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Leading Edge: Bring the whole staff on board

Make everyone a part owner of the school's success

Rick DuFour

Journal of Staff Development, Summer 2002 (Vol. 23, No. 3)

Copyright, National Staff Development Council, 2002. All rights reserved.

One of the most formidable obstacles in school improvement is unwillingness to accept responsibility for student learning (Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). Tracy Kidder presents a classic illustration of that obstacle in Among School Children (Houghton Mifflin, 1989). Upon learning that the school, once again, was one of the lowest-performing schools in the state, the principal tells the staff:

"I don't want to hear about test scores anymore. I know what kids we got here. We can't bring them up to grade level no matter what we do. But can we improve instruction here? You bet we can. And we're doin' a good job. We really are" (p. 199).

The principal's response is telling. He asserts that the causes of learning lie outside the sphere of influence of the staff and that nothing can be done to help their kind of students achieve standards. He exonerates himself and the staff and makes it clear there is no reason to expect better results in the future.

This principal failed to fulfill one of the most fundamental obligations of leadership--holding oneself accountable for results. As John Gardner (1990) wrote, "The willingness to accept responsibility is at the very heart of leadership." In contrast, low-performing schools typically blame lack of student achievement on external factors. Something or someone else is always the problem.

Improvement initiatives are unlikely to have a positive impact on student achievement if the leader of the school refuses to acknowledge responsibility for student learning. But, while the leader's willingness to accept personal responsibility for results is essential for school improvement, it is not sufficient. The larger challenge is building a collective sense of responsibility among the entire staff.

What can school leaders do to foster collective responsibility for student learning?

1. Insist staff work together in collaborative teams that focus on student learning, and then provide the time, support, and parameters that promote team success.
When teachers work together to clarify the essential outcomes of each course, grade level, or unit of instruction, they can become more focused (and thus more effective) in their instruction. When they move beyond the pleasant affirmation that "all kids can learn" to clarify specifically what each student should know and be able to do as a result of instruction, they are more likely to accept responsibility for achieving those outcomes. When they work together to develop common assessments and to analyze results, they approach the question, "How do we know whether students are learning?" with greater confidence. When they can work together to identify areas of concerns regarding student performance, to develop strategies for addressing those concerns, and to support one another as they implement the strategies, they are more likely to feel the self-efficacy essential to responsibility.

2. Insist that teaching teams establish SMART goals.
When teaching teams establish specific standards or targets that demonstrate mastery, students are more likely to achieve at high levels. SMART goals are:
   S - Strategic and specific
   M - Measurable
   A - Attainable
   R - Results-oriented
   T - Time bound

A team that states "By the end of the semester, all students will meet the mastery standard of 70% or higher on each subtest of essential knowledge and skills" is more likely to focus on results than teachers who teach, test, and hope for the best. Schools will not become more results-oriented unless they foster results-oriented teams whose members work together to establish and achieve goals that are specific, strategic, measurable, attainable, and time bound.

3. Provide individual teachers and teams with relevant feedback that identifies the levels of mastery of each student and informs teacher practice.
When schools have systems that provide each teacher with timely information on the extent to which students have met established standards on valid assessments in comparison with all the students attempting to meet the standard, three things can happen. First, individual students who are having difficulty can be identified and given additional time and support. Second, each teacher can assess strengths and weaknesses in the learning of his or her students compared with the total group of students, and can then seek the assistance of teammates for addressing areas of concern.

Finally, the team can focus on the performance of the entire group of students and develop strategies to improve that performance. As the team becomes more effective in helping all students master the intended outcomes, the team becomes more confident about its ability to help all students learn.

4. Celebrate improvements.
It has been said that the culture of an organization is found in the stories it tells about itself. Leaders who hope to foster a sense of collective responsibility for learning must engage in a never-ending process of articulating stories that convey the message, "We have the capacity to help all kids achieve at high levels."

For example, for the past 15 years, Adlai Stevenson High School has devoted a portion of every faculty meeting to stories celebrating the commitment and accomplishments of individual teachers, teacher teams, and the entire staff. Typically, the principal presents accounts of teachers who helped students establish new levels of achievement in a particular course. Some meetings are devoted to sharing good news about the collective accomplishments of the student body. Other meetings provide teachers with opportunities to share stories of colleagues who have helped or inspired them. At every meeting, however, staff members are presented with meaningful illustrations of the impact teachers are having on student learning. They hear a consistent, persistent message: "We can and do make a difference in student achievement."

Conclusion

If accepting responsibility is at the very heart of leadership, then principals must embed leadership throughout the school. Even the most passionate principal cannot improve a school single-handedly. School improvement may begin when a principal accepts responsibility for student learning, but it is only when the entire staff embraces that responsibility that sustained school improvement takes place.

References

Gardner, J. (1990). On leadership. New York: Free Press.

Kidder, T. (1989). Among school children. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Newmann, F. & Wehlage, G. (1995). Successful school restructuring: A report to the public and educators by the Center for Restructuring Schools. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.

About the Author

Rick DuFour is superintendent of Adlai Stevenson High School District 125. You can contact him at Two Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069, (847) 634-4000 ext. 268, fax (847) 634-0239, e-mail: dufour@district125.k12.il.us. Click for NSDC Home Page