Highlights from the DL Team's Meetings on October 20, October 27, and November 3, 2008

• A preliminary definition of distributed leadership in practice at Overbrook High School: "Distributed Leadership at Overbrook refers to the collective interactions between its leaders and followers regarding instructional improvement with the goals of increasing teacher initiative and leadership.”

• The DL Team will roll out its presence to staff through the following events and communications: a. DL Team Reception and Raffle on Election Day (11/4); b. OHS DL Team newsletter/website; c. Informal professional development needs survey taken by staff; d. Introduction of the DL Team at staff meeting; e. Creation of a mission and vision for the OHS DL Team.

• Baker and Kingsbury will attend a UPenn workshop on trust on Election Day, with the goal of bringing the information back to the DL Team and the staff.

• Dr. Robert Gross and Gina Calzaferri of the Penn Literacy Network will visit the OHS faculty on 11/3 and 11/6 in order to complete their professional development needs assessment. These visits will be strictly objective observation. The goal is to confirm that teachers at OHS actually do the teaching practices which they revealed on a prior instructional techniques survey.

• Some thoughts from the literature on distributed leadership: “…[T]eacher leaders must stimulate the exploration of instructional practice, increase receptivity to new ideas, and help forge connections between present practice and new initiatives” (page 31 from “How to Talk so Teachers Listen”).

• Current teachers on the OHS faculty have been nominated as potential DL Team members.
  

• Preliminary feedback from Dr. Gross and Ms. Calzaferri includes the following: Both commented on several examples of strong teaching, teaching during the entire period, strong Q and A techniques, and good teacher-student relationships; questions were raised about management techniques, time management, kids on task (heads down), attendance, lateness to class, disciplinary supports and the use of interactive teaching techniques.

Feedback, please: Do you have any questions about the DL Team meeting highlights? Please post your questions here in the COMMENTS section right below. Thanks!

Question: What are the benefits of having a Distributed Leadership Team at OHS?

MANY!!

1. By being a part of this exciting new leadership model, OHS is putting itself on the map as a future example of effective secondary leadership practice.

2. 40 hours of highly relevant and practical professional development are available to our entire staff. If there is an expert in your field who informs your instructional practices, we can BRING THIS PERSON to OHS at no cost.

3. Being a principal is a monumental task. The DL Team works to take the heavy burdens off the shoulders of our principal so that she can focus on the most important aspects of her job. DL Team members take initiative to inform the principal of teacher needs and concerns and follow up with action and results.

4. Distributed leadership draws on the strengths of ALL teachers in the building. Any teacher with new ideas and sound opinions and practices who wants to take a leadership role without the trappings of administrative duties is welcome to join the DL Team!

Feedback, please: Let us know your strengths and talents so that we can share best practices with each other. Please post one successful strategy that you use in the classroom. You can do this by clicking on the COMMENTS button below. Thanks!

Question: Who created the concept of Distributed Leadership?

That would be this man here, Mr. James Spillane of Northwestern University. His full and extensive Curriculum Vitae can be found at:

http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/common/people/profile/?ProfileID=49

Mr. Spillane has done the bulk of his research at the elementary school level. Therefore, Overbrook High School is in the fortunate and exciting position of being on the brink of new research in educational leadership and instruction. If there is interest from the OHS faculty, Mr. Spillane may even be available to visit our school to share the many benefits of having a DL Team at Overbook.

Feedback, please: Are you interested in meeting James Spillane? Please let us know by posting a response in the COMMENTS section below. Thanks!

Question: What is the purpose of Distributed Leadership through UPenn's Annenberg Grant?

You can read the full text of the purpose of Distributed Leadership from the Penn Center for Educational Leadership by clicking on the title of this post. Highlights from the PCEL site include:

The project... addresses the following goals:

• To develop model distributed leadership teams and school communities in 16 Philadelphia Schools.
• To develop a targeted professional development strategy and a regional teacher leadership development center.
• To develop over 80 effective teacher leaders who can support 16 new principals and central office leaders in achieving and sustaining building-level instructional leadership.
• To utilize other leadership-building strategies including professional learning communities and coaching to support distributive leadership teams and achieve improved instructional focus and student outcomes in participating schools.
• To create model distributed leadership agreements with the Philadelphia School District and its unions, and training and develop partnerships with Temple University and Lehigh University in support of sustained leadership development and instructional improvement.

It is our intent to work with new principals and their identified teacher leaders and assist them in creating a distributed leadership school setting. This will be accomplished by key Action Plan elements of our project which follow.

• Develop principals and teacher leaders (teams) in distributed leadership including key organizational elements such as decision making, change, conflict, collaboration, etc.)
• Develop distributed leadership agreements and understandings.
• Develop a shared vision of informed practice and supplemental training in best practices in instruction and curricular areas (if needed).
• Develop professional learning communities in each building.
• Increase capacity for analysis and understanding of student work and data.
• Provide coaching and mentoring in creating a distributed leadership school setting.
• Develop a regional teacher leadership development center and a cadre of trainers for sustainability and dissemination.

More explicit details for each bullet point listed here can be found by visiting:
http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pcel/annenberg/grant.html

Feedback, please: What questions remain in your mind about the purpose of Distributed Leadership? Please post them in the COMMENTS section below. Thanks!

Question: Who are the members of Overbrook's DL Team?

Our DL Team members have undergone a rigorous interview and training process. We are proud to have on board the team of the following members:

Ethelyn Payne Young, Principal
Octavia Lewis, Assistant Principal
Robin Jackson, Assistant Principal
Kareem Goodwin, English Teacher
Valarie Jordan, Health Sciences Teacher
Vicki Baker, Math Teacher
Bonnee Breese, English Teacher
Madelaine Kingsbury, English Teacher

All DL Team members are readily available to answer your questions and accept your feedback on our activities and initiatives.

Feedback, please: Do you have any questions for the DL Team members? Please post them here in the COMMENTS section below. Thanks!