NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

VOLUME 21, NUMBER 2, 2008

JOB-EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT FOR PRINCIPALS

Lloyd C. Kilmer
Western Illinois University

Georgianna L. Koenig
Mississippi Bend Area Education
Agency

ABSTRACT

The greatest challenges of delivering professional development to educational leaders is

(1) to find a means to make the content relevant to their day to day work and (2) to find
the time to permit them to reflect on, discuss and implement their new learning. Staff
members of the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, in Bettendorf, IA, and faculty
members of Western Illinois University Department of Educational Leadership
collaborated to provide professional development for principals from eastern Iowa and
western Illinois through the Principals Leadership Academy. The most recent academy
blended a variety of delivery systems, large group presentations and job-embedded
activities, to best meet the needs of the participants. Program participants learned a
large body of new research on leadership and also developed the steps that they could
take to improve their organizations. Overall participants were highly satisfied with this
design as well as content of the professional development.

“Leaders are the architects of individual and organizational

improvement” (p. 27).
Doug Reeves – The Learning Leader

67
68 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

T he greatest challenges of delivering professional development

to educational leaders is (1) to find a means to make the
content relevant to their day to day work and (2) to find the
time to permit them to reflect on, discuss and implement their new
learning. The Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, in
Bettendorf, IA, has a twelve year history of providing professional
development for principals through the Principals Leadership
Academy. The most recent academy blended a variety of delivery
systems to best meet the needs of the participants. The participants
learned a large body of new research on leadership and also developed
the steps that they could take to improve their organizations.

McREL developed a professional development series based on

the research outlined in “School Leadership That Works: From
Research to Results.” For organizations that want to assist principals
in their professional development, this series and its application in the
field, holds great promise in assisting them to manage change, develop
a purposeful community and to select the right focus for school change
initiatives. In addition, superintendents who supervise principals need
to know which leadership responsibilities are in the forefront during
change initiatives so as to better guide and support the building level
administrator.

The Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (MBAEA), in

partnership with Western Illinois University, developed a two year
series of professional development opportunities for 107 principals
and central office staff in the service areas of eastern Iowa and western
Illinois. The director of the General Education Division contracted
with McREL to deliver the newly created sessions to inform the
participants of McREL’s research findings from a meta-analysis
conducted to answer the question, “What does the research tell us
about school leadership?” McREL professional development sessions
for the first year were designed to apply this information to school
practices by examining the concepts of Developing a Purposeful
Community and Managing Change (Waters, McNulty, Grubb,
Cameron, 2005). In addition, the MBAEA staff members and
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 69

professors from WIU developed a series of “implementation sessions”

to provide participants with an opportunity to delve more deeply into
the material and to discuss the opportunities for application within
their buildings/districts.
The first of the second year large group sessions included the
McREL research and practice on “Choosing the Right Focus.” The
other three large group sessions included “The Learning Leader”
content provided by Dr. Doug Reeves and Dr. Brian McNulty of the
Leadership and Learning Center. These presenters also were able to
integrate the Balanced Leadership concepts into their presentations to
further develop understanding of that research. The implementation
sessions provided by the AEA staff and university personnel
reinforced the large group sessions similar to the year one series of
workshops. In addition, the leadership team at the Rock Island School
District #41 decided to dedicate one of their two monthly
administrative meetings to discussing, and gaining greater depth of
knowledge, of the Balanced Leadership research and practices. This
“job imbedded” delivery of professional development allowed the
executive administrative team to learn and collaborate right along with
the principals.

MBAEA’s approach to improving principal learning through

professional development is congruent with the Iowa Professional
Development Model and the best practice that supports that model.
The model, based on the work of Joyce and Showers, espouses that the
most productive professional development includes the application of
the cycle of theory, demonstration, practice and coaching (Joyce and
Showers, 2002). In addition, the National Association for Elementary
School Principals (2001) report, Leading Learning Communities:
Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do,
advocates that principals provide time for teachers (and themselves)
for reflection, for investing in learning, connecting professional
development to school learning goals, and to plan and work together.
(Sparks, 2002, p. 7-3). Elmore (2000) reinforces this notion when he
stated “People make these fundamental transitions by having many
opportunities to be exposed to the idea, to argue them into their own
70 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

normative belief systems, to practice the behaviors that go with these

values, to observe others practicing these behaviors, and most
importantly, to be successful at practicing in the presence of others…”
(p. 31). The Educational Research Service publication Professional
Development for School Principals states that effective staff
development for administrators is “long term and planned, focused on
student achievement, job-embedded, supportive of reflective practice
and provides time to work, discuss, and problem solve with peers”
(Sparks, 2000, p. 8-3).

Design Standards

Designers of the workshop series were committed to

incorporating the Standards for professional development created by
the National Staff Development Council in the design of the series.
There was considerable communication with the staff developers from
McREL on the content and delivery of their new product, Balanced
Leadership, and with the staff developers of the Leadership and
Learning Center. In addition, the design team also designed and
delivered the implementation sessions with the NSDC Standards as a
framework. Each category of the standards is listed below with
examples of the application of them within the professional
development “implementation” sessions of the series.

Context Standards: Staff development that improves the

learning of all students:

• Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are

aligned with those of the school and district. (Learning
Communities)
• Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide
continuous instructional improvement. (Leadership)
• Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration.
(Resources) (NSDC, 2001)
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 71

One of the unique elements of the workshop series was the

inclusion of “implementation” sessions, attended by volunteer
participants, to assist them in deepening their knowledge of the
content, discussing issues related to leadership in their buildings, and
exploring the application of new learning. These sessions, which were
“context driven,” were delivered in a variety of ways. The first option
that was offered to participants included a series of half day meetings
scheduled in-between the McREL and other large group presentations.
These sessions were conducted by MBAEA staff and university
professors. Some of the principals and curriculum directors preferred
this model as it offered a time to get out of the buildings and work
with other area principals and/or their own district administrator
teams. Activities were created to meet the needs of individual districts
and grade levels (elementary and secondary).

For example, an implementation session from year one focused

in on the change initiatives those participants had identified for their
buildings. Individually they completed a change diagram introduced in
the McREL Session, completed the Balanced Leadership change
initiative form and the “sharing the leadership responsibilities” chart.
The facilitators worked with the four groups of principals to explore
and apply their knowledge more deeply as they worked with the
documents listed above. The facilitators also introduced two tools
from the National Staff Development Council’s The Learning
Principal publication. The tools introduced Conflict Resolution Style
and Dare to Delegate Checklist (NSDC, 2005). These tools could be
applied in the buildings as ways to facilitate the sharing of leadership.
A leadership style inventory was used during the session to help the
principals more thoroughly complete the sharing responsibilities chart.
Participants were also assisted in using Inspiration as an electronic
planning tool.

The second year inter-district implementation sessions focused

on follow-up to the large group sessions. Facilitators created activities
in having principals reflect on the question, “Are you doing the right
work?” They did some charting of the way they spent their time over
72 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

several weeks to see if they truly linked their mission with how they
allocated their professional time. In addition, consideration of Dr.
Reeves presentation on, ”The Myth of The Silver Bullet,” lead to
several conversations about the initiatives that had been selected for
school improvement plans in the past. The participants were also able
to reflect individually after each session on an implementation log

The second implementation option that was developed was to

deliver the implementation activities out to district administrative
teams as a part of their regular meetings. In year two, one district
committed a monthly meeting just to working with the Balanced
Leadership content and application within the district’s initiatives. A
member of the design team planned these meetings with the district
leadership team and then facilitated the meeting. An example of this
type of embedded training was a session dedicated to identifying the
type of changes required to develop and implement a state required
process for early intervention for struggling learners. The “learning
community” of Rock Island administrators not only shared their own
struggles and victories in designing this process in the district meeting,
a small group also started visiting each other’s buildings to look at
new strategies. This was a major shift for the principals to be involved
in unified, sustained training with expert support over a two year span.
The creation of “learning community” of principals has been a
powerful outcome of the professional development series.

Process Standards: Staff development that improves

the learning of all students:

• Uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning

priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous
improvement. (Data-Driven)
• Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement
and demonstrate its impact. (Evaluation)
• Prepares educators to apply research to decision making.
(Research-Based)
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 73

• Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.

(Design)
• Applies knowledge about human learning and change.
(Learning)
• Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to
collaborate. (Collaboration) (NSDC, 2001)

The process standards emphasize the use of data and system

design. Adult learners appreciate the opportunity to interact with peers
and to reflect on new learning. “Opportunities for group discussion
and collegial problem solving typically result in more informed
decisions and ownership of those decisions” (Tate, 2004, p. xxv).
Reflection is also an essential element of adult learning theory.
According to Tate, “In the absence of reflection, teachers (principals)
either tend not to change behavior or they spend too much time simply
recounting everything that had not worked in the past” (Tate, 2004, p.
105).

All participants in the workshop series were required to write a

goal action plan related to the building initiatives for each year in the
series. The action plans had to include a “student learning goal” and a
“leadership improvement goal”; any other goals for school could also
be added. These goal action plans were submitted on-line and were
revisited several times during each year of the workshop series. The
workshop design team members responded to the plans and also
responded to the four reflections that participants submitted during the
course of the year. These action plans charted the participants’
progress they made on school improvement initiatives. This “one on
one” coaching has been valuable for many of the principals as there is
typically no mechanism for this type of feedback within their districts
(Appendix 1).
74 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

Content Standards: Staff development that improves

the learning of all students:

• Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students,

create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and
hold high expectations for their academic achievement.
(Equity)
• Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with
research-based instructional strategies to assist students in
meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use
various types of classroom assessments appropriately. (Quality
Teaching)
• Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve
families and other stakeholders appropriately. (Family
Involvement) (NSDC, 2001)

The Content Standards reflect the need for professional

development that does not ignore the needs of students, their families
and other stakeholders. Principals routinely are involved with
planning and administration of policies and practices to support
students and their families. Many of the principals have been focusing
their attention on the research based instructional strategies that will
result in higher student achievement, especially in reading and math.
One of the elements of the Iowa Professional Development Model is
for district and building leaders to align their district Comprehensive
School Improvement Plans with individual building plans. These plans
incorporate professional development specifically selected to meet the
academic goals in the plans. The state of Iowa requires that the
professional development selected meet standards of sound research,
be delivered with fidelity and be evaluated based on teacher
implementation and student performance.

The design team frequently integrated this process into the

discussions on the application of Balanced Leadership and The
Learning Leader content. One of the most powerful findings of the
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 75

McREL meta-analysis was that principals will be more effective in

dealing with second order change if they “distribute leadership.” First
order change is incremental and usually is an extension of changes that
have been previously introduced; second order change requires the
leaders to alter the system in fundamental ways often requiring
dramatic shifts from past practice and past thinking (Marzanno, et. al,
2005). Providing participants with tools and strategies to
purposefully plan for change and implement leadership teams was a
regular element of the McREL and Learning Leader workshops and
implementation sessions.

Session Feedback Data

The McREL Balanced Leadership research and content is

challenging. It clearly demonstrates that effective principals can have
a positive effect on student achievement; however it also demonstrates
that ineffective principals contribute to poor student achievement. It
includes a strong research base and borrows on many studies to offer
strategies to improve principal practice. This staff development series
requires much more from them that the typical isolated “sit and get”
content. How did they evaluate their experience? The overall series
evaluation of the 2005-06 Principals Leadership Academy (PLA)
reflects a positive opinion of their experiences. The data is included in
Table 1.

Table 1.

Principals Leadership Academy Summative Evaluation 2005-06

(N=50)

A The PLA series: Very Fairly Not Not true Not

Prin true for true for very for me at sure
me me true for all
1. had clear goals. 69.80 28.30 01.89 0.00 0.00
2. had clear expectations of 47.17 45.28 05.66 0.00 0.00
results.
76 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

3. used content aligned with 39.62 50.94 07.55 0.00 0.00

participants’ needs.
4. used a variety of strategies, 47.17 41.51 11.32 0.00 0.00
delivery systems, models and
techniques to meet the needs
of participants.
(Table 1 Continues)
(Table 1 Continued)
5. included content and best 86.79 11.32 00.00 1.89 0.00
practice based on research.
6. provided follow-up. 43.40 37.74 11.32 1.89 3.77
7. provided opportunities for 41.51 41.51 13.21 1.89 0.00
participants to practice skills.
8. modeled mutual respect and 79.25 20.75 00.00 0.00 0.00
collaboration.
9. collected data on an ongoing 41.51 43.40 07.55 0.00 7.55
basis regarding content and
delivery.
10. used data results to drive on- 45.28 39.62 07.55 0.00 5.66
going planning cycle.
11. expected demonstrated links 35.85 52.83 05.66 1.89 3.77
to improvement of teaching
and learning as an end
product.
12. increased my understanding 67.92 22.64 05.66 0.00 3.77
of leadership responsibilities
that result in improved
learning for all.
13a. improved my understanding 54.72 37.74 5.66 00 1.89
and ability to create a
purposeful community.
13b. improved my understanding 54.72 39.62 5.66 00 0.00
and ability to manage change
within that community.
14. provided an opportunity for 56.60 35.85 5.66 00 1.89
me to review and reflect on
processes and strategies that
are effective in improving
student achievement.
15. increased knowledge base 58.49 39.62 0.00 00 0.00
through interactions and
problem solving with my
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 77

colleagues.

After analyzing the feedback from the 2005-2006 sessions, the

design team decided to change the delivery systems and the workshop
content for the next year. The team from Dr. Doug Reeves’ group, the
Leadership and Learning Center, was contracted to present the content
found in The Learning Leader. This very practical, applied practice
approach to learning leadership best practice research was combined
with more customized job embedded sessions with smaller groups of
participants. The design team hoped that these changes would lead to
higher satisfaction in the areas reflected in items 4, 6 and 7 in the
annual survey. There was more follow-up and involvement in building
level applications of the research and practices. The workshop content
was also customized to allow the participant to apply the Balanced
Leadership concepts along with Dr. Reeves’ approach to
organizational improvement.

The subsequent measure of workshop satisfaction for 2006-07

reflected this improvement in delivery of the professional
development. The report reflected a higher level of satisfaction with
the overall content of the workshops and other activities. Items 4, 6
and 7 (bolded) reflect much higher satisfaction in the areas of variety,
follow-up and application activities, targeted in the second year
design. These data is included in Table 2.

Table 2

Principals Leadership Academy Summative Evaluation 2006-07

(N=38)

AE Very Fairly Not Not true Not

Prin The PLA series: true for true for very for me at sure
me me true for all
me
1. had clear goals. 89.5 10.5 00.0 0.0 0.0
2. had clear expectations of 76.3 23.7 00.0 0.0 0.0
results.
78 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

3. used content aligned with 65.8 31.6 02.6 0.0 0.0

participants’ needs.
4. used a variety of strategies, 60.5 36.8 0.0 2.6 0.0
delivery systems, models and
techniques to meet the needs
of participants.
(Table 1 Continues)
(Table 2 Continued)
5. Included content and best 94.6 5.4 00.0 0.0 0.0
practice based on research.
6. provided follow-up. 71.1 23.7 5.3 0.0 0.0
7. provided opportunities for 65.8 23.7 10.5 0.0 0.0
participants to practice skills.
8. modeled mutual respect and 94.7 5.3 00.0 0.0 0.0
collaboration.
9. collected data on an ongoing 68.4 31.6 00.0 0.0 0.0
basis regarding content and
delivery.
10. used data results to drive on- 73.7 23.7 00.0 0.0 2.6
going planning cycle.
11. expected demonstrated links 68.4 29.0 00.0 0.0 2.6
to improvement of teaching
and learning as an end
product.
12. increased my understanding 89.5 10.5 0000.0 0.0 0.0
of leadership responsibilities
that result in improved
learning for all.
13. a improved my 79.0 18.4 2.602.6 0.0 0.0
understanding and ability to
select the right work
13. b improved my understanding 83.8 16.2 0.00.0 0.0 0.0
and ability to change my
leadership behaviors to
improve teaching and
learning.
14. provided an opportunity to 86.6 10.5 602.6 0.0 0.0
review and reflect
improvement strategies
15. increased my knowledge base 84.2 15.8 0.0 0.0 0.0
– interaction and problem
solving
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 79

The assessment of the “job embedded” implementation

sessions by the principals in Rock Island was even more positive. The
facilitation of discussion and problem solving by the agency/WIU
facilitator was effective. In addition, the principals felt that the
activities that were created to increase their depth of knowledge of the
content and the strategies presented to implement the content were
valuable. The data is included in Table 3.

Table 3

Principals Leadership Academy” Rock Island” Implementation Evaluation 2006-07

N=11

A PLA Statement: Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly No

agree Disagree Resp

1. The value in BL research was 30.00 70.00 00 0 0.00

reinforced
2. The facilitator provided new 40.00 60.00 00 0 0.00
tools for leadership
3. The PD positively affected 30.00 70.00 00 0 0.00
practice
4. The monthly meeting 50.00 40.00 0 0 0.00
enhanced collaboration in
group
5. The facilitator responded to 50.00 50.00 00 0 0.00
the group’s needs
6. The RI Cabinet supported me 50.00 50.00 0 0 0.00
in my professional
development
7. I was able to distribute 10.00 90.0 0 0 0.00
leadership
8. I expanded my professional 22.22 77.8 00 0 0.00
network through PLA
80 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

The second year “inter-district” implementation activities

received high marks as well. The sessions’ content and approach was
adjusted according to the participant’s needs and response to the large
group sessions. These data are included in table 4 and represent item
means for all of the sessions.
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 81

Table 4
Principals Leadership Academy” Inter-District” Implementation Evaluation 2006-07.
(N=7)

A PLA Statement: Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly No

agree Disagree Res
p

1. The course was of high 73.00 27.00 00 0 0.00

quality
2. The material coved will assist 92.50 7.50 00 0 0.00
me in improving instruction.
3. The ideas and skills 80.00 20.00 00 0 0.00
presented will be
immediately useful in
improving student learning.
4. The facilities were 58.50 21.00 20.5 0 0.00
comfortable and conducive
to a quality learning
experience.

The combination of high quality workshop presentations with

“job embedded” application is an effective design for providing
professional development for principals. This design incorporates the
research driven principles of the Iowa Professional Development
Model. This group of principals had the opportunity to learn the
theory of Balanced Leadership and The Learning Leader. The
demonstration of the practices took place in the workshops with the
expert providers and within the job embedded sessions provided in
districts or at the agency. The participants’ practice of the research to
enhance student achievement was monitored by the design team
through participant action plans and the participant driven application
sessions. Finally, the critical element of coaching occurred in formal
and informal collaboration within the participant groups and with the
design team members.
82 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

REFERENCES

Educational Research Service (1999). Professional development for

school principals. The Informed Educator Series (WS-0350).
Arlington, VA.

Elmore, R. (2000). Building a new structure for school leadership.

Washington D.C. Albert Shanker Institute.

Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change (3rd ed.).

New York: Teachers College Press.

Joyce, B. and Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff

development. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

National Association for Elementary School Principals. (2001).

Leading learning communities: Standards for what
principals should know and be able to do. Alexandria, VA.

National Staff Development Council. (2001). National Staff

Development Standards. Retrieved October1, 2007, from
http://www.nsdc.org/standards/index.cfm

National Staff Development Council. (2005). The Learning Principal

-Conflict Resolution Style [Brochure]. Oxford, OH: Author.

National Staff Development Council. (2005). The Learning Principal

- Dare to Delegate Checklist [Brochure]. Oxford, OH: Author.

Marzano, R., Waters, T., McNulty, B. (2005). School leadership that

works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Reeves, D. B. (2006). The learning leader. Alexandrai, VA: ASCD.

 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 83

Sparks, D. (2000), April). Make principal development a priority.

Retrieved June 27, 2006, from http://www.nsdc.org.

Tate, M. (2004). “Sit and Get” won’t grow dendrites: 20 professional

development learning strategies that engage the adult brain.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Waters, T., McNulty, B., Grubb, S., Cameron, G., Balanced

leadership: School leadership that works (2005). MCREL
Participant Manual. (Available from McREL), 4601 DTE Blvd.
Suite 500, Denver, CO 8023.
84 NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

Appendix

Goal Action Form

Name: Mr. Principal

1 - Improvement Initiative:
Creating and implementing a Response to Intervention/Systems for Student Success initiative
at Sample Elementary School that supports improved student achievement in reading.
2 - Goal(s): The specific achievement(s) you want to make (within a period of time)...
achievement(s) that move you closer to the desired results. (Nov. 1)
a. I will work to create an atmosphere of support, teamwork, and cooperation at Sample
School (Balanced Leadership Responsibility-Culture). b. I will work with the Central Office
Administration to inservice the staff on the framework of the Response to Intervention
initiative (Balanced Leadership Responsibility-Intellectual Stimulation, Optimize). c. Work
with the Literacy Facilitators at Sample Elementary to design and implement a professional
development program centered around the Balanced Literacy theory of instruction (Balanced
Leadership Responsibility-Intellectual Stimulation, Involvement in Curriculum, Instruction,
and Assessment). d. Implement ways to assist struggling readers (Balanced Leadership
Responsibility-Focus, Intellectual Stimulation, Involvement in Curriculum, Assessment and
Instruction).
3a - Improvement Initiative Baseline: Preliminary data around selected improvement
initiative (i.e. 360 Survey, Culture Survey) (Nov. 1)
I utilized my quarterly "How Am I Doing?" survey with the staff. There is congruence
between my beliefs on how I am doing in the areas of culture, monitor and evaluate and
affirmation. The staff doesn't believe that I am doing as well in the areas of communication,
discipline, and focus as I do. The staff believes that I am doing better in the areas of monitor
and evaluate, input, and change agent than I believe I am doing.
3b - Student Achievement Baseline: (ITBS, ITED, ICAM, District Assessments) (Nov. 1)
The DIBELS/Early Learning Assessment was administered to every student at Sample School.
The scores were as follows: 52% of students are at grade level benchmark in reading as
measured by DORF--Oral Reading Fluency Test. (More disaggregated data is required here)
4 - Plan: The action that enables you to reach the goal(s). An outline of methods, strategies,
people and resources you can use to guarantee the attainment of your goal. (Nov. 1)
a. To create an atmosphere of support, teamwork, and cooperation at Sample School (Balanced
Leadership Responsibility-Culture) I will: 1) Establish outcomes that matter to all (Kids
First!), 2) Develop Collective Efficacy, 3) Use the Fish! Facilitators to develop team building
activities for staff use at Sample Elementary. b. I will be in each classroom three times per
week to monitor reading instruction to see that the principals of the Balanced Literacy
 Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 85

program are being implemented in the classroom. c. The Response to Intervention Team will
develop procedures and documentation to monitor student progress in the area of reading. d.
Utilize the Literacy Facilitators, District Best Practices Coordinators, and Building
Interventionists to inservice staff and provide follow up training on best practices in reading
based on the Balanced Literacy program and the five elements of reading instruction based on
the findings of the National Reading Panel. e. Use Data Teams to provide support and monitor
implementation at each grade level.
5 - Timeline: A list of specific dates for each task from the plan to be completed by that time.
(Nov. 1)
a. At each monthly faculty meeting, time will be set aside for team building activities such as
sharing and celebrations. The Literacy Facilitators will also be given at least 30 minutes at
each faculty meeting to work with the staff on Best Practices in Reading. b. Beginning in
August and continuing through May, I will complete both scheduled and unscheduled
walkthroughs of each regular and special education classroom, specifically during the
Language Arts block, to see that Balanced Literacy instruction is occurring in the classroom. c.
The Response to Intervention Team will meet monthly to discuss and prepare documentation
protocols to record student progress in reading, aligned with the five elements of reading
instruction developed by the National Reading Panel. d. The Literacy Facilitators will work to
establish a professional development plan for the year beginning in August. The plan will be
refined monthly as I meet with the Literacy Facilitators to discuss progress and needs. District
Best Practices Coordinators will be brought in on an as-needed basis to help provide clarity
and direction to our processes.
6 - Reflection 1: Describe implementation of your Action Plan with results to date (reference
Balanced Leadership behaviors) (January)
Balanced Leadership Responsibility--Culture: To date, we have revisited our mission
statement (Kids First!) and have created descriptors of what that should look, sound and feel
like in our classrooms and in the school as a whole. We developed these descriptors working
in cooperative teams and have reviewed them quarterly this school year. Our Fish! facilitators
have developed a program whereby teachers draw a stick each week or each day (their choice)
that describes an action they can take to bring the Fish! philosophy to life in our school (e.g.
Look for something positive someone did with their students today and compliment them on
it). We have utilized our Literacy Facilitators and District Best Practices Coordinators to
reexamine the Balanced Literacy philosophy. Literacy Facilitators have been provided with
time to present and share with the teachers at each faculty meeting thus far this year. Teachers
have re-worked their daily classroom schedules to reflect the Balanced Literacy Philosophy. I
have not been in to the classrooms as much as I had intended to be--not the three times per
week. My data tells me that it is probably closer to two times per week. The Five Elements of
Reading Instruction from the National Reading Panel has become the cornerstone of our
efforts at implementing Response to Intervention in Reading. All assessment, intervention and
documentation that has been developed in reading is tied to those elements. The results of the
How Am I Doing Survey that I asked the staff to completed towards the end of the second
quarter were disappointing. The staff feels that culture and climate are suffering with the
implementation of Response to Intervention. They also feel that I am still trying to do too
much on my own and not delegating leadership responsibilities enough. This is something that
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I will try to rectify throughout the remainder of the year. Perhaps I need to consider how to
delegate some responsibility for culture and climate so that the staff feels involved and valued.
7 - Reflection 2: Describe implementation of your Action Plan with results to date (reference
Balanced Leadership behaviors) (February)
The implementation of the plan continues. I have attempted to delegate more responsibilities
to my staff, especially my data team leaders, though I have no additional data at this point to
quantify the results. We continue with the implementation of Response to Intervention and the
Fish! action plans. Impact on culture is key.
8 - Reflection 3: Describe implementation of your Action Plan with results to date (reference
Balanced Leadership behavior Learning Leader Tools) (March)
As above.
9 - Reflection 4: Describe implementation of your Action Plan with results to date (reference
Balanced Leadership behavior Learning Leader Tools) (April)
The latest How Am I Doing Survey that was administered to the staff indicates that the climate
and culture in the building have not improved (3.8 on a 1.0-4.0 scale with 1.0 being the
highest score). However, staff has noticed that they have been entrusted with more
responsibility and that I am not trying to do as much on my own which they see as a positive.
Parents and students indicate overall satisfaction with culture and climate as indicated on the
District Survey.
10a - Summary of Results: Improvement Initiative Data: (Required)(June 22)
The staff continues to be dissatisfied overall with culture and climate, due primarily to the
implementation of RiI.
10b - Summary of Results: Student Achievement: (Required)(June 22)
Student achievement data is not available as ISAT is our primary indicator. However, as noted
earlier, most students and parents indicate that they are pleased with the education they are
receiving at Sample Elementary. DIBELS results are going in the wrong direction. Student
writing scores are up.
10c - Summary of Results: Other (June 22) None
11 - Summary of Learning: Comment on your results. (June 22)
I feel that I have a better handle on those things that I need to delegate. However, I'm going to
delegate further those areas that continue to suffer--climate and communication. Perhaps with
staff responsible for those areas with my oversight, the situation will improve and student
learning will be enhanced.
12 - General Comments: (June 22)
I enjoyed my PLA experience over the past two years. However, I was not able to devote the
time to it that I wanted to. Too much management still gets in the way of my being as effective
a leader as I would like to be.
Lloyd C. Kilmer & Georgianna L. Koenig 87