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THE PRACTICE:
Adapting School Organization to Promote Student Success
Administrators distribute power among the staff and students. They also encourage the adaptation of school policies and structures to meet the learning needs of students.
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Content Presented By:
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The Education Alliance at Brown University
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National Association of Secondary School Principals
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What is it?
For personalization strategies to survive and grow, school and district leaders must promote the adaptation of existing school policies and organizational structures. Principals in personalized high schools do not try to solve every school problem on their own. Rather, they empower staff and students to develop solutions and plans. They support the development of teacher-leaders, encourage students to take an active role in school governance, and allow for flexible scheduling to meet students' and teachers' needs.
Questions to Think About
- How well does your school's daily schedule provide opportunities for effective and varied instructional strategies?
- Do teachers, students, and administrators use the same language to talk about your school?
- Is there an articulated, written commitment to foster teacher-leadership as well as a plan to do so?
- Are there existing programs that were teacher- or student-generated and have been sustained over several years? Is it likely that these programs will endure after the departure of the teacher(s) or students who created them?
Breaking Ranks: Changing An American Institution is a 1996 publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It offers a series of recommendations that have become a guiding force for high school redesign throughout the nation. Listed below are the recommendations applicable to this practice. For a clearer picture of what each recommendation looks like in action, click on it, and its "indicators" will appear.
High schools develop flexible scheduling that allows for more varied uses of time in order to meet the requirements of the core curriculum.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 5, #03
Teachers provide the leadership essential to the success of reform, collaborating with others in the educational community to redefine the role of the teacher and to identify sources of support for that redefined role.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #06
The principal provides leadership in the high school community by building and maintaining a vision, direction, and focus for student learning.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #01
Current principals build and refine the skills required to lead and manage change.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #03
The principal fosters an atmosphere that encourages teachers to take risks to meet the needs of students.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #04
High schools develop flexible scheduling that allows for more varied uses of time in order to meet the requirements of the core curriculum.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 5, #03
Indicators:
The master schedule best supports the learning needs of students as well as the implementation of curriculum and instruction. It is based upon current educational research and supports the beliefs expressed in the school's mission as well as student achievement of the school-wide expectations.
- Thoughtful review of the master schedule occurs annually to ensure that it best supports the school's mission and expectations for student learning.
- The schedule supports implementation of effective instructional practices (e.g., collaborative learning, team-teaching, etc.).
- The schedule supports delivery of the curriculum (e.g., longer blocks of time for in-depth learning, project-based learning, interdisciplinary units, etc.).
- The schedule allows for the flexible use of time.
[Return to List of Recommendations]
Teachers provide the leadership essential to the success of reform, collaborating with others in the educational community to redefine the role of the teacher and to identify sources of support for that redefined role.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #06
Indicators:
- Teachers take on leadership responsibilities that support the mission, foster student learning, and ensure school improvement.
- Teachers serve on, and are actively engaged in, leading committees that review and revise curriculum, assessment strategies, instructional practices, and school organizational practices.
- Teachers take the initiative for keeping current through professional development, reflection, collaboration, etc.
- Teachers act as department heads, academic coordinators, team leaders, and in other formal roles that support school improvement.
- Teachers regularly recommend new initiatives or ideas that will improve the overall climate and life of the school.
[Return to List of Recommendations]
The principal provides leadership in the high school community by building and maintaining a vision, direction, and focus for student learning.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #01
Indicators:
- The principal is viewed as the "vision-keeper," the leader who continually fosters and supports the school's mission and builds and maintains direction and focus for student learning.
- The principal is a visible force in the building, modeling and "living" the mission statement.
- Important decisions made by the principal reflect the mission of the school, support student learning, and are perceived as consistent and fair.
- The primary focus of the principal's time is on teaching and learning (e.g., the principal constantly visits classrooms, meets with teachers about instructional practice, facilitates collaborative review of student work, etc.) This indicates a shift in the role as "police officer" to educational leader.
- The principal ensures that the school leadership team focuses on student learning.
- The principal shows students that their learning is paramount (e.g., academic success is highlighted more frequently than athletic success; honor roll students are sent letters or invited to breakfast by the principal; students are interviewed for their perspective on the quality of teaching they are receiving; the principal asks random groups of students to bring in their portfolios for review).
- When major issues arise in the school, the principal addresses the faculty and students directly and consistently.
[Return to List of Recommendations]
Current principals build and refine the skills required to lead and manage change.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #03
Indicators:
- The qualifications of principals require skills to manage change.
- Principals should be knowledgeable about balancing resources, building consensus, and knowing about instruction that takes account of individual needs and the latest findings in research and theory.
- Principals must be political leaders, entrepreneurs, business managers, and educational leaders in order to reach the level of asserting leadership and rallying others on behalf of improvement and school reform.
[Return to List of Recommendations]
The principal fosters an atmosphere that encourages teachers to take risks to meet the needs of students.
Breaking Ranks, Ch 13, #04
Indicators:
- The principal must enable and support teachers in order to take risks to improve instruction and innovate in the best interests of students.
- The principal will release the talents of the faculty to innovate and take risks in the pursuit of better instruction.
[Return to List of Recommendations]
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