Central Office Transformation
June 2, 2011
Sandy Austin
Consultant, Center for Educational Leadership
Mark Johnson
Superintendent, Nooksack Valley School District (WA)
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5 Dimensions of Central Office Transformation
1. Learning-focused partnerships with school principals
2. Assistance to the central office-principal partnerships
3. Reorganizing and reculturing each central office unit
to support the partnerships and teaching & learning
improvement
4. Stewardship of the overall central office
transformation process
5. Evidence use throughout the central office to
support continual improvement of work practices
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4. Stewardship of the overall central
office transformation process
Stewardship: “the careful and responsible
management of something entrusted to
one’s care”
Merriam-Webster Online, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stewardship,
downloaded 3.2.10.
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Work from a Theory of Action
Definition:
“Theory of Action: An articulated rationale for WHY a
particular set of actions or strategies are likely to lead
to the outcomes you seek”
Can be rooted in:
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Research
Examples of good practice
Evidence you collect about your own practice
Intuition (but be careful about this….)
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Theory of Action: a rationale
“A theory of action describes the beliefs that undergirds an
organization’s strategy and links the strategy to the
organization’s vision; a theory of action can be thought of as
the storyline that makes a vision and strategy concrete. It is a
hypothesis using an if-then statement to articulate what will
be achieved and how, in the broadest sense, it will be
achieved. The power of a theory of action is that the theory
helps an organization be explicit about why it is doing
something and how it expects that those actions will lead to
improved student achievement.”
Strategy In Action, Rachel Curtis and Elizabeth City
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One System’s Example
We believe that …
If we work as a cohesive system, and if we focus our work on the Instructional
Core (teacher’s knowledge and skills, student engagement in their own learning
and aligned challenging content), and if we design professional development
if we continuously improve our
practice through cycles of inquiry and data analysis and if we, develop
leadership at all levels, and if we effectively communicate to all stake holders
that is collaborative and job embedded, and
across the system,
then we will reach our mission of ensuring success for all students (defined as
being college, career and citizenship ready)
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Given the definition and your current initiatives,
what would you say is your district’s theory of
action?
If we ______________, and ____________,
and______________, then we will ______.
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Story of Nooksack Valley School District (WA)
2009 District Demographics
Native American
7.6%
Asian
1.6%
Black
1.1%
Hispanic
25.2%
White
63.4%
Free/Reduced Lunch
55.2%
Special Education
19.0%
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An Example of Stewarding
a Theory of Action
Having a Teachable Point of View
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Mission as Moral Imperative
Ensuring the success of all students
Graduating all students college,
career, and citizenship ready
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Nooksack Valley’s Theory of Action
If we focus on
Improvement of the instructional core as the key variable in
improving student achievement
Continuously improve adult practice through collaborative adult
learning (the vehicle)
Making this the systems number one responsibility and
leadership imperative
Then we will achieve our mission of
Ensuring the success of all students (Graduating all students college, career,
and citizenship ready)
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Development of the Theory of Action
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Experience
o After aligning the curriculum and assessing performance,
students were still not succeeding
o Asked, “What else to we need to consider?”
Studied the research, read as a central office team with our
principals
Asked, “What are districts doing where students are
succeeding?” “What are the best practices”?
Visited other sites
Brought in outside consultants
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Ways to Gain Understanding of and
Commitment to a District’s Theory of Action
1. Common readings that promote theory of action
2. Teacher leadership summits
3. Theory into guiding questions that forced action
4. Teachers leadership teams
5. Board learning
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Beginning the Work …
Gaining Commitment by Doing the Work
• Answering the essential questions
• All agendas (lesson plans) focused on the
theory of action
• All openings focused on the theory of action
• Developing structures that reinforced theory
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Recognition that a theory of action is not
merely an exercise, but a critical component
of improving student achievement and
closing achievement gaps.
Aligning strategies to the theory of action and
monitoring student achievement.
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Theory of Action In Action; one example
1. Improving the Instructional Core
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Develop common vision of literacy and math
instruction (teacher leaders, external expertise)
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Alignment of “work” to essential questions
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Literacy and Math Guides
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Units of Study
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District writing assessment, others
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Theory of Action In Action; one example
2. Collaborative Adult Learning
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Leadership teams (teacher leaders)
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External coaching/expertise (early on)
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PLC “training”
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Lesson Study
Studio Classrooms
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Learning Walks (aka “rounds”)
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Theory of Action In Action; one example
3. System Responsibility/Leadership Imperative
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Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent directly
involved in learning with staff
Principal instructional learning and development
Administrative team collaborative learning
Time and resource allocation
Supervision and coaching system shift
Board understanding and commitment
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Principal Development: A Key Strategy
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Instructional leadership standards - naming best practice
Principal “expectations” - defined, co-shaped, and practiced
Administrative team meetings – focus on learning and
accountability
Consultancies - learning from each other
School “rounds”/1-1 visits (6 per school per year)
Sharing “lesson plans” and observing each other
Instructional rounds-learning walks to supervisory walks
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Is the theory of action and theory in
action working?
What is the evidence?
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A Bit of “Evidence”
4 of 5 schools received Washington State
Achievement Award for “Overall Excellence”
(top 5% of schools in state)
– Student achievement
– Comparison to peers
– Graduation rate
(The next most recognized school system in the state
had 9 of 40 schools receive this award)
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A Bit of “Evidence”
• Above state averages (significantly in most cases) in
every content area and every grade level on state
assessments
• Numerous leadership and system recognitions
• 100% of teachers indicated their desire to stay in
district (#1 reason—”collaborative adult learning
culture)
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Other Evidence
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Other Evidence
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Using the Data to Leverage
the Theory of Action
Where the data does not indicate improvement,
then where do we need to adjust?
• Instruction ?
• Assessment ?
• Leadership ?
• Adult Learning ?
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Using a Theory of Action
to Make Decisions
• Budgeting
• Grant applications
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Sponsorship/Stewardship
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Broken record - This is our theory of action!
Run cover for principals (to a point)
Be there-sponsor, participate, contribute, model
learning/thinking, etc.
Name what you believe in and value, then act like it
(distributive leadership, with and through people,
reciprocal relationships, etc.)
Ensure the necessary conditions are in place (this is
intense work-time, focus, energy)
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Sponsorship/Stewardship
• Expect push back (not necessarily negative)
- ignore?
- address head on?
- address indirectly?
- retreat?
• Look for break throughs/teachable moments
• Culture and beliefs will change only through
action (not by talking about it).
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Considerations for Next Steps
1. Do you have a clearly articulated theory of action?
2. Is it understood by key stakeholders?
3. To what degree to these stakeholders have a
commitment to this theory of action?
4. To what degree do your system’s initiatives match
your theory of action?
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