THE 21ST CENTURY

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER

Its the Law: Newtons Law of Inertia

If you keep doing what you have always done,
you will continue to get what you have always
gotten.
The law is loosely based on the concept that if
a body is in motion and no force exerts itself
on that body, it will remain in the motion it is in.
What does this mean for instructional leadership?

It means that . . .
If you are doing something that is working and
you are getting good results, it may not
continue to work if new forces are present.
Schools will have to transform themselves to
meet the new demands (i.e., forces) of the
21st century.
Instructional leaders will need to step up to
lead in a very different education environment.

Program Objectives
for Instructional Leaders

Be familiar with the changes and existing

conditions in the educational context, and
understand the need for effective instructional
leadership.

Be familiar with the research on the

knowledge and skills needed by 21st century
instructional leaders and teachers.

Be familiar with implementation tools,

methods, and strategies useful for leading
and learning in the 21st century school
environment.

If you keep doing what youve always done, you

will continue to get what youve always gotten.

Vision and mission

Standards

Life and career competencies

21st century skills

What do you have

to change?

Correlate research with

existing practices and select
changes

What have you been doing

to get what you want?

Data analysis and

interpretation

Whats your plan?

Improvement plans

What do you want?

Applying the Law of Inertia to Schools

Reflection Questions
What is your school doing that it needs to
stop, abandon, or modify?
What is your school doing that is really
working?

This program will address . . .

1. Changes in the new millennial learner
and existing conditions in the education
environment.
2. Critical components of instructional
leadership:
Challenges and concerns.
Research, theory, and best practice.
Actions for instructional leaders.

CHANGES IN THE
EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Changes Call for

Thoughtful, Inspiring Leadership
We can see changes related to

Students
Teachers
Accountability
The science of teaching and learning
Professional development
Educational tools and resources
Skills and knowledge needed for the 21st
century

Changes in Students
They need immediate feedback and instant
gratification.
They are motivated by interactive and hands-on
learning, especially with technology.
They are motivated by challenge and curiosity.
They are motivated by competition and using winning
strategies.
They need more freedom and independence.
They are more culturally and linguistically diverse.

Changes in Teachers
Baby boomers are retiring, and new
teachers are filling the gaps.
The 20-something new teachers have
different styles, characteristics, and needs.
More new teachers are leaving the
profession within the first five years than in
the past.

Changes in Accountability
DepEd have created mandates for continuous
improvement.
More students who have special needs, have
limited English language proficiency, or live in
poverty must be educated to meet the highest
standards.
The public wants a response to achievement
needs.
Employers expect new competencies for
success.

Achievement Gaps Persist

More students are dropping out.
Children from affluent families are 11 times
more likely to earn a bachelor's degree
than are children from low-income families
(Ollivara, 2004).
Achievement levels of students are still
below the EFA target.

Changes in the Science

of Teaching and Learning
Scientific research methodology has
improved the body of professional education
literature.
Meta-analyses have suggested best
instructional practices.
Research about change and factors that
improve student learning can guide school
improvement.

Changes in
Professional Development
Schools should create professional
development plans that are data-driven and
based on results and standards.
To really be effective, professional learning
should be job-embedded and ongoing and
involve support and coaching opportunities.

Changes in Education
Tools and Resources
Textbooks
Technology
Supplemental materials

Changes in Skills and Knowledge

Student understanding includes more than
knowledge and skills in the disciplines.
Students will require 21st century skills.
More jobs are requiring postsecondary
training or a degree.
Student motivation to learn must be
connected to new ways of learning.

Addressing the Changes

Reflection Questions
In what ways do instructional leaders
need to adapt to address these
changes?
In what ways do teachers need to adapt
to address these changes?

ROLE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER

These changes require

the 21st century leader to be . . .
A visionary
An instructional leader
An influencer
A learner

Guides for Instructional Leaders

Facilitate a vision of learning that is shared
and supported by the school community.
Develop a school culture and instructional
program conducive to student learning and
staff professional growth.
Ensure a safe, efficient, and effective
learning environment.

Guides for Instructional Leaders (contd)

Collaborate with faculty and community
members.
Act with integrity and fairness and in an
ethical manner.
Understand, respond to, and influence the
political, social, economic, legal, and
cultural context.
Source: The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (2008).

The Focus for Instructional Leaders

We firmly believe that creating a system focused
on the ongoing improvement of instruction
must be the central aim of any education
improvement effort. . . . Student achievement will
not improve unless and until we create schools
and districts where all educators are learning
how to significantly improve their skills as
teachers and as instructional leaders.
Wagner & Kegan, 2005

The 21st century leader will need to

have tools and methods to . . .

Expect
Inspect
Direct
Respect
Reflect

The 21st century instructional leader

will need to focus on . . .

supervision
curriculum
assessment
instruction
technology
culture and climate
professional development
school improvement

The 21 Responsibilities of the School Leader

Affirmation
Change Agent
Contingent Rewards
Communication
Culture
Discipline
Flexibility
Focus
Ideals/Beliefs
Input
Intellectual Stimulation

Involvement
Knowledge
Monitoring/Evaluating
Optimizer
Order
Outreach
Relationships
Resources
Situational Awareness
Visibility

Instructional Supervision Reflections

What instructional leaders have to
understand, know, and be able to do.
How supervision demands are similar and
different for 21st century instructional
leaders.
Obstacles and opportunities for
instructional leaders to develop and
maintain self-confidence.

1. Affirmation
Systematically and fairly recognizing and
celebrating the accomplishments of students
and teachers
Systematically and fairly recognizing the failures
of the school

2. Change Agent
Consciously challenging the status quo
Willing to lead change initiatives with uncertain
outcomes
Systematically considering new and better ways
of doing things
Consistently attempting to operate at the edge
versus the center of the schools competence

3. Contingent Rewards
Using hard work and results as the basis for
rewards and recognition
Using performance versus seniority as a primary
criterion for rewards and recognition

Instructional Supervision
Professional Literature Review
21 responsibilities of the school leader
(Marzano, Walters, & McNulty, 2005)
Indicators of effective teaching (Danielson,
2004)
Leadership styles (Glanz, 2002)
21st century trends and guiding principles
(Marx, 2006)

4. Communication
Developing effective means for teachers to
communicate with one another
Being easily accessible to teachers
Maintaining open and effective lines of
communication with staff

5. Culture
Promoting cohesion among staff
Promoting a sense of well-being among staff
Developing an understanding of purpose among
staff
Developing a shared vision of what the school
could be like

6. Discipline
Protecting instructional time from interruptions
Protecting teachers from internal and external
distractions

7. Flexibility
Adapting leadership style to the needs of
specific situations
Being directive or nondirective as the situation
warrants
Encouraging people to express diverse and
contrary opinions
Being comfortable with making major changes in
how things are done

8. Focus
Establishing concrete goals for curriculum,
instruction, and assessment practices within the
school
Establishing concrete goals for the general
functioning of the school
Establishing high, concrete goals, and
expectations that all students will meet them
Continually keeping attention on established
goals

9. Ideals/Beliefs
Possessing well-defined beliefs about schools,
teaching, and learning
Sharing beliefs about school, teaching, and
learning with the staff
Demonstrating practices that are consistent with
beliefs

10. Input
Providing opportunities for staff to be involved in
developing school policies
Providing for staff input on all important
decisions
Using leadership teams in decision making

11. Intellectual Stimulation

Continually exposing staff to cutting-edge
research and theory on effective schooling
Keeping informed about current research and
theory on effective schooling
Fostering systematic discussion regarding
current research and theory on effective
schooling

12. Involvement in Curriculum,

Instruction, and Assessment
Being directly involved in helping teachers
design curricular activities
Being directly involved in helping teachers
address assessment issues
Being directly involved in helping teachers
instructional issues

13. Knowledge of Curriculum,

Instruction, and Assessment
Possessing extensive knowledge about effective
instructional practices
Possessing extensive knowledge about effective
curricular practices
Possessing extensive knowledge about effective
assessment practices
Providing conceptual guidance regarding
effective classroom practices

14. Monitoring/Evaluating
Continually monitoring the effectiveness of he
schools curricular, instructional, and
assessment practices
Being continually aware of the impact of the
schools practices on student achievement

15. Optimizer
Inspiring teachers to accomplish things that
might be beyond their grasp
Being the driving force behind major initiatives
Portraying a positive attitude about the ability of
staff to accomplish substantial things

16. Order
Establishing routines for the smooth running of
the school that staff understand and follow
Providing and reinforcing clear structures, rules,
and procedures for staff
Providing and reinforcing clear structures, rules,
and procedures for students

17. Outreach
Ensuring that the school complies with all district
and state mandates
Being an advocate of the school with parents
Being an advocate of the school with the central
office and school board
Being an advocate of the school with the
community at large

18. Relationships
Being informed about significant personal issues
within the lives of staff members
Being aware of personal needs of teachers
Acknowledging significant events in the lives of
staff members
Maintaining personal relationships with teachers

19. Resources
Ensuring that teachers have the necessary
materials and equipment
Ensuring that teachers have the necessary staff
development opportunities to directly enhance
their teaching

20. Situational Awareness

Accurately predicting what could go wrong from
day to day
Being aware of informal groups and relationships
among the staff
Being aware of issues in the school that have not
surfaced but could create discord

21. Visibility
Making systematic and frequent visits to
classrooms
Having frequent contact with students
Being highly visible to students, teachers, and
parents

Doing the Right Work

School effectiveness is directly linked to the
principals ability select the right work
Working hard but not smart
The Right Work factors that research and
experience tells us can be altered to improve
student achievement and learning and that we
can pay for

School leadership
is the second greatest
influence on student
learning, second only
to teacher
effectiveness.
(Leithwood & Riehl, 2003)

...which includes closing the

achievement gap!

SHOW YOUR %
As a principal, how much time did you
spend on:

Budget
Athletics/extra curricular
Student discipline
Parent interactions
Administrative matters
Instruction/student learning

I KNOW!
but what do I do
to help develop
principals as
instructional leaders?