District and System Player

The Principal Contributes to

BIG IDEAS:
-The system matters a great deal
-Districts can learn from each other
-The principal is the key to mutual learning within and across districts

“A system perspective makes sociological sense. If I am a good person in a bad society,
I am not going to prosper as
well as I might compared to moving to a better society or helping make the one I live in better.” (p.98)

to Improve Within

Lyle Kirtman identified seven competencies of high-performing educational leaders. He calls number seven “building external networks and partnerships”

Help your staff connect to one or more other schools in the district

"These networks produce new ideas, practices, and materials that can be effectively used to improve results in their own schools.” (Kirtman, 2013)

What impact has being involved in district or cross-district networks had on your practice? TURN AND TALK

district coherence

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High-Performing districts Have (Leithwood):

• CORE PROCESSES-widely shared goals, data and evidence
• SUPPORTING CONDITIONS-implementation plans, professional development, alignment of policies
• RELATIONSHIPS-collaboration within and outside the district
• LEADERSHIP-at the district and school levels

Think about a situation where you, as a principal, could facilitate system coherence.
TURN AND TALK

BEYOND THE DISTRICT

Principals leverage professional capital from successful schools to build professional capital in their own schools

The California Office for Reform (CORE) "is an example of how districts can work with, learn from, and improve themselves"

CORE'S "DESIGN PRINCIPLES"

• Instruction Focused
• Practice Oriented
• Committed to Equity

IMPROVE PRACTICES

"As system players, principals must seek opportunities to build capacity laterally even when formal structures do not exist"

The most effective school leaders are principals who engage in reciprocal learning “across borders.” They make perfect change agents because they push upward and laterally from the bottom and the middle.

What if any challenges do you see in such a partnership? What value do you see?