance for school leaders.

4. The leader knows and can evaluate the teacher’s classroom assessment competencies and helps teachers learn to assess accurately and use the results productively.

5. The leader can plan, present, and/or secure professional development activities that contribute to the use of sound assessment practices.

The framework for leaders that follows (Chappuis, Stiggins, Arter, and Chappuis, 2004), is specific to assessment for learning.

6. The leader accurately analyzes student assessment information, What distinguishes this framework from others and makes it a set uses the information to improve curriculum and instruction, of knowledge and skills that leaders should attend to it? There and assists teachers in doing the same. are two characteristics. First, standards-driven reform has created new knowledge requirements and responsibilities for school 7. The leader can develop and implement sound assessment and leaders. In today’s systems the bell curve is being replaced by the assessment-related policies. goal of all students learning well. Instead of a teacher-centered curriculum, learning standards are public, and each child attaining 8. The leader creates the conditions necessary for the appropriate those standards is what counts. Assessing the standards—not just use and reporting of student achievement information, and can through large-scale accountability tests or even local short-cycle or communicate effectively with all members of the school comcommon assessments, but day to day in the classroom, where stanmunity about student assessment results and their relationship dards, instruction, and assessment are all pages in the same book— to improving curriculum and instruction. is a requirement for effective standards-based reform. Without specific leadership knowledge linked to intentional action to ensure assessment quality and effective use, how is it that we can expect success?

“Waters helps us organize leadership into four categories of

knowledge: knowing why something is important, knowing The second characteristic of this framework and why it is compelling for standards-based schools is the reward what we need to do, knowing how to do it, and knowing when in improved student learning brought about by the use we do it.” of classroom assessment for learning. Described by Fullan (2004) as “a high-yield strategy,” the research 9. The leader understands the attributes of a sound and balanced reported on the topic helps explain why leadership knowledge and assessment system. skill (see below) specific to it would be beneficial. The gains available in student learning when classroom assessment is improved are 10. The leader understands the issues related to the unethical and considerable, some of the largest ever reported, and the learning inappropriate use of student assessment and protects students effects are of “particular advantage to low attaining students” and staff from such misuse.

(Black and Wiliam, 1998). Because of that, assessment for learning has implications not just for school leaders but also for broadThis set of 10 competencies is rooted in a set of strong beliefs about er public policy: the research is conclusive, and improved learning the role assessment can play in student motivation and learning, lies within the grasp of anyone wishing to apply it. beliefs that ultimately act as a foundation for practice (Stiggins, 2004). As such, it isn’t about the leader checking off what action Leadership Knowledge and Skill was taken during the course of the day. It is more about seeing and 1. The leader understands the standards of quality for student taking advantage of the opportunities to improve student learning assessments and how to verify their use in their school/district using classroom assessment as the catalyst. Elmore (2004) has statassessments. ed that “knowing the right thing to do is the central problem of school improvement.” Waters helps us organize leadership into 2. The leader understands the principles of assessment for learnfour categories of knowledge: knowing why something is imporing and works with staff to integrate them into classroom tant, knowing what we need to do, knowing how to do it, and instruction. (see Chappuis, Stiggins, Arter, and Chappuis, knowing when we do it. The 10 competencies can be summarized 2004). and viewed using those categories, providing additional clarity about how we might demonstrate competence.

3. The leader understands the necessity of clear academic achievement targets, aligned classroom-level achievement targets, and Knowing What to Teach and How to Assess their relationship to the development of accurate assessments.

As school leaders, we don’t all need to have “that vision thing.” But all of us do need to be able to work with others to set and achieve WINTER 2004

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“A fuzzy target is hard to hit: if the curriculum corner of the room is messy; by default, the assessment corner will be equally sloppy.” clear goals: clear goals for the school and staff, and most importantly, clear learning targets for students. In many schools, state standards still remain unclear or require further definition, and teachers have not been given the opportunity to learn and plan together to teach, much less assess, the standards (Schmoker, 2002). And because textbooks still substitute all too often as the written curriculum, a lack of clarity can exist in classroom curriculum. When this is the case, students can be unclear about the learning expectations held for them, and the desired congruence among the written, tested, taught, and learned curricula goes searching. Competencies 1 and 3 are based on the belief that being crystal clear about the learning targets we hold for students is the foundation of quality assessment. A fuzzy target is hard to hit: if the curriculum corner of the room is messy; by default, the assessment corner will be equally sloppy.

Ensuring that teachers get the time and support they need to work together to translate standards, benchmarks, frameworks, and grade-level curriculum into clear, teachable, and assessable learning targets is a leader’s responsibility. Where more than just time is needed to make sense of the standards in terms of day-to-day instruction, leaders can turn to structured processes that help teachers further specify grade-to-grade content and commit to time-bound plans for what is to be taught when, for how long, and at what grade level. Curriculum mapping (Jacobs, 1997) and the process of vertical teaming from the College Board are strategies that provide such structure and direction, and build teacher ownership of the written curriculum in the process.

Once they are clear for the adults in the system, translating the intended learning targets into student-friendly language gives an even clearer picture of our expectations. And when targets are clear to teachers and students, teachers can then use standards of assessment quality to turn the targets into reliable assessments. But what about assessment items that teachers select instead of designing themselves? How are teachers to know if items taken from an off-the-shelf test item bank, from the back of the textbook, or pulled from one of the countless places on the Internet are accurate and of high quality and that they align with and assess the targets of instruction? We address leadership responsibilities in this framework and show staff we care about assessment quality when we structure discussions of assessment accuracy and quality, and provide the professional training teachers need to establish clear targets and apply standards of quality to all assessments.

Some state tests assess only standards that are easily measured, with important content standards eliminated from the test as a result (CISA, 2001). Narrowing the curriculum to teach only to those items covered on the test undermines a balanced curriculum, as valuable learning goes untaught simply because it is untested at the 20

INSIGHT

state level (Chappuis and Chappuis, 2002). The best test preparation comes with a high-quality curriculum and good teaching. If other test preparation practices are in place, Competency 10 helps leaders make sure those strategies are ethical.

How We Use Assessment as Instruction and Involve Students in the Process Assessment begins to look like instruction when we deeply involve students in the process. The principles of assessment for learning (Chappuis, Stiggins, Arter, and Chappuis, 2003) that are part of Competency 2 help make testing look more like teaching. Some examples of what teachers do when applying those principles and involving students in the assessment process include: •

Keep students connected to a vision of quality as the learning unfolds, continually defining for students the learning expectations.

•

Use daily strategies in the classroom that require students to think about their own progress, communicate their own understanding of what they have learned, and set goals to close the gap between where they are now relative to the intended learning and where they need to be in order to meet standards.

•

Provide students descriptive feedback linked directly to the intended learning, giving them insight about current strengths and on how to do better next time, rather than evaluative feedback consisting only of marks and letter grades.

•

Engage students in activities that teach the skills of self-assessment, helping them collect evidence of their own progress.

•

Gather accurate information about student achievement on a regular basis in the classroom using high-quality, accurate assessments for learning (Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, and Chappuis, 2004).

How We Monitor Our Practices Schmoker (2002) refers to the “anything goes” environment of teacher supervision, citing a truce that has been called between teacher and supervisor. And Reeves (2003) points to the lack of criteria guiding administrator evaluation. Even when criteria are present, assessment knowledge and skill needed to evaluate in a meaningful way are frequently missing. This condition, coupled with the fact that assessment competence is a requirement for only a fraction of university pre-service programs, results in indicators of assessment competence not being expected or included in evaluation processes for accountability purposes.

Bolton (1973) advocated that we link three key functions in a school system, calling for one office that coordinated staff selection, staff evaluation, and professional development. We can use the

teacher selection and interview process to help ascertain what applicants know and don’t know about quality classroom assessment. We can then design the professional development program to provide what support is needed, and finally, connect what it is that we want teachers to know and do around quality assessment directly with the teacher evaluation system.

All of this begs the bigger question: should teachers be held accountable for assessment competence through the evaluation function? This may not be possible where teacher supervision and evaluation have become less reliant upon direct observation and summative processes, and are more formative and personal/professional goal-oriented in structure. Indicators of assessment competence are often absent in more traditional summative evaluation models that rely upon formal classroom observation using predetermined criteria.

If we believe that a practice is worth knowing and doing properly in the classroom, especially one that can either harm or help students, some form of monitoring will be required to ensure its implementation.

Principals need to know whether or not teachers can describe: •

The purpose of each assessment given

•

Who will use the results

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How the results will be reported

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When to use each assessment method (selected response, essay, performance assessment, personal observation) and how to do so correctly

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The criteria for evaluating student work, and clearly communicate this to students in ways they understand

•

How, when, and why they provide descriptive feedback

•

How students are actively involved in their own assessment

Seeing evidence of these and other indicators tells a principal that high-quality assessment is a priority in the classroom, and that the teacher is taking advantage of assessment for learning to improve student learning. And when the principal

holds regular discussions with teachers about these issues and is capable of providing meaningful feedback to teachers, regardless of the evaluation model in place, conversations in the school begin to center on the importance of using assessment in ways that matter beyond final report card grades and test data analysis.

How We Communicate about Student Learning As leaders, we are responsible for creating the conditions necessary to support accurate and meaningful communication of assessment results. That can look like working with parents to further their understanding about what state and district tests measure and don’t measure, what the results show and don’t show, and how students are progressing toward standards as opposed to faring against each other.

One condition the school leader must tend to, if we are to provide as accurate a picture of student learning as possible, is to ensure that report card grades communicate what they should. Report card grades are a communication tool. As such, we can take steps to make sure they communicate only about student achievement, and that they reflect the current level of achievement for each student. Even better, we can transition from traditional report card grades to reporting student progress based upon the standards each student is expected to attain at a particular grade level or subject–area course.

Closing The standardized assessments of learning that are part of NCLB or a district’s overall assessment plan can generate information that can be used to guide programmatic decisions and direct the school improvement process. We all need to know how to collect and make sense of the data, and then drive decisions for students based on our analysis. Short cycle or common assessments that are of high quality can help monitor more frequently student progress toward the standards. But the risk exists that we will come to believe that generating even more data and more marks for the grade book—that is, more

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Photo © Getty Images, Inc.

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. New York: Harper Collins.

Commission on Instructionally Supportive Assessment. (2001).

Building tests to support instruction and accountability. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators.

Covey, S. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Elmore, R. (2004). Knowing the right thing to do: school improvement and performance-based accountability. NGA Center for Best Practices: Washington, DC. standardized assessments of learning—is the same thing as classroom assessment for learning.

It’s rewarding when test scores go up; sustaining that improvement over time is what we all are now called upon to do. What if we became as focused on teaching students how to monitor, adjust, and improve their own learning using the classroom assessment process as we are about helping teachers use data to improve their own performance? The daily assessments for learning used by teachers that mirror good instruction and allow students to risk learning without being constantly graded, in balance with assessment of learning, can help schools meet the information needs of all assessment users. We can use classroom assessment for highstakes success, and watch all students celebrate the progress that they helped manage.

Stephen Chappuis is director of operations at the Assessment Training Institute in Portland, Oregon, where he works with educators to help establish balanced and effective local assessment systems.

REFERENCES Barth, R. (1990). Improving schools from within: Teachers, parents and principals can make a difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Black, P., and Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2): 139–148.

Blanchard, K. and Johnson, S. (1982). The one-minute manager.

New York: Morrow.

Bolton, D. (1973). Selection and evaluation of teachers. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.

Chappuis, J., and Chappuis, S. (2002). Understanding school assessment: A parent and community guide to helping students learn.

Portland, OR: Assessment Training Institute.

Chappuis, S., Stiggins, R., Arter, J. and Chappuis, J. (2003).

Assessment for learning: An action guide for school leaders. Portland, OR: Assessment Training Institute.

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Fullan, M. (2004). Leadership and sustainability. A presentation given at the Assessment Training Institute: Portland, OR. Gladwell, M. (2000). The tipping point. Boston: Little Brown & Co. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., and McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School.

Hargreaves, A., and Fink, D. (2004). The seven principles of sustainable leadership. Educational Leadership. 61(7). Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Jacobs, H. H. (1997). Mapping the big picture: Integrating curriculum and assessment K-12. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Peters, T., and Waterman, R. (1982). In search of excellence: Lessons from America’s best run companies. New York: Harper and Row. Reeves, D. (2003). Daily disciplines of leadership. A presentation made for the Idaho Department of Education: Nampa, ID. Schmoker, M. (2002). The real causes of higher student achievement.

SEDLetter, 14(2). http://sedl.org/pubs/sedletter/v14n02/1.html Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline. New York: Doubleday.

Sergiovanni, T. (2001). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Stiggins, R. (2004). New assessment beliefs for a new school mission. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1): 22-27.

Stiggins, R., Arter, J., Chappuis, J. and Chappuis, S. (2004).

Classroom assessment for student learning: Doing it right—using it well. Portland, OR: Assessment Training Institute.

Waters, J., Marzano, R., and McNulty, B. (2003). Balanced leadership: What 30 years of research tells us about the effect of leadership on student achievement. Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory: Aurora, Colorado.

Photo © PhotoDisc

Strategies to Meet the Challenge of the Age of Accountability

by Sandra Harris Many of us remember singing in the early 1970s about “the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Today’s educators may hum the same tune, but the words have changed. Now we’re singing about the dawning of the Age of Accountability. Today in education so many important decisions about students, teachers, administrators, and schools are based on results of mandated standardized testing that there is no doubt that we are in an age of accountability dominated by assessment.

S

tate-mandated testing and the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have continued to raise the bar of education and, at the same time, increase the tensions of testing. The NCLB, approved in 2002, has mandated a large-scale system for state educational standards and testing accountability that extends from the student to subgroups of children; to the school, the district, and the state. It requires schools to show “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) in test scores among the general population as well as in disaggregated subgroups based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and disability. Many educators feel that the NCLB standards are impossibly high, especially for schools that serve a large population of special education students or English-language learning students.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 1 percent of students can be exempt from testing because they are in special education. All other students must test on grade level or be counted as

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failures, despite disabilities. Furthermore, some state rankings can contradict the NCLB federal rankings because the two accountability systems apply test results differently.

In addition to the federally mandated NCLB, within the past 20 years, all of the 50 states have adopted initiatives to raise academic standards and have actually adopted some form of mandated state assessment that students must pass in order to be promoted to the next grade. Nearly half of the states have mandated assessments that must be passed for a student to graduate from high school. Schools in the United States are identified by state, and range from low performing to exemplary based on their test data. Gaining or losing necessary funds is tied to this same data. The accountability movement has not stopped at K–12 schools but has also extended into teacher and administrator preparation programs in colleges and universities.

“Show me a school where instructional leaders constantly examine the school’s culture and work to transform it into one hospitable to sustained human learning, and I’ll show you students who do just fine on those standardized tests.”

Many states, such as Texas, have established large databases (Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System—AEIS, for example) that are published annually and are easily accessible to the public. The availability of this type of data has been valuable in assisting educators in data-based decision making. While most educators agree that setting a high standard for student academic achievement is certainly appropriate, there is concern that making major decisions about students and schools based on one form of standardized testing data is not appropriate. Others point out the possibility of teachers teaching to the test to ensure that students will pass the test, and omitting other important educational goals. Generally, when high-stakes tests are administered, exam content tends to define curriculum, and previous test content is emphasized to prepare students for the new test.

Thus, many educators feel that there should be a variety of assessments considered when making these high-stakes decisions about students and schools. For example, multiple assessments that include the triangulation of standardized test information, portfolios, other student artifacts, and teacher input have been suggested as ways to enhance the accountability system and make data-based decisions more accurate. However, at this point, mandated multiple-choice testing procedures are generally the source for which most major education accountability systems are based.

When accountability is based on such a limited view of assessment, students’ successful performance on state tests can become the schools’ ultimate goal, and test performance can become a surrogate for educational quality. Therefore, school administrators who are genuinely concerned about student achievement recognize that their responsibility is far greater to students than that of just helping 26

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them score well on a test. Often, these leaders feel, and educational research seems to agree, that working toward building a larger culture of success at the school will also increase achievement scores.

Roland Barth (2001) emphasized this in his book Learning by Heart by saying, “Show me a school where instructional leaders constantly examine the school’s culture and work to transform it into one hospitable to sustained human learning, and I’ll show you students who do just fine on those standardized tests” (p. 12).

The Age of Accountability is here. And it is here to stay. Despite the perceived shortcomings of today’s accountability movement, and while educators work toward an assessment policy that is a more fair and appropriate way to ensure accountability, students must be educated. What can superintendents, principals, and university professors do to help students achieve academically within this high-stakes environment as it is today? The following are strategies to consider.

What Can Superintendents Do? As the demands for accountability are heightened, superintendents are faced more and more with the charge to improve student achievement. One of the suggested ways to do this is to consider using locally developed performance-based assessments that can provide much-needed flexibility to the high-stakes statemandated multiple-choice tests. Certainly, all local assessments should connect to state and local content standards in order to provide information needed at the local level that will better identify instructional strengths and weaknesses.

Richard Rothstein, a research associate with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., recommends using local assessment data for a composite school performance index (Schroeder & Pryor, 2001) that includes standard competencies in core academic areas.

He also suggests the importance of superintendents leading their school districts to adopt methods of evaluating teacher quality, parental involvement, school facilities, class size, and school safety issues to determine school accountability issues that cannot be identified through high-stakes testing. Because it is the superintendent who is responsible for ethical and legal implementation of district goals, it is the superintendent’s responsibility to lead in the challenge to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn. This goal should guide the improvement agenda in the district, and all district and campus plan objectives should originate with this identified focus. Ongoing data analysis is a critical element in this process and provides the important first step in the improvement of academic achievement skills. Facilitating curriculum alignment to ensure that all students are prepared for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) is also a necessity. Other suggestions for supporting student learning and improving student achievement on standardized tests include: •

Intervene early to meet student needs

•

Control class size

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Support student attendance

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Ensure quality instruction

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Maintain high expectations of students and faculty

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Collaborate with community health and safety officials

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Meet needs of at-risk students

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Involve the local community

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Assess achievement in many ways

•

Align curriculum, instruction, and assessments

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Provide feedback

•

Encourage teamwork

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Commit to obtaining resources

•

Uphold a high standard of accountability for all

Educational research is clear that the focus for bringing about positive school reform, which includes improving student achievement, must emphasize direct influences, such as classroom management, student study skills and work habits, and instruction and motivation.

While what happens in the classroom has a great effect on student academic achievement, the school culture itself is also important in reinforcing teaching and learning.

Strategies for principals who are instructional leaders to implement on their campuses include:

While these strategies should increase test scores, they are also important to the even larger challenge which is to implement, nurture, and sustain a culture of success for all students.

Photo © Getty Images, Inc.

•

Identify faculty who need training

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Identify grade levels that have low passing scores on standardized tests

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Interview faculty formally and informally to identify other needs on the campus

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Set objectives that transmit information

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Identify objectives that work toward changing attitudes of students, as well as campus personnel

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Develop technical skills to lead instruction

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Develop conceptual skills to improve decision making

•

Develop human relation skills to increase leadership capacity

What Can University Preparation Programs Do?

What Can Principals Do? The role of the principal, while different from that of the superintendent, is increasingly determined by the emphasis on high-stakes testing assessment. In fact, when listing difficult elements of this position, it is only in the past 10 to 15 years that high-stakes testing has become an identified complex force on that list.

A critical role of the principal is that of instructional leader. In this capacity, principals are charged with supporting high standards with instructional practices that provide optimal achievement for students. Like superintendents, principals acknowledge that their role extends beyond testing to establish a larger climate for success. In order to do this, principals and other school administrators must work together to provide a school culture where change is linked with best practices. This means that principals must find time to spend in classrooms, supervise teachers, and participate in ongoing dialogue with teachers about teaching and learning. Clearly, today’s principal does far more than “supervise” teachers. Instead, effective principals are reflective practitioners who collegially act as coaches in leading professional development. Additionally, they engage in critical inquiry and study or research groups on their campuses.

The challenge to improve schools through standardized accountability and assessment systems has reached the university level also.

The emphasis for educational reform that began in the early 1980s started with K–12 schools, but it soon spread to the recognition of a need to improve leadership programs in higher education.

Generally, the criticism of education leadership programs centered around three concerns: leadership preparation programs were too theoretical, lacked collaboration with school districts, and were not adequately preparing leaders for the complex job of reforming schools. This led to creating standards by professional standards boards, such as the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC).

Some states have chosen to create their own standards for educators.

For example, the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has adopted 9 competencies for principals and 10 competencies for superintendents. Each of the competencies has descriptors that are described in terms of actual leadership practice in the field.

For example, Competency 004 for principals is: The principal knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula and strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, resources, and assessment; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.

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An example of a campus-based descriptor for this competency is: The principal knows how to facilitate the use of appropriate assessments to measure student learning and ensure educational accountability.

Texas has also introduced high-stakes testing to the certification of educators by mandating that teachers, principals, and superintendents pass a standardized multiple-choice exam called the TexES, based on these competencies.

“Texas was one of only two states that scored ‘substantial progress’ in incorporating school-based experiences …”

A 2004 publication by the Southern Regional Education Board, Progress being made in getting a quality leader in every school, is based on the premise that improved student performance begins with an effective school principal. This report documents the progress that 16 southern states (including Texas) are making toward improving leadership performance—using a scale of 1, meaning no progress, to 5, meaning substantial progress. Texas was one of only two states that scored “substantial progress” in incorporating schoolbased experiences in leading school improvement into preparation programs. Additionally, Texas was noted with “promising progress” in redesigning leadership programs around school curriculum and instruction. Clearly, Texas universities and leadership preparation programs are striving toward creating programs that will help administrators meet the challenge of increased accountability and assessment measures.

The Texas Professors of Educational Administration (TPEA) recently began collecting data about the 40 university educational leadership preparation programs for principals. At this point, 24 of the 40 programs have responded. Twenty-one of these programs require an internship in their principal degree program, as well as in their certification-only program (for individuals who already hold a master’s degree). Twelve of the universities responding to the study indicated that supports have been built into their programs, such as better curriculum alignment, capstone classes, smaller classes, seminar courses, and review sessions to encourage better achievement on the state-mandated tests, and also to ensure that graduating principals are being taught skills that align with the mandated Texas competencies. Another question asked what concept areas were included in at least 50 percent of a course. All of the universities indicated that instructional leadership and curriculum were included. Supervision was included by 19 of the schools, with only 5 universities indicating that this was not included in at least 50 percent of a course.

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Additionally, 23 out of 24 universities indicated that the Texas competencies were emphasized in each course. This is important to note, since the competencies were created to correspond with the many critical aspects of the role of the school leader.

Today, there are more than 500 universities in the United States that offer programs in school leadership at the master’s or doctoral level.

Many of these programs have undergone extensive review along with the corresponding curricula to better respond to the needs of administrators today. Some of the strategies that universities have adopted to improve leadership preparation programs include: •

Emphasizing instructional leadership skills

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Using simulations, case studies, role playing, and reflective writing

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Including field-based projects to integrate the academic program with practice in the field

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Emphasizing hands-on participative learning

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Creating advisory committees composed of local administrators to advise on academic content

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Adopting the cohort model for preparation programs

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Adding clinical internship experiences to preparation programs

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Placing administrators in training with mentors

Most university leadership preparation programs today recognize the importance of being a bridge to prepare practitioners to be successful in the field. Many of the curricular and structural revisions are a direct result of the accountability movement. In addition to being held accountable and mandated in assessments by their accreditation agencies and states, they are actively seeking ways to help K–12 practitioners be successful in their challenge to educate children.

Conclusion Accountability and assessment are critical components to the success of schools today, and administrators in K–12 schools and universities in Texas and across the nation are faced daily with meeting this challenge. While doing so, they must remember that their priority commitment is not to testing programs but to helping children achieve. With this in mind and working together, K–12 leaders and university preparation program leaders will be equipped to lead children to achieve higher academic standards than ever before in this Age of Accountability.

Sandra Harris has been an educator for more than 30 years in public and private schools. Currently, she is an associate professor teaching in the doctoral program and principal/superintendent preparation programs at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, as well as president of the Texas Professors of Educational Administration.

REFERENCES Schroeder, F., & Pryor, S. (2001). Multiple measures: Beginning with ends. The School Administrator, 11(58), 22–25.

Improvement in a Small School Environment

by Jo Ann Bludau

ow does a small school environment contribute to school improvement? Meek

H

(2002) reminds us that we must “organize our schools for largeness of thought

“Sweet Home ISD… has been rated an Exemplary District by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the last four years.”

while also promoting the benefits of smallness: familiarity in relationships, a sense

of belonging, and a sense of community.” Sweet Home ISD is a K–8 district that has been rated an Exemplary District by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the last four years.

It has also been named a Title I Part A Distinguished School by the Texas commissioner of education. The community of Sweet Home, Texas, is rural and agriculturally based. It is located in Lavaca County between San Antonio and Houston. The town traces its roots as a stop for cattle drives along the historic Chisholm Trail. Besides the school, the town has a post office, volunteer fire department, a few businesses, a church, and a community center. This is a middle- to low-socioeconomic community. Most families have dual incomes with both parents employed full-time. A majority of the parents are employed by leather manufacturing companies or in service positions.

Over the past six years, the district has moved from an acceptable to an exemplary accountability rating as the district acquired additional funds, built capacity among staff members, and involved students and community partners in meaningful service projects that benefit both the school and the community.

The following TAAS results reflect continued improvement.

A Multi-Year History for Sweet Home Independent School District #143 905 Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) Results on All Tests Taken 1998 67.4%

1999

2000

2001

2002

76.4%

87.3%

94.0%

97.9%

Taken from the Texas Education Agency, tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/.

The School Improvement Process The superintendent gains support and acceptance of the district’s goals and objectives by identifying areas of concern and needs of staff and community members through a number of surveys and informal conversations. Once these needs are identified, resources are appropriately allocated to enable staff

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“…leading with love while evaluating performance means far more than applying the tools of evaluation. The force of love works if the evaluation tools are used to help the organization

the future, so that the district can continue to provide a highquality educational program in a safe environment for many years to come. State and federal grants have enabled the district to make updates to the district technology plan, as well as make building and grounds improvements that benefit the school and the entire community.

and each individual improve his or her job performance.”

members to accomplish the goals and objectives. Over the past several years, staff and community members have supported the superintendent’s mission to recognize problems and constructively solve them to benefit the entire school community. They have proactively brought their ideas for improvement to her attention.

The district seeks community input on the development and evaluation of district policies through its monthly newsletter, periodic Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and Campus Advisory Council (CAC) meetings, community surveys, and informal conversations with community members. Policies are communicated to the staff and community using many of the same methods mentioned above.

Upon the superintendent’s arrival, a Campus Advisory Council was formed that more accurately reflected the representation in the school community. The council was composed of business partners, student council members, and professional and paraprofessional staff members. All stakeholders are given an opportunity to make suggestions for improvement during quarterly CAC meetings by sharing their ideas through the annual school climate survey that is administered in December and through special program surveys administered in the spring. Trends are analyzed in the surveys and suggestions are included in the development of the annual campus improvement plan.

When the state accountability test results are delivered to the district, the superintendent and teachers carefully disaggregate the data and share schoolwide and grade-level results with students, staff, parents, and school board members. This data, along with more individualized student data, is used to plan the curriculum and instruction for the next school year.

Funding Our Commitment to Education The superintendent utilizes Texas Education Agency (TEA) templates to determine enrollment projections and estimated state revenues.

The district has examined the local tax effort from a historical perspective and has outlined the benefits of increasing its local tax effort. The school board also analyzes economic trends to determine how to appropriately budget for district expenses and to appropriately compensate district employees.

The board develops the school budget each year keeping in mind the needs of the teachers and students and effective instructional programs. Additional funds are set aside for more expensive projects in 30

INSIGHT

In the budget process, the superintendent has allocated sufficient resources for teachers, staff, and board members to attend staff development and continuing education sessions to help them accomplish district goals. In the process of aligning curriculum and instruction vertically, teachers have been given the opportunity to teach in areas where they are most qualified.

Teachers have also been encouraged to assess students periodically throughout the year and share results with the administrator and the board.

In addition to periodically updating the district policy manual, board members review monthly budget reports to better understand the budget process and to keep more informed on the budget status. Board members have opportunities to ask questions at monthly meetings. They receive periodic updates on State Board of Education (SBOE) rules and state and federal laws pertaining to school finance.

Staffing and Honest Employee Evaluations Every year in the spring, the district sends home preregistration forms for the next school year and estimates the number of students to be served in each grade level. The teachers and superintendent together determine the staffing needs and interview and hire appropriate personnel as needed. Teachers have enjoyed and valued the opportunity to be involved in the interview process. Close relationships with newly hired employees is a result of their involvement in the hiring process. The district has pulled together a cohesive group of faculty, staff, board, and community members who are focused on student achievement.

The superintendent directly addresses staff members with any concerns and encourages them to consider proactive ways to address parent and community concerns. In Leadership and the Force of Love, John Hoyle (2002) explains that “leading with love while evaluating performance means far more than applying the tools of evaluation. The force of love works if the evaluation tools are used to help the organization and each individual improve his or her job performance.” The philosophy of the superintendent is to be honest with employees and straightforward with her expectations of employee performance and behavior. Staff efforts are recognized in weekly staff bulletins, monthly newsletters, and personal notes. All staff members are publicly recognized and awarded for their years of service in the district.

Professional Growth and Development Staff members are encouraged to read articles in educational journals and books focused on improving student achievement and

building learning communities. Title II funds are used to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. Staff members and the superintendent have identified appropriate staff development opportunities. Staff members are provided with substitutes and travel reimbursements, and those attending training sessions on Saturdays and during the summer are given stipends to compensate for their time spent in training.

During the last two years, the superintendent has arranged professional development training sessions on the Sweet Home campus.

Educators from other small districts are invited to attend the training sessions. These sessions have been well received by those attending. The district plans to continue providing professional development sessions on the campus in the future.

The district has budgeted for and encourages school board members to attend continuing education sessions offered in the area, including the annual Texas Association of School Boards/Texas Association of School Administrators Convention. Board members now have a better understanding of their roles, and staff members have access to the latest information and technology to effectively do their jobs.

Focus on Curriculum and Instruction The superintendent, in addition to being the campus principal, also teaches 8th grade social studies. She models the type of instruction that she expects from the teachers and provides ideas and suggestions for improvement during walk-throughs and informal conversations with instructional staff members. She praises teachers for effective lesson activities and helps them identify areas needing improvement. Teachers have been receptive to ideas and to constructive criticism. They have adjusted instruction to appropriately meet the needs of all students.

modify ineffective programs in the district. During weekly staff meetings and quarterly CAC meetings, the superintendent and teachers discuss the effectiveness of programs and strategies aimed at increasing student achievement.

Character Development The superintendent has worked with teachers and staff members to create a schoolwide discipline management system that values instructional time and encourages leadership as well as respect and responsibility. Students who do not comply with class rules are given opportunities to improve their conduct. Persistent and serious disruptive behaviors are not tolerated. Violations are assessed, witnesses are consulted, and students are given an opportunity to provide perspective. Appropriate consequences are administered in accordance with the student code of conduct. Parents are often notified immediately through a telephone conversation and in writing. Most parents in Sweet Home ISD appreciate the district’s high expectations for student behavior and encourage the school administrators to hold their children to those expectations.

Student growth, while maintaining a safe and orderly school environment, is implemented with character education schoolwide.

Several instructional staff members have participated in Capturing Kids’ Hearts (Flippen Group, 2003) and Teen Leadership (Flippen Group, 2004) training, which encourages teachers and students to develop social contracts that allow teachers to teach and students to learn in the classroom. As part of the character education curriculum, teachers incorporate lessons focusing on trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship (Character Counts, 2000). Students are encouraged to show respect to teachers and students who are actively engaged in the learning process while transitioning in the halls between classes.

The teachers and superin“Most parents in Sweet Home ISD appreciate the district’s high expectations tendent developed an afterschool and summer school for student behavior and encourage the school administrators to hold program to meet the needs of at-risk, low-achieving, and their children to those expectations.” special education students.

Teachers carefully monitor Maintenance of Facilities— reading progress and administer periodic assessments in all subject areas to identify students most in need of academic support. Parents Taking Pride in What We Have have been supportive of the instructional staff members’ attempts to Upon the new superintendent’s arrival in the district, she organized provide extra help in small groups after school and during the suma volunteer clean-up day in which staff, parent volunteers, and mer. Many teachers and parents attribute student success to these community members joined efforts and repainted the hallways additional opportunities to master the curriculum and to close the inside the main building. Volunteer clean-up days have become a achievement gap. tradition in Sweet Home ISD during the past four years, and volEach summer the superintendent has budgeted for and set aside summer curriculum and instruction planning days for instructional staff members. Teachers carefully examine assessment data and plan instruction accordingly keeping in mind the individual student needs. Together, the superintendent and teaching staff determine needed programs and services and eliminate or

unteers have participated in a number of building and grounds improvement projects during fall, spring, and summer. Students, parents, and community members have taken great pride in their school facilities and grounds and have initiated several projects on their own.

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For example, the cafeteria manager has landscaped the front of the cafeteria building. Parent volunteers have landscaped other campus areas. The superintendent, alongside the Sweet Home students and several parent volunteers, planted 25 live oak trees on the campus. Students and volunteers continue to take care of the grounds and facilities on a weekly basis.

Productive School Board and Superintendent Relations Due to the small size of Sweet Home ISD, the superintendent has an opportunity to visit with several board members on a daily basis as they drop off their children at school. Other board members are informed of district issues, needs, and operations during telephone conversations, through the school newsletter, or in preparation for monthly board meetings.

The importance of providing the necessary resources for teachers to do their jobs is stressed by the superintendent. Board members are aware of instructional programs that have been put in place to assist students needing additional academic support, and board members as well as a large number of parents and community members have been involved in campus projects aimed at improving our building and grounds.

Board members feel comfortable approaching the superintendent with concerns, ideas, and suggestions for improvement.

Positive School-Community Relations The superintendent has an open-door policy and encourages everyone to bring concerns directly to her. She attends community organization meetings and events and encourages involvement in school activities. Several organizations have made donations to purchase library books and to improve playground equipment. A priest from a nearby Catholic church and other community leaders have been invited on many occasions for special programs.

These programs have been well attended, and community members have praised the superintendent’s efforts to bring the school and other community organizations together to meet the needs of the students. During the holiday season, students also travel to places of business to carol for business partners.

The district has identified opportunities to partner with the community in developing, promoting, and achieving district goals.

The superintendent has written and facilitated grant projects in Sweet Home ISD that focused on “Getting Our Community Fit for the Future” and “Sweet Home School: Learning and Serving Our Community.” The service learning projects combined the efforts of students, parents, community members, and business partners to install a walking track and make playground improvements to benefit the entire community. Participants have also been involved in a local history project and engaged in mutually beneficial projects with area hospitals, nursing homes, veterans’ associations, and charitable groups. During the 2003–2004 school year, members of the student leadership team gave presentations to a number of civic organizations to describe the goals of service learning and to gather ideas for future service projects.

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Small School Leadership Lambert (2003) notes, “Smallness doesn’t create community in and of itself, but it can create the conditions in which personal and learning relationships can flourish. To care about others, we have to know them. Familiarity enables us to care about each other and to come to know ourselves in the process.” Many of the challenges facing educators across the state and nation—including increasing accountability standards; limited resources; and a lack of cohesion between the home, school, and community—often present even more difficulties for rural educators. However, a strong commitment to rural education and the belief in service to the community helped move this district from acceptable to exemplary.

Superintendent/Principal/Teacher After five years of working as a teacher and administrator in Austin ISD, 27-year-old Jo Ann Bludau returned to her hometown of Sweet Home, Texas, as superintendent/principal/teacher, where she has served for the past six years—in addition to working on her doctorate at Texas A&M University in College Station. In September of 2003, she was named the Region 3 winner and one of five finalists for the Texas Association of School Boards’ Superintendent of the Year program. Bludau believes that her interaction with students, teachers, parents, and community members on a daily basis and her multiple perspectives and attendance in graduate-level courses have enabled the district to remain on the cutting edge, maintaining its exemplary quality of education.

REFERENCES Character Counts (2000). Character counts. Lubbock, TX: The Lubbock Christian University Center for Character Development, the Josephson Institute and Character Counts.

Flippen Group (2003). Capturing kids hearts. College Station, TX: The Flippen Group.

Flippen Group (2004). Teen leadership. College Station, TX: The Flippen Group.

Hoyle, J. (2002). Leadership and the force of love. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Lambert, L. (2003). Leadership capacity for lasting school improvement.

Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Meek, A. (February 2002). The benefits of smallness. Classroom leadership, 5(5), 8.

T E X A S A S S O C I AT I O N O F S CH O O L A D M I N I S T R ATO R S

ANNUAL REPORT 2003–2004 The Texas Association of School Administrators was formed in 1925. The purpose of the organization is to promote the progress of education in the state of Texas. In pursuit of this objective, the association works for the improvement of instruction and administrative practices in the schools of the state. The association also works in close cooperation with the Texas Association of School Boards and the American Association of School Administrators in all areas of common interest.

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Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives Mission The mission of the Texas Association of School Administrators is to promote, provide, and develop leadership that champions educational excellence.

Vision TASA provides support for school leaders through: • Fostering programs and activities that focus on leadership development • Impacting laws, policies, and practices that will improve education • Supporting and promoting research-based decision making • Developing, retaining, and supporting highly qualified educational leaders • Cultivating positive school climates in which quality education can thrive • Enhancing the influence of and respect for educational leaders • Recognizing diversity and building on commonalities • Serving as a catalyst for cooperative efforts

General Goals and Objectives Quality Student Learning

Advanced Educational Technology

To promote and provide leadership for the advancement of education in order to attain programs that result in high levels of student achievement

To promote the development and effective utilization of advanced educational and administrative approaches and technologies

Positive School Climates

Synergistic Organizational Relationships

To engage in activities that foster positive climates for learning and to advocate as a high priority of our society a public understanding of and support for quality education

Systemic School Improvement To promote ongoing, proactive leadership that recognizes and utilizes a systemic approach to improvement and restructuring in education

Ongoing Professional Development To offer high-quality, professional development opportunities for educational leaders in order to promote effective organizational management and leadership

Proactive Governmental Relations To impact laws, regulations, and decisions to improve the quality and effectiveness of education, and to elevate the status of educational leaders in the governmental decision-making process

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INSIGHT

To recognize and respect diversity and to build upon commonalities between educational organizations in efforts to achieve mutual goals for the benefit of Texas schoolchildren

Effective Member Assistance To provide educational leaders and their systems of education with well-managed, innovative services that assist in the orderly and effective discharge of professional responsibilities for quality education programs and student achievement

Membership The membership of the Texas Association of School Administrators is a diverse group of education leaders—ranging from superintendents and deputy superintendents to curriculum and personnel directors to business managers. Our members are, generally, an involved, concerned group, and meeting their professional needs and goals is of primary importance to the association. With many different categories of administrators, it is our challenge to offer professional development opportunities and services that will meet the unique needs of the largest possible percentage of our membership. There are four categories of dues-paying members: Active Members are those who (1) meet the requirements for a professional administrator’s certificate as determined by the State Board of Education, (2) have equivalent professional training, (3) serve in administrative positions, and/or (4) teach persons preparing for education or educational administration.

Associate Members are individuals who are interested in any phase of school administration and who are not eligible for active membership. TASA’s associate members include school architects, attorneys specializing in school law, representatives of education-related businesses and associations, and school suppliers. TASA’s associate members are valuable supporters of our programs, services, and purpose.

They receive all TASA publications, but are not eligible to vote.

College/University/State Agency Members are professors who are employed full-time in a college or university department of educational administration and persons who are employed by Texas state

agencies. These members are eligible for active membership in the association upon payment of one-half the minimum annual membership for active members who are not superintendents.

Student Members are individuals currently enrolled in a college or university department of educational administration who are not employed in a full-time administrative position other than at the campus-level.

Student members receive all TASA mailings and publications, but are not eligible to vote. Our student members are an enthusiastic, dedicated group, and we look forward to welcoming them as active members once they attain full-time administrative positions.

Honorary Life Members are an important non-dues paying segment of our membership. These retired administrators serve as the cornerstone of our association. Without their dedication and involvement, both past and present, TASA would not be the strong, viable association it is today. We promote and encourage their involvement in the association’s activities.

If you have questions about your membership, would like to recommend individuals in your district for membership, or need additional information about becoming a member, please contact Barbara Schlosser, coordinator, Membership and Data Services, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Membership Comparisons 1999–2000 through 2003–2004 Category

1999–2000

2000–01

2001–02

Superintendent

992

991

988

978

986

Central Office*

660

673

712

726

746

Education Service Center

58

54

48

49

44

University/College

54

49

34

41

34

Association/Agency

15

15

13

17

9

Miscellaneous

32

38

31

38

27

Paid Life Retired

14

15

22

23

23

1,825

1,835

1,848

1,872

1,869

161

157

141

141

132

47

60

53

61

32

2,033

2,052

2,042

2,074

2,033

Total Active Members Associate Student Total All Members

2002–03

2003–04

* Includes campus staff, charter school members, and private school members.

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Investing in Progress Any strong, viable organization requires a continuing source of revenue to fulfill its goals and objectives, and TASA is no exception to that rule. In order to drive the development and delivery of association programs and services, TASA relies on diversified revenue sources, including membership support, the TASA/TASB Annual Convention, seminars and training, corporate sponsorships, program endorsements, and building operations. The chart below illustrates TASA’s revenue sources for 2003–2004.

Total Revenue 2003–04 Membership Dues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16% Professional Development/Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43% Royalties/Sponsorships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15% Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5% Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1% Building Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3% Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17% Total Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100%

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Governmental Relations With the active assistance of its members, TASA’s Governmental Relations Department plays a vital role in the legislative process. TASA is dedicated to supporting legislative policy that embraces the concepts of local control, state responsibility, and federal concern.

2003–2004 Highlights • Devoted significant time, energy, and resources to legislative and state policy matters with the financial support of Legislative/Governmental Consultant Services (LCS), which was initiated by TASA during the 1997 legislative session; today, more than 200 districts provide monetary support to these services.

• Engaged legislators and policymakers year round in the legislative process; stayed involved with many boards and agencies, including the State Board of Education, State Board for Educator Certification, and Texas Education Agency; and actively addressed federal legislative initiatives.

• Monitored all bills filed during the third and fourth special sessions of the 78th Legislature related to education matters and prepared summaries of bills being tracked by TASA. • Prepared and presented testimony on behalf of the association on bills of particular significance to TASA. • Prepared amendments to modify legislation, and recruited sponsors for those amendments.

• Provided continuous updates on legislative developments on the association’s Web site, TASAnet.

• Published Capitol Watch, TASA’s online legislative news bulletin, with regular updates during the special sessions.

• Joined the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools to establish a unified effort in the legislative debate surrounding public school finance.

• Collaborated with other participating organizations in the Coalition to develop Core Principles on School Finance, focusing on equity, adequacy, capacity, local responsibility, and our opposition to vouchers, which served as a framework during the special session for evaluating legislative proposals related to school finance.

• Participated in media events and Coalition briefings to educate the public about the critical need for increased funding for Texas public schools.

If you have questions for TASA’s

• Published TASA XPress News, a public policy/legislative fax subscription service, regarding news and information on state and local education issues.

Governmental Relations

• Sponsored a study prepared by Moak, Casey & Associates, LLP, resulting in two documents to help lawmakers, taxpayers, and parents understand what goods and services were purchased by school districts and how those purchases contributed to the education process: A Cost Analysis for Texas Public Schools and The Texas Education Dollar—Where Does It Go?

Beneski, 512-477-6361

Department, please contact Associate Executive Director Amy or 800-725-8272.

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Communications& Information Systems TASA makes every effort to maintain a strong and active communications program—providing information that can help members command respect, spur activity, and win public support in their districts.

2003–2004 Highlights • Redesigned TASAnet, the association’s Web site, to fit the new demands of association members and staff—more user-friendly, tightly integrated with members’ real-life needs, and packed with the latest administrative information and tools.

• Implemented an online registration system for all association-related events to encompass a broad range of functions and capabilities.

• Maintained a Web site for the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools (investintexas.org), which is devoted to keeping parents, teachers, legislators, and media outlets informed on the latest developments in Texas school funding.

• Enhanced Interchange, TASA’s news bulletin, to a quick-to-read format required by today’s busy education leaders, with links to additional and/or related information on TASAnet. (Began sending to members’ e-mail boxes effective September 2004.)

• Created TASA’s Employment Central, featuring TASA’s Educator Job Bank—an interactive, searchable resource for school districts that are posting jobs as well as for educators who are seeking employment in Texas schools—and Texas REAP—a district subscription service that carries you from recruiting through hiring through integrating information into your current database.

• Launched a Compliance & Communication Center, offered in cooperation with TransACT Communications, Inc. to make communication with parents a lot easier, including NCLB Parent Notifications—a regular subscription in English with forms in other languages for a small additional fee—and GenEd Parent Notifications—an extensive translation library available in 23 languages and growing.

• Contributed to campaign efforts of the 150th Birthday Celebration of Texas Public Schools with highlights of major education events.

• Updated The Texas Superintendent’s Contract: Reference Manual and Drafting Guide, in cooperation with General Counsel Neal W. Adams; available electronically to active TASA members as well as through the Superintendent’s e-Library for Administrator’s Resource Center (ARC) members.

• Redesigned INSIGHT, TASA’s professional journal, to include departments on Upcoming Events at TASA and a Highlight on TASA Services, and moved from a quarterly to triannual distribution (spring/summer, fall, and winter).

• Published the annual TASA Membership Directory, Who’s Who in Texas Public Schools, with distribution to all TASA members; extra copies are available at a nominal fee. (2004–05 Directory will mail in early January.)

If you have suggestions, comments, or concerns that you would like to express to TASA’s Communications and Information Systems Department, please contact Assistant Executive Director Ann Halstead, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

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INSIGHT

Professional Development A great portion of time, energy, and talent on the part of TASA’s professional development and special services staff, as well as the advisory committees that assist them, are devoted to planning and executing effective programs designed to meet the needs of today’s education leader.

2003–2004 Highlights New Initiatives

Executive Development

• Assumed hosting responsibility for the Administrators’ Midwinter Conference from TEA, opened registration on Sunday and hosted an Early Arrivals Welcome Reception, included Leader-to-Leader Forums on Critical Issues, and featured a Strand on School Finance.

• TASA 12th Annual First-time Superintendents’ Academy (Four Sessions) • Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy (Three Sessions) • Learning for Leadership: A Mentoring Program for Texas Superintendents • Budget Boot Camp • Strategic Planning Institute (in affiliation with The Cambridge Group)

• Initiated the Department of Instructional Support and Leadership Development (formerly Professional Development Department) with expanded goals aligned to TASA’s Mission, Goals, and Vision Statement.

• Initiated a Handheld Technology Leadership Academy (h2TLA) to offer superintendents, central office administrators, principals, assistant principals, and teacher leaders a “hands-on” approach to mastering the handheld computer.

• Initiated a partnership with the Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform to support school reform in identified Texas school districts through a customized Standard-Bearer School District Network for Texas.

• Redesigned ongoing training programs offered through the Texas Leadership Center and the Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center to include noted experts in curriculum, assessment, and instructional improvement.

• Expanded curriculum management audit services to include reading and math audits and individual school audits for underperforming schools.

• Conducted the first Budget Boot Camp to empower superintendents with the necessary skills to successfully design a district budget.

General Events • • • •

• • • •

43rd Annual TASB/TASA Convention TASA 12th Annual Spring Conference for School Executives TASA 56th Annual Summer Conference on Education Cosponsor of the 18th Annual Texas Assessment Conference and 15th Annual Texas Association of Collegiate Testing Personnel Conference Administrators’ Midwinter Conference TASA Education Expo (in conjunction with the Midwinter Conference on Education) TASA/Texas A&M University Administrative Leadership Institute TASA/AASA 14th Annual School Facilities Workshop

Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center offered in cooperation with Curriculum Management Systems, Inc., focused specifically in optimizing audit services for Texas school districts in a cost-effective manner; conducted four curriculum management audits (San Diego, La Porte, Liberty-Eylau, and Eagle Pass ISDs) and offered customized seminars for districts, thus saving the high costs of travel for school leaders.

• Walk-Through Supervision with Reflective Feedback to Maximize Student Achievement (Conducted three seminars— two in Ysleta ISD and one in Wichita Falls ISD) • Leaving No Child Behind: 50 Ways to Raise Students’ Test Scores • TAKS: Preparing Students and Teachers for Success

Texas Leadership Center a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by TASA that provides services and seminars to strengthen the leadership of Texas schools.

• Technology Leadership Academy • H2TLA Handheld Technology Leadership Academy • Leadership Development Process Four-day ParticipantLevel Training • Leadership Development Process Two-Day Training of Trainers • D.E.C.I.D.E.: Six Steps in Conflict Resolution (Training of Trainers) • Building Vertical Teams (Training of Trainers) If you have questions regarding activities of the Texas Curriculum Audit Center, Texas Leadership Center, or Strategic Planning, please contact TASA Associate Executive Director Judith de la Garza or Assistant Executive Director Betty Burks, Instructional Support and Leadership Development; for questions regarding general events or executive development, please contact TASA Associate Executive Director Paul Whitton, Jr., Administrative Services, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

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Administrative Services The Administrative Services Department monitors current research, trends, and developments in education and provides professional assistance and support to TASA members on matters related to school leadership and management.

2003–2004 Highlights • Created the Administrator’s Resource Center (formerly Administrative Services Resource Center) with expanded services for subscribers, including development of a S u p e r i n te n d e n t ’s e-Library, access to an ARC subscribersonly section on TASAnet, and a biweekly e-Bulletin.

• Continued partnership activities with the Educational Research Service (ERS), offering ARC subscription services designed to keep school district leadership teams alert and highly informed.

• Administered TASA’s Legal Support Program, which offers two hours of legal consultation related to the superintendent’s employment contract, superintendent/board relations, and other topics related to professional duties and employment rights (provided through TASA by General Counsel Neal W. Adams, Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C.).

• Conducted three comprehensive facility planning studies (Clarksville ISD, Spearman ISD, and West Oso ISD), and one Demographic Study (South San Antonio ISD) designed to assist school districts in addressing requirements related to space, educational programming, and longrange planning.

• Planned and coordinated or co-directed major statewide conferences and executive development programs (See listing under Professional Development).

• Expanded TASA’s field services to include a member services representative for each ESC region in the state.

• Assisted in liaison activities with the American Association of School Administrators, the Texas Association of School Boards, and other professional associations and state agencies.

• Represented the association at national, state, regional, and local meetings.

If you have questions regarding activities of the Administrative Services Department, please contact TASA Associate Executive Director Paul Whitton, Jr., 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

…working to better serve your needs.

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Awards & Scholarships Golden Deeds Award TASA Executive Director Johnny L. Veselka was named recipient of the 2003 Golden Deeds for Education Award, presented by Texas A&M University at its annual Administrative Leadership Institute in November 2003.

The Golden Deeds Award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to improving the educational system to enrich the lives of all Texas school students.

The recipient is nominated through a statewide committee composed of Texas school leaders. Veselka accepted the award on behalf of TASA members.

Honorary Life Forty-nine educators received Honorary Life Memberships in January 2004. Honorary Life Membership is extended to individual members, upon approval of the Executive Committee, who are in good standing at the time of retirement, have 10 or more years of TASA membership, and have completed 25 years of active service in the education profession. Nominations for Honorary Life Membership are accepted and reviewed annually.

National Superintendent of the Year Richard E. Berry, superintendent, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, was selected as the Texas nominee for the 2004 National Superintendent of the Year program. Established in 1988 and cosponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and ARAMARK ServiceMaster Facility Services, this award is bestowed on a superintendent who has demonstrated all-around outstanding leadership. The National Superintendent of the Year has the opportunity to personally present a $10,000 scholarship to a deserving student from his or her high school alma mater.

Texas School Board Awards TASA named the Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees as the Outstanding School Board of Texas for 2003. (Lewisville ISD won the award for 2004.) Also honored as 2003 Texas Honor School Boards were Boerne ISD (Region 20), Denton ISD (Region 11), Midland ISD (Region 18), and Pasadena ISD (Region 4). TASA created the School Board Awards competition in 1971 to recognize those school boards that demonstrate outstanding service to the children of Texas.

Texas Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarships Up to nine $2,500 scholarships are awarded annually to applicants in each state who maintain at least a 2.75 cumulative grade-point average and who are judged to be the best all-around students based on their outstanding accomplishments in three of the four following criteria areas: special talents, leadership, community service, and obstacles overcome. TASA coordinates a state-level judging panel composed of representatives from the education, business, and nonprofit sectors.

2004 TEXAS DISCOVER CARD SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS Blake C. Billings Tyler ISD David Simmons, superintendent Hue T. Dao Dinh Xuan T. Phan Arlington ISD Mac Bernd, superintendent Laura B. Shine Navasota ISD David Faltys, superintendent Elizabeth K. Sneed Van ISD Joddie W. Witte, superintendent Stephanie N. Vivar Conroe ISD Donald Stockton, superintendent Matara L. Wright Houston ISD Kaye Stripling, superintendent Connie Yu Katy ISD Leonard E. Merrell, superintendent

Membership Awards Region 18 achieved 100 percent TASA membership among superintendents for the 2003–2004 membership year. In recognition, Leonard Kent, Region 18’s membership chair, was presented the Top-Cat Award at the 2004 TASB/TASA Convention, and Leonard E. Merrell was presented the Top-Top Cat Award for having served as the 2003–2004 state membership chair.

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TASA Corporate Partner Program In 2003–2004, TASA received support from 20 corporate partners, mutually benefiting the association and the corporate partner. TASA’s Corporate Partner Program offers a wide array of advertising, sponsoring, and exhibiting opportunities for businesses that are interested in supporting the association and expanding their recognition and visibility in Texas. Each level of the program is designed to offer our partners quality exposure to association members.

Partners at the President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold levels also have the option of customizing special events and opportunities. A listing of the various levels and opportunities for Corporate Partners is available online at www.tasanet.org.

2003–2004 Corporate Partners President’s Circle Apple Curriculum Advantage Scholastic Platinum Championship Fund Raising SHW Group, LLP Gold ARAMARK D.S.A., Inc. The Princeton Review Silver Assured Indoor Air Quality CompassLearning, Inc. ETS Pulliam Taylor/Balfour Bronze 3D/International, Inc. Achieve3000 Alton Lynch Associates First Southwest Company National Brand Marketing Scientific Learning Sodexho School Services TCG Consulting, Inc.

If you have questions regarding the association’s Corporate Partner Program, please contact TASA Executive Director Johnny Veselka, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

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TASA Executive Committee June 1, 2004–May 31, 2005 The Executive Committee is the primary decision-making body of the association. The twenty regional members (elected by association members from within their region), four at-large members (each president appoints, subject to approval by the Executive Committee, two active members from under-represented segments of the membership who serve in these at-large positions on the Executive Committee for a two-year term, beginning simultaneously with the president’s term), and four officers (president, president-elect, vice-president, and past president) work closely with TASA’s executive director and staff to conduct the business of the association. The TASA Legislative Committee chair also serves on the Executive Committee.

Officers

Executive Committee

PRESIDENT Michael Hinojosa Superintendent Spring ISD (4) 16717 Ella Boulevard Houston, TX 770904299 281-586-1100 fax 281-586-1134

Arturo Guajardo Superintendent Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (1) P.O. Box Y Pharr, TX 78577-1225 956-702-5600 fax 956-702-5648

PRESIDENT-ELECT Alton J. Fields Superintendent Pleasanton ISD (20) 831 Stadium Drive Pleasanton, TX 780642499 830-569-1200 fax 830-569-1249 VICE-PRESIDENT Kay E. Waggoner Superintendent Red Oak ISD (10) P.O. Box 9000 Red Oak, TX 751549000 972-617-2941 fax 972-617-4333 PAST PRESIDENT Dawson R. Orr Superintendent Wichita Falls ISD (9) P.O. Box 97533 Wichita Falls, TX 763077533 940-720-3273 fax 940-720-3228

Karen G. Rue Superintendent Tuloso-Midway ISD (2) P.O. Box 10900 Corpus Christi, TX 784600900 361-241-3286 fax 361-241-5836

Dee W. Hartt Superintendent Tatum ISD (7) P.O. Box 808 Tatum, TX 75691-0808 903-947-6482 fax 903-947-3295 Eddie Johnson Superintendent Harts Bluff ISD (8) Route 8, Box 1505 Mount Pleasant, TX 75455-9751 903-572-5427 fax 903-572-4699

Ryder F. Warren Superintendent Marble Falls ISD (13) 2001 Broadway Marble Falls, TX 786544803 830-693-4357 fax 830-693-5685 Rick Howard Superintendent Comanche ISD (14) 405 North Lane Street Comanche, TX 764422328 915-356-2727 fax 915-356-2312

Paul L. Vranish Superintendent Tornillo ISD (19) P.O. Box 170 Tornillo, TX 79853-0170 915-764-2366 fax 915-764-2120 John Folks Superintendent Northside ISD (20) 5900 Evers Road San Antonio, TX 782381699 210-706-8770 fax 210-706-8772 At-Large Members

Tom R. Jones, Jr. Superintendent Tidehaven ISD (3) P.O. Box 129 El Maton, TX 77440 361-588-6321 fax 361-588-7109

Randel R. Beaver Superintendent Archer City ISD (9) P.O. Box 926 Archer City, TX 763510926 940-574-4536 fax 940-574-4051

Alan Richey Superintendent Bronte ISD (15) P.O. Box 670 Bronte, TX 76933-0670 325-473-2511 fax 325-473-2313

Robert Duron Superintendent Socorro ISD (19) 12300 Eastlake Drive El Paso, TX 79928-5400 915-937-0013 fax 915-860-7137

Rick Schneider Superintendent Pasadena ISD (4) 1515 Cherrybrook Pasadena, TX 77502-1799 713-920-6800 fax 713-475-7907

H. John Fuller Superintendent Wylie ISD (10) P. O. Box 490 Wylie, TX 75098-0490 972-442-5444 fax 972-442-5368

Robin D. Adkins Superintendent Perryton ISD (16) P.O. Box 1048 Perryton, TX 79070-1048 806-435-5478 fax 806-435-4689

Michael G. Killian Deputy Superintendent Lewisville ISD (11) P.O. Box 217 Lewisville, TX 75067-0217 972-539-1551 fax 972-539-0239

Gail Krohn Superintendent Nederland ISD (5) 220 North 17th Street Nederland, TX 776275029 409-724-2391 fax 409-724-4280

Vernon N. Newsom Superintendent Mansfield ISD (11) 605 East Broad Street Mansfield, TX 76063-1794 817-473-5600 fax 817-473-5465

Mike Motheral Superintendent Sundown ISD (17) P.O. Box 1110 Sundown, TX 79372-1110 806-229-3021 fax 806-229-2004

George Kazanas Superintendent China Spring ISD (12) P. O. Box 250 China Spring, TX 76633 254-836-1115 fax 254-836-0559

Michael Downes Superintendent Big Spring ISD (18) 708 11th Place Big Spring, TX 79720 432-264-3600 fax 432-264-3646

Thomas Earl Randle Superintendent Lamar CISD (4) 3911 Avenue I Rosenberg, TX 774713960 281-341-3120 fax 281-341-3129

Steve R. Johnson Superintendent College Station ISD (6) 1812 Welsh Avenue College Station, TX 778403198 979-764-5400 fax 979-764-5535

Shelley Sweatt Executive Director for Curriculum & Instruction Burkburnett ISD (9) 416 Glendale Street Burkburnett, TX 763542499 940-569-3326 fax 940-569-4776

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TASA Committees TASA depends on an active network of volunteers to serve on association committees. TASA committees serve two important purposes. First, they provide a forum for TASA to address a vast array of important issues. Through its committees, TASA successfully interacts with other state and national education-related organizations, and conducts association business with broad member representation. Second, and equally important, by inviting individuals to serve who represent a crosssection of the membership, the association ensures that diverse needs are met and opinions are heard. Policy/advisory and procedural committee appointments are made by the TASA president with recommendations from Executive Committee members and the executive director. A listing of committee members is available online at www.tasanet.org.

Policy/Advisory Committees

Procedural Committees

Administrative Services Committee. Members help evaluate ongoing services offered by TASA through the Administrator’s Resource Center and assist in identifying and developing future TASA services to address member needs.

Audit Committee. Members of this committee review the association’s audit report prepared annually by TASA’s certified public accountant.

Central Office Advisory Committee. Members provide input to the Executive Committee and staff on association programs and services that are of particular benefit to TASA members who are not superintendents.

Budget Committee. This committee is comprised of the president, president-elect, vice-president, and past president).

Members review the annual TASA budget and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Communications and Technology Committee. Members of this committee have responsibility for developing recommendations to the Executive Committee and staff regarding (1) effective strategies for communication with TASA members, elected officials, the media, and the public; and (2) the use and integration of technology in the association’s programs and services.

Corporate and Business Partnerships Committee. Members of this committee review and make recommendations to the Executive Committee regarding TASA’s Corporate Partner Program, product/service endorsements, and business relationships with companies that provide products and services to Texas schools.

Editorial Advisory Committee. Members of this committee are chairs of TASA’s major committees and the TASA president-elect, and is chaired by the TASA president. Committee members provide input to the TASA staff regarding the scope and content of the association’s journal, INSIGHT. Committee members are contacted, discussions carried out, and input solicited via the Internet.

Higher Education Committee. Members of this committee are responsible for developing recommendations to the Executive Committee and staff regarding areas of study, projects, and programs that should be considered by the association. According to the TASA bylaws, three of the committee members shall be officers of the Texas Professors of Educational Administration.

Leadership Development Committee. Members of this committee are responsible for developing recommendations to the Executive Committee and staff regarding the leadership development needs of superintendents and other administrators, and the association’s training programs, seminars, conferences, and related topics.

Legislative Committee. Members of this committee help develop TASA’s legislative program and advise the Executive Committee and staff on the direction the association should take regarding legislative issues and assist in presenting periodic reports on legislative issues at regional study group meetings.

(Term: Two years, staggered, except for the Legislative Committee, which is appointed for a two-year term on June 1 following each legislative session.)

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INSIGHT

Canvassing Committee. Members of this committee meet immediately following statewide and/or regional TASA elections to verify and tally ballots.

(Term: One year)

Special Committees Building and Development Committee (continuing appointment, past presidents) Commissioner’s TASA Cabinet of Superintendents (elected in each region; at-large members appointed by TASA with approval of commissioner of education) President’s Cabinet (includes president, president-elect, vice-president, and last three immediate past presidents) School Architecture Screening Committee (appointed jointly with TASB) School Board Awards Committee (appointed annually by the TASA president) TASA edPAC Candidate Coordinating Committee (includes president, presidentelect, and legislative chair) TASB Legal Assistance Fund Board of Trustees (includes TASA president and president-elect) Texas A&M Administrative Leadership Institute Planning Committee (appointed jointly with A&M) (Term: One year unless otherwise specified)

Texas Association of School Administrators 2004–2005 Staff

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS STAFF Executive Director—Johnny Veselka (8/5/74) Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services—Paul Whitton, Jr. (2/1/01) Associate Executive Director, Governmental Relations—Amy Beneski (5/6/02) Associate Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development, Texas Leadership Center— Judith de la Garza (1/5/04) Assistant Executive Director, Communications and Information Systems—Ann Halstead (11/17/86) Assistant Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development—Betty Burks (1/19/04) Director, Special Services—Pat Johnston (1/4/70) Chief Accountant—Donna Robinson (5/7/02) Executive Assistant, Special Projects (CSP)—Elizabeth Saenz (7/1/03) Coordinator, Membership and Data Services—Barbara Schlosser (1/23/02) Graphics Coordinator—Emmy Starr (1/1/01) Editorial Coordinator—Karen Limb (3/13/91) Communications Specialist—Mark Pyeatt (3/1/00) Webmaster—Albert Rivas (1/1/01) Registration Coordinator—Brettany Rhodes (1/1/01) Staff Accountant—Angela Petreczko (2/3/03) Executive Secretary, Executive Director’s Office—Barbara Hardin (3/17/97) Coordinator, Marketing and Administrative Services—Jill Podlech (10/1/02) Administrative Secretary, Governmental Relations—Denise Biggs (5/28/02) Administrative Secretary, Instructional Support and Leadership Development—Rachel Cooper (12/1/2004) Receptionist/Secretary—Marita Rogers (9/1/88) MEMBER SERVICES REPRESENTATIVES Regions 1, 2, and 19—M. Roel Peña Regions 3, 13, and 20—VACANT Regions 4 and 5—Stephanie Cravens Regions 6, 8, and 12—Terry Harlow Region 7—Jimmy Partin Regions 9, 16, and 17—Larry Coffman Regions 10 and 11—Lloyd H. Treadwell Regions 14, 15, and 18—Roy Dodds CONSULTANT Strategic Planning/Facility Planning—Jerry Gideon * Dates in parentheses represent dates of employment.

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INSIGHT

Highlight on: TASA Services

TASA’s Administrator’s Resource Center Subscribers Gained Another Benefit!

Two information-packed electronic libraries:

• TASA Superintendent’s e-Library—a searchable comprehensive collection featuring all TEA correspondence since 1999, Attorney General opinions, the Texas Administrative and Education Codes, resources on school finance and legal issues, legislation and legislative proposals from current legislative sessions, NCLBrelated documents, and more. ARC district superintendents recently received instructions via e-mail on how to log on to TASA’s NEW Superintendent’s e-Library, which is accessible to your district and campus administrative staff. If you are not sure of the status of your ARC subscription or would like to subscribe to this unique service, contact Barbara Schlosser in the TASA office, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

• ERS e-Library—the

most current research on key education issues right on your desktop. Your ARC subscription gives you easy access to ERS research documents, successful school practices, and information from other organizations on high-priority topics. An ERS username and password were recently e-mailed to each ARC district superintendent from ERS/TASA. To log on, go to the ERS e-Library login page, http://e-Library.ers.org/, and follow the directions to “Create a User Login.” If you are a current ARC subscriber and did not receive your authorization code, please contact ERS at 800-791-9308.

Learn more about TASA’s Administrator’s Resource Center at TASAnet.org.

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W I N N E R S

AUSTIN ISD

2004

School Board Award

AMARILLO ISD

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INSIGHT

HIGHLAND PARK ISD

KATY ISD

(Back row) Kathy Duke, member, Tom Ferguson, member, Fred Placke, vice-president, Tommy Kim, member; (front row) Carol Kyer, secretary, Mark Shaw, president, Anita Nelson, member

Is Your School Board Ready to Compete for TASA Recognition?—A How-To Guide for Nomination from Lewisville ISD, Recipient of TASA’s 2004 Outstanding School Board Award

by Margaret Gurecky

hild-centered and teacher-focused. These two descriptors, above all others, represent the philosophy of the Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees, recipient of TASA’s 2004 Outstanding School Board of the Year Award.

providing a few hints on how to recognize a superior board, but the main thrust of this article is devoted to the steps Lewisville ISD took in preparing the nomination and the public relations and communication efforts we employed once the various award levels were announced.

Because this seven-member group demonstrates other necessary skills, including a commitment to higher levels of student achievement; a charge of astute financial leadership; a duty to impact school funding methods; an obligation to provide adequate facilities, technology enhancements, and continuous facility renovation; and a responsibility to proactively communicate with the citizens of our school district, our task was half complete in submitting a nomination for the award.

Step One: Identifying an Outstanding Board It goes without saying that before embarking on any award nomination, it is imperative the “product” is one that is exemplary. In Lewisville ISD, we were convinced that our school board was an “exemplary product,” and we knew we could pull from many files of documentation for illustration.

Jerry Roy, superintendent of Lewisville ISD, knew he had a winning team and was eager to see the board recognized for its leadership.

His decision to nominate Board President Mark Shaw; VicePresident Fred Placke; Secretary Carol Kyer; and members Kathy Duke, Tom Ferguson, Tommy Kim, and Anita Nelson for TASA’s Outstanding School Board Award was an easy one. Building the nomination was a bit more complex.

Outstanding boards are easily recognized. They focus on children and programs. They support teachers and other school personnel by providing competitive salaries and necessary teaching tools. They have a strong team-player attitude. They are comrades for kids.

They set policies and procedures and hold administrators and teachers accountable for implementation. They have an unusually strong, long-term, board-superintendent relationship. They rely on educators to carry out daily school operations. They don’t micromanage.

They create a tremendous environment of trust.

Rather than justifying “why” we sought recognition for our school board, we are offering this article as a “how-to” guide to assist other districts interested in pursuing the prestigious TASA award. We are

Your school board may exhibit these same qualities. If so, congratulations! You are well on your way in the nomination process.

C

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Step Two: Studying the Criteria Almost as important as identifying your school board as outstanding is the task of studying TASA’s list of criteria and making certain each one can be met without fail. As recent award winners, we can’t emphasize enough how carefully TASA’s guidelines for submission were followed and how carefully we documented the requested criteria.

Step Three: Types of Supporting Documentation One of the first things you will want to do is contact key citizens in your community asking for their support with the nomination. Ask them if they would be willing to write a letter pointing out specific areas where they feel your school board has gone beyond the call of duty, where it has tackled tough issues, where it has wrangled with situations that seemingly had no positive solution—yet somehow, working together, it found one.

A good place to start will be leaders in your local organizations, such as the PTA and other parent and community organizations, the Chambers of Commerce, the professional education associations, the senior citizen and retired teacher groups, and local elected officials. While not all may be able to prepare letters of support, many will gladly do so. Use these letters in appropriate divisions of the nomination.

Mark Shaw, president

In Lewisville ISD, we maintain supportive documentation files on a continuous year-round basis. Items are filed and labeled for potential award-nomination use and are kept readily accessible. Ideally, it would be helpful to have a full year to assemble your nomination, but in today’s fast-paced school environment, that is not always possible.

If you find yourself short on time, it is even more imperative to focus on an orderly information-gathering process.

Make an earnest attempt to be concise in your presentation materials.

Do not resort to filler information, such as excessive excerpts from your district’s annual budget, board policies, or legislative mandates.

Step Five: Ready to Write Once you have assigned your documentation to the 10 criterion folders, you are ready to begin the writing process. Begin your project by interviewing your board members. It’s usually best to interview each member separately in a relaxed setting where they will be at ease discussing their philosophy, their goals for the district, and their own accomplishments while in office. Write short biographies for each board member and include their photographs.

Next, examine each criterion and begin the writing process. As you write, build a base of support, including lots of examples. Charts, tables, newspaper articles, and letters of recommendation may be included as illustrations.

Don’t be hesitant in choosing examples of programs, projects, or decisions that were unpopular or caused resistance for the parents and citizens in your community. All school boards encounter challenges, and those individuals reviewing your nomination will want to see how your board handled these situations.

Step Four: Illustrating and Meeting the Criteria Sort through the documentation you have available and begin assimilating it into 10 separate folders matching the criteria listing. Taking a look at the criteria, it is easy to see that many functions of a school board may overlap between these measurable standards. Recognizing that fact early on will be helpful as you construct your nomination.

For instance, you may have documentation that can represent more than one criterion. Don’t hesitate to move folder contents around until you achieve a good balance, but consider this movement carefully, as there must be an absolute fit between supporting evidence and TASA criteria.

What kinds of materials are worthy of inclusion in the nomination? News clippings, letters of support, sample publications, and professional development training materials are all important sources of documentation. Photographs of your board taken throughout the year are important, too. Make sure photographs are clear—not fuzzy, and that they are cropped to visually depict interaction between your school board and students, staff, or community members.

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Use a lively writing style. Don’t bend to educational jargon and acronyms. Even though the reviewers of your nomination will likely be superintendents who understand the language and acronym references, spell out special programs, projects, and organizations.

Writing the nomination will be a long and rather tedious process, as you will likely encounter projects and programs that could satisfy several criteria. Choose the best fit and flesh out the examples in a manner that will effectively demonstrate each criterion.

Pause periodically to review your progress and to make certain the best examples of board activity are being utilized at the correct criterion level.

Once again, be careful about shortchanging or circumventing the criteria. TASA expects all nominations to reflect and substantiate the measures set forth in the nomination rules.

Step Six: Assembling the Nomination Once your writing is complete, begin to assemble your nomination book. Refer to TASA’s specifications. Note the 75-page maximum rule. Edit where necessary in order to accommodate the page limitation. We chose to spiral-bind our booklet, and we incorporated

photographs of students at various grade levels on the cover. Others have utilized large three-ring binders with dividers and sheet protectors; some have used heat binding for their booklet. Whatever method you choose, be certain it conforms to TASA’s presentation specifications in size, order, and design. Current rules prohibit audiovisual materials, slides, and videotape presentations.

Tom Ferguson, member

Step Seven: Submitting to Regional Level Obviously, it is very important to meet deadlines. If possible, plan to have your book completed at least one week before the regional due date so that if a last-minute crisis occurs, you will be prepared and have time to spare in order to make any adjustments.

If your board is selected as a regional winner, begin your public relations campaign immediately! This is exciting news. Alert the news media. Most reporters will want to talk with board members to get their reaction to this award.

Your superintendent will be a key player and will arrange for your regional executive director to present the award at an appropriate school board meeting or other setting. At Lewisville ISD, we also hung a banner at our very next school board meeting announcing our regional designation as soon as we received the official news.

Don’t forget to explain the nomination process to reporters and tell them about the potential for your board to be named a Texas Honor Board.

Step Eight: Being Named an Honor Board When our superintendent got the call and news release informing us our board was selected as one of five Honor Boards, we immediately released this information to our local news media. Again, expect a flurry of activity, as local newspapers are usually eager to share the good news. We added an “Honor Board” banner to our board room before the next trustee meeting.

Step Nine: Preparation for the TASA Interview Preparation? Your board is outstanding. It has achieved this status level because the documentation submitted was good supportive evidence of its exemplary leadership. The only preparation needed is to remind the members to simply be themselves during the TASA interviews. Encourage them to reveal their individual personalities during the interviews. Remind them to let their enthusiasm for students and public education show!

At the TASB/TASA Convention’s first general session, I had the opportunity to sit directly behind our school board members as they enjoyed the program by the students at Spring ISD. Our board had no clue that it was a breath away from being announced as TASA’s “Outstanding School Board of Texas”; each member was totally immersed in the performance of the Spring ISD students.

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INSIGHT

They couldn’t refrain from bouncing in their seats while keeping tempo with the musical numbers. They clapped their hands in time to the music, sang along with the kids, and jumped to their feet as soon as appropriate to applaud the spectacular performance.

Our board’s enthusiasm and energy for the Spring ISD kids were a joy to observe, and I couldn’t help but say to myself: “THIS board deserves to win. The board members’ love for kids really shows!”

Step Ten: The Announcement If your board is named the Outstanding Board of Texas, don’t waste one minute before contacting the media. TASA will issue its own news release, but be prepared with one from your district as well.

This prestigious award is a unique opportunity to bring recognition to your school board and your district. Board members need to be prepared to interview with newspaper reporters soon after the award is announced.

Planning a Public Celebration Begin planning a public celebration to honor your school board.

This celebration will create an enjoyable way in which your staff, students, parents, and community can offer congratulatory greetings to your board.

We planned a community-wide reception about three weeks after the TASA announcement. This schedule gave us an adequate amount of time to design and mail invitations and set the program for the event.

Region 11 and TASA executives attended the event to present the award plaques. We included the mayors from our 13 cities and communities, who offered brief congratulatory remarks and official proclamations. Congratulatory letters and resolutions from our state leaders were read during the program. One senator presented Texas flags previously flown over the state capitol to each of our board members. Our PTA Council president spoke on behalf of Lewisville ISD’s parents. One of our student-performing groups provided delightful musical entertainment throughout the reception hours.

The LISD Board’s Response Being named the 2004 Outstanding Board of Texas is a distinguished honor. Lewisville ISD’s board is both thrilled and humbled. Our board members know there are many school boards in Texas that are deserving of the distinction. Certainly, the 2004 Honor Boards: Amarillo, Austin, Highland Park, and Katy ISDs were close contenders, but there are so many other strong school boards in Texas who could have easily been recognized.

Lewisville ISD Board President Mark Shaw says it best: “We are proud to own the title, but we aren’t arrogant. In fact, we are humbled. We know we represent hundreds of other fine school boards across the state that also hold children and public education close to their hearts. Our board is simply carrying the torch.”

Margaret Gurecky is director of communications for Lewisville ISD. Her service in public education has spanned 32 years, 27 of which have been with Lewisville.

In

v i t a t i o n

TASA and the Texas Leadership Center (TLC) are proud to announce the successful completion of the four-year series of Technology Leadership Academies. In celebration of our achievement, we extend an invitation to all past Technology Academy participants to join us and members of their cohort groups at one of the two celebratory gatherings: TASA Midwinter Conference Luncheon Austin Convention Center, February 1, 2005 Or

TEPSA/TASSP Pre-Conference Dinner Renaissance Austin Hotel, June 7, 2005

izes!

Door pr funded by

the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with matching support from

Houston Endowment Inc. The Meadows Foundation Sid Richardson Foundation and with appreciation of

the Regional Education Service Centers

For more information about these events, please contact Judith de la Garza or Elizabeth Saenz at TASA, 512-477-6361.

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Book Review Reviewed by Yolanda M. Rey, executive director, Texas Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development In Leadership & Sustainability, Michael Fullan synthesizes his past and current work, and the work of authorities in the realm of educational reform. Fullan analyzes not only the results, both positive and negative, of past reform efforts, but also elaborates on points that can provide leadership and sustainability for critical mass educational reform that is large-scale and necessary to make a difference.

Fullan does not overlook the gains that some districts have accomplished.

However, he does state that many times renewal or reform is short-lived. The leadership and the elements of sustainability have to be present for any enduring change to occur.

In using systems thinking, he states that educators need a new mindset for sustainable reform that addresses capacity building powered by “new system forces.” In order to provide this sustainability for a total system, on an ongoing basis, Fullan’s identified strategies are powerful.

The author defines sustainability in general terms as “the capacity of a system to engage in the complexities of continuous improvement consistent with deep values of human purpose.” The book contains

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Leadership & Sustainability System Thinkers in Action

by Michael Fullan A Joint Publication by Corwin Press and Ontario Principals Council, 2005 ISBN 1-4129-0496-X

5. Deep learning “These leaders…can produce other leaders that are, or will

6. Dual commitment to short-term and long-term results

become, proactive system lead-

7. Cyclical energizing

ers who will help with solutions

8. The long lever of leadership

to issues in educational reform.”

seven chapters that address solutions in sustainability and labels them for the new work of proactive system leaders at the school level, district level, and system level.

Sustainability, as Fullan states, is an adaptive challenge involving a problem whose solution is not within the current expertise or within the current way of operating.

The system thinkers as leaders are key to the issue of sustainability.

The system thinkers take action using Fullan’s eight elements of sustainability.

The author provides not only abstract concepts, but also accompanying examples.

These eight elements can be applied to schools or any public service agency or company: 1. Public service with a moral purpose 2. Commitment to changing context at all levels 3. Lateral capacity building through networks 4. Intelligent accountability and vertical relationships

Based on the review of the literature and a summary of Fullan’s earlier work, the lessons learned on educational reform are preconditions for sustainability (leading with a compelling, driving conceptualization; collective moral purpose; the right bus; capacity building; lateral capacity building; ongoing learning; productive conflict; a demanding culture; external partners; and growing financial investments). When these preconditions exist, sustainability can be powerful.

The book’s contents contain established ideas that many educators have tested.

The leaders, as system thinkers, are pools of talent that support sustainability of education reform. There is a tremendous need to develop and sustain them. These leaders, as the author emphasizes, can produce other leaders that are, or will become, proactive system leaders who will help with solutions to issues in educational reform. Michael Fullan, once again, assists the practitioners with powerful strategies to improve a lasting change for the betterment of schools.

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406 East 11th Street Austin, TX 78701-2617

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Austin, TX Permit No. 1941