Workshop Proposal
Title: School Leadership Development for Rural Schools: Excellent Leaders, Effective Schools, and Enriched Communities
Presenter’s names: Bonnie Fusarelli, Cathy Williams, Brenda Champion, Fran Riddick
Affiliation: North Carolina State University, USA
Abstract
This workshop will focus on the importance of building human capital pipelines for rural schools. While a common practice in successful corporations, leadership succession planning is virtually non-existent in U.S. public education systems, despite decades of research indicating that quality leadership is essential to high performing schools High-poverty, low-achieving schools, which need the very best principals, often have great difficulty attracting high quality applicants. Therefore, a targeted investment in building leadership capacity is a strategy that promises to yield significant returns in improved student outcomes. In this workshop, we describe a research-based strategy to strengthen principal pipeline to recruit, prepare, and retain individuals capable of leading robust school improvement efforts. The workshop will include mini-tutorials around key ideas in leadership preparation and proof-of-concept demonstration sessions of an award-winning leadership preparation program. Key strategies will be described and the workshop will include group brainstorming on how the ideas presented can be implemented in the audience’s home countries.
Workshop Proposal
The proposed workshop will focus on the importance of building human capital pipelines for rural schools. While a common practice in successful corporations, leadership succession planning is virtually non-existent in U.S. public education systems, despite decades of research indicating that quality leadership is essential to high performing schools (Branch, Hanushek,,Rivkin, 2013; Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2003). Principals have more of an impact on student achievement in high-poverty, rural schools than principals in less challenging schools. The value-added student test scores, is nearly twice as large in high-poverty schools as in low-poverty schools (Branch, HanushekRivkin, 2012). High-poverty, low-achieving schools, which need the very best principals, often have great difficulty attracting high quality applicants (Hull, Supovitz, Newman, & Prociw, 2015). Therefore, a targeted investment in building leadership capacity is a strategy that promises to yield significant returns in improved student outcomes. In this workshop, we describe a research-based strategy to strengthen principal pipeline to recruit, prepare, and retain individuals capable of leading robust schoolimprovement efforts.The workshop will include mini-tutorials around key ideas in leadership preparation and proof-of-concept demonstration sessions of an award-winning leadership preparation program.
The program we will describe was started from a planning grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and received continuing support from grants by the US Department of Education. We will explore how leadership preparation programs canenhance andexpands strategic partnerships to tap into and build on local strengths tobolster both human capital and systemic capacity.
The workshop will help the audience re-conceptualized school leadership preparation and continuing support - focusing onresearch-based, best-practices in leadership development (FusarelliMilitello, 2012;Hull, Supovitz, Newman & Prociw, 2015;Lerum, 2016; Manna, 2015; Orr, 2006). Key strategies we will describe include: Utilize appreciative inquiry to dig deeply into the causes of low student achievement; strategic recruitment and rigorous selection into the program; personalized learning through individualized leader development plans; instructional leadership skills; authentic, reflective learning experiences; full-year school-based principal residency (internship); full-time summer community internship; specialized training; a focus on rural settings; learning rounds at high-performing schools; a focus on equity; and the use of executive coaches.
This workshop will include group brainstorming on how the ideas presented can be implemented in the audience’s home countries.
This workshop is closely linked to the conference theme of:
Partnering for Innovative Changeby focusing on meaningful partnerships for impactful innovations that can be created and including external organizations (like universities), in the larger local and global communities.
References
Alvoid, L. & Black, W.L. (2014). The changing role of the principal: How
high-achieving districts are recalibrating school leadership. Retrieved from The Center for American Progress website
Branch, G., Hanushek, E., & Rivkin, S. (2013). School leaders matter: Measuring the
impact of effective principals. Education Next, 13(1), p. 62-69.
Fusarelli, B. & Militello, M. (2012). Innovative principal preparation program:
What works and how we know. Planning and Changing Journal, 43(1). Retrieved from
Hull, R., Supovitz, J., Newman, B., & Prociw, S. (2015). Successful leaders for
successful schools: Building and maintaining a quality workforce. Retrieved from National Association of State Board of Education Leadership development study group
Leithwood, K., Seashore Louis, K., Anderson, S. & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How
leadership influences student learning. New York: Wallace Foundation. Retrieved from
Lerum, E. (2016). A policymaker’s guide to improving school leadership.
Retrieved from The Thomas Fordham Institute
Manna, P. (2015). Developing excellent school principals to advance teaching
and learning: Considerations for state policy. Retrieved from The Wallace
Foundation website
Orr, M. T. (2006). Research on Leadership Education as a Reform Strategy. Journal of
Research on Leadership Education, 1(1), 1-5.
Waters, J. T., & Marzano, R. J., & McNulty, R. A. (2003). Balanced leadership: What 30
years of research tells us about the effect of leadership on student achievement. Aurora, CO: McREL.