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For nearly a decade, math and science education reforms in Connecticut have
been spearheaded by the Connecticut Academy for Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology.
Like most statewide systemic initiatives, the Connecticut Academy for Education offers a range of
products and services to educators committed to improving math and science programs in their
schools. Using funds from the National Science Foundation and other sources, the organization has
worked with more than 10,000 teachers serving more than 700,000 students to implement new
instructional methods that are improving student achievement. According to Dr. Theodore S.
Sergi, Commissioner, Connectiut State Department of Education, the state has been successful in
"building a strong state and local culture that supports continuous progress toward excellence
measured against increasingly higher standards, not simply past performance."
One of the latest projects of the Connecticut Academy for Education focuses on administrators. Now entering its third year, the Instructional Leadership Academy (ILA) has shown impressive results in an area often neglected in the rush to increase test scores: building leadership skills among school and central office administrators. ILA grew out of a need to provide school districts with services that focused on the specific needs of their building administrators. "Until we piloted the leadership project, we had worked almost exclusively with district math and science staff—curriculum directors or coordinators—creating professional development workshops and programs in support of their improvement plans. While some building administrators would attend these workshops, we had no special activities specifically designed to engage them in the improvement effort," commented Christopher Shepard, Manager of Technical Assistance for the Connecticut Academy for Education. He emphasized that developing programs for administrators became a priority for the organization to ensure that "everyone was on board with the programs we were providing." During the 1998-99 school year, 200 administrators from four districts participated in ILA. In keeping with the spirit of systemic reform, this pilot program was integrated into each superintendent’s professional development plan and was not just a stand-alone program. ILA staff set broad goals for the leadership initiative and designed discrete, connected components that focused on the essential knowledge and skills which principals need to be instructional leaders. Initial efforts in the field yielded mixed results and provided instructive lessons for scaling up the program to the rest of the state. "We learned that a strong structure must be in place at the district level to see reform through. One of our core beliefs is that in order for change to be sustained, principals must understand systemic thinking and be able to lead teachers in studying student data to improve performance. Our workshops focus on building these skills," says Shepard. The leadership program includes four components: Data as Information for Guiding School Improvement; Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment to District and State Standards; Taking a fresh look at Professional Developments; and Aligning Resources to Support District Student Performance Expectations. The components are delivered as one-day workshops to principals from participating districts and central office staff. Dr. David Hill, an educator from the University of Texas at Austin, leads the workshops. |
According to Dr. Hill, work with principals and central office staff starts with building awareness
about the key issues of instructional improvements. Over time, he helps them develop the tools,
knowledge, and skills to implement an effective improvement process at the building level. He
confirms the long held belief that lack of time is the number one enemy of school reform, forcing
administrators in many cases to lose their focus on improving student performance.
"It’s one thing to say a district has a plan and it’s another thing to keep focused on that plan. It’s really easy to drift away from your goals." He remarked that they spend a lot of time in the workshops training principals to use their time more effectively and stay on task. "We make it very clear in the workshops that the focus must stay on instructional leadership. We are not trying to build new communication skills or new conflict resolution skills, the work stays centered around improving student performance by improving instructional practice." The workshops use a study group model that provides time for professional reading, collegial sharing, and opportunities for reflection on practice. Working together in small and large groups, the principals use an inquiry/problem-solving process to examine the state of teaching and learning in their schools. At the heart of this work is the examination of student data to discover patterns of performance and the development of a plan to improve achievement. Principals are given specific assignments to carry out on the job and are provided with follow-through support. Participating principals find this a stimulating approach to professional development. Robert Canelli, principal at the Sheridan Academy for Excellence, commented, "It’s a rare opportunity for us to come together as colleagues to learn new skills and share what’s working in our schools." For information about the Connecticut Academy for Education and its Instruc-tional Leadership program, contact Christopher Shepard at cshepard@ctacad.org,(860) 346-1177.
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