Team Development for Instructional Leadership in Restructuring Secondary Schools

The goal of this proposed project is development of school-based leadership teams that assure learning for students in high-need rural secondary schools. Ambitious student learning goals were established by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and its recent expansion to include accountability of secondary schools, which requires concerted efforts by multiple stakeholder groups to ensure that all principals and school communities have capacity to reach proficiency by 2014. This project supports NCLB accountability as well as national and Kentucky efforts to restructure secondary schools. The University of Kentucky (UK), Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Pike County Public Schools (PCSD), Floyd County Public Schools, and Johnson County Public Schools, with support from Pikeville College, collaboratively submit this proposal. The project develops instructional leadership capacity building by helping schools create empowered learning cultures and professional learning communities that assure learning success for all students. Stumbling blocks to innovation adoption are countered through job-embedded professional development for leadership teams composed of principals, teachers, guidance counselors, students, parents, and community members. Four high-need high schools were invited to participate based on their priority needs for leadership development to improve learning environments and efficiency presented in their Comprehensive School Improvement Plans. Project activities and program evaluation are framed by three objectives: (a) Reconceptualize instructional leadership as a function, not a responsibility vested solely in the principalship; (b) develop leadership teams trained to assume distributed responsibilities for instructional leadership and school improvement: and (c) sustain project impact through outreach strategies that engage broad networks of support that assist high schools in helping students achieve high levels oflearning. The project framework emerged from research-based recommendations for effective school leadership and school improvement strategies. Learning activities are a coordinated mix of summer institutes, workshops, and job-embedded action research supported by on-site mentoring and coaching. An instructional team, directed by a leadership consultant and composed of professors and district administrators, facilitates learning activities. Capacity for this project was built during implementation of a nationally recognized school leadership development program, delivered through a UK-PCSD partnership. The primary investigator, project director, and external evaluator for this project assumed key roles in the previous initiative. Relational trust among the collaborative partners has already been developed, and all partners understand and support the project goal.