Leading Transformational Change in Schools

           In this Consortium for Policy Research in Education paper, Jonathan Supovitz (University of Pennsylvania), John D’Auria (William James College), and James Spillane (Northwestern University) say the work of school leaders falls into three basic areas:

-   Putting out fires – that is, reacting to immediate needs such as discipline problems, a concerned parent, or a personnel issue;

-   Maintaining the organization – being visible around the school, attending meetings, and supervising classrooms;

-   Leading improvement efforts – orchestrating enhancements to the program, whether the ideas originate inside or outside of the school.

The ratio among these three varies from school to school. One mark of an effective leader is spending more time on improvement activities, which should reduce the time spent putting out fires and make the routine maintenance of the organization more purposeful and effective.

            Supovitz, D’Auria, and Spillane believe that principals can’t do this work alone; they need to distribute leadership skillfully, not just to the obvious people (department heads, teacher leaders) but more broadly to a network of colleagues who can take reform initiatives into every classroom and office. This requires building trust and psychological safety within the organization and fostering a climate of mutual learning (as opposed to blame).

            Supovitz, D’Auria, and Spillane also suggest three skills that enhance the impact of the leadership team:

• Listening in stereo – That is, tuning in to the content of a conversation and also the way it’s expressed, including non-verbal cues, body language, and tone.

• Being curious when faced with criticism and ideas that sound wrong – Adopting a “learning stance,” say the authors, involves shifting “from certainty about one’s own point of view to curiosity about how someone else thinks differently… a genuine quest to understand where the other person is coming from.”

• Balancing inquiry with advocacy – The authors advise staying in inquiry mode as long as possible, because once we become advocates, we’re less likely to ask questions and get input and more likely to underestimate possible problems and become defensive in the face of resistance.

“Meaningful and Sustainable School Improvement with Distributed Leadership” by Jonathan Supovitz, John D’Auria, and James Spillane, Consortium for Policy Research in Education, June 14, 2019, https://bit.ly/2FvApe1; the authors can be reached at jons@gse.upenn.edu, John_DAuria@williamjames.edu, and j-spillane@northwestern.edu.

(Please Note: The summary above is reprinted with permission from issue #792 of 
The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.)