Issue 106: Sep 27, 2010 Connections Newsletter

What Questions Do We Need Answered for the Transformation of School Leadership?

Max Thompson
Sep 27, 2010

This article provides questions to cause leaders to think about the transformation of schools.

What are schools trying to accomplish in today's educational environment?

Those of us who are in the educational leadership environment of the 21st century have seen a tremendous shift in how we define leadership and what we expect our school leaders to accomplish. Schools are now striving for higher levels of achievement for all students. Good teachers have always wanted students to succeed. But in the context of history, success for all students is a concept that has not been part of education's culture. And what do we mean by "success?" We would not try to convince you that all students are the same --- they're just not. But we would argue that our concept of education, in the framework of American history and American culture, has changed significantly within a generation.

Have U.S. schools provided equal educational opportunity?

If you think about the history of education, you can see a gradually expanding concept with regard to who is to be educated. Throughout most of history, access to education has been restricted to the elite. One of the ideals that formed the intellectual and philosophical basis for the United States was the idea that everyone has a right to "the pursuit of happiness," and education was considered a fundamental aspect of that right. At that time, we were almost alone in the world in that respect.

In spite of that ideal, however, providing equal educational opportunities to all students was illegal in 17 states until the late 1950s. And few would argue that even in the states where educational opportunity was legal, true equal opportunity was not provided. Ask yourself this question: to what extent do all states now provide the quality and quantity of education to every student that each of those students need? Have we mastered our ideal yet?

How have we traditionally defined school leadership?

The old definition of school leadership that held up for several decades defined a school leader as someone who:

•  Has a vision for the school,

•  Has the persuasive ability to get people to follow and "buy-in",

•  Has appropriate management skills for the school, and

•  Has answers.

What is the new definition of school leadership?

The new definition of school leadership defines a school leader as someone who:

• Has a vision for the school,

• Has the persuasive ability to get people to follow and "buy-in",

• Has management skills, and

• Provides direction, but now that means posing well-structured questions rather than offering definitive answers.

What are basic skills for beginning a transformation of a school?

1. Most principals that fail, do so with their mouths open. You have to ask questions and you have to listen - both to what is said and what is NOT said. You have to be curious! What should we start doing? What should we stop doing? What should we continue doing?

2. How do principals keep people in a "productive discomfort" zone? If people are comfortable, they are not moving and thinking. If they are too uncomfortable, they shut down, either overtly or passive-aggressively. So keeping them going requires a principal to have a base philosophy of continuous improvement, not preaching about a final goal. Answering the question, "How do I push my school without alienating the core group of teachers?" is critical.

3. A principal has to be able to communicate succinctly. How many principals can stand and deliver a 15 minute speech that lays out a compelling explanation of the systemic causes of achievement in their school, including the high-average strategies and the low-average strategies for dealing with achievement?

4. We have a fundamental information problem. We really have too much information. In highly complex situations , a principal has to organize complexity into coherent action. More and more people direct principals to initiate, lead, and monitor data talks with teachers. It becomes even more critical to help teachers answer the questions: How do we find ways to know what is important and what is not important? What variables should we focus on and which should we pay less attention to?

How many questions could you answer? How many more do you have? The answers are secondary to the thinking --- where are we going and how do we get there?

What are the Benefits of Peer Tutoring and Collaborative Pairs?

Bill Blynt
Sep 27, 2010

The research on peer tutoring indicates that, as an intervention, it is effective in improving both tutees' and tutors' academic and social development. Much research has been dedicated to this topic. In general, the research shows peer tutoring is helpful to students in reading, spelling, math, and writing. It can be used at all grade-levels including special education classrooms and has been shown to be an effective strategy for all ethnic groups. Peer tutoring works for all students, including those who have problems paying attention, problems learning, and problems with emotions and behavior. Although results between research projects differ regarding the degree of impact on student learning, the wide majority show it to be not only a positive experience but also increases the achievement levels for both participants.

According to John Hattie in his book, Visible Learn ing, the "overall effect of the use of peers as co-teachers in class is, overall, quite powerful." He further argues that students must take control over their own learning and learn self-regulation. One way to achieve this aim is to use peer tutoring. Participating in a peer tutoring relationship teaches students how to become responsible for their own learning. He further states that "when students become teachers of others, they learn as much as those they are teaching." Establishing peer tutoring (Collaborative Pairs) provides a structure that encourages self-monitoring and active engagement with the content.

Peer tutoring is a way to give all students one-on-one help. It is an opportunity for them to practice and extend their thinking on a particular subject. Peer tutoring was found to be most effective when used as a supplement to, rather than a substitute for, the teacher roles (Hartley, S.S, 1977). G.W Phillips (1983) found that peer tutor methods wer e most effective with students in the acquisition rather tha! n profic iency phase of learning. Peer tutoring should not replace good teaching but be used as a supplement to enhance the number of opportunities students have to interact with the content.

Structured peer tutoring provides opportunities for students to talk about what they are learning, to practice what they are learning, to read out loud, and to write. These activities engage the learner and provide more opportunities for them to ask questions when they are confused, someone who can tell them whether their answers are on the right track and someone to encourage them to continue to explore the content and finish the assignment.

Research abounds on the subject of peer tutoring. New models used in schools are not your traditional remedial models. Peer tutoring (Collaborative Pairs) has the most dramatic impact when it is integrated into regular classroom instruction on a consistent and pervasive basis. The model used must move from the old remedial model to a ne w model where teachers shift their role and become more facilitators and managers of the learning process.