Best Practices in Teacher Leadership

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1 Building a New Generation of Extraordinary Leaders! Service to Teacher Leaders Across Riverside County Best Practices in Teacher Leadership

2 Pledge All students in Riverside County will graduate from high school well prepared for college and the workforce. (May 2014)

3 Table of Contents Introducing Best Practices in Teacher Leadership... 1 Workshops/Networking Opportunities Teacher Leader Certification Academy... 2 Instructional Coach Leadership Academy... 3 Teacher Action Research... 4 Teacher Leaders Building Student Leaders... 5 Resources Teacher Leader Resources... 6 Best Practices in Teacher Leadership Staff... 6

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5 Introducing Best Practices in Teacher Leadership The day of the teacher leader has arrived. At every level of the educational landscape, teacher leadership is being acknowledged and promoted as the primary catalyst for academic success in the 21st century. Barry Barnett s book, Teaching 2030, predicts the emergence of teacherpreneurs in our nations schools who will serve as learning architects, network navigators, community organizers, and teacher educators by the year These are new roles that reflect the professional changes necessary for developing 21st century skills in our students. To facilitate these changes, the California Task Force for Educator Excellence, commissioned by California State Superintendent of Schools Tom Torlakson, developed Greatness By Design calling for new leadership roles and career development frameworks for teacher leaders within California. These are just two of the many signs that teacher leadership has moved into a place of importance on the educational landscape. Teachers have always served in leadership roles, but have not generally been offered leadership training. The Riverside County Office of Education has designed a program to remedy that oversight. The Teacher Leader Certification Academy (TLCA) empowers and equips teachers to lead with a curriculum that teaches the what and the how of teacher leadership. TLCA is the kingpin of the teacher leader professional development offerings at RCOE, but our services have expanded to include the following opportunities to advance teacher leadership in Riverside County: 3 Instructional Coach Leadership Academy, designed to introduce leadership skills and coaching practices that enhance performance to instructional coaches. 3 Teacher Action Research, designed to bring greater credibility to the teaching profession by introducing action research skills that give teacher leaders the opportunity to influence instructional practice in the Common Core State Standards. 3 Teacher Leaders Building Student Leaders, designed to help teachers build the leadership capacity of their students. 3 Teacher Leader Resources, where teacher leaders can connect with colleagues across the state and nation to interact about issues of teacher leadership. Join us as the Riverside County Office of Education leads the legacy of teacher leadership. We believe in you, teacher leaders, and thank you for your willingness to go above and beyond to meet the needs of students, colleagues, administrators, parents, and community members in the effort to ensure that Riverside County students graduate from high school well prepared for college and the workplace. 1

6 Teacher Leader Certification Academy Recently, in a speech given at the NBPTS Teaching and Learning Conference in Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of State Arne Duncan said, Teacher leadership means having a voice in the policies and decisions that affect your students, your daily work, and the shape of your profession. It means guiding the growth of your colleagues...it means sharing in decisions that used to be only made by administrators -- and the best administrators know they ll make better decisions when they listen to teachers The moment for teacher leadership is now. Before Arne Duncan spoke, the Teacher Leader Certification Academy, or TLCA, had already begun preparing teachers for this type of 21st century teacher leadership. Now entering its fourth year, TLCA is a standards-based model for systemic improvement in teacher leadership whose primary purpose is to empower and equip teachers to lead. It is founded on the Teacher Leader Model Standards released in 2010 and features a researchbased leadership model, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership from Kouzes & Posner (2012) that is well suited for the type of peer, or shared, leadership practiced by most teacher leaders leadership as influence without the benefit of hierarchical position. TLCA is the kingpin of teacher leader professional development offerings at the Riverside County Office of Education. It is a two-year academy offered to outstanding teacher leaders who pass a rigorous application and interview process, complete two years of course work, and develop and implement a capstone project under the mentorship of a site or district administrator. The project must demonstrate the teacher leader s proficiency in one or more domains of the Teacher Leader Model Standards and highlight effectiveness in the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. The elements of the capstone project and the qualitative and quantitative data supporting its success are captured in an eportfolio and presented to a panel of educators at the end of the two years for final county certification as a teacher leader. Who should attend: Teacher Leaders (application and interview required) Dates: TLCA meets once a month, September through June of each year, for two years. Time: Location: 4:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. TBD Cost: $800 per year (Includes online leadership surveys, books, dinner, materials, and county certification as a teacher leader.) Applications are available at teacher-leader-certification-academy/ and will be accepted from February 1, through May 1, for cohorts forming in the fall of the same year. Visit website for information sessions held February through April. Secretary of State Duncan maintains that teachers must shape what teaching will become. We invite teacher leaders who have demonstrated strong influence at any level of the educational system to join us in this journey toward shaping what teaching will become in the 21st century. 2

7 Instructional Coach Leadership Academy As we dig ever deeper into the Common Core State Standards, teacher leaders are playing a critical and dynamic role in helping colleagues transition to greater rigor and innovation in their teaching practice. For the students of today and tomorrow to meet 21st-century learning standards, teachers must be transformative leaders. We need a bold new brand of teacher leadership that will create opportunities for teachers to cultivate and share their knowledge and expertise. Enter the teacherpreneur. (Teacherpreneurs, Berry, Byrd & Wieder, 2013). To build the capacity of instructional coaches who embody the term teacherpreneur, we offer this foursession, one-year academy designed to introduce key leadership skills that will help you navigate the challenges of teacher leadership; namely, influencing up, across, and down to improve teaching and learning practices with the goal of increased student learning and achievement. Being a great teacher leader requires more than being a great teacher. You must master the art of influence without authority. And it can be done. Participants will: 3 Learn a simple coaching model that will eliminate the interference that blocks performance and help teachers achieve greater levels of success. 3 Understand what leadership looks like for teachers using the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership (Kouzes & Posner). 3 Learn key principles and techniques for managing the demands on time and energy that every teacher leader faces. Who Should Attend: Instructional Coaches Dates: November 18, 2014 January 27, 2015 March 17, 2015 May 12, 2015 Time: 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Location: Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center 3958 Twelfth Street Riverside, CA Cost: $400 (Includes continental breakfast, lunch, four professional books, materials, and Certificate of Completion.) Make checks payable and mail to: Riverside County Office of Education Attn: LIRC P.O. Box 868 Riverside, CA Registration Deadline: September 16, 2014 No refunds after deadline date. No refunds for no-show participants. All cancellations must be made in writing before the deadline date. Registration Information For more information, contact (951) Understand the responsibilities and rewards of facilitating an effective collaborative team. 3 Complete brief assignments between sessions to apply the learning and to receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the four sessions. 3 Feel empowered to influence up, across, and down for the benefit of student learning and success. 3

8 Teacher Action Research Research has found that teachers are more likely to be influenced by the professional practices and action research of their peers than they are to be influenced by journal articles, undergraduate or graduate courses, or top-down efforts in schools and districts that require teachers to buy in to ideas and methods that they have had little or no experience with (Reeves, 2008). In addition, teachers who engage in action research tend to be perceived as strong, professional leaders and advance more quickly through the ranks in their districts. Action research is a definite resume-builder and, in the process, brings greater levels of respect to the teaching profession. California Baptist University is partnering with RCOE to assist teacher leaders wishing to engage in action research. We are fortunate to work with Dr. Susan Studer who has extensive experience helping teachers engage in action research and find ways to present it at conferences and in action research journals. Publication is not a requirement for engaging in action research, but can be a wonderful culminating experience for a researcher. As we transition to the Common Core State Standards and a new, more rigorous approach to instruction, teacher leaders have the opportunity to forge the way by engaging in action research related to Common Core methodologies and 21st century skills. Attend the information session in September to learn more and decide if you would like to commit to an Action Research Project. Who Should Attend: Teacher Leaders Date: Time: Information Session, September 16, :00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Location: Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center 3958 Twelfth Street Riverside, CA Cost: None Registration Deadline: September 9, 2014 Registration Information For more information, contact (951) Teacher researchers will: 3 Develop research questions based on personal curiosity about teaching and learning in the Common Core. 3 Investigate research questions, systematically documenting results. 3 Collect and analyze data, including personal observations and reflections. 3 Examine assumptions and beliefs and articulate theories related to research question. 3 Discuss research with colleagues for support as critical friends to validate findings and interpretations of data. 3 Present research at RCOE Teacher Research Symposium at the end of the year. 3 Build professional resume. 3 Optional: Publish research (i.e., teacher magazines, action research journals) and participate in teacher research web sites, online forums, and communications. 4

9 Teacher Leaders Building Student Leaders In the book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell says it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field, from violinists to baseball players to inventors of technology that shapes the world. Perhaps the reason that we often suffer from a lack of skilled leadership is that we have not provided 10,000 hours of practice in leadership skills. We must begin instilling leadership at an early age and teachers are perfectly positioned to begin this process. Teachers who are supervising student leaders such as ASB leaders, peer counselors, club officers, and others are invited to bring their students to this one-day workshop designed to teach students an identifiable set of leadership skills that will serve them well throughout their personal and professional lives and careers. During this interactive workshop, students will: 3 Be inspired to become world changing leaders! 3 Learn strategies to improve their school culture. 3 Develop an awareness of the problems that exist on their campuses and how to solve them. 3 Learn how to build stronger communities within their school campuses. 3 Refine their leadership skills. 3 Be given a chance to connect and network with other leaders from all over the county. Who Should Attend: Student Leaders/Student Leader Supervisors Dates: October 23, 2014 Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Location: Eleanor Roosevelt High School 7447 Scholar Way Eastvale, CA Cost: $35 per person or $550 per school (2 adults and up to 20 students) HAdministrators are free if they come with a school group. (No transportation provided.) Make checks payable and mail to: Riverside County Office of Education Attn: LIRC P.O. Box 868 Riverside, CA Registration Deadline: October 16, 2014 No refunds after deadline date. No refunds for no-show participants. All cancellations must be made in writing before the deadline date. Registration Information For more information, contact (951)

10 Teacher Leader Resources TLCA Information TLCA Facebook Page Accomplished California Teachers Blog Accomplished California Teachers Facebook Page Center for Teaching Quality Teacher Leader Model Standards National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Greatness by Design, Chapters 6 and 7 Teaching 2030 video Best Practices in Teacher Leadership Staff For more information regarding Teacher Leadership Professional Learning Opportunities, contact: Lanelle Gordin, Ed.D., Leadership Associate, (951) , lgordin@rcoe.us Leadership Institute of Riverside County Jennifer Garcia, TOSA Corona-Norco Unified School District Nita Grantham, Retired Riverside County Office of Education Stan Crippen, Retired Teacher Leader Lake Elsinore Unified School District Facilitators: Joelle Hood, Principal, Alternative Education Riverside County Office of Education Melissa Meetze-Hall, Administrator, Teacher Support Center Riverside County Office of Education Susan Dickson, Coordinator, Teacher Support Center Riverside County Office of Education 6

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12 Notes... A subsidiary of Riverside County Office of Education