A Principal's Path to School Transformation via Shared Leadership and Equity
When a new principal assumed leadership at a San Jose intermediate school, they were stepping into an environment with challenges but also brimming with untapped potential. With a 19-year tenure at the school, including time as an assistant principal, the principal deeply understood the internal dynamics and existing challenges.
Eager for support, they teamed up with Partners in School Innovation (PSI) to implement strategies that would drive positive changes during this transition.
An infographic that shows demographic details about this 7-8 grade intermediate school located in San Jose, CA. It includes the school's location, staff size of 28 teachers and administrators, and a student body of 634 students, visually laid out to provide a quick snapshot of the school.
A Principal’s Challenge: Rebuilding Trust and Fostering Equity at Their School
"The school's culture and staff morale felt at a low when I took over," the principal shared. "There was mistrust towards the administration, stemming from issues with previous leadership."
In partnership with PSI, the principal channeled the strengths of their school to drive school improvements. This joint effort led to substantial first-year gains as measured by Partner’s School Transformation Rubric: a 120% increase in leadership and professional learning scores, along with significant progress in student performance on state English Language Arts (ELA) and Math test scores, closing achievement gaps.
Laying the Foundations for Change: Key Focus Areas
A dedicated PSI coach worked closely with the principal and the school community, providing targeted support to address their specific challenges. Recognizing the school's strengths and committed staff as assets, the principal worked with their PSI coach to narrow down critical areas for growth.
Coaching focus areas included:
Building a culture of shared leadership to build a collective sense of responsibility
Engaging in tough conversations on equity to shift adult mindsets towards inclusivity
Figure out the risks necessary for advancing equity and transformation
Improving communication with staff to rebuild trust and transparency
An infographic detailing the four focus areas for this school. The areas highlighted are: Creating a Culture of Shared Leadership, Having Impactful Equity Conversations, Strengthening Staff Communication, and Identifying Risks for Transformation.
Implementation and Actions
Building Collective Responsibility Across the Staff
To foster a culture of shared leadership, a PSI coach worked with the school’s principal to implement and initiate programs that increased leadership opportunities for teachers.
Two teams in particular were created for teachers to step up to leadership:
1. Climate and Culture Team
Focused on student engagement, this team lead creative initiatives like heartfelt student outreach projects during Covid-related school closures, including making TikTok videos to maintain community connections.
2. Transformation Team
This team's role was to bring insights from monthly professional development sessions with PSI back to the school. They then planned and led sessions at their school to develop teacher leaders and support them in tackling school challenges.
Related content: Driving District-Wide Improvement Via a Professional Learning Network in San Jose - Case Study
This shift towards shared leadership fostered a sense of ownership and collaboration among the staff.
Guiding Equity-Centered Conversations
Alongside the principal, a PSI coach led equity-focused professional development sessions, arming staff with tools and understanding necessary to tackle equity issues in an educational environment. This groundwork was crucial for fostering meaningful discussions on race and equity.
Top-down photo of a desk with educational materials including a book titled "Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain" by Zaretta Hammond. The book is alongside other books and notebooks, emphasizing themes of culturally responsive education.
Central to bringing these conversations to life was the introduction of a Personal Experience Panel (PEP), inspired by Partners in School Innovation's network sessions. The school’s Transformation Team organized its own PEP, where school staff shared personal stories about their middle school experiences concerning race and culture. This approach helped link personal histories to the current educational challenges, making the discussions more relevant and impactful.
Following the PEP, the school initiated the "Love Goals" program, encouraging staff to deepen connections with students, setting specific interaction goals to foster a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.
Celebrating Collaborative Results & Achievements
To support the principal with assessing and showcasing progress towards change at their school, Partners in School Innovation used a School Transformation Rubric.
This rubric was created with research-based best practices in instruction, teacher professional learning, and leadership. It provides a roadmap for assessing the success of the work that school leaders and teachers undertake to improve their instructional programs and accelerate student learning.
Improved Shared Leadership and Professional Learning
In the first year of their partnership with Partners in School Innovation (PSI), the school improved in key areas: Results-Oriented Leadership, Systems for Professional Learning, and the Core Instructional Program, as defined by the School Transformation Rubric.
The school's scores in Results-Oriented Leadership and Professional Learning Systems jumped by 120%, from an initial 0.5 to 1.1 points on a 6-point scale.
Quote from the San Jose Intermediate School’s principal that reads “Partners as a team have really helped us to transform our systems and our structures. It was really important that everybody understood that there’s a role that they play on the team.”
A Rise in Student Achievement
State test scores revealed significant progress, with more students meeting or exceeding expectations in both ELA and Math, marking a step forward in closing achievement gaps.
Inspired by This School’s Story?
If you're interested in learning more about how Partners in School Innovation can support your district’s and school's path to transformation, or want to explore how our staff can empower your team to achieve exceptional outcomes, contact us today.
