[Simtrainer-l] summary of a Teachers College Record commentary on school leaders

[Graner, Patricia Sampson]

In March, 2017, Teachers College Record published a commentary piece titled, Five Vital Roles of School Leaders in the Pursuit of Evidence of Evidence-informed Practice by Chris Brown & Joel Malin. While it is the end of the school year, it is also a good time to consider what the next year will look like and how decisions by leadership now can shape a school's future.  Here is the summary. You may want to access the entire article for yourself. ~ Patty

Research has failed to have widespread impact on teachers' practices, so fostering evidence-informed classrooms/environments is a challenge. Recognizing that school leaders are crucial to establishing a vibrant learning environment in their schools, the authors have surfaced four factors that address the 'transformational acts of enabling research used to be embedded as an organizational tool' and pedagogical aspects. In combination, these can lead to improved teaching that engage research evidence.

Factor 1: Modeling and Championing research engagement
School leaders must see research engagement as their job, and they must ensure the provision of necessary resources and structures to instantiate a culture of evidence engaged practice as their school's way of life. This means that teachers have planned time and space to engage with each other, have access to research, and have the instruction to critically engage with research. Clarity about the vision and path to achieve maximum success is essential and research leadership can be effectively distributed. Championing research engagement as a priority is vital and walking the talk by modeling, monitoring, mentoring and coaching is essential.

Factor 2: Achieving Buy-in Throughout the School
Leadership necessitates a process of influence, and leaders can be formal as well as informal, and the fate of any initiative can be determined by the engagement or non-engagement of both types of leaders. As noted by Spillane, Healey, & Kim (2010) changing teachers' values and beliefs will require a bridging between evidence and practice. Instantiating research engagement across the school community means embracing the informal organization and being grounded in consensual collaboration.
Being clear about the intended outcomes of professional development, starting with the end in mind, is supported by numerous researchers. Clarifying the end goal means that participants will have a clear focus/goal/vision, and the community will be able to assess their progress toward that end. This will begin with an iterative process that continually takes the temperature lot clarify next steps including refining and removing as appropriate.

Focus 3: Approaches to Research and Evidence Use Must Have Teacher Learning and Practice at Their Core
This does not mean replacing what teachers know with academic knowledge but it does mean developing expertise. Effectively using data to examine practices and to test and develop wider understanding of the problems and how to tackle them can lead to more effective practice.

Factor 4: Ensuring that the Right People are in the Room
 Collaborating with and trusting teacher leaders who can champion and agree to specific approaches are mandatory. Strategically selecting those who will be effective catalysts is crucial as a means of engaging in peer support and engagement. Learning communities to foster increased awareness and use of evidence through measurement of impact can go a long way to develop expertise and resources across the school community. These can lead to the generation of solutions to problems of practice, as pointed out by Coburn & Penuel (2016). The linchpin to the partnerships are school leaders who take these factors to heart.

Cite This Article as: Teachers College Record, Date Published: March 20, 2017
Http://www.tcrecord.org<http://www.tcrecord.org/Home.asp>      https://www.tcrecord.org/AuthorDisplay.asp?aid=26237


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