Hickory Ridge Tarpon Team

1. Hickory RidgeTarpon Team

2. Background Information • Student needs not met • Reform efforts are unsuccessful • Mounting problems between veteran and young teachers • Teachers do not respect Principal Jim O’Connor

3. “The Problem” • Poisonous School Culture • Lack of respect, collegiality, and trust • Veteran teachers are satisfied maintaining the status quo • Younger teachers are disillusioned • School cultural change is needed!

4. The Plan for Change • Empower Principal O’Connor, help him gain respect and become an Instructional Leader • Build relationships between veteran and younger teachers (heal the wounds) • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) • Professional Reading

5. Instructional Leadership • No more micro-management, less authoritative behavior • “Teachers who fear their principal are likely to puppet desired instructional practices without a deep understanding for the reasons behind them; teachers that do not feel respected as professionals are not likely to take advantage of a principal as an instructional resource. (Graczewski, Knudson, & Holtzman, 2009)”

6. Instructional Leadership • Kardos, Johnson, Peske, Kauffman & Liu (2001) found exemplary principals exhibited the following traits: • Visibility • Encouragement • Has high standards • Sets clear expectations • Is consistent with discipline, is supportive, and is collaborative

7. Building Relationships • New and veteran teachers must be brought together • Interaction, true mentoring, reflection, and exchange • Principal O’Connor must lead by example: • Show passion • Explain purpose • Create meaning in assigned activities and tasks

8. Building Relationships • Mentoring: “learning from fellow teachers” • No distinction between new and veteran, everyone has something important to offer • Principal O’Connor should: • Attend meetings • Be involved in discussions • Provide support

9. Relationship Building Activity: The Vision • The Vision Statement isn’t very old, but needs to be revisited • Teachers can inspire and motivate each other • Collaboratively writing a vision statement can help teachers build relationships with one another

10. Relationship Building Activity: The Vision • This will involve several parties: • Teachers • Administrators • Parents • Community Leaders • Symbolic moment; a new beginning and a “shift in culture away from adversarial relationships toward collaboration”

11. Professional Learning Communities Do you work with the “Three Blind Mice?”

12. Professional Learning Communities • Two opposing sides exist: • Veteran teachers who possess experience and community knowledge • Younger teachers who possess technological knowledge • The cycle of contention, arguing, and resentment must be broken; it is the only way forward

13. Professional Learning Communities • PLCs bring teachers together to discuss: • Instructional goals • Instructional practices • Concerns • Collegiality and Instructional Planning • Sharing isn’t good enough! • Teachers draw on each other’s strength and reduce barriers to learning

14. Professional Learning Communities • “Cross-generational learning teams that bring together novice teachers with veteran teachers would address problems at both ends of the teacher pipeline — and benefit student learning at the same time” (Carroll, 2009).

15. Professional Learning Communities • PLC implementation recommendations: • Time must be kept sacred • Include deep discussions about planning, instruction, and assessment • Training for new faculty is essential • Shared planning time during the school day is recommended (Lujan & Day, 2009)

16. PLC Activity

17. Professional Reading • Book clubs can be beneficial • Introduces new ideas into a school • Increases knowledge of new strategies and practices • Allows educators to debate in an open environment

18. Professional Reading • Teachers will sign up for book clubs of their choice • Another opportunity for veteran and newer teachers to work together • Further relationship building and meshing of the two groups into one

19. Implementation Timeline • Principal O’Connor transitions to instructional leader to begin immediately, will be an ongoing process • Relationship building via vision re-writing project to begin in one month and complete a month later • Mentoring pairings created over the next three months time, monitored monthly, changed yearly

20. Implementation Timeline • PLC training and implementation to begin in six months time, monthly monitoring • Professional reading book clubs to be introduced next school year, delay is to avoid overwhelming teachers

21. Closing Thoughts • Research-based reform initiatives • Sharing strengths • Knowledge of community and history of Hickory Ridge • Technology integration • Collegiality and open, honest communication • Community members and businesses more likely to provide support

22. Closing Thoughts • Principal O’Connor is the lynchpin • Organizational culture does not change immediately; instead it must change over time (Owens & Valesky, 2011) • Change will be sustainable and will live beyond when current members of the organization have gone their separate ways

23. Questions for the Tarpons?

24. References • Burbank, M., & Kauchak, D. (2010). Book clubs as professional development opportunities for preservice teacher candidates and practicing teachers: An exploratory study. The New Educator, 6(1), 56-73. • Carroll, T. (2009). The next generation of learning teams. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(2), 8-13. Retrieved from EBSCO MegaFILE database. • Cunningham, W., & Cordeiero, P. (2009). Educational leadership: a bridge to improved practice. (4th ed.). New York: Pearson.

25. References • Flood, J., & Lapp, P. (1994). Teacher book clubs: Establishing literature discussion groups for teachers (issues and trends). The Reading Teacher, 47(7), 574–576. • Graczewski, C., Knudson, J., & Holtzman, D. (2009). Instructional leadership in practice: What does it look like, and what influence does it have?. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 14(1), 72-96. • Kardos, S., Johnson, S., Peske, H., Kauffman, D. & Liu, E. (2001) Counting on colleagues: New teachers encounter the professional cultures of their schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 37(2), 250-290.

26. References • Lujan, N., & Day, B. (2009). Professional learning communities: Overcoming the roadblocks. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 76(2), 10-17. Retrieved from EBSCO MegaFILE database. • Méndez-Morse, S. (1993). Vision, change and leadership. Issues . . . About Change, 2(3),Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, Austin, TX. • Nelson, T., Deuel, A., Slavit, D., & Kennedy, A. (2010). Leading deep conversations in collaborative inquiry groups. Clearing House, 83(5), 175-179.

27. References • Owens, R. G., & Valesky, T. C. (2011). Organizational behavior in education (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education, Inc. • Rebore, R.W. (2011). Human resources administration in education a management approach (9th Ed.). Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education, Inc. • Zuckerman, J. T. (2001). Veteran teacher transformations in a collaborative mentoring relationship. American Secondary Education, 29(4), 18-29.