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From Theory To Action

Learning shifts into high gear with structured supports

By Learning Forward
October 2014
While teachers face new expectations for student learning and more equitable educational outcomes, instruction and assessment remain rooted in traditional approaches that are largely inequitable, culturally irrelevant, and intellectually disengaging, contributing to gaps in academic achievement across student groups (Darling-Hammond, 2010; King & Bouchard, 2011). The quality of teaching is the most important school-related factor influencing student learning and more equitable outcomes (Elmore, 2004; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). But many current reform initiatives — high-stakes accountability, school closings and turnarounds, charter and voucher schools, teacher evaluations and pay based on student performance — do not engage directly with critical tasks of building capacity for improved teaching. In an urban high school in the Midwest, however, principal and teacher leadership that promotes collaboration among

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La Follette High School
problem of practiceSchool data show that students struggle to think, read, and write critically and that disparity exists in students’ engagement and academic progress. Community-school data identify the need for continuous staff collaboration to design and assess standards-based tasks and supports to shift the cognitive load to students.
La Follette High School
theory of actionIf all staff collaborate purposefully to:

• Design standards-based tasks and supports;

• Shift the cognitive load so that students think, read, and write critically; and

• Measure and reflect on the impact of their actions on student learning;

Then all students will become more engaged, collaborative, and independent critical thinkers, readers, and writers whose formative and summative assessment results reflect growth for career, college, and community readiness.

La Folette High School Teams

School-based leadership team Instructional leadership team Instructional coaching team Innovation team
Members Principal, 4 assistant principals, 2 instructional coaches, 6 department chairs, school psychologist. Principal, 2 instructional coaches, 15 (all) department chairs. Principal, 4 assistant principals, 2 instructional coaches. 2 instructional coaches, assistant principal, social worker, speech/language clinician, 8 teachers.
Focus Support and monitor implementation of theory of action. Department leadership, instructional improvement, and student learning. Instructional improvement and student learning. Instructional improvement and student learning.
Actions Data-informed decision making and progress monitoring. Facilitating professional learning communities during professional learning time. Instructional rounds, collaborative classroom visits, classroom walk-throughs. Implementing classroom practices consistent with theory of action and leadership for professional learning communities during professional learning time.
Meeting frequency Bimonthly and biannual half-days. Bimonthly and quarterly half-days. Monthly. Biannual half-days.

3 Collaborative Professional Learning Experiences

Instructional rounds Collaborative classroom visits Classroom walk-throughs
Length of visit 25 minutes. 45 minutes. 10-15 minutes.
Who 20-25 school colleagues and external partners (3-4 per observation) 1 administrator, 1 instructional coach, and 1-3 teachers. 1 instructional coaching team member.
Outcomes Schoolwide themes. Classroom noticings and wonderings. Classroom noticings and wonderings.
how Outcomes are shared Group discussion of schoolwide themes. Preconference and post-conference discussions with classroom teacher. Schoolwide walk-through form emailed to teacher with actionable, specific feedback.

9th Graders Term 4 Course Failures

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References

Brown, K.M., Benkovitz, J., Muttillo, A.J., & Urban, T. (2011). Leading schools of excellence and equity: Documenting effective strategies in closing achievement gaps. Teachers College Record, 113(1), 57-96.

City, E., Elmore, R., Fiarman, S., & Teitel, L. (2009). Instructional rounds in education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America’s commitment to equity will determine our future. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Elmore, R. (2004). School reform from the inside out: Policy, practice, and performance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Garmston, R. & Wellman, B. (2009). The adaptive school: A sourcebook for developing collaborative groups (2nd ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers. New York, NY: Routledge.

King, M.B. & Bouchard, K. (2011). The capacity to build organizational capacity in schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(6), 653-669.

Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.

National School Reform Faculty. (2008). National School Reform Faculty resource book: Adult learning in the service of student achievement. Bloomington, IN: Harmony Education Center.

Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading? Portland, OR: Stenhouse.


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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.


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