5 minute read
Collegiate Composition
School Capacity Building
Dr. Jeffrey D. Cornelius, Professor of Education and Department Chair University of North Alabama
Instructional leaders are tasked with improving student achievement now more than ever. Many factors affect student achievement (David Lynch et al., 2016; Mulford, 2013). Knowledge of factors that affect student achievement may influence the success of an instructional leader. This article will explore a factor that affects student achievement: capacity building, particularly school capacity building. This article will focus on two questions as follows: 1) What is school capacity building? 2) What are some strategies that instructional leaders may implement to build school capacity? To answer these questions, this article will explore the literature of building school capacity. In addition, I will provide practical tips that helped me build school capacity.
Related Studies
To better understand how instructional leaders may build school capacity, it is important to first understand the definition of school capacity.
Mulford (2013) demonstrated in a study that building school capacity was strongly related to student outcomes. In the same study, Mulford (2013) noted that where capacity building and systems of accountability and evaluation are apparent, student empowerment and social development were discovered to be additionally supported and influenced by teacher values and beliefs of respect and high expectations for all to experience success and be involved. The Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE, 2000) conducted a study that identified four major capacity building strategies across 22 school districts in eight states (California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Texas) over a two-year period. The four most frequent capacity building strategies in the study included interpreting and using data, building teacher knowledge and skills, aligning curriculum and instruction, and targeting interventions on low-performing students and/or schools.
Garza et al. (2014) conducted a case study of four successful principals as evidenced by peers, reputation of schools, and student outcomes. The study suggested that principals who were successful demonstrated a strategic focus on building teacher leadership capacity. Moreover, the study discovered five dispositions of successful principals as follows: 1) driven by a philosophy of social justice 2) ascribed to a strong notion of care 3) highly ethical and morally responsible 4) a high degree of resiliency and persistence 5) courageous. Based on the findings of the study, it was evident that the social dispositions of humans should not be discounted. (Garza et al., 2014)
Practical Experience and Strategies
As a previous building-based school principal, I have experienced the challenge of a school with very little capacity. Therefore, I will share with you some practical advice that assisted me in building school capacity. I recommend that you be truthful with yourself and reflect on your own personal dispositions such as attitude, outlook, morals, patience, resilience, and confidence. If personal dispositions are not in check, I recommend that you seek ways to improve. This often requires a hard look in the mirror and accepting responsibility of how you treat others with a willingness to take action. Listed below is a host of practical strategies that assisted me in building school capacity, and thus ultimately improving student achievement.
1. Be the data leader.
I have found in most cases that data will not be important to teachers unless it becomes important to the leader. You may not be the best with data. But, you can learn. It is also important as a leader to lead the data discussions.
2. Be the catalyst to equip your teachers with knowledge and skills.
This may involve moving into a different level of comfort. For example, make a point to visit schools with similar demographics that exhibit a high level of student achievement to observe what is happening. You may first wish to invite your instructional coach and/or another faculty member to visit the school prior to taking a team of teachers to observe.
3. Be strategic with the curriculum.
What is being taught? How is it being assessed? Is direct alignment between standards, learning objectives, and assessments evident? Are action plans implemented to address academic deficiencies? Are action plans being monitored and discussed in data meetings led by the instructional leader? Is time being provided to reflect what worked and did not work? Is the master schedule allowing time for teachers to have common planning and/or departmental meetings? Are instructional adjustments occurring to ensure student achievement is improving whether it be additional interventions, differentiated instruction, etc.?
4. Be the professional development facilitator.
Are teachers receiving one-shot professional development sessions or job-embedded authentic professional development to address needs? Do real professional learning communities (PLC) exist that impact student achievement?
5. Be the barrier remover.
I recommend that you conduct a needs assessment with the faculty. The needs assessment should allow faculty to respond to any barriers that may affect success. For example, interruptions can be a major barrier. Do you allow announcements to occur while instruction is occurring? Do teachers have adequate resources? I recommend that you remove these barriers when possible.
