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Leadership-Influenced Practices that Impact Classroom Instruction Related to Writing: a case Study of a


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: Leadership Impacts the Classroom through Supervision of Framework
Study participants were asked to reflect on whether leadership supervisory practices changed their instructional strategies. The leadership’s impact through the supervision of a coherent instructional program was expressed in two specific ways: through persistence and material support. Each of these leadership themes will be reviewed in detail.

Leadership sub-theme 1.1: Classrooms are influenced by leaders with persistent vision. Due to students scoring below grade level on state assessments, school staff acknowledged there was a need for changes in instructional strategies. A decision had been made to use a comprehensive literacy framework of instructional strategies called Four Blocks (Cunningham & Hall, 1998). Study participants were asked to identify how the leaders supervised the school’s reaction. As charted in Table A1 in Appendix E, all sixteen participants indicated they understood the need for leadership supervision of a new literacy framework. Nine of these twelve participants expressed that the leadership displayed a persistent vision for this change in literacy strategies through constant communication, effort, materials, financial support, and encouragement.

The principal indicated she was determined that the school would use Four Blocks strategies for the next five years and that she would support it every way she could:

My role was to say ok we are going to do it [Four Blocks], do it 100% and what can I do to get us started and what can I do to help you ... we’re not going to waffle. This is the direction we’re going in for five years. And then we’re going to evaluate if it works or not, and if it doesn’t, then we are going to change. We aren’t going to do it half-heartedly and then say, well, that didn’t work.

The literacy specialist stated the she understood the vision for Four Blocks from a technical standpoint; therefore, she was responsible for helping teachers learn the strategies accurately and thoroughly:

She [principal] really was the leader who said we’re going to go with this and we’re not wavering here. I was the one that got to make that happen. I was the one who really had the technical understanding, and the principal was learning it right behind me … the principal had said, “We’re going to do this. We’re going to immerse ourselves in it and we’re going to learn it and do it really well.”

Both leaders went on to say they supervised and supported this vision by being out in the building, continually checking on the learning and the progress. The principal stated:

I do management by walking around … I need to be modeling that I am always learning so the teachers are always learning so our culture as a school is always learning … so I talked to teachers constantly, asking what did you see [students learning]? How did it go?

The literacy specialist indicated the she also considered it important to be visible, available in the building, and aware of how the vision was being implemented:

I was out and about and around in the building a lot, in and out of classrooms, lots of conversations with teachers when they weren’t teaching, but time in the classroom when they were, model teaching, team teaching, and then having them teach and supporting them in that process. So I would say very “hands on,” knowing what was really going on in the classroom, what it was really like for kids to be in there.

As a teacher, Mary stated she knew the school was not having favorable results with the instructional strategies they had been using and that there was now a strong, persistent vision by both leaders for new strategies that would help all students learn:

They both had a vision … before they came, we were so floundering, that I don’t know if we had any expectations at all … we just followed along. We were so happy to have somebody who had a vision, and we were so happy to have somebody that wanted high expectations for these kids and didn’t say, “Well, you know, it is an at-risk school, so I just don’t know what we can do.” Neither one of them ever felt that way. There was no reason to feel that way … they just kept pushing us and supporting us, empathizing, “Yes, we know it is hard but also, this is what research says is going to work so we need to do this.”

Liz indicated that the message about this vision was reinforced repeatedly in presentations and staff meetings: “They both have a vision of what they want the instruction to look like and they just kept presenting that to us, through presentations at staff meetings, and Reach Days, and bringing people in.”

This vision involved restructuring the classroom for Carla, who stated that this made it difficult for her at first to accept the vision for changing strategies. However, she responded to the leaders’ promises of growth for the students:

Then somebody comes in and they want to change everything, obviously, people will have a tendency to say, “Wait a minute.” She [the leader] made everybody just restructure the entire classroom and she could see the big picture at the same time, and she’d say, “You have to do this because it’s going to work well.” Those initial three years were extremely difficult. People would complain to each other, but we’d do it. We could see improvement…. It’s that initial restructuring that’s hard.

A common factor between Carla and Grace was that they both valued the research that the leaders provided about the instructional strategies they were going to use. Grace said: “She [leader] researched everything she wanted to accomplish … she did all that leg work and she was just so brilliant at putting things together and looking at all the details … there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.” This research was also listed by Grace as the rationale for following the vision for new strategies:

I was thinking … how positive the leadership was in even bringing it to the building as a whole, that it is something that has been researched, proven it helps kids be successful in their reading and writing, so it wasn’t like, “Well, here I want you to try this,” instead she said, “This is what we are going to do, this is why and this is just what we expect to happen with the kids.”

Another individual, Amy, indicated that in her previous school district, she used whatever strategies she desired, and contrasted that with the explicit expectation that she was to use Four Blocks strategies. She stated:

I always would say to anybody here, “Oh no, I harmed those kids [in the previous school] because I wasn’t really following anything,” I didn’t feel like I had any structure or knowledge of what to do. Teachers would get together and say, “What do you want to do for writing?“ When I got here, it was do the whole Four Blocks.

The comments of Stacey and Dana indicated they clearly understood the vision and mirrored the responses of the individuals quoted above. Stacey stated that one leader had come in and said, “Let me show you what our vision is.” Similarly, Dana said, “The leader made it clear that, yes, we would [do Four Blocks] and so then everyone started doing it and we just saw this huge change.”

It is interesting to note that the leaders indicated that they knew they had to persist in this vision for these new instructional strategies because there were some who did not fully understand them or immediately desire to implement the changes. As one leader said, “In my years here, I don’t think there was anyone who didn’t try. They … listened, they tried to implement things in the classroom, but … some … went through the motions.” Another leader stated that she persisted by:

Targeting those teachers that were interested in learning, spending a lot of time and energy with them, and other people kind of feeling like they wanted some of what was going on with us. So then it blossomed that way.

Leadership sub-theme 1.2: Leaders support the classroom by providing materials. This theme emerged from study participants being asked to share about support for the vision. Eleven of the sixteen respondents reported the vision was supported through the provision of materials and resources that were needed to implement new instructional strategies in the classrooms. Both leaders saw it as essential to provide materials for the new instructional strategies, the principal referenced this:

I did get a lot of books in … I would pay for organizational things, like little book tubs that they could organize … after professional development when they were fired up about it and figured out to use it [professional development] themselves, then I would support that.

The literacy specialist explained her role and echoed the impact that the materials had on supporting the vision in the classrooms:

Materials were huge! They [teachers] had kept four copies of trade books in their classrooms and we just put them here in the reading room and organized them with a database, then I brought the teachers in to show them what we had. I took materials into their classrooms. We integrated Four Blocks with the content areas. I would give materials!

Chris and Carla both offered similar comments about how all these materials helped them from a teaching standpoint. Chris reported that the leaders had clearly said to her that she would have the resources she needed, “This is how we are going to follow this Four Blocks framework in order to get all of these components in, and these are some resources to help you to do that.” Materials were also listed by Carla as a reason she could think more about her teaching:

I can’t tell you how extremely important it is to have someone who’s providing you with materials.… I need overheads. “Here you go.” What you need, just basic materials, for many years that was such a struggle. Can’t copy on a copy machine; … can only have so much paper. We have no money. How do we do this then? Well, figure it out. But when you have somebody providing you with the basics, you can think about your teaching. If you’re scrounging for food, shelter, and water, you are not doing the mental exercises. So that was wonderful!

The impact of materials for the vision of instructional changes was underscored by Grace. When asked the question dealing directly with support she reported that she did not even have to locate the materials by herself:

It was like … “Let us know what you need and we will do whatever we can to get it, … look at this catalog, maybe there are some books in here … I marked this page, look to see if it would be helpful.” So you were not always trying to find it yourself. Someone else was helping you to locate those.

The impact of the material support for the vision was reiterated by five other individuals. Mary, Liz, John, Gayle and Karla offered similar comments about how they were provided textbooks, leveled libraries, lists of titles, authors, and themes that the reading room provided. These materials were very helpful and included several different types of books, Karla said:

We have a fantastic reading room, which has helped so much! … There are numerous sets of books for kids to have in their hand or share with a partner. There are so many different types of books which has made planning so much easier! Some are class sets. Some are half a class set where we can partner up or even have a group reading this book or you can have them all reading different things.

The influence of materials on the study participants’ support of the instructional changes is noteworthy because it was mentioned as many times as the vision for instructional changes. In addition, materials were mentioned as an organizational factor. It is interesting to note that six of the sixteen participants reported materials and checklists were helpful for organizing their classrooms and instruction. Chris said: “Leaders knew new blocks were coming in and …having a checklist to see if you were doing it, and what we were lacking.“ John stated that he had received technology which helped with efficiency: “The technology [is] right there that you can use the intranet and state web site.” Kate responded that she had trouble getting organized: “I tried plastic bags, I tried cubby holes in the other room…they had suggestions, they purchased boxes for me, basically it just takes materials.”

Another six participants reported that they shared their materials with their colleagues often and cited this as an example of the collegiality of the building. Mary said: “We are very sharing here. This is [her] book…we are always throwing out books [to each other], throwing out resources, very open and sharing.”



Leadership Theme 2: Leadership Plays a Significant Role in Curriculum

Study participants were asked how and to what extent the leadership influenced the curriculum being taught as defined in the state Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs). As shown in Table A1 in Appendix E, all 16 of the study participants knew of the importance for two reasons: discussions and/or report card alignment. Each of these leadership themes will be reviewed in detail.



Leadership sub-theme 2.1: Leaders support curriculum by providing time for discussion. Knowing the curriculum was listed by a majority of the study participants as a challenge facing teachers. Eleven of the sixteen study participants credited discussions with colleagues at staff meetings and professional development meetings that were planned by their leaders as assisting them in understanding the state curriculum as defined in the GLCEs.

Three of the ten participants who reported the curriculum discussions planned by the leaders as being important stated this was because they were coming from other grade levels. Karla said: “I didn’t teach the same grade then, so I had to learn new GLCEs and …the literacy specialist helped me.”

The impact of the GLCEs discussions at the professional development meetings was evident when participants were asked how the GLCEs helped instruction. There was a wide range of responses including interpretation, expectation of mastery, time and assessment, and focus, Stacey said:

When I think about the GLCEs and Professional Development, they go hand in hand. How am I going to get there? Here are some ways. Here’s what’s happening. Here’s the newest trend. Here’s what we’ve done, we’re going to streamline.

As the teachers learned about the GLCEs, seven of the participants stated that they used their time differently. The principal noted a conversation with teachers who came to the realization that they were spending too much time on one GLCE, the leader recalled:

They came to this realization on their own, I remember the teachers said we spent four weeks on the body … it is only one GLCE! I remember laughing because I had been thinking it for a year. This is one GLCE and they are spending 4 weeks on it, and then they came to me with the light bulb on in their head.

Carla reported the GLCEs needed to be studied so they could be mapped out; she did this with her teaching partner and said:

You get a copy of them [GLCEs] and you sit down and learn them. My partner is the same. We just have them in front of us and we check the stuff off as we did it. It’s a matter of organization because you’re thrown stuff to teach and you do it, and everybody is human, and part way through the year, you look at your GLCEs, and you go, “oh wow, I haven’t taught this and this and I have to teach that, and I still have to fit this in, and … I can’t do that anymore because it’s not my GLCE.”

Gayle was influenced by the conversations about the GLCEs held at grade level meetings, as well as the resources that others shared through those discussions. She stated:

We lightly talked about them [GLCEs] at the grade level meetings … and we went to talk with all the second grade teachers about certain things to work on and things not to work on. I know one of the schools had come up with something that they did for reading and writing for all the different semesters and quarters which was really helpful to me because then I knew which benchmark I was hitting for that and when to do this. So that was really nice to have that laid out.

The literacy specialist noted she knew the GLCEs from reading them and when planning lessons going back to them and having conversations with teachers:

These [GLCEs] helped the school figure out what we are supposed to teach. We were excited to have it delineated as it was. It really did help to focus for me and I feel that that was true for the teachers, too.

John agreed, stating that such conversations with the literacy specialist helped him implement and understand the curriculum. He said, “Having the literacy specialist, I would go to her with questions about the GLCEs.”

Grace, Liz, Connie and Chris also offered similar comments about how discussion of the GLCEs helped in their interpretation of the curriculum. The impact of interpretation of the GLCEs, time spent on each one and mastery required were all influenced by repeated conversations with colleagues. While none of these participants characterized this experience as having an impact on at-risk students, it is interesting to note that it appears that at-risk students were influenced over time by the consistent instruction.



Leadership sub-theme 2.2: Leaders support curriculum through report card alignment. Along side the benefit of the discussion of the GLCEs, however, the alignment of the curriculum as written in the GLCEs with the report card was listed as another significant influence on the effectiveness of classroom instruction. As shown in Table A1 in Appendix E, nine of the sixteen study participants commented that the alignment between the curriculum found in the GLCEs and their report cards supported their ability to do their job. The leaders used charts from the district’s curriculum office to make sure the report cards were aligned with the GLCEs. The principal said:

If we were doing what we were supposed to be doing on the charts [showing alignment], then we were aligned. We would also do a lot of work when we got the results back, looking on the strands. We did not do well on enumeration or measurement, so let’s look at the GLCEs and see are we missing something and if our math curriculum missing something. Do I need to get you something?

The impact the GLCE alignment with the report card had on her teaching was noted by Mary:

They [GLCEs] were made for a reason. Not just anybody’s thinking, well, you can just go teach whatever you want to teach. I believe there is validity behind them. And then the major goal is to connect it to the report card. You know, every standard has two or three GLCEs that go with every standard … so it is part of my job. That is what I am told to do.

Another teacher reported it was the GLCE alignment with the report card that influenced her effectiveness as a teacher. Amy sated:

Here I felt like it’s more, here’s the GLCEs you need to obviously follow those, everything on the report card matches the GLCEs here, and then here is all the training you have. We have all this background here to help you prepare and further it. It was so different in my previous school. I really liked the school there, but I feel like I’m smarter and more effective here than I was there.

Dana said she felt bound by the GLCEs since they were aligned with the report card: “That’s been good because we are bound by them. It tells me exactly what I need to teach and it hasn’t been hard to get them in. They work right into Four Blocks.“

The impact of the curriculum alignment with the report card was reiterated by several other individuals. Chris reported that the aligning of the report card enabled her to meet the state standards: “We always try to align our teaching up with the state standards. The GLCEs have helped, too, because they are a little bit more visible, they’re there, and we align our report card to follow that.” Alignment was also listed by Liz as a way to help teachers in the classroom. “One little tiny report card item covers a pretty deep range of items on the GLCE and so we try to get to the essence of that and we try to see what is the important piece for kids.” Karla echoed this rationale for support from an aligned report card: “The standards [from the state] were on our report cards, too, so that helped.”

The impact of curriculum discussion and curriculum alignment to the report card was underscored by Amy, who was one of five study participants who reported that there were challenges in understanding the GLCEs. When asked the question dealing directly with curriculum, she reported that the aligned report card helped her match up GLCEs and goals: “There’s so many GLCEs, it’s hard to match it all up and to figure what’s implied.”
Leadership Theme 3: Leadership Plays a Role in Professional Development

When asked whether professional development had changed their instruction, all sixteen study participants stated that professional development prepared teachers for the challenges of teaching new instructional strategies. This finding may have been expected given that the school districts are bound to ensure teacher certification as documented through credits from classes or professional development as part of NCLB. In addition, staff must complete a set number of hours of professional development for the district. However, participants identified professional development as playing a significant role in this area of impact and made clear distinctions how their professional development impacted their classroom. Both teachers and leaders were influenced by the focus they had in the meetings, the progression of the professional development, modeling both within and outside the classroom, the continuity, and the conversations about the professional development. Each of these professional development themes will be reviewed in detail.



Leadership sub-theme 3.1: Classrooms are influenced by focused professional development. Participants were given the opportunity to reflect on the professional development they had received and how it had influenced classroom practice. When asked about learning new instructional strategies through professional development, nine out of the sixteen participants responded with statements that clustered around two areas which included the focus and effort that change requires.

The literacy specialist reported that the professional development she offered was focused, concentrating on a block at a time. She stated:

We were concentrating on a block for a chunk of time. That is what our staff meetings were about. We had Reach Days and we were spending them on that. We were very focused on understanding a particular block. Staff meetings were very much professional development from the beginning.

The response given by Carla was an example of the focus and effort needed to rearrange her schema with the new strategies. She noticed:

Change hurts. Any kind of growth hurts. Your bones and your muscles hurt when you grow. And the same thing happens with your brain and with change, especially with the older teachers. You don’t want to put in all that effort, all that extra work, all that re-arranging our schema is hard to do. We had to jump in and change to Four Blocks. After that you tweak and you tweak constantly. In this building, we have professional development all the time, it’s just an all the time thing. It’s just a part of what you do.

Mary stated it was difficult to understand the vision at first since it was so different from the way she had been trained in college. However, after participating in the professional development; she believes this is her best teaching:

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