System Leadership
The superintendents and principals in our partner districts and schools have taught us a
great deal about leadership. When most of them took their jobs, this kind of reform was not
even on the radar screen. Still, they stepped up to the plate and acknowledged that their
districts and schools were struggling. They moved forward with an ambitious reform program
even without solid consensus among their teaching staff or their fellow administrators that
it needed to be done. They did not have the option of replacing the vast majority of the
teaching staff, nor did the system have the option of replacing the vast majority of them.
Starting with Reality
Why are these stark facts important? They force us to think differently about leadership
development than we would if we were starting charter schools or small schools within public
school districts. For example, new schools select, rather than inherit, administrators,
teachers and, at times, students and families. Self-selection alone initially ensures higher
levels of will for planning and implementing reforms. Developing the leadership capacities to
carry out comprehensive reform in a new or charter school would be easier than it is in most
schools or districts.
A Different Strategy for Leadership Development
Among our partners, effective leaders are always spread much too thinly. Furthermore, all
of these individuals will leave at some point for all the normal reasons. Rather than invest
only in existing leaders, we have learned to work with our partners on a system of constantly
emerging leaders. Together, we decide where the investment in leadership is most needed by
examining the leadership capacity within the system as a whole rather than the capacity of
individual leaders alone.
What Does System Leadership Look Like?
In First Things First, we define system leadership as the collective capacity of a district
or school to plan and implement meaningful reform. With our partners, we start with a fairly
specific blueprint for what schools need to become - and then build the system's capacity to
get there.
IRRE has identified five ways system leaders support effective reform. These leaders range
from the district superintendent to instructional coaches and small learning community
coordinators. Leaders at all levels must:
- Set and articulate clear expectations for the reform.
- Personify commitment to the reform.
- Provide timely and effective supports to others in the system.
- Monitor and report progress.
- Recognize others' accomplishments and intervene when necessary to ensure progress.
Technical Assistance Builds Capacity
Successful reform depends on the continuing presence of enough leaders in the system who
can do these things effectively. IRRE helps current leaders take stock of their current
activities in relation to those needed, then revise, remove and replace current activities
accordingly. We also work with our partners to identify emerging leaders who can begin taking
on these roles as well.
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