Home › * Revision of Educational Leadership Improvement Tool, Dec. 17, 2007

* Revision of Educational Leadership Improvement Tool, Dec. 17, 2007

Determining Visionary Leadership

The LEAD Team is continuing to assist in the revision of the Educational Leadership Improvement Tool. The University of Oregon and 4J School District are collaborating in the refinement of this research-based assessment, evaluation, and improvement tool for school administrators. One of the goals of the revision is to have the tool in alignment with Oregon State Standards, reflect current work being done at other sites (such as Vanderbilt University), and establish specific performance based indicators of progress in reaching the standards.

There are six identified standards currently identified in the Education Leadership Improvement Tool:

  1. Visionary Leadership
  2. Instructional Improvement
  3. Effective Management
  4. Inclusive Practice
  5. Ethical Leadership
  6. Socio-Political Context

Preliminary work has already been done by the group in regard to the last Standard: Socio-Political Context. This format is being used as a guide to further work by the group as they tackle Visional Leadership.

Standard 6 - Socio-Political Context
 Emerging
Meeting
Proficient
Element 1
Understand the
Context of Policy
Demonstrate an
understanding of
the policies, laws,
and regulations
enacted by local,
state, and federal
authorities and
the economic
factors that affect
schools, especially
those that might
improve
educational and
social
opportunities
Understand and
advocate for
policies, laws, and
regulations enacted
by local, state, and
federal authorities
and the economic
factors that affect
schools, especially
those that might
improve
educational and
social
opportunities.
Create and educate
the community
and families of the
policies, laws, and
regulations
enacted by local,
state, and federal
authorities and the
economic factors
that affect schools,
especially those
that might
improve
educational and
social
opportunities.
Element 2
Understand the
Context of
Community
Demonstrate the
ability to analyze
the complex
causes of poverty
and other
disadvantages
and their effects
on families,
communities,
children, and the
ability to analyze
and describe the
cultural diversity
and norms in
school community
that promote
social justice.		Analyze and
understand the
complex causes of
poverty and other
disadvantages and
their effects on
families,
communities,
children, and the
ability to analyze
and understand the
cultural diversity
and norms in
school community
that promote social
justice.
Create different types
of analysis into the
complex causess of
poverty and other
disadvantages and
their effects on
families, communities,
children, and
understand and enrich
the cultural diversity
and norms in school
community that
promote social justice.
Element 3
Respond to the
Larger Context

Demonstrate the
ability to
communicate
with members of
a school
community
concerning trends,
issues, potential
changes in the
environment in
which the school
operates,
including the
maintenance of an
ongoing dialogue
with
representatives of
diverse
community
groups.

Communicates
effectively with
members of a
school community
concerning trends,
issues, potential
changes in the
environment in
which the school
operates, including
the maintenance of
and ongoing
dialogue with the
representatives of
diverse community
groups.
Communicate
frequently and
effectively with
members of a
school community
concerning trends,
issues, potential
changes in the
environment in
which the school
operates,
promoting
ongoing dialogue
with
representatives of
diverse community
groups.
Element 4
Influence the
Larger Context
Demonstrate the
ability to engage
students, parents,
and other
members of the
community in
advocating for
adoption of
improved policies
and laws.

Apply their
understanding of
the larger political,
social, economic,
legal, and cultural
context to develop
activities and
policies that
benefit students
and their families.

Advocate for policies
and programs and
instructional
strategies that
promote equitable
learning
opportunities and
success for all
students,
regardless of native
language, socio-
economic background,
ethnicity, gender,
disability, or other
individual
characteristics.

Here you see the LEAD Team at work on the development of progress indicators for Visionary Leadership portion of the Educational Leadership Improvement Tool:

Londa Rochholz (Project Assistant), Eliza Drummond, Principal Charlie Smith, and Phil McCullum (U of O) listen to Kay Mehas describe the next steps in the Tool revision.

High school principals Dennis Biggerstaff and Randy Bernstein look at work done to date, along with Wally Bryant (Assistant Director of Human Resources).

Elementary principals Martha Moultry and B.J. Blake review the State Standards which will be integrated into the Tool.

The LEAD Team broke up into three working groups, to look first at the State Standards for Visionary Leadership (see below):

Then the groups looked at the descriptors already in the Tool to search for commonalities and what was missing. (See the side by side summaries below)

Then the groups began to brainstorm ideas for performance indicators to show professional development at three stages (see below):

Click the above image to see a larger view of the State Standards for Visionary Leadership.

 

Click the above image to see a larger view of the summary of the descriptors from the Tool side by side with the State Standards.

 

Click the above image to see the three stages areas for recording indicators of professional development.

Kay rotated among groups, encouraging them as they recorded their thoughts.

 

Group suggestions were recorded on computers which projected their information along the way for review.

Group brainstorms will be collated and discussed for refinement at the next meeting.