Create Your Own Kappan: PLCs &

Requiring or Distributing Leadership? a r e m e H / k c o t s k n i h T Distributed leadership allows teachers to share their expertise and create a collective responsibility for improving student learning — and teaches district leaders the of inviting teachers into leadership.

By Anne Kennedy, Angie Deuel, Tamara Holmlund Nelson, and David Slavit

When teachers and principals share leadership in a school, both the adults and students win. Teachers have an increased sense of collective responsibility and, as a result, an increased sense of professionalism. That’s the lesson from our five-year study of five middle and high schools where teacher groups moved from voluntary to compulsory schoolwide professional learning communities. From 2004 to 2009, we stud- ied seven teacher groups as they transitioned from voluntary to compulsory schoolwide PLC structures and processes. The choices that leaders made to create these PLCs made a difference in outcomes (Talbert in press). In this article, the experience of Silver Valley (pseudonym) illustrates three impor- tant features of distributed leadership that help create an environment characterized by ongoing profes- sional learning. The 300-student middle school in the Pacific Northwest has an enrollment that is mostly white, and about 55% qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch. Students do not have access to advanced coursework, and only 5% of the district’s students go past 10th-grade mathematics. For two consecutive years, Silver Valley Middle School received the State Superintendent’s Award as a School of Distinction. Only schools exceeding the state average performance on the state test in and math during the preceding six-year period receive the award, and Silver Valley was one of only three mid- dle schools in the state to receive the award two years in a row (2007 and 2008).

ANNE KENNEDY is STEM director at the Science and Mathematics Resource Center, Washington State University, Van- couver, Wash., where she is also the co-principal investigator on STRIDE: Supporting Teacher Research: Inquiry, Dialogue, & En- gagement, along with ANGIE DEUEL, research associate, TAMARA HOLMLUND NELSON, principal investigator, and DAVID SLAVIT, co-principal investigator.

20 Kappan May 2011 kappanmagazine.org MOVING FROM VOLUNTARY TO COMPULSORY edge and pedagogical skills, as well as self-knowledge Secondary mathematics and science teachers in of what one does well and what one needs to learn Silver Valley schools began regularly in more about. Every school includes educators who 2004. For three years, cross-grade and cross-con- are opinion leaders or individuals with specific ex- tent-area teachers explored problems of practice and pertise. Sometimes, these qualities are comingled; at developed skills for conducting collaborative action other times, they aren’t. This is notable because sta- research in and across classrooms. Eight teachers tus in schools isn’t always ascribed to individuals with voluntarily participated in activities and received expertise or aligned with for teaching and support from content specialists, university sci- learning. In some schools, teachers and school lead- ence/mathematics faculty, and teachers from other ers acquire status because of friendship, longevity schools. Teachers learned how to identify research and tenure, or bonds made from a shared experience. questions based on student data, discussed different Teachers and other leaders in schools with distrib- approaches to meeting student needs, and conducted uted leadership have status because they’re con- collaborative action research. stantly learning and then using and sharing what In 2006, school and district leaders restructured they’ve learned to support students. Status is attrib- teacher collaboration time around content and uted or conferred by colleagues because of a shared grade-level . High-stakes test scores were be- commitment to and knowledge of good teaching, low the state average, and other schools in the state were improving achievement by moving to school- wide PLCs. To support the work, administrators se- From the teachers’ perspective, the district had lected tools and recommended by col- moved forward with a new initiative without leagues and gleaned from popular literature on PLCs. School leaders believed the new procedures considering the internal expertise the mathematics would help align practices across schools, and new and science teachers could provide. measures would enable principals to monitor and support each . Many characteristics of the new districtwide ini- tiative were similar to those the mathematics and sci- understanding students, and engaging in collabora- ence teachers were familiar with. But shifting to com- tion with others. In school-based collaborative work, pulsory collaboration still created turmoil and ten- expertise also extends beyond subject and pedagog- sion. From the teachers’ perspective, the district had ical expertise to include other types of knowledge moved forward with a new initiative without consid- such as data analysis, high-level questioning skills, ering the internal expertise the mathematics and sci- action research, and knowledge of students and the ence teachers could provide. They believed new community. structures would simply replace what they’d worked In Silver Valley, three teacher leaders gained sig- hard to develop. Teachers felt a sense of loss as own- nificant expertise in examining their practice and stu- ership and of their work began to slip away. dent learning through ongoing and sustained work with colleagues. They adopted an inquiry cycle (see DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP AND PLC WORK www.vancouver.wsu.edu/stride for details) for de- Three important attributes of distributed leader- signing and implementing different instructional ap- ship supported the development of strong school proaches and studying their impact. These teachers communities focused on improving student learning chose an inquiry focus based on their daily classroom through teacher collaboration. These are: 1) a leader’s needs and challenges. This personal connection to recognition and use of internal intellectual and ex- their inquiry fostered a sense of immediacy, motiva- periential resources, 2) differentiated top-down and tion, and perseverance around the work. As the dis- lateral decision-making processes, and 3) culture trictwide PLC work began to unfold, these teacher building through dialogue and collaborative inquiry. leaders worried that teachers wouldn’t fully engage Examining each of these attributes provides insight in compulsory collaboration unless it was linked to into effective leadership practices that support problems of practice identified by teachers them- teacher collaboration and PLC work. selves. The lead teachers shared their concerns with the principal, and he agreed to set up a meeting be- tween the teachers and district leaders. 1. Recognizing and Using Intellectual and Lead teachers and principals met for three hours Experiential Resources before school began. At that meeting, principals de- Perceptive leaders seek, recognize, and use teach- scribed how PLC work would unfold. While the ers’ expertise. We define expertise as subject knowl- meeting was at times tense, it was an important turn-

kappanmagazine.org V92 N8 Kappan 21 ing point for developing the district’s PLC practices. have a flattened hierarchy because expert teachers During the meeting, teachers and administrators and other leaders (such as coaches and specialists) were respectful of each other, listened to different are involved in making decisions about school im- viewpoints, and explored possibilities for integrating provement activities. Gronn (2008) uses the term teachers’ knowledge and skills while still supporting heterarchy to describe this kind of power structure. the new district initiative. Teachers proposed a com- In a heterarchy, leadership is shared laterally, and de- promise that involved introducing new practices the cisions are made by individuals who have both sta- principals wanted (such as using Socratic question- tus and expertise in the community. Individuals in ing) and teacher-identified research projects chosen these positions have and are accountable by each disciplinary team. Collaboration time would for decisions and results. Because peers recognize use processes similar to those that teachers had been this status and expertise, the larger community more readily accepts decisions about how work is envi- sioned and implemented. Teachers and leaders “syn- Distributed leadership means that teachers chronize their actions by having regard for their own and other leaders recognize there is not a one- plans, those of their peers, and their sense of the unit membership” (Gronn 2002: 231). size-fits-all model for developing teams. Simply In the middle school, the mathematics and sci- gathering people together will not promote ence teams took very different approaches to their increased student learning. work. The math team was drowning in data from high-stakes tests, benchmark assessments, classroom assessments on , and a host of other implementing, and lead teachers would lead profes- data sets. For those teachers, the path of collabora- sional development workshops and provide ongoing tive inquiry involved looking at the entire mathe- support to teachers and leaders. The principal’s pri- matics program and matching student needs with orities would be supported by training, classroom available resources. The math team was highly col- walk-throughs, and individual teacher support. laborative and organized, and teachers shared lead- Reflecting on the outcome, the principal said he ership. Over two years, their research resulted in a came to realize that teachers’ expertise and experi- recommendation to restructure classes and resources ence were critical to successful PLC work. He viewed to increase support for struggling students, increase the teachers’ expertise and status as an important re- the rigor of problem solving across grades, and work source in developing and implementing schoolwide with both the elementary and high school staff to PLCs. construct a more coherent experience for students based on pedagogical and content standards. This team’s decisions were taken to the principal and staff 2. Differentiating Top-Down and Lateral for consideration on how to change schedules and Decision Making reapportion staff time based on student needs. Distributed leadership reflects a change in think- Science teachers faced distinctly different chal- ing about school leadership. In long-held concep- lenges. Data was limited because high-stakes tests in tions of leadership, a singular figure with charismatic science were given every three years. Each grade and heroic qualities at the top of a hierarchy over- level had different content standards, and teachers’ sees the allocation of resources, builds and imple- buy-in to collaborative practices was uneven. For ments a vision, and makes decisions on behalf of the these teachers, collaborative inquiry consisted of col- faculty and staff. This notion of a leader has proven lecting and sharing data related to students’ ideas and unsustainable because schools are too complex for engagement on specific topics. Teachers individually one person to lead independently and because ex- conducted research related to their own students, ceptional leaders who have been able to singly alter shared instructional practices and assessment results, school performance are the exception rather than the and explored students’ ability to communicate their rule. understanding. After two years of struggling to find The most salient difference between schoolwide a way to gather and use data across grade levels, PLCs that employ distributed leadership practices teachers began to explore how concepts were devel- and those that don’t is in how individuals are involved oped from unit to unit and grade to grade and to de- in making decisions. Researchers of distributed lead- velop a format and use for formative assessment prac- ership practices explain that leadership is more ef- tices to better understand student thinking. The fective when it’s stretched over knowledgeable indi- principal played the role of a colleague and critical viduals in an (Spillane, Halverson, and friend. The principal met frequently with lead teach- Diamond 2004). Schools with distributed leadership ers to talk about how to support the team, enabled

22 Kappan May 2011 kappanmagazine.org teachers to visit schools with successful science pro- are almost there, what are they showing us they grams, and frequently sat in on collaboration time need?” Conversational norms also position teachers where his probing questions helped teachers think to inquire into the ideas of other members, such as more deeply about data and student learning. “What do you think it means for 7th graders to ‘get’ Distributed leadership means that teachers and seasons?” or “I teach volume differently. Why do you other leaders recognize there is no one-size-fits-all teach it the way you do?” or “When kids memorize model for developing teams. Simply gathering peo- words, do you think they understand the real mean- ple together will not promote increased student ings?” learning. The work needs to be reinforced by high- quality and focused on critical issues of practice in the context of what’s rea- Leaders who practice distributed leadership sonable and doable. Collaborative practice may in- recognize the need to draw upon and build volve all teachers considering the learning of stu- dents, as in the case of the mathematics group, or it from the expertise of teachers. might mean collaboratively looking at the needs of individual classrooms or students, as was the case with science. Leaders must be careful about identi- Teams exhibit a spirit of inquiry by continually fying the team’s learning needs, otherwise PLC work asking questions of data and of each other. This kind can easily default to implementation of compliance- of collaboration is synergistic, made powerful by in- oriented work sessions doing little to engage teach- dividuals working in concert with one another to ers, change classroom practices, or enhance students’ deepen their understanding of core instructional learning experience. practices. One teacher described the work as shift- ing from focusing on “my kids” to focusing on “our kids.” Collective thinking increases each teacher’s 3. Building Culture Through Dialogue and capacity to make informed classroom, department, Inquiry or school decisions to support student learning. As Proponents of professional learning communities more people develop expertise and engage in this argue that all adults in a school have a collective re- kind of dialogue and inquiry, the middle school con- sponsibility to ensure each child has the opportunity tinues building a culture where understanding the to reach his or her full potential. Our research sug- complexities of learning and teaching is the central gests that when the adults in a school continually en- focus of all collaborative work. This is not done by gage in dialogue and inquiry to support student a few select leaders, but by the faculty as a whole. learning, a re-culturing takes place. A result of this re-culturing is that teachers take risks and tolerate a level of vulnerability in order to learn and enact pro- CULTIVATING DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP ductive change. For dialogue to work in the service School leaders and teachers don’t simply decide of collaborative inquiry, team members must adopt to take a distributed leadership approach to working and practice norms of collaboration. These norms together. Some schools may be ready for shared re- become normal when members commit to them and sponsibility, while others may need to build expert- regularly reflect upon them (Garmston and Well- ise, trust, and responsibility. man 2009). Navigating the balance between trust and ac- For instance, we’ve worked with many groups that countability is challenging in this era of No Child have successfully incorporated behavioral or proce- Left Behind. Mandates and external pressures en- dural norms such as “Be on time” or “Come to meet- courage prescribed programs and practices that fo- ings prepared.” Even so, teams that use conversa- cus on student achievement at the expense of pro- tional or interpersonal norms for exploring data and moting teacher professionalism (and some would ar- ideas create richer and more productive collabora- gue student learning). In the middle school, leaders tive dialogue. When adults take on a questioning and recognized that mutual accountability for student wondering stance toward student learning, individ- learning required a shift from external accountabil- uals can press each other intellectually (Nelson et al. ity systems to internal assessments and interventions 2010). Conversations focus on topics such as student supported by teachers. Leaders who practice distrib- thinking in relation to student learning goals or uted leadership recognize the need to draw upon and probing students’ misconceptions and partial under- build from the expertise of teachers. Furthermore, by standings. Team members may ask, “What does it letting go of some of the control for making decisions look like for a 7th grader to understand energy trans- related to PLC work, principals acknowledged that formations?” or “This pile of papers from kids who teachers have both agency and efficacy for guiding

kappanmagazine.org V92 N8 Kappan 23 the work. Finally, by granting teachers a seat at the • Make dialogue and inquiry a normal part of table, leaders acknowledged the importance of build- the school culture. Learn about and practice ing a culture of open and honest dialogue. using strategies that encourage and challenge In Silver Valley, principals gained critical insights individuals to press each others’ thinking, ask about distributed leadership by participating in their high-level questions, and focus on student own collaborative inquiry group that focused on sup- understanding and achievement. porting the teachers’ PLC work. Through regular and ongoing , four principals learned the Teachers can and ought to be the vehicle by which challenges of determining a research question, clar- teacher improvement works, rather than being the Teams ifying what they wanted to know, collecting data, object of teacher improvement (Lieberman and making sense of data, and enacting changes to prac- Miller 1990). By acknowledging and using teachers’ exhibit a tice based on conclusions drawn from data. They knowledge and expertise, and by giving teachers dif- spirit of came to recognize the importance of using norms of ferent forms of leadership positions and control of inquiry by collaboration to develop a shared vision and com- their learning groups, their knowledge and expert- mitment for leading the professional learning of ise will grow and deepen. Teachers will begin to take continually teachers in their buildings. They learned that dis- the wheel and drive their own learning. As we reflect asking tributed leadership is identifying and supporting in- back on what we learned from our time with Silver questions of ternal and external intellectual and material re- Valley, we believe that leadership based on expertise sources for PLC work, knowing when to hold on and that is broadly shared across a number of team mem- data and of when to let go of authority, and deciding how to use bers and focused on negotiated goals holds the great- each other. inquiry and dialogue to build a culture of continu- est chance for sustaining schools as learning com- ous improvement. The middle school principal re- munities focused on student learning and achieve- alized he couldn’t simply tell teachers what to do. ment. K Rather, teachers needed to lead and conduct their REFERENCES own learning just as he had done in the principals’ PLC. Our research suggests that the principals’ com- Garmston, Robert, and Bruce Wellman. The Adaptive School: mitment to participating in their own PLC helped A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups, 2nd ed. them understand the critical features of distributed Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon, 2009. leadership described here. Gronn, Peter. “Distributed Leadership as a Unit of Analysis.” Based on our research, we’ve also found ways that 13, no. 4 (2002): 423-451. principals and teachers can lay the groundwork for developing the prerequisites for distributing leader- Gronn, Peter. “The Future of Distributed Leadership.” Journal ship: of Educational Administration 46, no. 2 (2008): 141-158.

Lieberman, Ann, and Lynne Miller. “Teacher Development in • Consider who is afforded status in the school. Professional Practice Schools.” Teachers College Record 92, Are the people with the most knowledge and no. 1 (1990): 105-122. expertise holding leadership positions and Nelson, Tamara H., Angie Deuel, David Slavit, and Anne negotiating important decisions? How do you Kennedy. “Leading Deep Conversations in Collaborative know? Inquiry Groups.” The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational • Anticipate variation across collaborative teams. Strategies, Issues, and Ideas 83, no. 5 (2010). There is no one-size-fits-all model for PLC Spillane, James P., Richard Halverson, and John B. Diamond. work. Consider facilitation needs and “Towards a Theory of Leadership Practice: A Distributed strategies based on the unique characteristics Perspective.” Journal of Curriculum Studies 36, no. 1 (2004): of each teacher group. 3-34. • Build small-step opportunities to develop trust Talbert, Joan. “Professional Learning Communities at the and to articulate and negotiate values and Crossroads: How Systems Hinder or Engender Change.” In beliefs about teaching and learning. Provide Second International Handbook of Educational Change, ed. opportunities for teachers to talk and learn Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves, and Ann Lieberman. from one another and from other experts. Dordrecht, The : Springer Press, in press. • Accept that building professional learning communities can take months or years. Support for this work has been provided by a Mathematics Sci- Whether mandated or voluntary, teachers ence grant from the U.S. Department of Education need time to develop knowledge and skills to and by the National Science Foundation Grant ESI-0554579. The effectively use a learning improvement cycle. opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors.

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