Leadership in Action
A TRIANGULATED ANALYSIS OF COLORADO INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP BASED ON THREE DIVERSE LEADERS
NATASHA CROUSE
An Overview of Three Schools
School A
• Elementary school
• Set is in a small bedroom
community outside of
Denver
• Title 1 funded tutor - 28% FRL
• Principal’s first year
School C
• CSSD11 Elementary School
• Set in east central Colorado
Springs
• School wide Title 1 >90% FRL
• TAP
• Established principal
School B
• Charter school
• Serves K-12
• Focus: College readiness
• Set in downtown
• School wide Title 1 >60% FRL
• First year TAP
• Principal’s first year
School A: TCAP 2013 Growth Results
Reading
Writing
Math
Higher Achievement
Lower Growth
Higher Achievement
Lower Growth
Higher Achievement
Lower Growth
School A:
School Performance Framework
School A:
School Performance Framework
An Overview of Three Schools
School A
• Elementary school
• Set is in a small bedroom
community outside of
Denver
• Title 1 funded tutor - 28% FRL
• Principal’s first year
School C
• CSSD11 Elementary School
• Set in east central Colorado
Springs
• School wide Title 1 >90% FRL
• TAP
• Established principal
School B
• Charter school
• Serves K-12
• Focus: College readiness
• Set in downtown
• School wide Title 1 >60% FRL
• First year TAP
• Principal’s first year
School B: TCAP 2013 Growth Results
Reading
Writing
Math
Lower Growth
Lower Achievement
Lower Growth
Lower Achievement
Lower Growth
Lower Achievement
*Note: Middle school growth results were similar to elementary results in all content.
High school data was unavailable due to <20 students in data set.
School B:
School Performance Framework
School B:
School Performance Framework
An Overview of Three Schools
School A
• Elementary school
• Set is in a small bedroom
community outside of
Denver
• Title 1 funded tutor - 28% FRL
• Principal’s first year
School C
• CSSD11 Elementary School
• Set in east central Colorado
Springs
• School wide Title 1 >90% FRL
• TAP
• Established principal
School B
• Charter school
• Serves K-12
• Focus: College readiness
• Set in downtown
• School wide Title 1 >60% FRL
• First year TAP
• Principal’s first year
School C: TCAP 2013 Growth Results
Reading
Writing
Math
Lower Growth
Lower Achievement
Lower Growth
Lower Achievement
Lower Growth
Lower Achievement
School C:
School Performance Framework
School C:
School Performance Framework
Student Mobility
(Colorado Department of Education, 1999-2014)
Racial Demographics
School A
School C
School B
(Colorado Department of Education, 1999-2014)
ISLLC Standard 1:
Articulating a shared vision for learning
Please describe your school’s vision. How
was this vision developed, and what are
the steps your school takes to maintain this
vision? Describe how your school’s vision
supports the vision of your school district.
ISLLC Standard 1:
Articulating a shared vision for learning
School A
• A vision impact committee
has been developed to
begin reworking the current
school vision.
• The new vision will include
an emphasis in technology.
• Staff ownership in the new
vision is important to this
principal.
School B
• The charter school
foundation drives the
school’s vision, and is
published on the school’s
website.
• PLCs are being used as the
launching point for
developing a shared vision
for PBIS.
School C
• Don’t try to change
everything right away.
• Utilize survey tools to know
your team.
• First, work to establish a
culture of trust amongst
staff.
• Allow the vision to develop
over time—frequently
revisiting and revising it
over the course of a year
as it is developed.
• The vision is actively shared
with the community.
ISLLC Standard 2:
Developing a community of learners
What programs/strategies does your school
implement to provide targeted interventions for
students?
 Please explain your schools pedagogical
approaches to instruction, and how these
practices impact student learning and school
culture. What practices are in place to build
instructional capacity in your teachers?

ISLLC Standard 2:
Developing a community of learners
School A
• The school fosters a wholechild approach to
learning: infusing a love for
reading in authentic text is
key.
• During district designated
PD days, teachers selfselect sessions to attend.
Teachers also develop and
lead the PD sessions.
• Title 1 funding provides for
one tutor who works with
students in targeted, small,
pull-out groups.
*All principals referred to
Multi-tiered System of
Supports (MTSS) as an
umbrella under which RtI and
PBIS stand to support student
learning.
School B
• Data drives the TAP
processes.
• The principal ensures that
change is implemented in
SMALL chunks.
• Walk-throughs maintain PD
accountability:
•
“This is what I noticed…”
School C
• In the TAP program, a
Master Teacher is
responsible for
researching, field testing,
and training staff.
• All instruction is driven by
formative assessments.
• A key to the staff buy-in for
processes, like TAP, is the
principal’s enthusiasm.
• Interventionists are funded
through Title 1 and push in
support to the classroom.
ISLLC Standard 3:
Effective management of resources
What processes do you use to ensure
effective organization of your fiscal, human,
and material resources? Please explain the
collaboration involved in these processes,
and how they support student learning,
safety, curriculum, and instruction.
ISLLC Standard 3:
Effective management of resources
School A
• The office manager is
instrumental in managing
the school’s budget.
• With poor district funding,
maintaining FTE is
challenging.
•
•
•
Loss of instructional coach
Large class sizes
Teacher pay is
significantly lower than
adjacent districts
School B
• The charter school
foundation takes the lead
in determining how
resources are managed.
• As a principal, she lobbies
to the foundation on behalf
of the teachers, and works
to negotiate wages.
School C
• The principal meets with
the administrative assistant
weekly, and carefully
oversees the budget.
• 80% of the Title 1 budget
(maximum allowed by law)
is used for FTE.
• Title 1 FTE is used to reduce
class sizes and eliminate
combination classes.
ISLLC Standard 4:
Building connections with families and
community support systems
As you collaborate with your community,
what processes do you use to involve
families, to understand and accommodate
the diverse needs within your community,
and to build relationships with community
leaders?
ISLLC Standard 4:
Building connections with families and
community support systems
School A
• The district has established
an impact committee:
•
•
Increase community/voter
understanding of district needs
Meetings held at coffee
houses and restaurants have
better turn-outs
• Principal is active in PTCO.
School B
• Principal is active in PTO
and DOGS (Dads of Great Students).
• A Care & Share food bank
is on site.
• A partnership with
Colorado College begins in
the fall.
• Including dinner for math,
science, and literacy night
helps to draw in families.
School C
• A strong community liaison
is instrumental in linking the
school with resources:
• New Life:
•
•
•
Summer service project
Kids Hope-a student mentoring
program
Clothing drive
• Destiny Project:
•
Rent the gym and provide
food and basketball for
families weekly.
• Families looking for
scholarship support (ie: field trips)
are invited to volunteer
time in the school in
exchange.
ISLLC Standard 5:
Leading with integrity
In my coursework, I have been introduced to the
concept of developing a written personal
platform as a check and balance for the
potential ethical challenges leaders face. Have
you developed a personal platform? Please share
an example of how this tool has assisted you in
maintaining impartiality and an ethical stance in
the face of leadership challenges.
ISLLC Standard 5:
Leading with integrity
School A
• Take the time to
investigate:
•
•
•
What is the history?
What is their motive in
coming to you?
Learn all the viewpoints—
no 2 people with the same
experience, in the same
room have the same
perspective.
*The principals I interviewed
were not familiar with the
concept of a written personal
platform, so the question was
adjusted to inquire about how
their personal ethics helped to
drive their leadership.
School B
• The principal referred to the
Hippocratic Oath: First do
no harm.
• The mantra she refers to for
any decision she makes is:
“What is best for kids?”
School C
• Empathize with student
situations—but don’t allow
it to be an excuse.
•
•
Students are not allowed to
begin by saying “I only…” or
“I just…”
Students are taught to be
truthful—she reminds them
that if they lie to her the
consequences will be worse.
• She investigates to
understand all views, but
actively supports her
teachers stating, “I know
who I hired.”
ISLLC Standard 6:
Advocating for students through political
and community connections
In what ways have you found yourself
in dialogue with political decision
makers and diverse community groups
to benefit the social and educational
opportunities of your students?
ISLLC Standard 6:
Advocating for students through political
and community connections
School A
• The District Superintendent
advocates for teachers and
students at the state level.
• She voiced interest in
having future possibilities for
testifying at the state level.
School C
• This principal is actively
involved in education
politics by:
•
School B
• This principal partners with
the charter school
foundation and its founder
who has a significant history
of leveraging resources
through politics.
•
Presenting to the state
legislature regarding their
free breakfast program.
Participating in the State
Principal Cadre:
•
•
•
Co-developed CDE
videos for building coleadership in MTSS
processes
Data dialogues across
the state
Spoke at CASE
Greatest Challenges & Takeaways

How would you define your leadership style?

What is one of the greatest challenges you
have encountered as a leader? How did you
work to overcome or resolve this/these
challenge(s), and would you pursue a similar
course of action if the challenge(s) presented
itself again in the future?
Greatest Challenges & Takeaways
School A
• As a leader who values
democratic processes for
establishing buy-in and
rapport, her greatest
challenges included:
•
•
•
Enforcing staff
accountability in difficult
conversations—being
respectful yet firm.
Following a principal who
wouldn’t address staff
challenges.
Understanding that every
word and look on your
face is subject to scrutiny.
School B
• As a leader who
empowers teachers
through shared leadership,
her greatest challenges
included:
•
•
•
Starting mid-year.
Inheriting a culture of fear
where teachers hesitated
to take initiative.
Not micromanaging:
•
Use Cognitive Coaching
to build teacher
efficacy by answering
questions with questions.
School C
• As a leader who varies her
leadership style from a
directive approach to one
that is more collaborative
(as the situation dictates),
her greatest challenges
included:
•
•
•
Developing a relationship
with school’s union rep.
Empathizing with parents
without condoning
excuses.
Limited capacity as an
instructional leader due to
an abundance of
paperwork.
References
Colorado Department of Education. (2014, January 28). Mobility/stability
statistics for 2012-2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013 from
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/mobility-stabilitycurrent
Colorado Department of Education. (2013, December 19). Schoolview/data
& accountability: Performance framework reports and improvement
plans. Retrieved May 29, 2014 from
http://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolview/performance

Note: Per assignment parameters, all principal references are anonymous.