INSIGHT—Winter 2005

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

WINTER 2005

INSIGHT Small Schools

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p. 28 p. 24 p. 12

Volume 19

No. 3 FEATURED ARTICLES

Systemic Leadership Development in the Small School

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by Rick Howard Shares how Comanche ISD includes all stakeholders in the development and implementation of district goals and objectives toward the common goal of serving the best interests of students

Making Long-Term Investments

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by Steven Ebell Focuses on how a curriculum management audit and strategic planning process in Gonzales ISD offer great promise for long-term systemwide improvements

Connecting with Your Community—Target Marketing Helps You Get Your Message Across

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by Brad Domitrovich Explains the importance of connecting with your community through target marketing to help counteract negativity generated by investigative reporters and writers

The School as a Place of Refuge

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by Sandra Harris Offers 10 lessons learned by educators and the strategies implemented to help faculty and students restore their schools to places of refuge after the distress of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

ALSO OF INTEREST…

TASA’s Enhanced Demographic Services

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Gives an overview of TASA’s Enhanced Demographic Services, including five steps analysts use to incorporate out-of-trend events in enrollment projections

TASA Annual Report

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Highlights the association’s activities and services during 2004–05

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Officers DEPARTMENTS Upcoming Events at TASA

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President’s Message

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Executive Director’s View

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Book Review:

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School Leadership that Works

TASA Headquarters Staff Executive Director Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems

Johnny L. Veselka Paul L. Whitton, Jr.

Arturo Guajardo, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, 1 Henry Herrera, Alice ISD, 2 Larry W. Nichols, Calhoun County ISD, 3 Rick Schneider, Pasadena ISD, 4 Gail Krohn, Nederland ISD, 5 Mike Cargill, Bryan ISD, 6 Mary Ann Whiteker, Hudson ISD, 7 Eddie Johnson, Harts Bluff ISD, 8 John Baker, Seymour ISD, 9 H. John Fuller, Wylie ISD, 10 Jerry Roy, Lewisville ISD, 11 George Kazanas, China Spring ISD, 12 Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD, 13 Rick Howard, Comanche ISD, 14 Alan Richey, Bronte ISD, 15 David G. Foote, Dalhart ISD, 16 Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD, 17 Michael Downes, Big Spring ISD, 18 Paul L. Vranish, Tornillo ISD, 19 John Folks, Northside ISD, 20

At-Large Members

Design/Production

Emmy Starr

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

INSIGHT

Executive Committee

Ann M. Halstead

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. © 2005 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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Alton J. Fields, President, Pleasanton ISD Kay Waggoner, President-Elect , Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Thomas E. Randle, Vice President, Lamar CISD Michael Hinojosa, Past President, Dallas ISD

Robert Duron, Socorro ISD Adrain Johnson, La Marque ISD Patricia Linares, Fort Worth ISD Alicia Thomas, North East ISD

Editorial Advisory Committee Alton J. Fields, Pleasanton ISD, chair Jerry D. Christian, Alamo Heights ISD Robert J. Duron, Socorro ISD Fred Hartmeister, Texas Tech University Jim Hawkins, Killeen ISD Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD Alicia H. Thomas, North East ISD Kay E. Waggoner, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

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 Handheld Academy (h2tla) g • • • • •

Who Should Attend Superintendents Central Office Administrators Principals Assistant Principals Teacher Leaders

g What You Learn • How to use handheld technology to increase your efficiency throughout daily interaction with teachers, students, and community • How to identify and select current software to meet your needs as a school leader • How to use the handheld’s capabilities to support teaching and learning • January 16–17, 2006

The Structure of Knowledge & ConceptBased Curriculum: Teaching for Deep Understanding Two-Day Training-ofTrainers Seminar with H. Lynn Erickson g Who Should Attend • Curriculum Leaders • Curriculum Development Teams Prerequisite: Prior Erickson workshop experience g What You Learn • Key Points supporting each training component • How to evaluate and guide the writing of clear and powerful conceptual, enduring understandings • January 23–24, 2006

Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy Three Academy Sessions led by Experienced Superintendents and Other Practitioners g Who Should Attend • Aspiring Superintendents g What You Learn • Session One—The Public School Superintendency: Real-World Roles • Session Two— Superintendents “In the Making” or “Growing in Place” • Session Three—Preparation for the Superintendent Job Search • January 31, 2006 (Session One) • March 29, 2006 (Session Two) • June 26, 2006 (Session Three)

SchoolView: Gathering Trend Data on Curricular and Instructional Classroom Practices Two-Day Seminar with Carolyn Downey g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • Central Office Supervisors of Principals • Principals Prerequisite: Prior Downey/TASA Walk-Through Seminar g What You Learn • How to calibrate the taught curriculum with the district/state curriculum • The various types of reports that can be generated from classroom observations • Technological enhancements that are in design using a computer table and PDA • February 2–3, 2006

Specific locations and more info available at www.TASAnet.org!

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Assessment FOR Learning: An Introduction for Leaders One-Day Seminar with Jan O’Neill g • • • •

Who Should Attend District Leadership Teams Principals Campus Leadership Teams Aspiring Administrators

g What You Learn • Introduction to Rick Stiggins’ Assessment FOR Learning approach • Clarification on the need for a balanced assessment system • Features of high-quality classroom assessments • Leader’s role in promoting assessment literacy • March 7, 2006 • May 11, 2006

Taking the Mystery Out of Tests–Examining Resources for Deeply Aligned Learning to That Assessed Two-Day Training-of-Trainers Seminar with Carolyn Downey g Who Should Attend • Curriculum Administrators • Licensed Curriculum Auditors • Licensed Walk-Through Consultants • Principals • Professional Development Specialists g What You Learn • How to analyze high-stakes tests to identify essential learnings • How to examine textbook excerpts for alignment to tested TEKS • How to facilitate this seminar in your district

Creating Strategic Performance Systems Five-Day Internal Facilitator Institute with The Cambridge Group g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • District Designee for Internal Facilitator g What You Learn • To facilitate your organization’s strategic planning process • To apply the Cambridge planning discipline • To gather vital data, as well as write and critique actual strategic plans • To access available support from The Cambridge Group, TASA, and AASA • May 1–5, 2006

Improved Questioning Three-Day Training-ofTrainers Seminar with Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes g Who Should Attend • Curriculum and Instruction Specialists • Staff Development Providers • Principals • Teacher Leadership Teams g What You Learn • To restructure classrooms to make the learning environment more active, more student-centered, more constructivist, more inquiry-based, and more metacognitive—in other words, more engaging to all students, especially those in the NCLB subgroups • To understand the theory and practice of effective questioning • June 7–9, 2006

• May 1–2, 2006

SMART Tools for SMART School Leaders Two-Day Institute with Anne Conzemius and Jan O'Neill g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • Central Office Administrators • Principals and Leadership Teams g What You Learn • Power of using collaborative processes for focused, data-driven learning and improvement • SMART Schools process that creates the motivation for team action and experimentation • Skills and knowledge needed to successfully implement professional communities in your schools, including the ability to translate data into SMART goals and a willingness to engage in continuous improvement of your professional practice • June 19–20, 2006

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Competitive, Distinctive, Focused PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE “You know you live in a

This month’s INSIGHT is devoted to small schools. My career as superintendent has been spent in small towns—those with school district enrollments of approximately 100 to 3,500 students. You know you live in a small town when you decide to walk for exercise and five people pull over and ask if you need a ride. You leave your jacket on the back of the chair in the café, and when you go back the next day, it’s still there, on the same chair. The “road hog” in front of you on Main Street is a farmer’s tractor.

News travels fast in a small town. If you want to really know what happened at last night’s board meeting, visit the local coffee shop. There is no doubting the reliability of the stories passed there, because they were picked up by someone who heard them from a good source at the local Dairy Queen. Everyone knows all the news before it’s published—they just read the local weekly newspaper to see whether or not the publisher got it right.

Conventional wisdom would have us believe that the best schools are those large enough to provide a wide variety of options for students. However, in the digital age that is not necessarily true. Based on research in best practices, many large high schools are reorganizing to create smaller learning communities. They are discovering what I have known for years—there are definite advantages to educating students in small schools. This notion is supported by a TEA policy research report on school size published in 2000.

small town when you decide to walk for exercise and five people pull over and ask if you need a ride.”

The report observes that smaller schools are considered to be more manageable because they cultivate more familiarity and interaction between students, staff, and parents. There is greater sharing of responsibilities and less opposition to curricular changes. Research has identified a relationship between small schools and increased associations among students and staff.

Small schools are more likely to keep students in school. They generally are able to demonstrate higher attendance and graduation rates. In addition to graduating more students, smaller schools appear to be able to graduate more students on time. Overall, the percentage of students absent on a typical day increases as school size increases.

The report also suggests that school size, directly or indirectly, interacts with student learning. In addition to concluding that student achievement suffers in schools with enrollments over 2,000, research shows that gains for reading and mathematics are best for all students, regardless of wealth, who attend high schools with 600 to 900 students.

Larger schools are thought to have an advantage over small schools by offering a more extensive curriculum and greater choice of programs. However, though large schools may have more on-site programs, small schools remain competitive by restructuring to offer more curricular choices. These efforts include “alternative teaching assignments, higher education cooperatives, inter-district sharing, dual-credit programs, and use of instructional technologies.”

The small districts in which I have served during my career have been very distinctive and focused. They haven’t tried to be all things to all people. They have tried to focus limited resources where they would have the most impact. In this age of instant connectivity, rural students have the same access to the world of information as students in the large metropolitan areas. The size of the campus or district no longer determines the opportunities available to students. When schools provide students with technology and skills needed to make connections to information and resources, they open up the world to them.

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Building on Our Legacy EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW “Texas educators should be applauded

On January 6, 1989, the TASA Executive Committee, in a special-called meeting, authorized President George Crowson to execute the purchase of the TASA Headquarters Building from the Texas Association of School Boards. That action and the subsequent closing on the purchase of the building two months later marked a significant milestone in the history of TASA. During the past year, we achieved another significant milestone—paying off the note on the TASA building. Over this same period of time, we have constantly promoted, provided, and developed leadership that champions educational excellence, building on the legacy of a professional association founded 80 years ago by a small group of superintendents who saw the need for an independent professional association of school leaders.

The growth and progress of TASA as the voice for Texas school leaders would not have been possible without the support of thousands of TASA members who have had a vision of an association that offers opportunities for networking and sharing best practices in the ongoing effort to enhance student performance in our ever-changing world.

for their efforts in response to these events. At the same time, we continued to respond to higher expectations and new standards of performance.”

During the past year, TASA members and countless other educators have worked diligently on behalf of the districts, communities, and schoolchildren they represent, to achieve state support for the resources necessary to achieve higher standards of performance for all children. The Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools, representing 11 statewide school leadership organizations, stood with firmness of purpose throughout one regular and two special sessions and, based on recent discussions among coalition members, is poised to continue these efforts as we begin 2006, facing a June 1 Supreme Court-imposed deadline for legislative action affecting the financing of Texas public schools.

Texas educators have faced other challenges during 2005—namely, the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that could not have been imagined a year ago. Texas educators should be applauded for their efforts in response to these events. At the same time, we continued to respond to higher expectations and new standards of performance.

During the coming year, TASA will continue to explore new ways to address critical issues affecting Texas schools. TASA’s advisory committees, meeting during the 2006 TASA Midwinter Conference, will be asked to assist in formulating these programs and services.

And the conference itself promises the most comprehensive offering of best practices, research, and policy updates ever assembled in one place for Texas school leaders. It’s an event you will not want to miss!

Though the challenges may be more complex, our mission is unchanged, and we look forward to supporting and representing TASA members again in 2006 with zeal and determination.

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Systemic Leadership Development in the Small School

by Rick Howard

C

omanche ISD, a small, rural, 3-A district on the eastern edge of ESC Region 14 in Central Texas, is engaged in extensive leadership development activities for all its stakeholders in an effort to build collaboration and support for improvement in student achievement. With all the high-stakes testing and ever-increasing scrutiny of student success, as well as the escalating criticism of public education, a broad-based effort is necessary to meet and exceed expectations. Identifying barriers to student success has never been difficult; the challenge is to determine specific action that will overcome barriers and impact student achievement.

All stakeholders must be included in the development and implementation of the district’s goals and objectives to be successful.

No one population can do it all on its own without the full support of all other elements of the community. Comanche ISD has sought to provide leadership development activities to trustees, administrators, teachers, students, and community members in order that action plans specific to each group can be developed and implemented according to the unique contributions each population can offer students.

were conducted throughout the following year culminating with the April 2001 adoption of a district mission and vision statement, as well as belief statements and long-range goals.

A luncheon was hosted in September 2000 for all current and former trustees of the district (39) to build support and collaboration for the district during this transition period. The new trustees gained greater respect for the outstanding financial condition of the district upon hearing some of the plight of earlier trustees when school funding was even more precarious than it is now. Likewise, the former trustees gained insight into the dedication and commitment of the new generation of district leaders, building trust in their decision-making ability and stewardship of the legacy of prior boards and administration.

In January, during Board Appreciation Month, trustees from all four districts in the county and their spouses were honored at a banquet, creating a unique opportunity for them to interact socially with job-alike counterparts, some of whom served each other in private business yet were disconnected from each other’s board service. Terry Harlow, executive director of ESC Region 14, presided over the meeting and presented certificates of appreciation.

Trustee Leadership Development After losing 27 years of collective experience in the trustee election in the spring of 2000, it was incumbent that the Team of Eight concept be developed quickly and effectively. As the 1999–2000 school year was ending, the four returning trustees with six collective years of experience not only welcomed three new trustees but a new superintendent to the team as well. Team building workshops 12

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Though changes in the trustee ranks continue to occur annually, new trustees are assimilated quickly into the Team of Eight through meaningful orientation sessions held jointly with the superintendent and board president, as well as ongoing training opportunities offered regionally and at the state level. The district mission and vision statements, beliefs, and goals are reviewed annually and

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remain the guiding principles for decision making, planning, organization, and administration of the district.

Administrative Team Leadership Development Not only did the district experience a drastic change in its trustee membership in 2000, the principals at both Comanche High School and Jefferies Junior High School resigned, adding to the void of institutional memory and tradition. With the selection of their successors, administrative team leadership development became as critically important as trustee leadership development.

Through regularly scheduled administrative team meetings locally; annual planning/debriefing retreats; attendance at such professional development activities as regional workshops and midwinter conferences, book studies, and other locally developed professional growth opportunities, the administrative team has grown into a cohesive, highly functioning learning system benefiting the students of Comanche ISD. The annual retreats are conducted the week following graduation for the purpose of debriefing the completed school year and to begin planning for the upcoming year. Retreats have been held in remote locations with overnight accommodations away from home and school to provide for concentrated activities, stress relief, and creative problem solving. Most beneficial has been the focused effort to make a clean break from the old year and start refreshed on a new year.

The investment in this professional development activity has yielded significant successful initiatives for the district, built collegiality among the administrators, and produced results far exceeding the capabilities of any single administrator operating alone. Most recently, at the retreat in June 2005, Betty Burks, TASA associate executive director for Instructional Support and Leadership Development, led the administrators through Carolyn Downey’s Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through strategy for instructional improvement, currently being implemented on all campuses of the district. After only a few weeks of observation, the need for the development of improved questioning skills among our classroom teachers became evident. As this is being written, three days of instruction in improved questioning is being coordinated by Betty Burks for local department heads and grade-level leaders.

“Samples of their responses to the stem ‘I will...’ included ‘learn to communicate with my Spanish speakers more effectively,’…‘eliminate sarcasm from my classroom,’ ‘be a learner as well as a leader,’…and ‘meet the needs of

Betty Burks, TASA associate executive director, leading Comanche A-Team Retreat

Responding to dramatic leadership changes in the area in 2001, Region 14 staff, area superintendents, and principals developed the Administrative Team Leadership Academy for Schools (ATLAS).

Periodic, overnight conferences with various program themes and guest speakers were held through 2004, courtesy of a grant from the Sid Richardson Foundation. Leadership and communication styles, stress management techniques, servant leadership, and promising practices were explored in workshop settings. Time was always allocated for district teams to collaborate, plan, and socialize.

Book studies have been a prominent part in the development of the administrative team at Comanche ISD. Titles studied collectively include Fish!, Who Moved My Cheese, Good to Great, Working on the Work, Teach Your Team to Fish, and The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through. Demonstrating a culture of learning at the highest level of leadership has inspired other staff to seek personal growth and professional development.

As with trustee turnover, faces have changed on the administrative team through the years, though to a lesser extent. New administrators have been quickly assimilated and have enriched the team with their unique experiences and skills.

Teacher Leadership Development One of the points established by the board of trustees in its vision statement is that the district be “recognized by its peers for success in all programs and activities.” The board envisions our district offering programs and services sought out by other districts as a model to follow instead of us looking to others as the model. As professional development has occurred and teachers have been empowered to try new strategies, many have distinguished themselves as leaders in their field. Presentations have been made, articles written, workshops hosted, on-site tours held, and recognition earned by numerous Comanche ISD staff.

all learners.’ ” Teacher involvement and input in decision making and planning is sought through such formal systems as site-based decision-making

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committees, faculty meetings, and departmental/grade-level meetings. Additionally, annual planning retreats are conducted at the campus level to study student success data and strategically plan for closing gaps and improving student achievement on their campus.

Whether held locally on tight budgets or in remote settings with all the luxuries imaginable, retreats provide a remarkable environment for collaboration and creative problem solving. Eliminating distractions and creating an atmosphere of professionalism never fails to inspire new ideas and strategies.

Just as trustees and administrators analyze the data and consider action plans for improvement from their perspective, teachers develop actions plans specific to their assignment. Upon conclusion of the annual convocation at the beginning of this school year, all staff were challenged to develop three action statements identifying ways they could individually work to overcome the identified barriers to our student success. Samples of their responses to the stem “I will...” included “learn to communicate with my Spanish speakers more effectively,” “read at least one education-related book per month,” “eliminate sarcasm from my classroom,” “be a learner as well as a leader,” “work on language by building vocabulary,” and “meet the needs of all learners.”

Student Leadership Development Determining that students not only bear some of the responsibility for closing achievement gaps and improving success but also have a highly qualified perspective of how to go about it, Comanche ISD has deliberately sought student involvement in its planning process.

Members of the Comanche Superintendent’s Cabinet of Student Leaders with Commissioner Neeley in her office.

Achievement data has been shared with student groups in a variety of venues, barriers to success have been identified, and action plans have been developed to mobilize the student population in the improvement effort. Student leaders have been identified, trained, and empowered to exert their influence on peers to do all they can to impact student achievement.

The Superintendent’s Cabinet of Student Leaders was inaugurated to provide a training ground for leadership development and to yield student involvement on improvement initiatives.

Consisting of a boy and girl from each grade, grades 5–12, the Cabinet has studied John Maxwell’s book Leadership 101,

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explored great leaders and their qualities, participated in data analysis of student success, and taken a field trip to the Capitol during the 79th Legislative Session. The purpose of the field trip to the Capitol was to observe the state legislative leaders at work and to meet with local legislators/state leaders to learn of their personal leadership development. Being recognized from the floor of both chambers and meeting with Senator Troy Fraser and Representative Sid Miller were certainly exciting for them, but Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley impacted them most with an hour-long meeting in her conference room and a tour of her private office. The administrators accompanying the group were no less impressed.

Returning to the challenge of developing action plans for improving student success with new enthusiasm to make an impact, the Cabinet wanted to expand participation and include more of their peers. A subsequent meeting was held with each Cabinet member inviting a guest to join the discussion. One action developed from that meeting was the inclusion of students in departmental meetings at the high school, providing a safe means for student input into curricular and organizational planning, as well as to inspire them to collaborate and cooperate with the teachers in improvement initiatives.

A Student Leadership Summit was conducted in the fall of 2005 for the officers and leaders of all classes and organizations within the district. Departmental representatives, class and club officers, the Superintendent’s Cabinet, the student council, and other student leaders identified by campus administrators met in the recreation center of a local church for a half-day of leadership development activities and officer training. Jim Abbey, president of the Comanche ISD Board of Trustees, led the training for presidents and vice presidents; an assistant principal with experience as a sponsor led the training for secretaries; and representatives of the local newspaper led the training for reporters. The 140–150 participants were challenged to return to their classes and clubs to mobilize them into improvement teams and seek ways to close achievement gaps.

The author welcoming student leaders to the Comanche ISD Student Leadership Summit

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CISD Board President Jim Abbey with student leaders at Leadership Summit

“As presentations have been made on the subject to parent groups and community organizations such as the PTO, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs, the threat of student transfers and removal of staff and trustees has inspired a sense of urgency and cooperation.”

Community Leadership Development Not to be left out, parents and community members have been targeted by Comanche ISD as well for leadership in meeting the challenges of closing achievement gaps and improving student success. At a recent District Improvement Team (DIT) meeting in which student achievement data and action plans for the community members to get involved in were discussed, they wanted to expand participation by inviting a guest to a subsequent meeting like the students had. Once again, it wasn’t hard to identify barriers to success, but finding ways for parents and community members to participate proved to be the challenge. However, a result of the discussion will develop into a Career Fair for high school and junior high school students to explore career options available not only in our community but through successful alumni working in other locations and fields.

The sanctions in NCLB for failing to meet adequate yearly progress in successive years have certainly helped in the endeavor to include the community in improvement initiatives. As presentations have been made on the subject to parent groups and community organizations such as the PTO, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs, the threat of student transfers and removal of staff and trustees has inspired a sense of urgency and cooperation. The same questions are asked in these settings about barriers to success and action plans for overcoming them in an effort to mobilize all stakeholders of the district to do all they can to meet the challenge. Perhaps the most conclusive evidence of success in

this vein was the adoption of the largest tax increase in its history this year without the anticipated ground swell of opposition. Patrons of Comanche ISD are beginning to respond to the challenge of increased standards, higher expectations, and greater possibilities for student success.

To close, as the leader of a District Effectiveness and Compliance team stated in the exit interview with the District Improvement Team following its on-site review, “It is very evident that you have accomplished much in this district, and it is apparent that you are not through yet, that you are not satisfied with the status quo. It is obvious that you are driven to continue to be better. You are good now, but your desire to continue to improve is very inspiring.” Comanche ISD isn’t where it wants to be yet, but it is working in that direction and with the mobilization of all the stakeholders of the district working together toward the common goal of serving the best interests of students, success is certain.

Rick Howard is superintendent at Comanche ISD and represents Region 14 on the TASA Executive Committee. He may be reached at 325-356-2727 or at rhoward@comancheisd.net.

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Making Long-Term Investments

by Steven Ebell The increasing performance expectations in both state and federal accountability systems have school leaders searching for answers.

In many cases, these increasing expectations have led educators to seek out programmatic solutions that provide immediate boosts in student performance on high-stakes accountability tests. While this approach may provide short-term benefits, long-term sustainable performance improvements are often lacking. Focusing on long-term systemic improvement is the only approach that will close achievement gaps between student groups and ensure that increasing performance targets are regularly met (Marzano, 2003).

Focusing on long-term systemwide improvements is a challenge in any school district, but becomes even more difficult in small, rural school districts. There are unique issues that face school leaders in smaller school districts. Gonzales ISD serves a diverse population of approximately 2,600 students. The makeup of the student body closely mirrors the student population of Texas. Gonzales ISD is also similar to many other districts in our state in that we have dedicated teachers and staff who put forth extraordinary efforts on behalf of our students. Despite these exceptional efforts, success as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) has been slow in coming.

Ensuring that all of our students perform well on TAKS has been a particular challenge due to frequent programmatic changes and the lack of a consistent, aligned curriculum. School districts our size and those that are smaller struggle in curriculum and planning due to lack of personnel to regularly address these items. With fewer centralized administrative employees, the daily task of ensuring that all state and federal compliance issues are addressed tends to consume a large portion of the day, leaving little time for focused work in critical alignment areas. Curriculum and planning often become afterthoughts solely due to the need to address more compelling issues.

As someone who has had experience at various levels in urban, suburban, and now a rural school district, I’ve found that my role as superintendent of schools is multifaceted—more so than I ever 18

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imagined. One area in which I have grown considerably since assuming the position of superintendent is school improvement.

In previous roles as principal and assistant superintendent for curriculum, a large amount of my time was spent on school improvement issues, but that focus would vary with the particular day and group with whom I was working at the time. As superintendent in a small, rural district, I find that I work on school improvement day in and day out.

Focusing on school improvement is one of the most exciting tasks I face as superintendent of schools. School board members continually remind me this was the main reason they hired me for this position. I entered the hiring process with a very clear expectation for the processes I would use to move my district forward. Based on my professional experience, I am convinced that most school districts do not spend adequate time or effort in curriculum development and long-term planning. When I met with the school board for my first interview, I talked extensively about the curriculum management audit and strategic planning process. Both concepts resonated with trustees and they asked for more details during my second interview. It was during this interview that I presented a written transition plan of actions I would take within the first year of my superintendency.

Curriculum Management Audit The first major action I took after being hired as superintendent at Gonzales ISD was to contract with the Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center (TCMAC) to schedule a curriculum management audit. The curriculum management audit was created by Fenwick English and first used in the Columbus, Ohio Public Schools in 1979. According to TCMAC (2005), curriculum management audits have been performed in hundreds of school systems in more than 25 states; the District of Columbia; and several other countries, including Canada, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Bermuda. In Texas, more than 40 school districts have had curriculum management audits.

According to Frase (2000), the audit is designed to determine the degree to which the written, taught, and tested curricula are aligned

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and the extent to which all district resources are organized to support the development and delivery of the curricula.

Many superintendents in school districts with 3,000 or fewer students might assume that the cost of the curriculum management audit makes this process something not worth considering. The cost of the audit must be weighed against the resulting value that it will produce in the district in future years. Frase (2000) emphasizes that recommendations from the audit typically take three to five years to fully implement. The impact of the audit taken over a period of years should then be viewed as a cost-effective approach to identify areas for ongoing improvement.

The curriculum management audit is not only a review of curriculum processes but also looks at all aspects of district operations and determines how well the system is working to meet its primary objective of teaching students. Another valuable aspect of the audit process is that trained auditors, with no ties to the district, conduct the audit, present the findings, and then leave.

Within four months of being hired as superintendent of schools for Gonzales ISD, a curriculum management audit team was in my school district gathering data and conducting interviews. Prior to the audit team arriving in the school district, I presented the reasons for the audit to district employees, churches, and civic groups. Every group responded favorably to these presentations.

In each case, I emphasized that the curriculum management audit is a deficit audit—the purpose is to find weaknesses. The results of the audit were then presented to my school board three months after the on-site team left the district.

After having served as superintendent for seven months, I had a 162-page report that listed areas of needed improvement. The worth of this document cannot be overstated. The curriculum management audit has served as a roadmap for improving our school district. One of the primary themes that emerged from the audit was that the staff of our district has worked hard and accomplished a great deal. The emphasis of the audit was that harder work from staff was not needed, but instead a different kind of work and a reallocation of resources.

Strategic Planning The audit recommendations are listed in order of priority, which makes communicating results to employees and the community a straightforward process. The first priority to emerge from our audit was to address the need for long-term planning. Like all other Texas school districts, Gonzales ISD was well-versed in the annual campus and district improvement planning process. The audit, however, clearly articulated the need for both long-term and short-term planning efforts, as follows: 20

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“The needs of society and students are continually evolving. Long and short-term planning efforts promote improvement by providing a mechanism for districts to anticipate these evolving needs and to develop solutions that prepare students for the future. Plans provide the framework for systematic action and chart a district’s future” (21).

Based on this finding, I attended The Cambridge Group’s Strategic Performance System Internal Facilitator’s Training. The Cambridge Group bases its planning approach on the work of William Cook, who has been involved in planning processes with military, business, and educational organizations for more than 40 years. The more I learned about strategic planning, the more I came to see the need for this process in Gonzales ISD. This is another investment in the school district that many superintendents may hesitate to consider because of the cost of the project. Like the curriculum management audit, strategic planning provides a set of deliverables, in this case a 10-year master plan that will impact the course of the school system far into the future. It should be noted that strategic planning can be paid for with federal Title I funds.

Strategic planning fits well in all types of communities because it begins with foundational, shared beliefs. Cook (2005) describes beliefs as the organization’s reflection of the core community values or its ethical code. Strategic planning is also clearly focused on future aspirations. Strategic planning is not about improving the existing school system, but rather creating new systems to achieve the community’s highest hopes for all students.

Strategic planning is a public process that seeks to engage the community in planning for the future of its schools. I have to admit that after the first day of training, I thought there would be no way I could convince my community to participate in this type of planning. After completing the training, however, I realized that I had to initiate this planning if Gonzales ISD was going to achieve its potential for greatness.

Much like preparing the community for the curriculum management audit, I made a series of public presentations at schools, community meetings, and churches. Within a matter of two months, I had recruited 52 volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and cultures to participate in the first planning session.

From this group of 52, I selected a group of 20 to develop the draft strategic plan. By design, this group of 20 represented the diversity of the Gonzales ISD school community.

This group of 20 met over a two-day period, 10 to 12 hours each day, to develop draft versions of the district’s shared beliefs, mission, parameters, strategic objectives, and strategies. This draft document is completely unique to Gonzales ISD and resembles no other planning document that has ever been created by our school district.

Public Engagement The next step in the planning process is to recruit additional staff and community to serve on one of our six action planning teams.

At a minimum, we need at least 60 people for the action planning process. Once the action plans are complete, they will be returned to the first group of 20 that originally developed the draft plan.

After approval is received from this group, it goes on to the Gonzales ISD Board of School Trustees for consideration. When

completed, we will have spent approximately nine months developing this plan and included more than 80 community members on the various planning teams.

As this process is not yet complete, it is difficult to predict the outcome. To date, however, I have had very specific and focused conversations about the state of public education with members of my community who would otherwise not have a reason to be involved. This step into public engagement concerning the education of our children has been worth the monetary and time investment. I have seen a change in the way people talk about their public schools. Community members have shared with me that they have never been asked their opinions about what should be happening in the schools. These statements are not unique to Gonzales ISD. A large percentage of the population in this country have no contact with the schools in their community, except when they hear a report of something having gone terribly wrong (Resnick, 2005).

Conclusion Both the curriculum management audit and strategic planning process hold great promise for making long-lasting positive changes in my school district. According to Cook (2000), leadership that is based on deep conviction and clarity of purpose is desperately needed in our public schools. In my experiences over the past year and a half as superintendent, the curriculum management audit has provided me the objective data I needed to make systemic changes to effect demonstrable improvements in student achievement. The strategic planning process has enabled me to engage the community in creating a plan for the future of our school system. Colleagues have asked me repeatedly how a poor district like Gonzales ISD has afforded the cost of the audit and planning process. My response to this question is simple: my board and I decided what our most important priority was when I was first hired. My clear directive has been, and continues to be, to improve the academic achievement of all students

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through processes that are sustainable. As a result, we have reallocated existing resources to engage in long-term sustainable improvement efforts. The curriculum management audit and strategic planning are two processes that hold promise for assisting Gonzales ISD and similar-sized public school districts with creating student-centered systems to meet the performance expectations of today and tomorrow.

Steven Ebell is superintendent at Gonzales ISD. REFERENCES Cook, W. (2005). Action team leader’s guide: A reference manual.

Montgomery, AL: Colonial-Cambrige.

Frase, L. (2000). The curriculum management audit: Improving school quality. Lanham, MA: Rowman.

Marzano, R. (2003). What works in public schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Resnick, M. (2000). Communities count: A school board guide to public engagement. Alexandria, VA: NSBA. Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center (2005). A curriculum management audit of the Gonzales Independent School District, Austin, TX: TASA.

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by Brad Domitrovich Communicating a positive message about your school district can be very difficult at times. It seems that almost every day, the news contains at least one story with a negative slant on public education. Investigative reporters and writers in larger media markets love to follow those juicy story angles that generate viewers and sell newspapers. These story angles and spins don’t always promote school districts, so it’s easy to throw your hands up in the air and surrender to the negative.

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eing an integral part of the public school system, you know that there are tons of success stories to tell. Each and every day, students succeed, teachers succeed, and parents get involved. How can you get this positive message across? One of the advantages that smaller school districts have is that they can counteract the negativity by connecting with their community.

With a little work and a little planning, you can show your community just how successful your school district is! One advantage that smaller rural and suburban school districts have over big districts is that it’s a little simpler to target market their community.

Who is your community? Most small school districts can segment their community into three marketing targets: their employees, their parents, and their taxpayers.

Employee Marketing Why market to employees? There’s a very good reason.

Employees are the best salespeople that you can have for your district! In a small district, good news travels fast but bad news travels even quicker. Teachers and staff who are informed of the district’s goals and positive accomplishments are more inclined to share those accomplishments with the public. Teachers know what’s going on at their particular campus, but not necessarily what’s happening at other campuses. It’s your job to tell them the good news that’s going on throughout your district.

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Encourage teachers to notify you of student accomplishments as well as accomplishments made by their associates.

This will provide you with the news stories you need to promote the district effectively.

Parent Marketing Parents know what their kids tell them. If a child is happy with school, the parent is happy as well. Parents will focus on the particular campus that their child is enrolled in. It’s important to market your district as a “district” to your parents. Promote your goals and accomplishments of the campuses, but always sell your district's achievements as a team effort. If your parents receive positive district news, they will feel more comfortable about all your schools as their child advances through the ranks of your school system.

Taxpayer Marketing Taxpayer marketing is really marketing to everyone else that is not an employee or parent. This is probably the hardest group to market to. Usually if the taxpayers don’t have children or grandchildren in schools, they don’t necessarily pay attention to the positive news in your district. You are just another bureaucracy taking their hard earned tax dollars … and spending it frivolously, of course. The Chamber of Commerce, key business

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organizations, ministerial alliances, and others can help promote your message of success. Make sure that key individuals in these organizations are in your communication loop. Keep them informed of your successes. Keep them up-to-date. Their support is necessary for sponsorships of student organizations and educational foundations. Their support is also very important if your district is contemplating a bond election.

Starting Your Marketing Program Developing a plan to connect with your community may seem overwhelming at the start, but the secret is to keep it simple and begin with ways that do not cost a lot of money. It’s easy to write a newsletter, but mailing costs and production costs can add up rather quickly. Instead of spending money on printing and postage, look at ways that you can get the message out without spending an exorbitant amount of money.

Think electronically. Electronic communication is being used more and more these days, and the number-one reason is cost effectiveness. With a few clicks, your news can be sent out to a large number of recipients. In just a matter of seconds, with little or no cost at all, your message has been delivered.

Use your district Web site. Put your news headlines and pictures of student accomplishments on your home page. This develops interest in your Web site, and parents and grandparents will visit your online home to see those students’ pictures. Change your story lines and pictures frequently, at least on a weekly basis. There is nothing worse than a stagnant Web site. Check the timeliness of your headlines. Nobody wants to see a story that’s six months old under your column labeled “latest news”! Using your Web site as a key communications outlet encourages frequent visits from your teachers, parents, and taxpayers. A well-designed and informative Web site also becomes a great welcome wagon to people interested in moving to your community.

Start an electronic newsletter. This is easier than you think.

Scared? Start with an employee-only electronic newsletter. Send your employees district news by e-mail on a weekly basis. Make it fun to read. Come up with a catchy name for your electronic newsletter. When you are feeling more confident, begin sending it out to parents and taxpayers. Develop an easy way for people to sign up for your electronic newsletter directly on your Web site.

Once people sign up, start sending them your electronic newsletter on a regular basis. Ask your subscribers to share the newsletter with a friend. This will encourage more people to sign up. Don’t bog down your subscribers’ mailboxes with lots and lots of e-mails.

Limit yourself to weekly newsletters. As your subscriber database grows, you can also use the list to send out emergency information such as weather alerts, notifications of bus accidents, and so forth.

Stand out and be noticed. Use every public opportunity that you have to promote your school district. Set up and man an exhibit table with district information at campus open houses, football games, and the like. Make up a poster with pictures of students to 26

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draw attention to your table. Set up a laptop or video player with school and student pictures. Once people are attracted to your table, talk to them. Spread your good news. Use this time to encourage them to sign up for your electronic newsletter. Have some giveaways available. Balloons, key chains, and bookmarks are inexpensive ways to get the district name out. Always put your district's Web site address on your promotional items. The more opportunities you have to get out from behind your desk and meet the public, the better your district will be noticed.

Join your local Chamber of Commerce and use its resources to help spread your message. Many chambers put out monthly newsletters. Provide them with school district information that they can use as filler content in their newsletters. Be a part of their

ribbon cutting celebrations. Volunteer to help them out when they are sponsoring community events. Key business people are involved in the chamber. Positive exposure to these key individuals promotes your district and your good news.

school districts. All of TSPRA's members love to share and learn from the success of others. A membership in TSPRA also gives you access to a great document vault that allows you to download samples of some of the best school PR work in the state.

Many rural areas and smaller communities have ministerial alliances. These organizations usually consist of the pastors and lay leaders that are key members of local congregations. Meet with them. Ask them to invite you to deliver a presentation about your district. Use this opportunity to share the many success stories that have made your district great. Many churches will allow you to submit pertinent district information for their monthly newsletter to members. This gives you one more avenue for marketing and even more opportunities for people to become a part of your district’s fan club.

Staying Connected Once you develop your plan and begin your communications efforts, stick with it. Always keep your message honest and positive.

Don’t ever be afraid to change your plan in midstream if some things just aren’t working as you originally planned. Communicate your message regularly. People get used to receiving information, and if you provide them with good information they will appreciate it.

Take your time implementing your district’s new communications plan. Get administrators to buy into it and help you execute it.

Encourage them to encourage the teachers and staff to provide you with those great success stories. When the entire district is providing a message of success, your community will follow.

Brad Domitrovich is communications specialist at Bandera ISD and serves on the Executive Board for the Texas School Public Relations Association as vice-president for the San Antonio area. He can be reached via e-mail at bdomitrovich@banderaisd.net or by phone at 830-796-6204.

Use your local newspapers. Most small towns and suburban areas have at least one local newspaper. Get to know the publisher, editor, and writers. See if you can get a page or two dedicated to educational coverage. Always provide pictures of students with any of the news stories that you provide. Local newspapers love pictures of kids, because pictures of kids help them sell copies. Always write really good news releases for your local papers. Send these releases to the proper editor or writer electronically. By sending the releases electronically, your local paper can just copy and paste what they need into their desktop publishing software. Local papers will appreciate this, as most of them are always short on staff. For the same reason, designate a district or campus person to be a photographer for key events. Local papers are inundated with photographic requests, and since they can’t be everywhere all the time, your assistance in providing photos will be greatly appreciated.

Ask for help. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Look for resources in other school districts. One of the best resources available is a membership in the Texas School Public Relations Association. TSPRA’s regional meetings give you the opportunity to network with public relations professionals from all different size

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by Sandra Harris

“As we watched the horror of the devastation created

by Hurricane Katrina, we empathized, sympathized, and prayed for the individuals involved, but we could not begin to imagine the impact that those winds would eventually have on us . . .

[The school] became [a] refuge.”

—Pauline Hargrove, superintendent, Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD

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urricane Katrina raged ashore August 30. Immediately, communities in the Gulf Coast area reached out to victims in many ways and especially by welcoming the children into their schools. Then just four weeks later, at the end of September, the winds of Hurricane Rita pounded the Louisiana/Texas coastal region causing millions of dollars of damage, demolishing homes, and disrupting lives.

By mid-October, at least 40 school districts in Southeast Texas alone still remained closed because of power outages, lack of water, and other damages from Hurricane Rita. Damage to schools was costly, and by the third week of October administrators for Goose Creek CISD, for example, submitted an estimated cost report to TEA and FEMA indicating they expected to spend $2.3 million as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (Culver, 2005). By November 1, Texas had spent about $300 million educating 45,000 student evacuees from both storms, according to Texas Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley (Williams, 2005).

The hurricanes had taken their toll on Texas schools and the people in them. This was made especially evident to me when my educational leadership doctoral students, all full-time professional educators, returned to classes at Lamar University–Beaumont, nearly a month after Rita’s devastation. In our classes we talked about the impact of the storm on their schools and what strategies had been implemented to help faculty and students begin to recover from the distress of Katrina and Rita.

At about this same time, I was reading a brief review of Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs), and I noticed that the emphasis was about far more than just small school size. In fact, according to Diana Oxley, senior program advisor for the Smaller Learning Communities Project for the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory (2005), components of SLCs include: 28

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• Positively impacting the quality of student relationships with their peers and teachers to improve academic outcomes • Collaborating with community-based partners • Communicating and involving individuals at all levels • Encouraging autonomy and flexibility • Facilitating authentic, active student learning built on teachers forming meaningful relationships with students • Offering inclusive programs and practices with a student-centered approach to reducing the achievement gap among students Not all but a great many of the schools in these East Texas school districts that felt the fury of the hurricanes’ wrath were small schools.

Whether these schools had restructured around the specific themes of Smaller Learning Communities or not, I was struck by how the components of SLCs and the efforts to recover from these disasters were strengthened by similar tenets of relationship-building, collaborating, communicating, flexibility, and being student-centered.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita disrupted every life and school to some degree in this coastal region. While a few educators stayed through Hurricane Rita to support community leaders in providing emergency services, most evacuated to distant places along with the rest of the population. When educators returned to their homes days and weeks later, they found roofs blown away; waterdamaged carpets sodden with mold; refrigerators reeking of spoiled food; no electricity; no telephone service; and huge trees pulled up from the roots, often resting in the middle of their homes. Some were literally homeless.

Some school leaders were allowed back into the area while the area was still under police protection to assess the damage to their schools. Campuses were strewn with downed trees and scattered debris. Often, at first glance, schools seemed uninhabitable due to

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collapsed roofs, standing water, and rapidly growing mold. Some buildings were not usable, at least not immediately. As one principal said, his school “was physically and emotionally different after the storm.”

Opening the schools was generally a primary goal in returning the community to “normal.” So, in the midst of this personal and professional destruction, educators were called to come back to school. What strategies did they implement to help themselves and their schools cope with these difficulties?

Ten Lessons Learned Based on their experiences, here are 10 lessons my students shared to help others in the future begin recovery efforts from difficult times.

Recognize stress-related behaviors. One administrator noted that he and his family evacuated to a hotel. While he was there, he surfed the Web for information on stress and stress-related behaviors so that he would recognize these symptoms in his faculty and student body.

The National Mental Health Association has identified these behaviors and feelings as common reactions to stress: • Disbelief and shock • Fear and anxiety about the future • Disorientation • Emotional apathy • Irritability and anger • Sadness and depression • Feeling powerless • Excessive crying • Stomach aches, back pains, headaches Educators who recognize these signs in faculty and students are able to provide important support during difficult times. Lesson 1: Recognize stress-related behaviors.

Provide a welcoming environment. The leaders’ attitude sets the climate for the whole school. One principal put a big “Welcome Back” poster in the library where the faculty would meet on their first day back. She even included a scavenger hunt activity to lighten the atmosphere. Staff had to search for other staff members who fit the criteria, such as, “Who rode the hurricane out in their car?” or “Who ran out of gas?” Lesson 2: Provide a welcoming environment.

Prioritize projects. Structure all projects in small bits. When people are under a great deal of stress, a major project is impossible, but a small project is something that can be handled. Role model 30

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giving out small tasks to faculty and expect faculty to do the same for students. Personal priorities also fall into this category.

Leaders who provided a way for faculty to meet with Red Cross and FEMA representatives were especially helpful. Lesson 3: Prioritize and complete one small project at a time.

Understand that people react differently. Understand that while there are certain commonalities about how individuals react to stress, everyone responds in different ways. One educator noted that “the teachers on campus were extremely emotional.” For the first two days back to school, he tried to hide. Finally, he realized that he, too, needed to share in these discussions. A counselor noted the anger of some of the students and that incidences of girls cutting themselves had increased. Lesson 4: Understand that people react differently; do not be quick to compare or judge.

Communicate. In most districts, administrative staff had to contact faculty to return to school by telephone. One principal stated, “I felt it was important to make all the phone calls to my staff by myself.” However, contacting everyone was not a simple task, as phone lines were down, many faculty members lived in areas where they were still not allowed back into their homes, and often there were no cell phone numbers on record. Making this personal effort at communicating with staff was a rewarding experience for this principal, as well as for the faculty.

Because schools opened in East Texas with in-service days, many principals held faculty meetings and provided time for faculty to talk about their experiences. When students returned, they, too, needed time to share their experiences. Lesson 5: Maintain accurate emergency call lists and provide time for everyone to communicate.

Mention progress. Often when faculty returned they spent the first few days helping to clean the school and searching for leaks or other

problems in classrooms. Being reminded how this labor was making progress to get the schools up and running was essential. As people worked, they talked, but few complained about the nature of the work or how tired they were when they returned home at night to do the same work. One principal noted the importance of talking about their progress as “each day fostered new hope” as he listened to and shared individual stories of triumph over this adversity facing them. Getting back to “normal” was a tremendous need of everyone. Even though the progress may appear to be small, emphasize what is being done to improve the circumstances.

Lesson 6: Mention progress often.

Investigate needs. Conduct a walk-through of the building to understand the needs of the building. After the needs of the facility are determined, tend to the needs of faculty and students. Find out who needs clothing, housing, hot water, or transportation.

One school posted a Web site for employees to identify needs of individuals and to list resources they might have to help others.

East Texas schools opened their gymnasiums and showers to faculty and their families. Many schools provided free meals in the first week back to school. Lesson 7: Investigate needs to understand best how to support the people on your campus.

Keep paperwork in order. One of the biggest challenges facing schools from the recent hurricanes was paperwork. As one administrator noted, “We re-enrolled around 100 students on the first day back alone.” Then he wrote a letter to the parents welcoming the students back to school and explaining how the school would be available to help the children emotionally and materially with supplies. Counselors and other faculty contacted the schools that students had been attending in the interim to complete the reenrollment process and verify that the students had attended the schools. Transfer ARDS were also necessary to officially complete the transfer of services. Lesson 8: Keep paperwork in order.

Speak up—ask for help. School leaders are the voice of the campus. When there is a need that cannot be solved with the expertise and abilities on campus, leaders must ask for help. When the whole community pulls together to help the school, it helps the community, too. Advocate for the faculty and for students. In the recent hurricanes, many students missed two weeks of school or more.

This created serious problems when it was time to submit grades at the end of six weeks. School administrators provided needed support to help teachers deal with this difficult time, as well as supported students to get back on track academically. Lesson 9: Speak up and ask for help when it is needed.

Encourage others and yourself. Educators must encourage others, but they cannot help others unless they take care of themselves first.

As one administrator wrote, “Personally, I am tired and unable to sleep at night.” Recognizing this, he knew that it was important that he find some relief for himself in order to help others. Another noted that “having to work and prepare a place for others to go gave

me a sense of purpose.” Lesson 10: Whatever it takes, remember to encourage others and yourself.

Conclusion As students in my doctoral classes wrote and talked about the impact of the hurricanes in their lives, they began by describing the destruction that surrounded them. They detailed the discouragement of working in difficult physical environments—no air conditioning, no e-mail, nonworking telephones, the smell of mold, and the inconvenience of sharing spaces until classrooms were readied.

Then, in every case, they began to talk about how this experience had changed their lives. They renewed friendships and developed a greater commitment to helping children, some of whom had little before the hurricanes and now had less. They renewed their loyalty to the larger community where they lived and worked.

They realized that electricity is not a necessity but that “clean water and ice—wow—what joy they bring when joined together to quench our thirst!” They celebrated lessons of life that emphasized relationships, working together, and focusing on people—not things; on students—not tests.

Whether these doctoral students had been in schools that were formally labeled “small learning communities” prior to the storms or not, recovering from these potentially disastrous natural events created a type of small learning community throughout East Texas.

Educators found that helping their schools recover helped them to recover. This enabled them to refocus on providing a way for faculty to emphasize relationship building and to meet the needs of individual students through collaborative, empowered leaders and, thus, strengthen the learning community, which is the school. The winds of Katrina and Rita roared into the Gulf Coast with the intent to destroy. Educators could not calm the destructive storms, but they could restore calm to the victims as they worked to restore their schools to places of refuge.

Sandra Harris is an assistant professor at Lamar University in Beaumont and serves on TASA’s Higher Education Committee.

REFERENCES Culver, R. (2005). Goose Creek estimates hurricane needs.

Baytown Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2005 from http://www.baytownsun.com/print.

Oxley, D. (2005). Small learning communities: Extending and improving practice. Principal Leadership, 6 (3), 44–48.

Williams, L.L. (2005). Education head seeks aid for schools.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 1, 2005 from http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/

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TASA Provides Enhanced Demographic Services Whether your district is fast-growing, stable, or shrinking, our experts can provide you with the useful insight you need to plan for the future.

ASA’s enhanced demographic services are more in-depth than the standard demographic study. The enhanced services begin with cohort survival forecasting to extrapolate past trends and then add a windshield survey—a neighborhood-by-neighborhood drive-through of the district—and a telephone survey—a collection of information from knowledgeable community leaders regarding future residential construction.

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During the windshield survey, the researcher notes areas where new construction is taking place. The locations, number of homes, and degree of completion are recorded. These areas are plotted on maps, and the schools affected are noted. Using the ratio of schoolage children to homes for similarly situated neighborhoods, the number of school-age children for the new construction is estimated and added to the survival ratio projections. Through the telephone survey, the researcher gathers information on current and planned residential construction, as well as other information that might be relevant. The analyst uses this information in the same

way as the data from the windshield survey—to estimate the location and expected arrival time of out-of-trend children.

Other kinds of out-of-trend events may include an industrial facility opening or closing, urban expansion, TEA policy, or a private school opening or closing. If we want to account for out-of-trend events, we need to collect information on the events and use it to predict the enrollment impact.

Five Steps Analysts Use to Incorporate Out-of-Trend Events in Enrollment Projections 1. Perform a baseline cohort-survival projection.

2. Locate likely areas for construction and estimate the number of homes to be constructed and the construction schedule.

3. Find school-aged children per household from census data for similarly situated neighborhoods.

4. Multiply number of new houses by children per house.

5. Add children in new construction to baseline projection.

The enrollment projections from TASA’s Enhanced Demographic Services are one of the chief inputs to TASA’s Facility Planning Services. Long-range infrastructure planning requires long-range demographic projections.

For more information or to obtain a cost estimate for a study in your district, contact Paul L. Whitton, Jr. (PWhitton@TASAnet.org), associate executive director, TASA, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272; or Jerry Gideon (jmgideon@cox.net), project coordinator, 325-223-1113.

TASA provides an integrated solution to facility planning

You don’t have to buy the integrated package—the enhanced demographic services can be purchased separately.

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Enrollment Projections. Our custom service includes 10-year enrollment projections by grade and campus for the entire district. These projections are based on analysis of the district’s past and current trends in land use, residential construction, enrollment, and population.

How We Make Our Projections Going through the projection process the first time involves quite an effort, but updating it is not as hard. We can arrange to update your projections on a regular basis, at a substantial savings.

Land Use Analysis. What’s the build-out capacity of your district, and when will it get there? We can answer these questions and others by studying the geography of your district and projecting how and when the land will be developed.

Design of Attendance Zones. We can transform the student addresses in your enrollment files into a map with a mark for each student’s location. These maps can be used for designing school attendance zone boundaries. Comparing maps over time shows how different areas of the district are changing.

Training and Follow-up. When the analysis is complete, we don’t just give you a final report. We present our results to the public and to the board, and explain how they were done. If you want us to update your projections annually, we can do that. Alternatively, we can train your staff to use the necessary data and software to develop your district’s own analytic capability. TASA has been providing these services for years, and we plan to be here for as long as you need!

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a

nnual report

Texas Association of School Administrators

2004–05 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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ission, 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 To promote and provide leadership for the advancement of education in order to attain programs that result in high levels of student achievement Positive School Climates 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 Advanced Educational Technology To promote the development and effective utilization of advanced educational and administrative approaches and technologies Synergistic Organizational Relationships 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 wellmanaged, innovative services that assist in the orderly and effective discharge of professional responsibilities for quality education programs and student achievement

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embership

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:

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.

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.

Texas Association of School Administrators

Membership Comparisons 2000–01 through 2004–05 CATEGORY

2002–03

2003–04

2004–05

Superintendent 991 Central Office* 673 Education Service Center Center 54 University/College 49 Association/Agency 15 Miscellaneous 38 Paid Life Retired 15 Total Active Members 1,835

2000–01

988 712 48 34 13 31 22 1,848

978 726 49 41 17 38 23 1,872

986 746 44 34 9 27 23 1,869

981 707 47 39 10 35 23 1,842

Associate Student Total All Members

141 53 2,042

141 61 2,074

132 32 2,033

124 13 1,980

157 60 2,052

2001–02

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

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nvesting 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 TASB/TASA Annual Convention • seminars and training • corporate sponsorships • program endorsements • building operations

Membership Dues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15% Professional Development/Services . . . .47% Royalties/Sponsorships . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15% Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6% Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1% Building Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2% Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14%

The chart below illustrates TASA’s revenue sources for 2004–05.

Total Revenue 2004–05

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overnmental relations

2004–05 Highlights • Devoted significant time, energy, and resources to legislative and state policy matters.

With the active assistance of its members, TASA’s Governmental Relations Department has a vital role in keeping superintendents and other administrators informed of state legislative and policy decisions and pending actions.

• Engaged legislators and policymakers year round in the legislative process; provided input to many boards and agencies, including the State Board of Education, State Board for Educator Certification, Teacher Retirement System of Texas, and Texas Education Agency; and actively addressed federal legislative initiatives.

• Monitored bills filed during the regular legislative session and subsequent special sessions 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.

If you have questions for TASA’s Governmental Relations Department, please contact Associate Executive Director Amy Beneski or Assistant Executive Director Ramiro Canales, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

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

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

• 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? • Coordinated and supported the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools to establish a unified effort among education leadership organizations 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 regular session and subsequent special sessions 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.

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ommunications & information systems

TASA makes every effort to maintain a strong and active communications program, providing information to help members command respect, spur activity, and win public support for their districts.

2004–05 Highlights • Launched TASA Daily, the association’s daily electronic communication delivered via e-mail each weekday morning to active, associate, and student TASA members, featuring critical news from around Texas and the nation; updates from TEA, the Governor’s Office, the U.S. Department of Education, and other state agencies; grant information; and important deadlines.

• Launched a completely redesigned TASAnet, powered by a content-management system, featuring members-only content, a superintendent’s calendar, and a wide variety of tools designed to enhance TASA’s online content and services.

• Redesigned our online registration system to streamline the registration process for TASA conferences and workshops.

• Launched TASA’s new Career Center, a completely revamped version of TASA’s free job posting service, featuring greatly enhanced categorizing and search capabilities.

• Initiated conference/seminar e-mail notifications, providing TASA members with timely reminders of professional development opportunities for them and their staff.

• Published TASA’s popular annual Membership Directory, Who’s Who in Texas Public Schools, with distribution to all TASA members.

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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p

If you have questions regarding activities of the Texas Curriculum Audit Center, Texas Leadership Center, or Strategic Planning, please contact TASA Associate Executive Director Betty Burks, Instructional Support and Leadership Development; for questions regarding general events or executive development, please contact TASA Associate Executive Director Paul L. Whitton, Jr., Administrative Services, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

rofessional 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.

, Tyler dinburg onzales -Euless- 2004–05 Highlights D (2), New Initiatives rie ISD, ISD, • Customized the Handheld Technology Leadership Academy (h2TLA) to offer district staff a "hands-on" ISD, approach to mastering the handheld computer in the d ISD, district.

ISD, Spring and • Expanded our partnership with the Schlechty Center in Texas to support school reform in identified n ISD Texas school districts through a customized StandardBearer School District Network and a W-O-W Network.

• Offered numerous quality professional development seminars and institutes aligned to TASA’s Mission and Goals through the Texas Leadership Center and the Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center to include noted experts in curriculum, assessment, and instructional improvement.

• Conducted the first reading and math audits and individual school audits for underperforming schools as identified through NCLB’s Annual Yearly Performance Criteria.

• Initiated a partnership with the National Center for Educational Accountability, national sponsor of Just for the Kids, to provide a data-driven continuous improvement model for participating school leadership teams.

• Initiated a partnership with the HOPE Foundation to bring a High School Reform Summit to Texas to include noted experts in the area of secondary school redesign.

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INSIGHT

General Events • TASB/TASA Convention • TASA Spring Conference for School Executives • TASA Summer Conference on Education • Cosponsor of the Texas Assessment Conference and Texas Association of Collegiate Testing Personnel Conference • TASA Midwinter Conference & Education Expo • TASA/Texas A&M University Administrative Leadership Institute • TASA/CEFPI (Southern Region) School Facilities Workshop Executive Development • TASA 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) 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 (Crowley, Gonzales, Ysleta, and Point Isabel ISDs) and one individual school audit (San-Felipe Del Rio CISD); offered customized Downey Walk-Through seminars and other trainings for districts, thus saving the high costs of travel for district leaders and developing leadership capacity within districts.

• Walk-Through Seminars (Conducted 14) • Levels I & II Curriculum Management Training • Mentoring the Reflective Principal • Baker’s Dozen Ways • Examining Student Work • Leaving No Child Behind: 50 Ways to Raise Students’ Test Scores Conference (San Antonio) Texas Leadership Center—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by TASA that provides services and seminars to strengthen the leadership of Texas schools.

• h2TLA Handheld Technology Leadership Academy • Leadership Development Process Four-day Participant-Level Training or 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)

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dministrative 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.

2004–05 Highlights • Continued the Administrator’s Resource Center with expanded services for subscribers, including a biweekly e-Bulletin and monthly issues of the Informed Educator and Focus On. • 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 seven comprehensive facility planning studies (Edgewood ISD–Elementary Schools, Hereford ISD, Hull-Daisetta ISD, Muleshoe ISD, Pampa ISD, Paris ISD, and Refugio ISD) designed to assist school districts in addressing requirements related to space, educational programming, and long-range planning.

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

• Offered 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 L. Whitton, Jr., 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

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wards & scholarships

National Superintendent of the Year Michael J. Harris, Slaton ISD (Region 17), was selected as Texas nominee for the 2005 National Superintendent of the Year program. (Susan Simpson, White Settlement ISD, was selected for 2006.) Established in 1988 and cosponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and ARAMARK Education, 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.

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INSIGHT

Texas School Board Awards TASA named Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees (Region 11) as the Outstanding School Board of Texas for 2004. (Tyler ISD won the award for 2005.) Also honored as 2004 Texas Honor School Boards were Amarillo (Region 16), Austin (Region 13), Highland Park (Region 10), and Katy (Region 4) ISDs. TASA created the School Board Awards competition in 1971 to recognize those school boards that demonstrate outstanding service to the children of Texas.

Golden Deeds Award James Terry, recently retired superintendent, Mesquite ISD, was named recipient of the 2004 Golden Deeds Award, presented by Texas A&M University at its annual Administrative Leadership Conference in November 2004.

(State Representative Bob Griggs was recipient of the award for 2005.) 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.

Honorary Life Sixty-three educators received Honorary Life Memberships in January 2005. 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.

100% Membership ESC Regions 4, 5, 15, and 18 achieved 100 percent TASA membership among superintendents in their regions for the 2004–05 membership year. Dawson R. Orr served as the 2004–05 state membership chair.

c TASA

orporate partner program

In 2004–05, TASA received support from 28 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.

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

2004–05 Corporate Partners President’s Circle Apple ETS PowerSchool Scholastic SHW Group, LLP Platinum Championship Fund Raising Gold ARAMARK LifeTrack Services, Inc. Princeton Review Riverdeep Scientific Learning Silver Assured Indoor Air Quality CompassLearning, Inc. Curriculum Advantage Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP PBK Architects Questia Media, Inc. Taylor/Balfour Bronze 3D/International, Inc. Alton Lynch Associates First Southwest Company Huckabee & Associates MIND Institute Renaissance Learning Sodexho School Services The Staubach Company TCG Consulting, Inc. TextHELP Systems

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c TASA

ommittees

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 cross-section 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.

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.

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.

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

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, the association's training programs, seminars, and 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: One year)

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.

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INSIGHT

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

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.

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

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) 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)

s TASA

taff 2005–06

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS STAFF Johnny L. Veselka—Executive Director (8/5/74)

Amy Beneski—Associate Executive Director, Governmental Relations (5/6/02) Betty Burks—Associate Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development (1/19/04) Paul L. Whitton, Jr.—Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services (2/1/01)

MEMBER SERVICES REPRESENTATIVES Larry Coffman—Regions 9, 16, and 17 Stephanie Cravens—Regions 3, 4, and 5 Roy Dodds—Regions 14, 15, and 18 Vacant—Regions 6, 8, and 12 Jimmy Partin—Region 7 M. Roel Peña—Regions 1, 2, 19, and 20

Ramiro Canales—Assistant Executive Director, Governmental Relations (1/10/05)

Lloyd H. Treadwell—Regions 10, 11, and 13

Ann M. Halstead—Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems (11/17/86)

CONSULTANT Jerry Gideon—Strategic Planning/Facility Planning

Pat Johnston—Director, Special Services (1/4/70) Denise Biggs—Administrative Secretary, Governmental Relations (5/28/02)

*Dates in parentheses represent dates of employment

Rachel Cooper—Administrative Secretary, Instructional Support and Leadership Development (3/8/05) Toska Graham—Administrative Secretary, Administrative Services (8/3/05) Karen Limb—Editorial Coordinator (3/13/91) Angela Petreczko—Accountant (2/3/03) Mark Pyeatt—Communications Specialist (3/1/00) Brettany Rhodes—Registration Coordinator (1/1/01) Albert Rivas—Webmaster (1/1/01) Donna Robinson—Chief Accountant (5/7/02) Marita Rogers—Receptionist (9/1/88) Barbara Schlosser—Membership and Data Services Coordinator (1/23/02) Emmy Starr—Graphics Coordinator (1/1/01)

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School Leadership that Works

by Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty

Book Review The central question raised by the authors/researchers in this book is: "To what extent does leadership play a role in whether a school is effective or ineffective?"

This book combines practical advice with research, thus fulfilling the need for research-based leadership practices that lead to increased student achievement.

Part one of the book (Chapters 1–3) addresses the research that was used to study this issue. The authors used a meta-analysis of the research on school leadership as the basis for the book. They examined research that spanned 35 years covering a period from 1978 to 2001. The study involved the analysis of 69 studies that met their selection criteria. They also conducted a factor analysis of a survey that was completed by more than 650 building principals.

The studies that were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis had to meet the following conditions: • Involved K–12 students • Involved schools in the United States or schools that closely mirror those • Directly or indirectly examined the relationship between the leadership of the principal and student achievement • Measured academic achievement by a standardized test, state test, or a composite index based on one of both of these • Reported or provided computable effect sizes in correlation form The authors determined that the research over the last 35 years provides significant 46

INSIGHT

Published by the Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2005, ISBN: 1416602275 Reviewed by Cathy Bryce, superintendent, Highland Park ISD information regarding specific leadership behaviors for school administrators and that those behaviors are well-documented in the research for impacting student achievement.

The study of the research strongly supports a belief that practicing educators hold, which is that highly effective school leaders can have powerful influence on the overall academic achievement of students. Based on their analysis of the research, the authors have developed a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that are important to the implementation of leadership in schools. Part two of the book (Chapters 4–7) addresses the practical application of the research analysis. Chapter 4 details the 21 responsibilities. The research findings validate the work of leadership theorists over the past three decades. The authors provide some new insights into the nature of school leadership in the detailed explanation of each responsibility.

Chapter 5 is devoted to the discussion of two traits or factors that underlie the 21 responsibilities. The authors conducted a factor analysis using the responses to a questionnaire designed to measure principals’ behavior in terms of the 21 responsibilities.

The primary finding was that the two factors that underlie the 21 responsibilities are first-order change and second-order change.

The authors note that first-order change is incremental and second-order change is much more complex and deep. Day-to-day first-order change initiatives or corrections require that school leaders attend to all 21 responsibilities as a regular aspect of managing the school. The authors propose that second-order change initiatives require that

leaders emphasize 7 responsibilities. Also, during second-order change, the leader will, more than likely, have to endure the perception among some staff that behavior in four of the 21 responsibilities has actually eroded.

Chapter 6 addresses the importance of selecting the right work to do as school leaders work to improve student achievement. The authors identify two categories of interventions: Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models and site-specific approaches. Robert Marzano’s 11-factor model for developing a site-specific plan is detailed in this chapter.

In Chapter 7, the authors presented a fivestep plan for effective school leadership based on the research and theory that is presented in this book. The plan is practical and consistent with the work of prominent researchers in this area of leadership.

The last part of the book contains the technical notes that explain the research findings presented in the book. They provide detailed statistical explanations for each phase of the research that was used.

Certainly, we are working at a time when there is a high need for successful leadership that leads to continuously improving student achievement. The authors believe that we have the knowledge necessary to do the work.

They present some carefully researched tools that principals and other educational leaders can readily access to make a difference in the lives of the students we serve.

’05

TASA Salutes the Honor Boards

2005

Nederland ISD

Outstanding Board—Tyler ISD

Ricardo ISD

San Antonio ISD

Belton ISD

Alvin ISD

406 East 11th Street Austin, TX 78701-2617

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