Innovative Case Study Strand Hunter Moorman Education and Training Policy Division Workshop of National Coordinators July 5, 2006 Overview of Innovative Case Study Strand An innovation in OECD/ETP work PURPOSE: Complement analytical strand with examples of innovative practice and policy implications FOCUS: (1) Innovative distribution of leadership roles (2) Preparation and development of school leaders 3-5 studies for each question PRODUCT: Provide policy makers with information on innovations, their implementation, and policy conditions and implementation Guiding Questions Models of school organization and management that distribute leadership roles in innovative ways Promising practices for preparation and development of school leaders Models of Distributed Leadership Effective principals act not only as managers but as leaders of schools as learning organizations or leaders within the larger system. With teachers in their school, or other leaders in larger system, they interact to constitute a productive, cohesive learning community. So Not necessarily formal or positional, but distributed across range of individuals in a school or system; and Shaped by governance and management structure, school/system size and complexity, levels of student performance Models of Distributed Leadership: Focus Areas System Improvement Partnerships/Collaborations School-level Learning Communities Promising Practices for Preparation and Development NEED is great: --Principals need daunting range of knowledge and skills to be effective (core technology; “leadership”; management; entrepreneurship) --And also in “practice of improvement”— combination of theory of action, social capital development, and strategic alignment needed to lead learning community BUT mixed picture of availability and quality of training and professional development, with: --Much room for improvement and --Need for policy incentives and conditions to support it Preparation and Professional Development: Focus Areas National or regional academies for preparation and professional development Alternative mechanisms for recruiting and preparing leaders Collaborations of non-traditional partners School or local-level professional development Case Selection Criteria Core criteria common to both questions Specific criteria for each question Core Criteria Diversity Stakeholder involvement Viability Results-orientation and theory of action Initial results and promise Access Distributed Leadership: Specific Criteria Models of school organization and management that distribute leadership in innovative ways: Demonstrated Systemic models orientation Preparation and Development: Specific Criteria Promising programs and practices for preparation and development of school leaders: Innovative Learning approaches organizations System-wide perspective Methodology Each case study documents approach, analyzes content, and identifies policy conditions. DATA: available documents and literature reviews METHODS: content analysis, interviews, focus groups, questionnaires TEAM: Up to 3 experts to plan and conduct study, some overlap across sites STUDY: planning, visit, report INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Funding of Case Studies Funding from a mix of sources: Foundations and corporate philanthropy OECD contributions Voluntary contributions by countries Timetable Models of Distributed Leadership: July 2006: International workshop August 2006-January 2007: Conduct case studies July 2007: Final report Innovative Approaches to Preparation and Development: January – June 2007: Conduct case studies September 2007:International workshop December 2007: Final report Thank you very much. beatriz.pont@oecd.org fani@fani-.stylianidou.org hunter,moorman@oecd.org ross.wilkins@oecd.org