Evidence Linking Small Schools and Student Achievement

For the past decade there's been a growing movement to create small learning communities and small schools with the belief that they will positively impact student achievement and school climate. Now there is evidence connecting small schools and student achievement! You will be interested in the findings of an Oregon initiative funded by The Gates Foundation and the Meyer Memorial Trust.

The Oregon Small Schools Initiative (OSSI) reported in their initial evaluation that small schools have a positive impact on student success and that "despite high rates of poverty and other barriers to success, . . . small school students generally perform as well as or better than non [small school] students." The report also said that "students enrolled at a small school for multiple grades will, on average, have better outcomes" than those there for fewer years. The complete report is available at http://www.e3smallschools.org/documents/Statewideoverviewreport_FINAL4_8_10.pdf.

The Oregon Small Schools Initiative provides many resources to support improvement and work with your community to improve student learning. Check our the things that they offer. I'd like to hear from you about your experience with small schools.

Student Use of Technology

Students are far more familiar with how to use technology than most adults. I was reminded of how creative students can be a few days ago when I met with four principals from the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools (MI). They shared three incidents that illustrate how technology continues to impact principals' work. Each of the incidents involved texting.

• A middle school student failed a math test and sent a text to their mother about the results. Within minutes the child's teacher received an e-mail from the mother demanding extra help for their son and the opportunity to take the test again.
• The other incidents also involved texting. In one two students were accused of some infraction. Once confronted and while briefly left alone before meeting with the assistant principal, they exchanged texts about the alibi they would use. It's a creative way to "get your story straight."
• The third incident also involved a parent. In this case a student broke his thumb while participating in a physical education class. He sent a text about the accident to his mother and she arrived in the school office before her son arrived from the locker room.

I'm fascinated by the ways that technology has changed all of our lives and enjoy learning about the ways that schools are using technology to improve their instructional program. It's clear that students and their families are also skilled at using technology to stay in constant communication. These are three great examples. I'd enjoy hearing about your experience with the growing use of technology.

Strategies for Expanding Leadership Capacity

A principal can't do everything so it is important to nurture the leadership skills among teachers and other staff in your school. You can ask them to assume leadership roles as part of the leadership team or a school committee, invited them to shadow you for a day and then talk with them about the experience or you might ask them to work with you, and others, to solve a "real-life" problem in your school.

The following ideas are adapted from a NASSP publication, Practical Suggestions for Developing Leadership Capacity in Others (http://www.principals.org/Content/topic/56566).

1. Expand Their Skills and Knowledge Base

• Invite them to work on a project outside of their area of expertise;
• Ask they to work with you in dealing with a challenging parent;
• Ask then to help screen and interview potential employees.

2. Invite Them to Work on School Improvement Projects

• Ask them to serve on the leadership team;
• Ask them to lead a book study group;
• Invite them to chair a curriculum planning committee.

3. Provide Opportunity to Observe and Reflect

• Encourage them to maintain a journal and reflect don the "good," "bad," or "flawed" leaders they know and observe;
• Talk with them about how and why you handled a situation as you did.

4. Support Participation in Professional Development

• Ask them to serve as a mentor of a new teacher;
• Ask them to present information to the staff after attending a conference or other PD activity.

Expanding the leadership capacity of your school is important. Working together to improve the rigor of your school requires everyone's energy and committee to improve curriculum and instruction. I'd enjoy hearing from you about ways you use to nurture leadership among your staff.

Dealing with Social Media in Schools

A recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 73% of teens use social-networking sites. Most of us are aware of the explosive growth of popular sites like MySpace and Facebook. Social media provide a way for students to socialize and meet new people. But there are also problems associated with social networking. The anonymity of the Internet combined with the impulsivity of youth leads to making poor choices about what is said and what is shared. The growing problem of using technology to bully (cyberbullying) others has led to serious consequences for some students.

I recently wrote a Research Brief on "Social Media" that discusses the issue and provides links to resources that principals can use to reduce the negative effects of social networking. You may want to take a look at the strategies recommended for schools.

As with most technology, there is a positive side and many schools have begun to use social media to improve communication with families and community, to improve instruction, and to access curricular resources. Many of these ideas are also included in the brief.

I would enjoy hearing from you about the challenges, as well as the benefits, you face in using social media.

Teaming with Families and Community

As a principal you spend a significant portion of your time working with the families of your students. Too often, the emphasis is negative as you resolve a difficult discipline problem. I'd like to suggest that an equally important role is to lead a coordinated school-wide effort to interact with families in ways that support students, families, the school and the larger community.

Intuitively we know that involving parents and family members in a partnership has a positive impact on students. When parents are involved both at home and at school, students do better in school and stay in school longer. When a parent and a teacher work together to help a student in a specific subject area, such as reading, students typically improve in that area. Students do best when their parents are comfortable with the school and the people who work at the school.

I've learned from principals that there are four strategies you can use to create a positive relationship with families and engage them in school life.

• First, use a variety of communication strategies, some in print, some in person, and some electronic. Technology can be a wonderful tool for communicating but not all families will be as comfortable with technology or have access to technology. Publish a family-friendly school newsletter written in everyday language, avoiding educational jargon. Involve families in a variety of activities throughout the year.
• Second, create and support authentic, meaningful roles for family members. Rather than just holding a meeting provide activities that include training and support. Ask families to participate in meaningful decision-making roles. Create volunteer options for family and community.
• Third, provide support and resources for families. The specific type of support will vary with your population but one possibility is to create a family and community learning center. Identify a physical space with adult-sized furnishings; then add basic refreshments and helpful information. You may want to include information in a language other than English. Or you could create family support groups that deal with topics identified by families and their advocates.
• Finally, support the larger community. Seek ways to move beyond the confines of your school. Identify opportunities for students to participate in community service activities. Celebrate the cultures of your community with specific activities. Collaborate with other agencies or groups in the area to deliver services such as immunization clinics, free health screening, or dental clinics. One school in Mississippi partnered with local doctors to provide a free health screening with only one requirement, that they bring their school-age children with them. Parents got hundreds of dollars of free services, students participated in fun activities and the bonds between school, families, and community were strengthened.

I'd love to learn about the ways that you've partnered with families in your school and community to improve the education of your students.

Creating An Advocacy Plan For Your School

Principals are advocates, always advocating for their school and ways to improve the educational experience of their students. It's one of your more important roles.

Advocacy is a way to effectively press for change. It is the foundation of our democracy and a process that allows ordinary people to shape and influence policy at all levels.

So, how do you get started on creating an advocacy plan. In our new book, Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way, Barbara Blackburn and I suggest an seven-step process.

• First, analyze your environment: Scan the environment in which your school exists---district, community, state, nation, world. Then identify the issues that affect your school and those that affect your community more broadly.
• Monitor changes in your environment. Read voraciously, talk with a wide selection of people in your community and stay current with trends at the state and national level.
• Identify the factors needed for success: Look beyond traditional factors (good teachers, money) and consider emerging issues such as the acquisition of technology, the ability to respond to changing conditions. Identify groups in your community with which you can partner.
• Think about your assumptions: Identify the assumptions you hold about your school and community. Test them by assessing the degree of certainly (high, medium, low) and the level of impact (high, medium, low). Assumptions play an important role in constructing the future.
• Develop a vision of an alternative future: Consider the issue of rigor and identify the factors you identified that are critical for success. Develop a vision of the future different than the current circumstances. Creating several alternatives is better.
• Consider allies and opponents: Identify individuals or groups that may support your efforts as well as those who may resist. Be sure to include those you know and those who may emerge. Develop a plan for building alliances with your allies and understand the opposition.
• Develop a plan for advocating for your desired future: Identify specific steps that can be taken to achieve the anticipated future. Develop both "hedging strategies" that can cope with undesirable futures and "shaping strategies" that help create the desired future.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about the ways you advocate for your school and its students.

Trends That Principals Should Anticipate

I'm frequently asked about trends that schools need to plan for and be ready to address. When recently asked by a Chicago area Board of Education member, I identified these five:

• Increased demands at the state and national level for greater accountability for improved student learning mean that educators will be pressed to be more successful with all students.
• Greater access to information about how students learn and research-based strategies for improving student learning will add additional expectations about meeting the individual needs of every students including those with the greatest needs and those most talented.
• There will be continued change in the demographics of students in public schools. Schools will be expected to provide a high quality educational program for groups that have often been underserved.
• Stable or declining ressources will characterize the educational environment. Schools will be expected to be more efficient as well as more effective.
• An ever-accelerating pace of change in knowledge, research about teaching and learning, and technology will change the way schools are organized and the way teaching and learning occurs. Traditional schools may become obsolete and new learning structures will emerge. Learning will be more integrated rather than separated by content, and multi-age learning environments will become the norm.

You can learn more about dealing with these and other trends in The Principalship from A to Z (From Eye on Education). I'd enjoy hearing from you about what you think about these trends and what others you anticipate.