INSIGHT — Summer 2017 by Texas Association of School Administrators

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

SUMMER 2017

INSIGHT TASA Proudly Announces 2017–18 Officers

Buck Gilcrease, President Superintendent, Alvin ISD

Gayle Stinson, President-Elect Superintendent, Lake Dallas ISD

Greg Smith, Vice-President Superintendent, Clear Creek ISD

Kevin Brown, Past President Superintendent, Alamo Heights ISD

Cover Story Page 8  THE 85th LEGISLATIVE SESSION: A look at the major issues

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SUMMER 2017 Volume 32 No. 2

INSIGHT FEATURE ARTICLES

Cover Story ➤

THE 85th LEGISLATIVE SESSION

A look at the major issues

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Grow your own principal

Dusty Palmer, Irma Almager,Vanessa deLeon, Fernando Valle and Cathy Gabro AN ANALYSIS OF RETENTION IN THE 2010 PRINCIPAL COHORT IN TEXAS Rickey Frierson,Toni Templeton and Sly Mata

LEGAL INSIGHT

Texas Legislature addresses inappropriate relationships

Ramiro Canales TEACHER PERSPECTIVE

Elevating teacher voice

Allison Ashley TCEA TECH TAKE

The 85th Texas Legislative session and the future of education

Jennifer Bergland

TSPRA Voice ➤

Higher Education ➤

Book Review ➤

BE A SOCIAL CLIMBER…NO NOT, THAT KIND Sonya Cole-Hamilton

SUPERINTENDENT SUCCESSION: LISTEN, LEARN AND LEAD Dawson Orr and Barry Aidman

THE INNOVATOR’S MINDSET BY GEORGE COUROS Jill Siler

SUMMER 2017

INSIGHT

OFFICERS Buck Gilcrease, President, Alvin ISD Gayle Stinson, President Elect, Lake Dallas ISD

DEPARTMENTS

Greg Smith, Vice-President, Clear Creek ISD Kevin Brown, Past President, Alamo Heights ISD

TASA Professional Learning Calendar

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President’s Message

Daniel Treviño, Jr., Region 1, Mercedes ISD

Executive Director’s View

Troy Mircovich, Region 2, Ingleside ISD Jeanette Winn, Region 3, Karnes City ISD open, Region 4 Richard Bain, Region 5, Silsbee ISD Clark C. Ealy, Region 6, College Station ISD Stan Surratt, Region 7, Lindale ISD Rex Burks, Region 8, Simms ISD, 8 Kevin Dyes, Region 9, Holliday ISD Kevin Worthy, Region 10, Royse City ISD

INSIGHT EDITORIAL STAFF

Executive Director

David Belding, Region 11, Aubrey ISD Johnny L. Veselka

Assistant Executive Director, Services and Systems Administration

Ann M. Halstead

Amy Francisco

Director, Communications and Media Relations

Judi Whitis, Region 12, Valley Mills ISD Jodi Duron, Region 13, Elgin ISD Shaun Barnett, Region 14, Stamford ISD Aaron Hood, Region 15, Robert Lee ISD Steve Post, Region 16, Tulia ISD

Design/Production Anne Harpe

Keith Bryant, Region 17, Lubbock-Cooper ISD

Ariel Elliott, Region 18, Greenwood ISD

Editorial Director

Dacia Rivers

INSIGHT is published quarterly by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2017 by TASA. All rights reserved.TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use. Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators. INSIGHT is printed by 360 Press Solutions, Cedar Park, Texas.

Jeannie Meza-Chavez, Region 19, Tornillo ISD Brian T. Woods, Region 20, Northside ISD

AT-LARGE MEMBERS Pauline Dow, North East ISD Gonzalo Salazar, Los Fresnos CISD Roland Toscano, East Cental ISD Doug Williams, Sunnyvale ISD

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Greg Smith, Clear Creek ISD, Chair Kelli A. Moulton, Galveston ISD Dawson R. Orr, Southern Methodist University Jill M. Siler, Gunter ISD Doug Williams, Sunnyvale ISD Kevin Worthy, Royse City ISD

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TASA Professional Learning Calendar: August–September 2017 For details on our professional development events, please visit us at www.tasanet.org or call the TASA office at 512.477.6361 or 800.725.TASA (8272)

Date

Event

Presenter Location

August August 2–3

First Time Superintendents Academy Various (FTSA)

Austin Marriott North Austin, TX

Sept. 12–14

Curriculum Management Audit Training Susan Townsend Level I

TASA Headquarters Austin, TX

Sept. 20–21

First Time Superintendents Academy Various (FTSA)

Austin Marriott North Austin, TX

Sept. 27–28

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session I

San Angelo ISD San Angelo, TX

September

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SUMMER 2017

THE IMPORTANCE OF INVOLVEMENT

ach day more than 5.3 million students walk into schools and classrooms across the great state of Texas. As school leaders, we are driven by a moral imperative to ensure that every child is provided a brighter future as a result of their collective experience in school. This moral imperative drives school leaders to find dynamic opportunities and solutions to meet the ever changing and increasingly complex needs of our students. As we come to the end of the 85th legislative session, I am compelled that this moral purpose necessitates school leaders to be engaged with their Representatives and Senators throughout all levels of the legislative process.

Buck Gilcrease

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Lead in such a way that

Public education has served as the catalyst for students to grasp unforeseen opportunities. Each biennium, elected officials and those with an interest, or possibly just an opinion, engage in policy conversations that have implications for each of our students and their families. The involvement of school leaders is vital to ensure that decisions made in regards to policy positively impact our students. Consider the need for your involvement through the lens of the often referenced citation, “If not us, who? If not now, when?”The expertise of school leaders, and the moral purpose behind public education, must continue to resonate throughout the halls of our State Capitol.

our students are served as individuals, and ensure that schools in Texas are a better place for our students tomorrow, than they were today.

During each passing legislative session, the breadth of topics impacting public school students widens. During this past session, school policy issues ranged from graduation plans, testing requirements, cameras in the classroom, bathroom issues, school vouchers, and of course, the ongoing conversation surrounding school funding.Various forces including professional organizations, political parties, and lobbyists frequently have a stance on these issues; however, the unforeseen impacts on students is often unknown or even misjudged.The active engagement of school leaders is critical to ensure lawmakers have heard from those who have made the service of students in Texas their life’s work. As we prepare for the upcoming interim session, consider ways to include your elected officials in your schools. Facilitate opportunities for these public servants to interact and engage with students and teachers throughout your district. I am strongly convinced that public schools are inseparable from the greater context of your community. Finding opportunities for elected officials to be a part of, and to witness first hand, the innovative ways public schools serve children creates a basis by which leaders are able to engage in informed conversations about matters of educational policy. In a few short months, we will all welcome students back for the start of the 2017-18 school year. I encourage each of you to lead boldly based on your beliefs and the moral imperative behind our work. Lead in such a way that our students are served as individuals, and ensure that schools in Texas are a better place for our students tomorrow, than they were today.

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LEARNING, ENGAGEMENT AND ADVOCACY

n April, the TASA 2025 Task Force, including the TASA officers and a diverse group of 30 superintendents and other TASA members appointed by President Kevin Brown, convened to begin the process of developing a long-range strategic direction for the association.These efforts were initiated in anticipation of TASA’s centennial anniversary in 2025 and to enhance our capacity to fulfill our long-term mission: To promote, provide and develop LEADERS who create and sustain student-centered schools and future-ready students.

Johnny L. Veselka

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW This fall we will conduct a comprehensive member survey to develop a membership profile and identify the services, initiatives, and programs that should be the highest priority for the association.

The development of our long-range plan began in earnest last summer, with participants in TASA’s annual executive planning meeting identifying key priority areas and short-term action items, followed by further work from our key advisory committees last October. The initial phase of this work began by identifying our short-term strategic priorities, leading to the reorganization of our major advisory committees around Member Engagement, Professional Learning, and Advocacy. These committees—each reflecting the diverse TASA membership by size and type of school district, including superintendents and other district leaders—replace the traditional central office, communications, leadership development, member services and small-schools advisory committees. Our early focus has been to identify TASA offerings that best align with member interests and needs, develop a long-range Strategic Framework that answers: Where do we want to go? How can we best get there?, and elevate a new brand that reflects TASA’s personality and beliefs. Other priorities have focused on building a digital/virtual networking platform and assessing current professional learning offerings for opportunities to create a progressive pathway of learning and leadership development; realigning professional learning offerings to be more interactive; leveraging the Future Ready Superintendents Leadership Network, video conferencing and blended learning tools; and rethinking the design of the First-Time Superintendents Academy, programs for aspiring superintendents, and superintendent mentoring. The redesigned First-Time Superintendents Academy, for example, provides a greater focus on the first 100 days of the school year, goes more in-depth on the ins and outs of school board relations, takes a deeper dive into school finance issues, and offers more opportunities to engage directly with experienced superintendents. This fall we will conduct a comprehensive member survey to develop a membership profile and identify the services, initiatives, and programs that should be the highest priority for the association.We welcome member participation as we shape the future of TASA through these efforts.

SUMMER 2017

The 85th legislative session: a look at the major issues The 85th regular legislative session, which has been called the most contentious session — if not on record, of memory — ended Memorial Day, a full 140 days after it started but with little to show compared with past sessions.

ccording to Legislative Reference Library researchers, of the 6,631 bills filed by legislators, only 1,211, or 18.3 percent, were sent to the governor. Of those, all passed except for 50 vetoed by the governor (the most in a decade). Contrast that with the 2015 session, when 6,083 of 11,356 bills passed.

School finance reform and vouchers take center stage The biggest casualty of the contentious 85th was school finance reform.That died in the final days of the session after HB 21 returned from the Senate with most, if not all (depending on who’s talking), of its additional funding for public schools and reform provisions removed and a voucher provision added.

Though not perfect, the original HB 21, filed by Texas House Public Education Committee Chair Dan Huberty and passed by the House, was a good first step toward a major overhaul of the broken school finance system, and it included $1.8 billion in new funding for public schools. In an impassioned speech on the House floor after the Senate’s version was returned to the House, Huberty lamented the loss of a bill that would have helped students by increasing the basic allotment, and that would have helped taxpayers having to make up the difference as the state continues to reduce its share of public education funding. Although Huberty sent HB 21 to conference committee to attempt to salvage the bill, later that day, Senate Education

Texas House Public Education Committee Chair Rep. Dan Huberty and Vice Chair Rep. Diego Bernal speak at the UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education in Austin.

Committee Chairman Larry Taylor told reporters that the Senate didn’t plan on assigning conferees. Then, on the last day for the adoption of conference committee reports, the Senate named its conferees — but only to give the House “more time to consider the Senate’s proposal.” HB 21 and school finance reform were among the main topics discussed June 25-27 at the UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education in Austin.There,TASA hosted a legislative panel discussion featuring Huberty, along with Texas House Public Education Committee Vice-Chair Diego Bernal and committee member Rep. GaryVanDeaver. Huberty told conference attendees that he plans to file a bill in the special session beginning July 18 on property tax reform that will address school finance because “you can’t have property tax reform without school finance reform.” The legislators on the UT/TASA panel also discussed the fight against vouchers and said that their stance on that (“We only voted against it six times in the House”) would not change during the special

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session, even though a voucher (Education Savings Account) program for special needs children is among the items on the governor’s list for the special session.

A few wins for Texas students The 85th did yield a few wins for Texas students. SB 463 by Sen. Kel Seliger extends the Individual Graduation Committees put in place in 2015 by SB 149 and the reporting requirements for students graduating based on IGC review process to Sept. 1, 2019. The bill also requires the commissioner of education to establish a procedure to determine whether certain students who entered the ninth grade before 201112 may qualify to graduate and receive a diploma and specifies certain requirements for the commissioner’s rules. Monica Martinez, associate commissioner for Standards and Support Services at TEA, told UT/ TASA attendees during a panel presentation featuring agency staff on June 27 that rules for the implementation of SB 463 would be released as soon as possible. Another bill benefiting students is SB 826, carried on TASA’s request by Senate Education Committee Chair Larry Taylor. It removes the requirement that students may take an advanced English course only after having successfully completing English I, English II, and English III. It also removes the requirement that students may take an advanced mathematics course only after having successfully completing Algebra I and geometry. SB 826 corrects a problem caused by HB 5, which inadvertently removed flexibility that counselors and other district/campus staff previously had in decisions on the sequencing of high school-level math and English courses. It prevented students who wanted to accelerate and graduate early, as well as students who were behind and trying to graduate on time, from taking English III and English IV concurrently.

Martinez told UT/TASA attendees that Other major bills for public rules on SB 826 would be adopted by the education State Board of Education in November 2017 and that they could expect the rules Other comprehensive bills passed by the to make the legislation retroactive. 85th include: SB 1566 relating to school board authority, access to information, and training; SB 179, or “David’s Law,” A–F accountability system on cyberbullying; SB 7 on inappropriate changes school employee-student relationships; and Commissioner of Education Mike Morath SB 1398 on cameras in special education also addressed UT/TASA attendees on settings. These bills are too complex to June 27 and provided information on the detail here; please see the TASA Governchanges to the A-F school and district rat- mental Relations briefing slides from the ing system that the final version of HB UT/TASA Summer Conference (https:// 22, signed by the governor on June 15, goo.gl/8T3q4Q) for details on these and requires. Download the commissioner’s other bills that passed, a list of bills that A-F slide presentation at https://goo. didn’t pass, and a list of items on the agenda gl/11gZ4M and get the basics on HB 22 for the special session.TASA will also publish a comprehensive bill summaries list. at https://goo.gl/bwZw6X. Watch for that in TASA Daily.

Grassroots advocacy: engaging your community for public education The theme of the UT/TASA Summer Conference was grassroots advocacy. TASA hosted an all-star panel of public education. Following are some of the strategies for grassroots advocacy shared by the panelists: People in rural areas especially: Know who’s representing you and vote in the primaries. Also, encourage public education supporters to run for office and to support the Texas Parent PAC. –Julie Cowan, Austin ISD Board of Trustees secretary and volunteer/ fundraiser for Texas Parent PAC

Call on your pastors for support. We are amazed by what you do for all kids on a shoestring budget. –Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, Pastors for Texas Children Rise up as one voice for Texas public education. –Kristin Tassin, Fort Bend ISD Board president

Involve the PTA! You will create parent advocates for all children when you Have the backs of public education-friendly strengthen that relationship! –Lisa Holbrook, legislators and create a voting-friendly Texas PTA president environment in your schools. –Blake Powell, board member and past president, Friends of Share positive stories about your schools, Texas Public Schools and encourage teachers and other employees to do the same. –Brian Woods, Northside Educate parents and communities and go ISD superintendent and member of the Go out and vote for change. –Theresa Treviño, Public Steering Committee president of TAMSA

SUMMER 2017

RETURN ON INVESTMENT: GROW YOUR OWN PRINCIPAL Dusty Palmer, Irma Almager, Vanessa deLeon, Fernando Valle and Cathy Gabro

Searching for and investing in talent can reap short-term gains while sustaining human capital over time.

he Principal Fellow Residency Program at Texas Tech University is a collaborative partnership with public school districts and the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) that prepares aspiring principals in a job-embedded practicum over a 15-month period. During this time, the aspiring principals serve in a principal residency (i.e., fellows program) while receiving instructional coaching and support on a weekly basis.The Texas Tech faculty uses a just-in-time curriculum to adjust to each of the intern’s needs within the context of the campus they serve while fulfilling university requirements. The main purpose of the program is to produce a principal who can confidently lead instruction the first day on the job.With a team of faculty coaches and a strong campus principal mentor, the Principal Fellows’ Residency Program teaches aspiring principal leaders using job-embedded and competency shaped learning. This is a grow your own program for school districts using sitting principals to grow the next generation of instructional leaders, which directly addresses stakeholder concerns on the background and commitment required to face the high demands of the school principalship. The Principal Fellow Program completed a pilot-run and is now federally funded by a SEED (Supporting Effective Educator Development) Grant allowing for expansion across the state of Texas. It presently serves a cohort of thirteen graduate students in five school districts and is projected to branch out to Louisiana the following year. Unlike traditional principal preparation program, the fellows’ residency program fosters a deeper, more genuine experience for students to learn in a real-time setting. The just-in-time learning allows the district and university to revisit roles, competencies and responsibilities to be an effective instructional leader in today’s schools.The Principal Fellows’ program is designed to create collaboration with the partnering school district to co-select applicants and most importantly work with a supervising mentor principal in the field.

Roles and responsibilities The mentor principal’s role and responsibilities play a critical part in their fellow’s learning. Some of the roles and responsibilities for the principal mentor include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 6. 7.

Supporting the learning needs of the Principal Fellow; Prioritizing scheduling to structure individual and group learning sessions; Encouraging the Principal Fellow to take risks in their role; Creating a safe learning environment with supportive feedback; Ensuring Principal Fellow’s engagement in 80 percent instructional leadership opportunities, and Defining and supporting the leadership role of the Principal Fellow.

As for the student, the principal fellows have their own roles and responsibilities. Some of their roles and responsibilities for the Principal Fellow include the following:

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1. Actively engaging in all aspects with a focus on instruction of the principal’s work on their assigned school campus, (i.e., the fellows working with students, staff, teachers, families, community members, and data management systems.) Supporting the learning needs of the Principal Fellow; 2. Engage in job-embedded assignments, and competency-based video capture of instructional coaching; 3. Participate in scheduled meetings with TTU Faculty Coaches on their campus; 4. Receptive to honest, open and supportive critical feedback for the improvement of their principal competencies; 5. Assimilating to a new campus assigned within the district; and 6. Commit to a virtual bi-weekly threehour class meeting and individual coaching sessions on the opposite week.

Implementing instructional leadership

standards, disaggregation of school data, strategic use of TAPR campus reports, leveraging district resources and expertise, data analysis through an equity audit lens, effective instructional coaching navigating state, federal school accountability, unpacking learning standards, leading special populations including Special Education, ELL, leading teams in PLCs and a TAP/TTESS/T-PESS overview. The fellows are taught to examine schools and student data through an equity audit to frame programmatic, teacher and student equity as they join a new campus for residency. Context matters, and the preparation and presentation of equity audit findings produce learning for both the fellow and the mentors. The findings and conclusion of the equity audit are also presented to peers and his/her mentor principal for learning, impact and action. The equity audit provides a description including the demographics of the students, teachers, administrators, and the school and community they serve.The fellows analyze and present the previous year’s STAAR and end-of-course performance along with student discipline infractions as part of their deeper instructional and equity learning. Data analysis allows the fellows to develop and implement action plans to improve teacher growth for student achievement to impact their new assigned campus.

Projects and assignments developed for the just-in-time curriculum were primarily focused on growing principal fellow competencies around the first Texas Principal Standard: Instructional leadership. Taking part in a well-rounded competency shaped design throughout the school year; observing, shadowing, participating in, and most importantly leading job-related tasks for Commitment to improve each of the national and state principal student learning standards including all the competencies as required by the TExES Principal (068) The just-in-time curriculum was develCertification Exam. oped by Texas Tech Educational Leadership program and is a continual work in progress The beginning of the Principal Fellows’ that incorporates the Texas Accountability program, the aspiring principals partici- Intervention System (TAIS), a quarterly pate in a week summer institute at Texas tool, to teach aspiring principals to plan, Tech to develop tools, skills and competen- monitor and adjust based on quarterly cies around instructional leadership. The results.TAIS, as described by the Texas Eduinstitute is strategic to teach and present cation Agency is “designed to establish the learning topics that include: implemen- foundational systems, actions and processes tation of national and state principal to support the continuous improvement of

Texas school districts and campuses (Texas Education Agency, n.d.).” Principal fellows use the TAIS components to analyze, identify, plan and ultimately grow a content area, a PLC, an English Language Learner (ELL) and a special education (SPED) student.The fellows advocate and support the needs of teachers and special population groups throughout the school year. The program aims to build a deeper and more critical understanding of the teacher needs, campus needs, special population processes and legal requirements within each of these subgroups that impact schools. Fellows lead Professional Learning Community (PLC) s by facilitating data analysis and providing staff development. The PLC learning and the effective use of student data to impact department and grade level achievement is followed up by coaching teachers. Principal fellows plan, present and coach within the PLC using the four guiding questions from DuFour and Reeves (2016, p. 70): 1. What do we want students to learn? 2. How will we know if they have learned it? 3. What will we do if they have not learned it? 4. How will we provide extended learning opportunities for students who have mastered the content? The TAIS plan keeps fellows continuously engaged in analyzing student and teacher data. The problem statements within the corresponding root causes, annual goals, quarterly goals, intervention steps and monitoring procedures provide fellows the opportunity to lead school improvement efforts.

Development of human capital: coaching and growing teachers Another impactful instructional leadership experience is being directly involved in growing teachers’ competencies and

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skills for effective classroom instruction for student impact. This type of learning capitalizes on growing actual teachers in a real-time setting. Fellows use various data sources and points to frame selection for coaching and growing of two teachers. Collaboration with the mentor principal for the selection of two teachers is key. Once selected, the teachers are provided continuous support and resources through coaching in-between and during the Pre-Conference, Observation and PostConference (POP) cycles. The residency program provides fellows the opportunity to daily collect and provides ongoing support for the development of teachers and academic achievement. Four POP cycles conducted with selected teachers include pre and post-conferences that are video captured and rated through national rubrics. Fellows use stem questions to set high standards that impact daily instruction.

The value of investment

There is a significant investment when supporting a teacher to be a principal in residence. The return on investment with real-time context learning and data based projects used in the Principal Fellows’ program takes advantage of this learning space to provide skills and competencies necessary to become an effective executive school leader. Our Principal fellows create a school culture that models and implements the effective use and leveraging of teacher and student data. As a value for investment, the Principal Fellows’ program has enabled all of the fellows to serve leadership positions within their local school districts. Partnering school districts are investing in developing human capital using their current sitting school principals to help coach and grow future principals. The focus of the residency is to develop talent and grow future principals along a principal pipeline The Principal fellows learn to become data- in the district—not solely career assistant driven instructional leaders through driving principals. PLCs and POP Cycles and using the TAIS to effectively monitor and lead instruction. Fellows enrolled in the program have been Fellows develop data decision making skills contacted for screening interviews for the by implementing action plans for school next school year and potential leadership improvement and further analyzing the positions—often in the most challenging Texas Accountability Performance Report schools. Investing in growing your own (TAPR) of their campus and making infer- principals creates a district pipeline of leadences with the A-F State Accountability ership with a residency program similar to System. These future school leaders also the design of the Principal Fellows’ program learn how to skillfully use resources within brings short-term gains with overall, longtheir district’s software analysis tool such as term wins.A district’s return on investment Eduphoria, Edugence, or DMAC to make requires a one-year commitment that specific data and demographic decisions produces exceptional school leaders. that allows for effective coaching of teach- Traditionally, building human capital is a ers. Fellows generate quintile reports with long-term investment that requires a numtheir teachers using free resources provided ber of years to be acquired. In a supported by lead4ward.com or by running quintile residency environment with districtreports through software analysis instru- principal-university support, theory and ments. Using quintile reports enhances best practice are embedded in an authentic, teachers’ knowledge to strategically group supportive learning environment.Together, their students for Response-To-Interven- the district, principal mentor and university tion (RTI) purposes or specific intention partner develop a Principal Fellow that has within a teacher’s lesson plan. a full year of hands-on learning experience

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prior to stepping and serving as a leader on a campus. This residence experience makes for short-term gains within the first year on the job and reaps long-term wins as momentum develops toward successful leadership endeavors that include a plan for the development of human capital in the district and the longevity of commitment.n Dusty Palmer, Ed.D., is a research associate/instructor and Principal Fellows coach at Texas Tech University.

Vanessa de Leon, Ed.D., is a visiting assistant professor and Principal Fellows coach at Texas Tech University.

Irma L. Almager, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of educational leadership, a 13 grant program coordinator and a Principal Fellows coach at Texas Tech University.

Fernando Valle, Ed.D., is an associate professor, EDLD program chair and a and Principal Fellows coach at Texas Tech University.

Cathy Gabro, Ed.D., is a research associate/instructor and and Principal Fellows coach at Texas Tech University.

References DuFour, R., & Reeves, D. (2016).The futility of PLC Lite. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(6), 69-71. Texas Education Agency. (n.d.).Texas accountability intervention system: Creating sustainable transformation. [Brochure] Texas Center for District & School Support, Texas Education Agency, and Region 13 Education Region Service Center.

The role of the principal has evolved, shaped by

AN ANALYSIS OF RETENTION IN THE 2010 PRINCIPAL COHORT IN TEXAS by Rickey Frierson, Toni Templeton and Sly Mata

changes in policy, regulation, and the changing needs of schools.

esearch and history have provided insight on the impact and necessity of principal positions in education. In Texas, 50 percent of principals leave the position of leadership within five years and 75 percent leave the position as principal within 10 years (Fuller,Young, & Orr, 2007).The purpose of the present study was to describe the personal and school characteristics surrounding principal retention in Texas. Specifically, we sought to answer the question: Do differences exist in personal and school characteristics of principals who choose to stay or leave the position of principal within the first five years? The information provided can assist schools in selecting principals and creating environments conducive to retention. In addition, it is the hope this study provides key discussion points, including but not limited to implications for policy and administration.

Literature review The role of the principal has evolved, shaped by changes in policy, regulation, and the changing needs of schools. Scholarship has demonstrated the transformation of the role of principal from program manager to instructional leader to one of dynamic leadership (Hallinger, 1998, 2005). Principals must now assume qualities of an entrepreneur, provide vision for empowerment and inspire school staff to pursue the mission of the school (Sanfelippo & Sinanis, 2015).The decision to pursue a leadership role is made early in the career of a teacher—within the first seven years—and secondary school teachers or teachers with physical education backgrounds are more likely to pursue the role of principal (Fuller, Young, & Orr, 2007). Not only has the role of the principal changed over time, but the demographics of the field have changed as well. Hill, Ottem, and DeRoche (2016) report increases in female principals, as well as principals attaining a master’s degree. Since 1987, the number of female principals has more than doubled from 24.6 percent to 51.6 percent; the number of public school principals attaining a master’s degree has also increased from 53 percent to 62 percent. Ethnic demographics have not seen such a rapid increase. The percentage increases of Hispanic and African-American principals were modest compared to the overwhelming majority of white principals (Hill, Ottem, and DeRoche, 2016). Though the role of principal and the demographics of the field have changed, the impact of the principal as a school leader is constant.The following sections describe positive impacts of principals, as well as the limited literature relating principal and school characteristics to principal retention.

Principals impact school quality Two meta-analyses have laid the foundation for the direct and indirect effects of principals on student outcomes. In their review of literature on the effect of principals on school quality from 1980 through 1995, Hallinger and Heck (1998) confirmed that indirect effects of leadership on culture, climate and staffing were small, but statistically significant. Witziers, Bosker, and Krüger (2003) followed with a meta-analysis confirming there is a direct effect of the principal on changes in student outcomes although the effect was significant but small. More recently, several studies on both the direct

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and indirect effects of principals on school quality have yielded stronger support for principal impact on student outcomes through more sophisticated analysis (Baker et al., 2010; Baker, Punswick, & Belt, 2010; Gates, et al., 2006; Ni, Su, & Rorrer, 2015; Robinson, Hohepa, & Lloyd, 2007;Young & Fuller, 2009).

Principal retention Though much work examining the choice of leaving or staying within the role of the principal exists (Goldring & Taie, 2014; Ondrich, Pas, & Yinger, 2008), limited literature relating principal and school characteristics to principal retention has been published. Fuller, Young and Orr (2007) found that higher principal attrition is experienced by large, overpopulated, urban schools. They also found that if the ethnicity of a principal matches the dominant group at the school, there is a high probability of the principal being retained. Young and Fuller (2009) found that student demographics, school achievement and school level all have significant influence on retention rates at all school levels, yet age, race/ethnicity, gender and district type had little or no influence. Specifically, principals at the elementary level tend to have the longest tenure and greatest retention rate, and principals at low-performing school typically have the lowest retention rates. Salary was related to principal retention, and in Texas, women and older individuals are more likely to leave the principal position than men and individuals below the age of 45 (Baker et al., 2010). Given the high-stakes nature of accountability for public schools and the concerns rising around public school funding adequacy, retention of principals has become more relevant than ever.The study detailed in the following sections will describe the personal and school characteristics related to retention of a cohort of principals in Texas.

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Methodology Data The data to perform the descriptive analysis in this study were combined from principal-level and school-level data.The Center for Research, Evaluation, and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE), housed at the University of Houston, provided a dataset that included a cohort of first-time principals. For the purposes of this study, assistant principals and principals are treated equally and are collectively referred to as “principals,” and all types of principal certifications administered by the State Board of Education were referred to as “certified.” To identify the principal mobility within the 2010 cohort, principals were classified as “movers” if in 2015 they remained in the role of principal but changed campuses, “leavers” if they were no longer employed as a principal in 2015, or “stayers” if they remained at the same campus as a principal in 2015.The schoollevel data was obtained from the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) and the Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR) from 2010 through 2015. The resulting data set contained 1,556 principals originally employed as principals by 1,413 campuses in 517 public school districts in the state of Texas. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the data set and chi square tests of independence were conducted to determine relationships between variables.

Results Principals in the 2010 cohort The descriptive findings focus on the 2010 cohort of principals (N=1,556) entering the role for the first time in the 2009-2010 academic year. This cohort of principals consisted of 64 percent females and 36 percent males.The ethnic demographics of the cohort were 61 percent white, 24 percent Hispanic, 14 percent African-American

and less than 1 percent were Asian or Native American. The year principals in the data set received their first teaching certification provides some information on the principals’ years of experience in education. Of the 1,556 principals in the cohort, 34 percent received their teaching certificate in or before 1998 and 87 percent had at least 10 years of experience prior to 2010. When principal certifications are examined, 2 percent of the 2010 cohort were not certified as principals at any point during the analysis. More than half of the principals in the cohort were certified as principals before 2000.

Campuses and districts employing the cohort in 2010 Principals in the data set were employed by 1,413 campuses in 517 districts in the state of Texas. Of these, 135 campuses employed more than one of the 2010 cohort principals. (Note: The data set reported campus numbers for eight principals for 2010 employment that did not exist in the 2010 AEIS data set, and were excluded from the analysis.) A small number of campuses (144) were charter school campuses and 76 of the campuses were Alternative Education Campuses, such as disciplinary placement schools, dropout recovery schools or residential treatment facilities. Principals in the cohort were employed by 694 elementary schools, 358 middle schools, 415 high schools and 81 mixed-grade schools. Of the 1,413 campuses that employed principals in the 2010 cohort, 36 were not given an accountability rating by the Texas Education Agency, 24 were rated Unacceptable, 457 were rated Acceptable, 659 were rated Recognized, and 372 were rated Exemplary. All 20 regions of the state were represented in the data set, and more were employed in 2010 in the more densely populated regions: 21 percent

were employed in Region 4 (Houston), 12 percent were employed in Region 11 (Dallas-Fort Worth), and 10 percent were in Region 20 (San Antonio). The average size of the campuses employing the cohort members in 2010 was 834 students. These average campuses served a student population composed of 15 percent African-American, 48 percent Hispanic and 33 percent white students. Economically disadvantaged students made up 62 percent of the average campus student population, 15 percent of students were limited English proficient students, 10 percent were special education students, and 49 percent were at risk of dropping out. The student populations at the schools employing the 2010 cohort of first-time administrators closely reflect statewide school demographics.The average student mobility percentage (2009) was 20.39 percent.

Principal Retention

principal retention was also higher within female (64 percent) principals than in male In 2010, 1,556 principals were employed (61 percent). for the first time in Texas schools. Figure 1 below shows the number of principals who A chi-square test of independence found remained in the principal role through no relationship between gender and reten2015. After the first year, 82 percent of tion χ2 (2, N=1,556) = 3.590, p >.05, but principals were employed as principals.The did indicate a relationship between ethnicrate of retention from 2012 through 2015 ity and whether the principal was a leaver, remained more constant, as the 77 per- mover or stayer, χ2 (6, N=1,556) = 22.795, cent principals retained in 2012 decreased p <.01. [Note: Native American and Asian roughly 5 percent each year to 63 percent were combined into an “other” category for the chi-square test.] in 2015. Principals remaining in the role for the duration of the five years examined in the analysis were originally employed as principals in larger schools that enrolled smaller percentages of African-American, economically disadvantaged, at-risk, and career and technology students and larger

Table 1 on page 16 shows the principals that stayed and left the role of principal from 2010 to 2015 by ethnicity.The rate of principal retention was higher within Hispanic (66 percent) and white (62 percent) principals, as compared to African-American principals (57 percent). The rate of

1,800 1,600 1,400

1,556

1,276 (82%)

Principals

1,200

1,121 (72%)

1,198 (77%)

975 (63%)

1,000

1,043 (67%)

800 600 400 200 0

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Year Figure 1. 2010 Cohort principal retention from year 2010–2015.

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percentages of bilingual, limited English proficient and white students. Campuses retaining principals in the role after five years paid larger starting salaries and hired more experienced teachers. Statistical analyses (t-tests) were performed to confirm the differences observed were statistically significant. Table 2 on page 17 shows the means for each characteristic analyzed and denotes where statistical differences were observed.

Note: * indicates significant difference (p<.05) when means of leaver campuses are compared to means of mover campuses. + indicates significant difference (p<.05) when means of stayer campuses are compared to means of mover campuses. Further investigation into the principals who remained in the role for all five years of the analysis reveals that 37 percent of those principals stayed at the same campus

Table 1

2010 Cohort Principal Characteristics Between Leavers, Movers and Stayers

Number of Principals

2010 Cohort

Leavers

Movers

Stayers

Female 999 363 390 246 Male 557 218 225 114 African-American 223 95 90 38 Asian 11 4 3 4 Hispanic 367 123 175 69

Native American

5 1 3 1

White 950 358 344 248 Total 1,556 581 615 360

Percentage of Principals

2010 Cohort

Leavers

Movers

Stayers

Female 64% 62% 63% 68% Male 36% 38% 37% 32% African-American 14% 16% 15% 11% Asian 1% 1% 0% 1% Hispanic 24% 21% 28% 19%

Native American

0% 0% 0% 0%

White 61% 62% 56% 69% Total 100% 37% 40% 23% 16

INSIGHT

for all five years.The large majority of these 360 principals were white (69 percent) and female (68 percent). The campuses able to retain the same principals for five years served statistically significantly different populations when compared to campuses employing principals who remained in the role for all five years of analysis. The campuses retaining the same principals for all five years served a student body composed of a higher percentage of white students and lower percentages of economically disadvantaged, Hispanic and at-risk students. These schools also predominantly received a performance rating of Met Standard (94 percent).

Discussion The purpose of this study was to describe the personal and school characteristics surrounding principal retention in Texas. Specifically, this study sought to answer the question: Do differences exist in personal and school characteristics of principals that choose to stay or leave the position of principal within the first five years.This study found that principal retention was highest within white and female principals who began their principal careers in larger schools that served more white, bilingual, limited English proficient, and gifted and talented students. Also, schools retaining principals paid higher base administrative salaries and hired more experienced teachers. This study found retention rates to be lowest in African-American male principals at schools designated as high need. The impact of the principal on school quality is well documented. Given this impact, one mechanism for improving school quality is to retain effective principals.Though this study is limited to descriptive analysis of one cohort, future research should examine multiple cohorts of principals to determine the factors most influential on a principalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to remain in the field. With this information, school districts could create environments to most effectively retain principals and improve school quality. n

Table 2

Average Beginning Employment Campus Characteristics, Leaver, Mover, Stayer All Leaver Mover Stayer Campuses Campuses Campuses Campuses (N=1,548) (N=576) (N=972)

(N=359)

Enrollment 834 746* 887 894

% Bilingual

14.41 13.14* 15.16 14.08

% African-American

15.08 17.53* 13.62 12.72

% Economically Disadvantaged

61.74 63.94* 60.43 56.48+

% Gifted and Talented

6.68 6.51 6.78 6.83

% Hispanic

48.39 48.07 48.58 43.63+

% Limited English Proficient

15.03 13.64* 15.86 14.64

% At Risk

49.29 51.26* 48.12 45.17+

% Special Education

% Career & Technology

% White

Student Teacher Ratio

14.61 14.22* 14.85 14.83

Teacher Experience

7.04 6.37* 7.44 7.59

Administrator Base Salary

9.68 10.03 9.47

9.14

22.11 25.19* 20.28 19.60 33.14 31.26* 34.26 39.90+

66,577 64,966* 67,531 67,950

Rickey Frierson is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Houston. His research interest centers around institutional success factors that impact graduation rates of minority males. He can be reached at rfrierson@uh.edu.

Toni Templeton is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Houston. Her research lies in finding new ways to infuse education policy with academic work to close the gaps in college access and persistence. She can be reached at tbtempleton@uh.edu.

Sly Mata is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Houston. He is interested in positive student outcomes (enrollment, retention, and graduation) within first generation and low income student populations. He can be reached at smata3@uh.edu.

References Baker, B. D., Punswick, E., & Belt, C. (2010). School Leadership Stability, Principal Moves, and Departures: Evidence From Missouri. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46 (4), 523-557. Barnett, K., & McCormick, J. (2004). Leadership and individual principal-teacher relationships in schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(3), 406-434.

Fuller, E.,Young, M. D., & Orr, M.T. (2007). Career pathways of principals in Texas . In annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, IL. Gates, S. M., Ringel, J. S., Santibanez, L., Guarino, C., Ghosh-Dastidar, B., & Brown, A. (2006). Mobility and turnover among school principals. Economics of Education Review, 289-302.

Goldring, R., & Taie, S. (2014). Principal Attrition and Mobility: Results from the 2012-13 Principal Follow-Up Survey. First Look. NCES 2014-064. National Center for Education Statistics. Hallinger, P. (2005). Instructional Leadership and the School Principal:A passing fancy that refuses to fade away. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 221-239.

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Hill, J., Ottem, R., & DeRoche, J. (2016). Trends in Public and Private School Principal Demographics and Qualifications: 1987-1988 to 2011-2012. Washington D.C. : United States Department of Education .

Papa Jr., F. (2007). Why do principals change schools? A multivariate analysis of principal retention. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 6(3), 267-290.

Robinson, V. M., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, Ni,Y., Sun, M., & Rorrer,A. (2015). Princi- C. (2007). School leadership and student outpal Turnover: Upheaval and Uncertainty in comes: Identifying what works and why (Vol. Charter Schools? Educational Administration 41). Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Leaders. Quarterly Vol. 51 (3), 409-437. Ondrich, J., Pas, E., & Yinger, J. (2008).The Sanfelippo, J., & Sinanis,T. (2015). Principal determinants of teacher attrition in upstate Professional Development: Leading Learning in New York. Public Finance Review, 36(1), the Digital Age. Corwin. 112-144.

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Witziers, B., Bosker, R. J., & KrĂźger, M. L. (2003). Educational leadership and student achievement:The elusive search for an association. Educational administration quarterly, 398-425. Young, M., & Fuller, E. (2009). Tenure and retention of newly hired principals in Texas. In annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, 15.

LEGAL INSIGHT Texas Legislature addresses inappropriate relationships by Ramiro Canales

Background Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston was filed in response to an increase in TEA investigations of alleged improper behavior between teachers and students.

uring the interim session of the 84th Texas Legislature, the education committees in the Texas Senate and House studied the issue of inappropriate relationships in school districts.They provided recommendations to the 85th Texas Legislature to address a recurring problem. With no opposition, the Texas Senate and House passed sweeping legislation during the regular session of the 85th Texas Legislature that prohibits and penalizes educator misconduct involving students. Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston was filed in response to an increase in TEA investigations of alleged improper behavior between teachers and students. The increase in investigations is largely attributed to a current law requiring superintendents to report educator misconduct to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) within seven calendar days after they know of the misconduct. SB 7 made several significant changes that go into effect on Sept. 1.

Highlights SB 7 does the following: ➤ expands the prohibition on improper employee and student relationships to any school employee serving in a capacity that requires a license, regardless of whether the employee holds that license ➤ expands the offense to include any employee engaging in an improper relationship with a student who the employee knows is enrolled in any public or private primary or secondary school, or with any student participant in an educational activity sponsored by a school district or public or private primary or secondary school ➤ maintains the “knew” standard for superintendents regarding an educator’s termination of employment or resignation following an alleged incident of misconduct or an employee’s criminal record ➤ creates a state jail felony for a superintendent, director, or principal who fails to file a report with the intent to conceal an educator’s criminal record or alleged incident of misconduct ➤ adds a district of innovation, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement to the list of entities required to conduct an investigation ➤ requires the principal of a school district, district of innovation, or open-enrollment charter school campus to notify the superintendent or director of the school district, district of innovation, or charter school not later than the seventh business day after the date 1) of an educator’s termination of employment or resignation following an alleged incident of misconduct or 2) the principal knew about an educator’s criminal record

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➤ extends immunity to a principal of a school district, district of innovation, open-enrollment charter school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement who in good faith files a report with SBEC or communicates with another superintendent, director or principal concerning an educator’s criminal record or alleged incident of misconduct

➤ requires educator preparation programs to provide information regarding appropriate relationships, boundaries and communications between educators and students

➤ requires a board of trustees or governing body of a school district, district of innovation, open-enrollment charter school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement to adopt a policy under which notice is provided to the parent or guardian of a student with whom an educator is alleged to have engaged in misconduct

➤ allows SBEC to suspend or revoke a certificate held by a person, impose ➤ prohibits a person from receiving other sanctions against the person a service retirement annuity from or refuse to issue a certificate to the TRS if the person is convicted of person if 1) the person assists another continuous sexual abuse of a young person in obtaining employment child or children, an improper relaat a school district or open enrolltionship between an educator and ment charter school, other than by student, sexual assault, or aggravated the transmission of administrative sexual assault and personnel files and 2) the person knew that the other person previously engaged in sexual misconduct Student safety will continue to be a priorwith a minor or student in violation ity for the Texas Legislature. The effect of SB 7 will be monitored to determine if of the law additional changes need to be made during n ➤ authorizes a school district or the 86th Texas Legislature. open-enrollment charter school to give TEA a document evaluating the performance of a teacher or administrator employed by the district or school for purposes of an investigation

➤ requires an applicant for a position that requires certification to submit a pre-employment affidavit disclosing whether the applicant has ever been charged with adjudicated for, or convicted of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor ➤ allows SBEC to impose an administrative penalty to superintendents, directors or principals who fail to provide a report or notice by the due dates in the legislation

➤ requires continuing education programs for principals to prevent, recognize and report any sexual conduct between an educator and student

➤ authorizes the commissioner of education to conduct special accreditation investigations when a school district fails to produce, upon request, evidence or an investigation report relating to an educator who is under investigation by SBEC ➤ requires a school district to adopt a written policy concerning electronic communications between a school employee and student enrolled in the district

Ramiro Canales is an attorney and the assistant executive director of governmental relations at TASA. Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice.

INSIGHT

ELEVATING TEACHER VOICE By Allison Ashley

E When teachers are brought into the decision-making process, they contribute to, and thus are more invested in, the outcomes created.

very now and again, I think back to my beginning years as a teacher and ideas I had on education reform. If only we could strengthen the teacher recruitment pipeline, I would think, then we would have stronger preparation programs and better outcomes for kids. Or perhaps if we just took best practices from schools in regions of the world where students grew up multilingual, then we be able to improve bilingual education here in the U.S., I would reason. Solutions seemed so simple. Quickly, I learned, they are not. As my understanding of our nation’s education system grew over the years, I began to realize that indeed there is no silver bullet. I sought out and participated in different learning opportunities such as graduate work, fellowships, and National Board Certification.Through these, I started to gain a deeper understanding of education reform, learned how to collaborate with and elevate the voice of fellow teachers, and learned how to engage with a range of stakeholders on issues teacher and students face. Through it all, I have had the support of administrators who have helped me develop these leadership and advocacy skills. Below, I have listed a few ways in which teachers can expand their impact beyond the classroom and how administrators can support these efforts.

Campus and district leadership opportunities Over the past few years, I have served on both my Campus and District Advisory Councils. Having worked at only one school in Southeast Austin for six years, it wasn’t until joining Austin ISD’s District Advisory Council that I realized our school’s strengths and challenges didn’t necessarily parallel those of other campuses with similar demographics. I also learned about policies on school finance, bilingual education and accountability, to name a few.This helped me see how policies translate into programming and practices in our districts, schools, and classrooms. Equipped with a growing understanding of education policy and the range of needs present in our schools, I felt better able to serve on these committees as a teacher representative. I was also able to share back with fellow colleagues what I had learned through these experiences.Administrators can support teachers’ leadership development by ensuring opportunities exist for them to serve on such committees and by encouraging them to learn from and contribute to the work of these groups.

Fellowships and partner organizations Administrators can also encourage teachers to apply for fellowships that provide training and opportunities for them to work on different policy issues. As a former National Teacher Fellow with Hope Street Group, our team worked in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education on a teacherled research project on teacher preparation programs. We later created and shared our report with policymakers at the national and state level.As a member of Teach Plus’Texas Teacher Advisory Board, I held focus groups with teachers to gather their input on Texas’ ESSA plan. Our team then wrote and presented a report summarizing our findings to members of the Texas Education Agency. Through these opportunities, I learned how to engage teachers and elevate their voices on critical issues we face, developed the knowledge and skills needed to work with a range of education stakeholders,

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and deepened by understanding of how to present policy recommendations created by teachers. Furthermore, engaging in these leadership opportunities connected me with a diverse range of educators across the city, state, and nation.

Professional development There seem to be an increasing number of teacher leadership resources available for professional development over recent years. Among these, Rick Hess’ Cage Busting Teacher was a particularly useful guide that

helped me reflect upon my own leadership and identify how to have a greater impact on teaching practices on my campus. An additional resource administrators might point teachers toward is Teach Plus’ fivecourse online series.This tool trains teacher in how to create changes in practice and policy through advocacy.

answer was simple: having a proverbial seat at the table.When teachers are brought into the decision-making process, they contribute to, and thus are more invested in, the outcomes created. I am grateful for the administrators I’ve had over the years that have looked to shape policy and practice in n collaboration with us teachers.

Earlier this year, I was invited to participate in a teacher roundtable with Governor Abbott. Among the questions he asked Allison Ashley, Texas’ 2017 Teacher of our group was,“What are some things that the Year, teaches at Becker Elementary make you feel valued as a teacher?” My School in Austin ISD.

50 YEARS, ONE FOCUS:

We believe a well-crafted learning environment produces more confident, engaged and accomplished students. That’s been our commitment for 50 years, and it’s a foundation from which we’ll never waver.

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TCEA TECH TAKE The 85th Texas Legislative session and the future of education By Jennifer Bergland

â&#x20AC;Śas more of the teaching and learning process becomes digital, more of the education legislation will also deal with the use of technology in Texas classrooms and in the management of school districts.

eading up to the 85th Texas legislative session,TCEA looked at the state of digital learning in Texas and decided there were a number of barriers that needed to be addressed.We are pleased that the Texas Legislature passed a significant package of bills that assist districts in bringing high-quality digital learning opportunities to all students. Combined, these bills will ensure districts have the flexibility to purchase instructional materials that best serve the needs of local students, empower districts to strategically use technology to support teaching and learning, help lower the cost of instructional materials, increase sharing of quality materials between districts, ensure our teachers are trained to teach in a digital classroom, increase equal access to digital materials at home, and provide strong privacy protections for student data.

Creating equal opportunities One of the biggest legislative wins was the inclusion in the budget of $25 million for the E-rate classroom connectivity program.This funding will enable school districts to receive up to an additional 20 percent E-rate discounts on eligible special construction broadband projects for the next two years. This will assist school districts that are geographically remote and have had little access to fiber. It will also help urban districts that need to increase or upgrade their infrastructure. In addition, HB 3526 enables the commissioner, when feasible, to utilize up to $25 million from the IMA for Technology Lending Grants.The goal of these grants is to ensure that students have dedicated access to a personal technology device, like a laptop or tablet, through a checkout program.This ensures students have the technology they need for learning at school and at home. Providing equal access for all students helps to close the digital homework gap.

Helping districts acquire resources efficiently Another issue that HB 3526 and SB 810 help to address is the escalating cost of instructional materials and the lack of information districts have to assess their options. Districts have many more instructional materials to review than ever before and the task of reviewing materials is increasingly complex. Districts face this task whenever they choose materials for an upcoming adoption, but also when choosing supplemental materials. The lack of both an organized marketplace and of independent reviews of available materials are often barriers to greater efficiencies and cost savings in these purchases. HB 3526 and SB 810 address these issues by providing districts with an online web portal that will provide valuable information about available instructional materials for purchase as well as free materials. Within this portal, districts can compare products based on price, technical requirements, TEKS alignment and editorial reviews.The portal would create a centralized location for sourcing, evaluating and comparing instructional materials. In addition, HB 3526 and SB 810 create a state Open Education Resource repository. OER materials have been created to reside in the public domain and allow for free use, reuse, modification and sharing with others. The OER repository can be used by districts and teachers as a place to share materials created by districts, teachers or the state.The best part is the web portal included in HB 3526 will also provide the quality control that has been missing for free materials. Several school districts are already

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using OER materials such as El Paso and Allotment will send a clear message of the New Braunfels ISDs. This repository may legislature’s intent on how the allotment assist other districts in checking out what should be used. these and other districts are using to determine if these materials may be of use in Preparing teachers to their district as well.

Ban building a profile of students for any purpose other than an educational purpose,

A changing technology plan for changing times

Require educational tech providers to maintain reasonable security practices and procedures to protect student data, and

transform the future

Of course none of these changes matter if we do not ensure that teachers are fully prepared to utilize technology to meet their instructional goals. Just like all innovations in education, the successful integration of new technology into our teacher’s hands requires professional development. SB 1839 helps prepare Texas teachers for digital learning and teaching by requiring preservice teachers to be evaluated on their ability to teach in a digital environment. SB 1839 also empowers the SBEC to create rules governing the creation of continuing professional education courses for in-service educators to learn more about digital learning.

In the past, the state’s technology plan has been used by schools to guide their efforts to transform teaching and learning using digital tools and resources. The last time it was updated was 2006. This was four years before the first iPad was created by Apple. Mobile phones weren’t “smart” yet. And Facebook and Twitter were in their infancy.As the need for digital instructional materials has increased, so has the need for broadband. Instead of one-to-one computing, schools are planning for one-to-many. All of this requires careful planning, and TCEA firmly believes that the state should take the lead. SB 810 requires the SBOE to Safeguarding student privacy update the Long-Range Plan for TechnolFinally, it’s imperative that districts take all ogy at least every five years. necessary steps to ensure that their student’s In addition, SB 810 changes the name of data is safe and private.The Family Educathe IMA to the Instructional Materials and tional Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Technology Allotment. From its incep- federal law that governs the use of Persontion, TCEA has supported the structure ally Identifiable Information (PII) in school of the Instructional Materials Allotment districts. It is the responsibility of the school because we believe that technology should district to follow the guidelines in FERPA. always be purchased within an instructional HB 2087 helps school districts by requircontext. Technology should support the ing companies that use student data do so instructional goals of a district. Therefore, only for the purpose for which it has been it is healthy for district personnel that gathered.

Sharply limit disclosures of student information obtained by educational tech providers,

Require deletion of student data whenever a school or school district requests that the data be deleted.

Increasing technology in education These are just a few of the pieces of legislation that dealt with digital learning during the 85th Texas legislative session. Additionally, SB 1398 makes some much needed changes to the bill that passed in 2015 that required districts to install video cameras in some special education classrooms. HB 3593 provides weighted funding for five technology application courses that will be included in the new cybersecurity pathway. HB 728 allows high school students to take an advanced computer science course as a substitute for either an advanced math or advanced science credit. As you can see, as more of the teaching and learning process becomes digital, more of the education legislation will also deal with the use of technology in Texas classrooms and in the management of school districts. This area of law is fast becoming one that school district administrators must track and provide input for to stay current. n

support curriculum and technology to work together to determine how best to The provisions of HB 2087 do use district resources to meet the district’s the following: strategic goals. It is important to make it clear that the IMA was designed to be Totally ban sale or rental of student data, used to purchase instructional materials Jennifer Bergland is the director of and the technology to support the use of Ban targeted advertising to students based Governmental Relations at TCEA. those materials. Renaming the IMA to upon their use of educational services, the Instructional Materials and Technology

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TSPRA VOICE Be a social climber…no, not that kind Tell your district’s story and promote your brand through relevant engagement By Sonya Cole-Hamilton

… today’s climate demands that public schools market themselves in order to

hat if I told you about a communication resource that allows you to get your message and brand directly into the hands of parents, students, potential parents, community leaders, business and industry leaders, potential partners and donors, elected officials, reporters…pretty much anyone and everyone. Would you be interested?

compete with charter and private schools for students

What if I told you that, through this resource, you could share pictures and information about the wonderful things occurring on your campuses and in your classrooms in real time? Would you want to know more? And, what if I told you that instead of a per student cost, or a setup fee, or an annual renewal fee, that the cost to your district would be $0? Do I have your complete, undivided attention? OK…you’re going to want to sit down for this one. What if I told you that this resource has been around for more than a decade, yet many campus and district leaders are failing to embrace and leverage this powerful platform? Of course, I am talking about social media: specifically Twitter, Facebook andYouTube. Aside from being a platform to share funny videos or the president’s latest musings, when utilized well, social media gives people a day-to-day peek inside of a school district and is a powerful branding tool. Yet, despite the proven impact of social media, some public school leaders refuse to engage, fearful and focused on potential negative outcomes. (We have all heard the horror stories that school attorneys share about district employees and social media missteps.)

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However, today’s climate demands that public schools market themselves in order to compete with charter and private schools for students. And not only that, but with our public school systems under attack, if we don’t leverage the power of social media to tell our stories and share the positive things that occur every day in our classrooms and on our campuses, we will ultimately lose the battle. Therefore, any campus or district leader worth his or her salt needs to be at least somewhat social media savvy. The Houston ISD Communications Team did a study and discovered that millennial parents and teachers use social media when selecting where to send their children to school or deciding where to work. The takeaway? Active social media engagement helps to recruit not only students but also teachers.

People check Twitter and Facebook before Our customer profile (meaning our parthinking about CNN or even their local ents and potential employees) is changing news outlet. and while we may scoff at millennials and their mocha-frappe-lattes or whatever, we So, when they want to get the inside scoop cannot deny that social media is a viable on your school district, where do you think platform for communication and others— they go? even non-millennials—are onboard as well. Your website? The Texas Education Agen- Earlier this year, Wordstream released its cy’s website? most recent social media marketing statistics from the Pew Research Center and How current is that information? And, does found the following: it tell your whole story? ➤ 81 percent of millennials check Maybe they read the hundreds of posiTwitter at least once per day. (What tive news stories that your local press loves do you think the open and read rate is to share about public education and what on e-mails or direct mailers…trust me, engaging activities your hardworking and it’s nowhere near this.) dedicated staff members have planned for ➤ YouTube overall, and even Youyour students. Tube on mobile alone, reaches OK, now I’m just being ridiculous…but more 18-34 and 18-49 year olds you get the point. than any cable network in the U.S. (Take THAT Real Housewives of wherever.)

Lancaster ISD uses social media to connect with parents, teachers and other members of the local community. 26

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➤

Based on total population (not just internet users), 68 percent of U.S. adults are on Facebook. (This includes my 60-year-old aunt who posts more than me.) 76 percent of Facebook users visited the site daily during 2016, with more than 1.6 billion daily visitors, compared to 70 percent of daily usage in 2015. (Social media is not going away.)

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playing field for big and small districts alike. Snap pics of your student-athletes in action or your scholars winning awards. It’s the same price for everyone…free. So maybe you’re saying, “I know there’s value They say that a picture is worth a thouin social media, but I’m busy and don’t know sand words, which is great because Twitter only gives you 140 characters, so attaching where to start or what to do.” pictures and video help to round out your Establishing and building your district’s story. Sharing images and videos gives your presence on social media is not complex stakeholders a direct, first-hand account and can begin with just a few clicks. Have of your district. The more you post, the each of your campus leaders (or their des- more your audience engagement will ignee) snap a few shots (Disclaimer: be sure increase. And, when people want to know to get permission first) during their weekly what your district is all about, well, you walk-throughs and share learning in action. control what image and impression they’ll walk away with. And that’s something that n Showcase student work and works in prog- should interest every district leader. ress to let parents see what their child is doing in the classroom.

Almost 80 percent of time spent on social media platforms happens on a mobile device. (That means that your brand is in their hand—from Participate in global stories, connections or creator to consumer—just like that.) challenges. And, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a big communications budget, because that’s Share highlights from fun, special events. the beauty of social media—it levels the ➤

Sonya Cole-Hamilton is the Chief Communications Officer for the Lancaster Independent School District. She has been member of TSPRA for six years and serves as Zone Coordinator for the SPRINT region.

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SUPERINTENDENT SUCCESSION: LISTEN, LEARN AND LEAD By Dawson Orr and Barry Aidman

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” —Will Rogers

uperintendent succession is a constant reality in the lives of those who occupy the role, as well as the many diverse stakeholders found in every school district, whether large or small.A change of superintendents can elicit or provoke a range of emotions, from excited and hopeful to anxious and fearful. A new superintendent begins a fresh chapter in an ongoing story that has a rich and complex history shaped and formed by events, conflicts, successes, and failures begun long before her or his arrival.

A recent survey of superintendents in Texas (Jones, 2012) found that although district leaders recognize the importance of getting off to a good start, less than 30 percent had developed a written plan or strategy for their first few months on the job.

For parents, the education of their children is a critical concern and priority. Yet, the hopes and aspirations parents have for their children differ, and hence the expectations for schools, and their new superintendent, differ.The story repeats itself when a new superintendent considers the various stakeholders within a school district and community. Stakeholders have deep-rooted, enduring and often competing beliefs, interests, and agendas about the purpose, direction, and operations of a school district. It is common for a new superintendent to quickly experience the reality of competing needs and expectations in the flurry of requests for meetings, the invitations to speak to parent and community groups, and the seemingly innocent, or at times, sharply pointed, questions and comments about district practices, policies and procedures. Just as superintendents in small school districts learn quickly, and at times painfully, that in small communities everyone is related by kinship or friendship, all new superintendents need to recognize that there are existing networks and relationships that support or constrain leadership and decision-making. Yet in the face of this complexity, new superintendents are instantly expected to be knowledgeable, effective leaders. Research in organizational behavior supports the common sense belief that how the leaders begin is important. Former Harvard Business School professor Michael Watkins (2003) asserts that the first 90 days are critical for an executive in a new position. Small differences in actions during this important entry period can have a significant effect on long-term results, potentially impacting success and length of tenure. A superintendent’s work and longevity do matter. Waters and Marzano (2006) found that superintendent tenure is positively associated with student achievement. In order to create sustained improvement, leaders need time to develop relationships, build a team, and deal with complicated problems. Knowing the importance of how one begins, combined with the general orientation of superintendents towards action, problem solving, and a desire to make a difference, it is easy for new superintendents to be lured towards fast decisions and quick solutions. While there are situations in which the need for immediate action is compelling, it is also possible that a quick, short-term response may be directed towards solving the wrong problem, ultimately diminishing the long-term effectiveness of the new superintendent. Dr. Nolan Estes and Dr. John Horn, both mentors to many beginning district leaders, admonished new superintendents to know why a fence was put up before deciding to take it down.

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How then, do superintendents manage the challenges of their own transition into a new district? One approach, supported by research, is for superintendents to have a thoughtful, well-developed entry plan. The entry process is an opportunity for a new district leader to gather information systematically, build relationships, and share professional knowledge and values. Barry Jentz (2005), a highly respected author about entry planning, believes that new superintendents must hit the ground learning, rather than running, in order to avoid reflexive problem solving that can end up creating additional difficulties and confusion. Jentz proposes that a new superintendent develop a written entry plan with input and feedback from knowledgeable stakeholders, make it widely known that there is an entry plan, and use interviews and site visits to systematically gather information.

to carefully select the appropriate approach for the specific situation. In “The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan,” the authors lay out a framework, with the pneumonic ACES, describing three possible paths that leaders should consider when transitioning into a new position: (1) Assimilate, (2) Converge and Evolve (either fast or slow), or (3) Shock. Depending on an organization’s context and culture, it may or may not require urgent changes, and may or may not be ready to change. Matching strategy to circumstance requires insights from the entry process, along with self-awareness of his or her own strengths and style.

Two approaches from practicing superintendents

Dr. Michael Hinojosa, superintendent of Dallas ISD, has used a variation of the same entry plan to guide his transition into three different districts, Hays CISD in central A well-designed and implemented plan Texas, Spring ISD in Houston, and twice accomplishes two primary objectives. in Dallas ISD. Drawing on the work of The first is to help the new superinten- Max De Pree, author of “Leadership is an dent deeply understand the culture of the Art and Leadership Jazz,” Superintendent district and the communities it serves. It Hinojosa has interviewed a wide range of is critical for the new superintendent to stakeholders with a common set of critical learn about the embedded values, beliefs, questions. His distinctive entry plan has and expectations that guide the work of several purposes. In addition to establishing the educators, the presence or absence of a relationships and identifying issues that are compelling vision, as well as the perceived important to those with a vested interest in the district, there is another key purpose strengths and weaknesses of the district. that Superintendent Hinojosa explains: The second is simple and direct—for the key stakeholders of the district to gain an “I am a quantitative, data-informed leader informed perspective on the new super- and love metrics and spreadsheets, but these intendent. People want and need to know questions provide a qualitative, human side a superintendent’s “why” before they to help further explain the context of the can trust in the “how.” Rather than rely- quantitative data that I had already internaling solely on a bias towards action, a well ized before coming into the district. They thought out entry plan will emphasize tell the stories that matter to people.” that listening and learning are also primary A sample of the questions that Dr. Hinojosa leadership skills. has used over the years with some variation The information gathered during the entry based on district size and the stakeholder process will assist the new superintendent group are as follows:

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1. What is the most important expectation you have of the superintendent? 2. If you were in my shoes what would you work on first? 3. What three things need to be done to make this the best district in the county, state, nation, etc.? 4. How do you add value to the work of the district? 5. What does our district do for you? 6. Who are the three most respected staff members and why? 7. Who are the three key external stakeholders that are critical to our future success? The answers to these questions represent multiple perspectives, and are coded within and across interviews, leading to the development of emerging patterns and narratives. From this qualitative analysis, coupled with a detailed review of district quantitative data, clear themes and issues are identified. Another benefit of this approach is that it gives district stakeholders insight into the superintendent. Choosing Max De Pree’s work as a foundation for his entry plan helps convey superintendent Hinojosa’s values and beliefs, as well as his willingness to dedicate time and attention to listening and learning. Dr. Hinojosa’s strong commitment to an organized entry process was demonstrated when he returned to Dallas ISD as interim superintendent after three years as a superintendent in Georgia. Over an eight-week period, Dr. Hinojosa interviewed more than 100 community members, including students and families, business leaders,

district employees, and Dallas ISD trustees Specific actions within his entry plan in order to help him understand the state of included: the district. This systematic re-entry modeled an open mindset and signaled that he 1. Lunch & Listen—The superintendent was not making assumptions based on his spent hours at each of the district’s 19 prior knowledge of the district. campuses where he asked teachers three questions during their 30-minute Dr. J.J.Villarreal, superintendent of Rockduty-free lunch: wall ISD, crafted an entry plan that gained important information for him while con- What is the strength of your campus? veying his most important principle and value as a leader. Commenting that you What would you improve in the disdon’t get a “do-over” in how to say hello as trict or at your school? a new superintendent, he viewed his entry as “on-boarding,” both in the larger con- If you could wish for three things, what text of an existing district culture, and the would it be? specific context of the district employees who he will lead. Superintendent Villar- The chief communications officer took real framed his entry around the principle notes and then compiled the list for that human resources are the most imporcabinet to review at the next meeting. tant levers for student and organizational No names were attributed, only the growth. message (and the learning). Through this process, Superintendent Villar“For me, people are the most important real gained insight into the culture of resource in our work. My entry plan was each school, how they operate, areas structured in a way to show respect for for improvement and how central each employee, engage each employee, and administration can best meet campus identify ways to develop each employee. needs.This information was the catalyst I did this through several means, but it for goals and strategic planning for all requires going to where the work takes departments for the coming year. place.” 2. Community Outreach—Board memIn addition to employees, Superintendent bers individually hosted luncheons Villarreal reached out to various stakethat the superintendent attended holder groups, such as community and along with the chief communicabusiness members, using a collaborative tions officer. Board members invited approach that provided an inside view of key constituents they represented. The the district including panel question and superintendent was able to meet citianswer sessions with students, princizens from all walks of life and engage pals, and trustees. The hope is that these them in conversations about what they opportunities establish the desire to be loved about Rockwall ISD and what approachable leaders and improve colthey saw as areas for improvement. laborative relationships. Each of the steps helped to set the tone and communicate 3. Internal Outreach—Superintendent the message that Superintendent Villarreal Villarreal went to every department cares deeply about people, who form the and campus and did walk-throughs to foundation of the district. meet staff and shake hands. The chief

communications officer took pictures that were posted to the district social media accounts. 4. Civic Organization Outreach—The superintendent attended the meetings of several key civic organizations where he was introduced and briefly shared about himself and his family. Again, pictures were taken and posted to the district’s social media accounts so the community knew of his active outreach.

From learning to leading A new superintendent’s transition begins the moment he or she is being considered for the position. Each interaction provides an opportunity not only to obtain the job, but also to learn about the district and intentionally create a positive first impression. Educating all children to high standards presents a dauntingly complex set of unique challenges.A well-planned entry process, though no panacea, has the potential to position new leaders for success right from the start, and increases the chances for a smooth transition, positive results, lengthy tenure, and a successful experience for the district, community, and the superintenn dent.

Dawson R. Orr, Ph.D., is clinical professor and chair of the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University.

Barry Aidman is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership and School Improvement and an advisor for the Superintendent Certification Program in the College of Education at Texas State University in San Marcos. n

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References and Resources Jentz, B. C. (2005). Staring confused: Texas Association of School Administrators How leaders start when they don’t know (TASA) First Time Superintendents Acadwhere to start. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(10), emy. https://www.tasanet.org/domain/86 Bradt, G. B., Check, J. A., & Lawler, J. A. 736-744. (2016). The new leader’s 100-day action Washington Association of School Adminplan: How to take charge, build or merge Jentz, B. C., & Wofford, J. (2008). The istrators (WASA). New Superintendent your team, and get immediate results (4th entryplan approach: How to begin a lead- Resources. https://wasa-oly.org/ ership position successfully. Newton, MA: ed.). Hoboken, NJ:Wiley. Leadership and Learning. Waters, T., Marzano, R. (2006). School De Pree, M. (1989). Leadership is an art. district leadership that works: The effect Jones, N. B. (2012). Factors contributing to of superintendent leadership on student NewYork, NY: Doubleday. successful transitions into the role of a new achievement. A Working Paper. Aurora, De Pree, M. (1992). Leadership jazz. New superintendency in Texas: A mixed meth- CO: Mid-Continent Research for Educaods triangulation convergence inquiry. tion and Learning (McREL). York, NY: Doubleday. Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Watkins, M. (2003). The first 90 days: Glass, T., & Franceschini, L. (2007). The Practice & Research, 2(1), 3-15. Critical strategies for new leaders at all levstate of the American superintendency: A mid-decade study. American Association Kowalski, T. J. (2013). The school super- els. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School of School Administrators. Lanham, MD: intendent: Theory, practice, and cases. Press. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Rowman & Littlefield. American Association of School Administrators. www.aasa.org

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BOOK REVIEW What Texas school administrators are reading The Innovator’s Mindset Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity By George Couros Reviewed by Dr. Jill Siler, Gunter ISD superintendent

“Our job as leaders is to make sure that innovation isn’t simply a word but a mindset that intentionally and consistently shapes our daily practice.”

here is so much talk in education about innovation, transformation, future-ready and the like that it can be overwhelming. If we’re really honest with ourselves, it can even be daunting. In our social media world, we hear snippets of our neighboring districts and their showcase programs or activities and we think that “innovation” must mean when students build rockets or hovercrafts or when lessons are personalized for every child or when every student uses a device seamlessly every day. What I love about George Couros’ work is that it takes this nebulous concept of innovation and grounds it in powerful meaning for educators. The goal is for classrooms to be learner-focused and allow for student voice, choice, time for reflection, opportunities for innovation, critical thinking, problem solving/finding, self-assessment, and connected learning. None of those elements cost money but they do require having an Innovator’s Mindset, which Couros describes masterfully.

Couros begins by sharing the characteristics of an innovator’s mindset—things like being empathetic, taking risks and becoming more reflective. The book then shares how to lay the groundwork for

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innovation including developing relationships, modeling what we seek, empowering our people and creating a shared vision. He concludes with how we can unleash talent in our own school communities and create environments that foster innovation.

was definitely the case for our leadership team as we embarked on reading Couros’ work together. We found ourselves shifting from a goal of engaging students to one of empowering students; we began to see the role of technology differently in light of how he contrasted what we want our students doing with technology (making prezi’s and starting blogs vs. raising awareness and making a difference in the world); and we began talking differently about professional development in light of the conversations we were having around student learning.

Dave Burgess (author of “Teach Like a Pirate”), wrote in the book’s foreword, “don’t be disappointed that there is no map, no step by step plan to take you to the educational Promise Land.” He instead noted that this book is a starting point, and hopefully an impetus for further conversation and perhaps will even cause discomfort as readers begin to question long-held While the writing in the book is both beliefs about teaching and learning. This tangible and profound, the multimedia

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resources included led to rich discussions amongst our leadership team. Every chapter had a dozen or more resources including TedTalks, illustrations, blog posts, videos, books and articles, etc. The way these ideas, images and stories were embedded within the writing enhanced our conversation, and more importantly, began trickling into faculty meetings, board dialogue, strategic planning sessions and teacher conversations. Our district recently launched a Strategic Planning initiative, and I am so thankful that our leadership team dove deeply into this book in the months leading up to it. Our district will be forever impacted by the conversations that stemmed from Couros’ n work.

TASA Corporate Partners TASA is grateful to our 2016–17 corporate partners for their support. Each level of the Corporate Partner Program is designed to offer our partners quality exposure to association members. Partners at the President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold levels may customize special events and opportunities.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Apple Chevron Dell EMC Edgenuity Forecast5 Analytics K12 Insight Northwest Evaluation Association–NWEA PBK Scholastic Stantec PLATINUM Cisco ClassLink CollegeBoard Discovery Education Google for Education Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Huckabee IBM Watson Education Page Pearson Scientific Learning PowerSchool TCG Consulting Turnitin VLK Architects GOLD Achieve 3000 ETS FreshGrade High STEPS Houston ISD–Medicaid Finance & Consulting Services LPA Milliken Renaissance Learning Schoology Source 4 Teachers

SILVER Blackboard Frontline Education JASON Learning Lone Star Furnishings Organizational Health BRONZE 1 GPA ABM Cenergistic GCA Services Group Gexa Energy Solutions Hewlett Packard Hilltop Securities IDIS Indeco Sales, Inc. it’slearning Lee Lewis Construction, Inc. Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP MIND Research Institute myON PBS Learning Media Performance Matters Schneider Electric Silverback Learning Solutions Steelcase Education Vanir Construction Management, Inc. WRA Architects

TASA Learn more about TASA’s Corporate Partner Program 2017–18

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