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Jeremy Grant-Skinner
Senior Managing Director, School Leadership
LEADFORDELAWARE
APPLICATION
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS FOR LEADERS IN EDUCATION
14 DE ADMIN. CODE 1595
AUGUST 2015
SUBMITTED BY:
CONTENTS
Overview............................................................................................................................... 3
Section 1: Applicant Recruitment and Selection ..................................................................... 9
Section 2: LEA and Program Partnerships ............................................................................. 13
Section 3: Program Curriculum and Standards ..................................................................... 15
Section 4: Residency, Internship, or Clinical Experiences ...................................................... 23
Section 5: Educator Performance Evaluation System Training .............................................. 25
Section 6: Faculty, Instructors, and Mentors ........................................................................ 28
Section 7: Organization Governance and Resources ............................................................. 36
Section 8: Candidate Assessment & Evaluation .................................................................... 38
Section 9: Program Assessment & Evaluation....................................................................... 41
Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 43
OVERVIEW
students have less than a one-in-ten chance of leaving high school ready for college (if they
graduate 5).
Unprepared graduates affect entire communities. Young people without a quality education
find it difficult to find employment,6 high school dropouts are statistically more likely to have an
early death, 7 and young adult males without a high school diploma are 47 times more likely to
be incarcerated than those who have graduated from college. 8 Every individual who is
incarcerated in Delaware costs the state roughly $35,000 per year.9 According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Delaware has nearly 7,000 inmates in its jails and state prisons 10 imprisoning
citizens at a rate higher than that of all but ten (10) other states. Considering the link between
lack of education and incarceration, these statistics demonstrate staggering, statewide costs
that inhibit the productivity of our communities.
On the other hand, a great school not only educates students, but also has the potential to
anchor a community. A review of related literature by the RAND Corporation 11 highlighted
findings that a one (1) percent increase in English Language Arts or Mathematics standardized
test scores correlates to a one-half (0.5) to one (1) percent increase in property values. An
increase of one (1) year in a communitys average level of education correlates to a 27 percent
decrease in the murder rate. RAND also found empirical evidence of positive impact of
education on voter participation, acceptance of free speech, participation in community events,
and newspaper readership. Higher levels of education led to higher contributions toward, and
lower costs of, social welfare programs.
See ESEA Four-Year Adjusted Graduation Rate for Districts 2013-14, Feb 2015,
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=2822&dataid=13017&FileName=2
014_Final_Grad_Rate_By_Districts.pdf; ESEA Four-Year Adjusted Graduation Rate for Schools 2013-14, Feb 2015,
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=2822&dataid=13019&FileName=2
014_Final_Grad_Rate_for_Schools.pdf
6
Sum, Andrew, et al., (2009). The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Joblessness and Jailing for High
School Dropouts and the High Cost for Taxpayers. Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University,
http://www.northeastern.edu/clms/wpcontent/uploads/The_Consequences_of_Dropping_Out_of_High_School.pdf
7
Woolf, Steven H., (2009). Social Policy as Health Policy. Journal of the American Medical Association.
8
Sum, Andrew, et al., (2009).
9
This estimate accounts for inflation, as the cost was $32,967 per year according to a January 2012 report. Vera
Institute of Justice, The Price of Prisons Delaware Fact Sheet,
http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/the-price-of-prisons-40-fact-sheets-updated072012.pdf
10
Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013, Bureau of Justice Statistics, December 2014,
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus13.pdf
11
Carroll & Scherer (RAND Corporation), The Impact of Educational Quality on the Community: A Literature
Review, 2008, http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/documented_briefings/2008/RAND_DB562.pdf
decrease in the overall number of certified administrators. Data also suggests that certification
has not always correlated with preparation. Of all candidates who applied for a principal
position in the 2012-2013 school year, 28 percent were considered acceptable candidates by
Delaware personnel directors. 18
Findings of national studies align with the experience of these professionals. Researchers
seeking to find if there was a principal shortage nationally stated: Few districts faced an
absolute shortage of people with the legally required qualifications, but many felt quality was in
short supply. Where certification was initially developed to be a proxy for competence, school
leadership now requires different capabilities than are guaranteed by the present licensing and
hiring process. 19 The Southern Regional Education Board cited a lack of qualified principals in
one of its studies, stating that the real problem is that the recruitment, preparation and
professional development programs for educators who want to become leaders are out of sync
with scaled-up expectations.
The challenge is even greater for urban schools and schools in low-income communities.
Nationally, according to the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research
(CALDER), the most disadvantaged schools are least likely to have effective principals. In 2012,
another group of researchers found that not only are many preparation programs falling short
of preparing leaders to be successful in todays schools, but also that this is particularly true
for high need urban school settings. 20 This year, Dr. John B. King, Jr., Senior Advisor Delegated
Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education, described the
current state of our countrys preparation of principals for low-income schools as in crisis. In
Delaware, a majority of our public school students are people of color and 23 percent of our
principals are people of color.
Anecdotally, in conversations with local educators and community leaders, we hear about
struggles to attract, develop, and retain exceptional leadership talent in Delaware schools.
What we hear includes reasons such as:
there are limited pathways and pipelines in districts to help exceptional teachers and
educators become leaders;
18
Delaware Teacher and Administrator Supply and Demand Survey Analysis Reports, 2012-2013, Delaware
Department of Education, 2013
19
Roza, A Matter of Definition: Is There Truly a Shortage of School Principals, 2003,
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/state-policy/Documents/Is-There-Trulya-Shortage-of-School-Principals.pdf
20
Mitang, The Making of the Principal: Five Lessons in Leadership Training, 2012,
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/effective-principalleadership/Documents/The-Making-of-the-Principal-Five-Lessons-in-Leadership-Training.pdf
district programs havent consistently identified traits that yield successful school
leaders, and the research on principal effectiveness is minimal compared to the same
research on teachers;
selection and placement processes for principals or school leaders are not transparent
and can be difficult to navigate; and
training programs have historically developed administrator mindsets rather than
leadership mindsets.
These insights mirror findings of studies such as the 2011 Rainwater Leadership Alliance study21
and a Bush Institute study conducted in 2013 22. They found that many principal preparation
programs:
are not selective on any sort of aligned competency model;
are not providing learning outside of the classroom that is aligned to the actual job
experience;
do not support people to get and/or keep a job; and
do not measure their success based on success of students.
school leaders with proven skills and high potential to lead schools in low-income Delaware
communities. We will identify extraordinary educators with a record of dramatically improving
student learning and prepare them for school leader roles. Through a 24-month program
grounded in the ISLLC-aligned School Leader Competency Framework, we will help these
educators become cage-busting school leaders through a program that brings together a
variety of local and national partners who are each recognized for their expertise in one or
more aspects of school leadership.
2015-17
2016-18
100
25
10
4:1
10%
2017-19
100
33
10
3:1
10%
2018-20
100
40
10
2.5:1
10%
2019-21
100
50
10
2:1
10%
We will incorporate the following activities into our recruitment in order to ensure a robust and
diverse applicant pool each year:
23
Individuals may be granted program admission if they have at least three (3) years of full-time teaching
experience, but they cannot complete the program (or, therefore, earn certification) without reaching five (5)
years of full-time teaching experience.
10
Selection Process
The selection process will include the following phases:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Application, including personal data and information, resume, and short essay questions
Completion of a performance task focused on instructional expertise
On-site interview day focused on turnaround teacher competencies
Reference checks
Our application will include five (5) short essay questions, which were selected in collaboration
with the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (one of our partners):
Why do you want to be a school leader, why do you want to do it in Delaware, and why
do you want to earn certification through the Lead For Delaware program? Whats
something special that you will add to the cohort and to school leadership in Delaware?
(Max: 500 words, approximately 30 40 lines)
What data are you most proud of that demonstrates your success with students
academically in the past? (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what you believe has been your greatest instructional strength as a
teacher and explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what area of your instructional practice you believe you need to work
on to become a better classroom teacher. Please describe what area of leadership
practice you believe you will need to work on most to become a successful school
leader. (Max: 500 words, approximately 30 - 40 lines)
Please describe what you believe to be your greatest strengths as a colleague and/or
leader of other teachers. Please explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Through our application and application process, we will collect all of the following required
data:
Number of applicants: projected yield, actual applied, accepted, enrolled (with enrollees
then to be tracked as completed, dismissed, or withdrawn)
GPA (overall/major)
Certifications held
Years teaching
Other leadership experience
Previous educational experience
Lead For Delaware selection will be based on ISLLC-aligned competencies identified by Public
Impact as turnaround school leader competencies and turnaround teacher competencies.
These competencies were identified as those that are most important for teachers and leaders
11
Timeline
Rolling: Nov. Feb.
Rolling: Nov. Feb.
Rolling: Dec. Mar.
Rolling: Dec. Mar.
Jan.-Feb. and Mar.-Apr.
Rolling: Jan. Apr.
Rolling: Jan. Apr.
Personnel Involved
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead For Delaware staff
LFD director and selected partners
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead for Delaware director
12
13
14
Personal Growth
Critical Consciousness
Access
Culturally Responsive
Learning
Environment
Academic Excellence
and Rigor
Strategic Operational
Excellence
Family and
Community
Engagement
15
Personal
Leadership
Diversity,
Inclusion,
and Equity
Leadership
Interpersonal
Leadership
Reasoning
and Strategic
Thinking
Managing
People and
Projects
Managing
Operations
and
Systems
Instructional
Leadership
Vision for
Transformational
Change
Identity
Awareness
Interpersonal
Understanding
Analytical
Thinking
Personal
Organization
and
Effectiveness
Resource
and
Operations
Leadership
Instructional
Knowledge
and
Background
Personal
Motivation for
Educational
Leadership
Valuing
Diversity
Influences
Others to
Achieve
Outcomes
Strategic
Decision
Making
Project
Management
School
Culture
Data Driven
Leadership
Learning Mindset
Building
Relationships
in Diverse
Settings
Effective
Communication
Systems
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Family and
Community
Engagement
Growing
Strong
Teachers
Grit
Equity
Leadership
Self-Awareness
Staff
Management
Talent
Development
The School Leader Competency Framework is also rooted in Teach For Americas organizational
core values25 and draws on insights from several research sources and other models, including:
24
25
See Appendix X for the complete, detailed School Leader Competency Framework.
See Appendix X.
16
The School Leader Competency Framework aligns with the state of Delawares adopted school
leader standards, which were developed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium
(ISLLC).
Alignment with Delaware School Leader Standards (ISLLC Standards)
LFD
Cluster
1
LFD
Competency
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
A
B
C
ISLLC
Standard(s)
1,2
1
5,6
5,6
5
4,5
4,5
4,6
4,5
4,5
4,6
4,6
1,5
1,5
5,6
LFD
Cluster
5
LFD
Competency
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
A
B
C
ISLLC
Standard(s)
5
1
2,4
2,3
2,3
3
2,3
4
2
2,4
2,3
17
18
month, Lead For Delaware sessions will be held partly supported by partners such as TNTP and
Jounce.
Each of these sessions is a part of a specific Lead For Delaware module. Lead For Delaware
modules run concurrently for the full two years. Each aspiring leader will coach and mentor one
or two master teachers while receiving two (2) hours of executive coaching each month.
Although the programs clinical experience does not begin during year one, the Lead For
Delaware modules require regular observation and, through a gradual release model, practice
of specific skills throughout the year. Hours dedicated to this school-based leadership
observation and practice are not counted toward program requirements. Finally, excellent
principal consultants from within and beyond Delaware schools participate in module sessions
related to specific areas of expertise. These same principal consultants will provide
individualized, content-specific support through supplemental coaching during the second year.
In year two, each aspiring leader will serve as a full-time administrator for a program-approved
summer school program, followed by a year-long clinical experience, with an assigned mentor,
in their home school during which the aspiring leader will apply new skills and practice realtime leadership. Each participant will complete at least one formal (i.e., DPAS II-aligned)
teacher observation with feedback for each week of the summer school administrator
experience and the year-long, school-based clinical experience. The second year incorporates
several more excellent school visits, once-per-month Lead For Delaware sessions, and
continued coaching. The once-per-month Lead For Delaware sessions continue the concurrent
modules that began in the first year of the program. Again, principal consultants will be
available for coaching cohort members in their identified area of special expertise, building on
their whole-cohort support during the Lead For Delaware modules in the first year. The
program culminates with a series of sessions our Day One Ready Institute focused on
preparation for the aspiring principals future school leader placement.
An individualized leadership development plan will drive program activities, particularly during
the clinical experiences and coaching, for each aspiring leader.
The first table below shows the distribution of program hours across the various program
components. The Lead For Delaware program meets or exceeds the minimum-required number
of hours for pre-clinical professional development, the clinical experience, and ongoing
professional development during and after the clinical experience.
The second table below shows additional detail for the professional development components
of the Lead For Delaware program, including pre-clinical professional development and ongoing
professional development.
19
Pre-Clinical
Coursework,
Including
DPAS Training
and
Calibration
Clinical
Experience
Ongoing
Professional
Development
Timeline
Standards
Alignment
Year 1
(beginning
in July and
ending in
June)
ISLLC
Standards
1-6
Year 2
(beginning
in July and
ending in
May)
Year 2
(beginning
in July and
ending in
June)
ISLLC
Standards
1-6
ISLLC
Standards
1-6
20
End
Module/Course
Lead
July, Year
1
July,
Year 1
Setting a Vision
for Success
Fall, Year
1
Fall, Year
1
Fall, Year
1
Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 1
Spring,
Year 1
Fall, Year
1
Spring,
Year 2
Excellent School
Visits
Case Study
Fellowship
Coaching and
Mentoring
Master Teachers
Improving
Instruction
Lead For
Delaware
and Teach
For All
Lead For
Delaware
NAATE
Fall, Year
1
Fall, Year
1
Spring,
Year 1
Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 1
Culture and
Communication
People and
Projects
Fiscal
Operations and
Resources
June,
Year 1
June,
Year 1
Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 2
Data Wise
Leadership
Institute
First Day Ready
Institute
Lead For
Delaware
Lead For
Delaware,
TNTP, and
Jounce
Partners
Lead For
Delaware
Lead For
Delaware
Wilmington
University
Harvard
University
Lead For
Delaware
Total
Days/
Sessions
4 days
Total
Hours
Counted
40
Competencies
Addressed
4 days
40
10 days
120
5 hours
per
month
20
sessions
50
Various
(supplemental)
Various
(supplemental)
Various
(supplemental)
70
7A, 7B, 7C
10
sessions
10
sessions
7-week,
3-credit
online
course
4 days
35
40
10
sessions
35
5A, 5B
35
40
21
22
Timeline
September
November,
annually
Selection
November,
annually
Training
Upon selection
and in May,
annually
By January of
Program Year 1
Matching
Interaction
with Mentee
June of Program
Year 1 and July
through June of
Program Year 2
Details/Expectations
Mentors will be selected through a competitive application
process, while soliciting recommendations from LEA
Partners and, where possible, recruiting from schools and
districts in which Lead For Delaware aspiring leaders will be
working
Selection will be based on Public Impacts critical
competencies for turnaround school leaders based on an
on-site behavioral event interview
Training will be provided by the Lead For Delaware director
Matching will be determined in consultation with LEA
partners and, where different, district/school officials in
the aspiring leaders home district/school
Mentors commit to work with the mentee and program
staff to develop, update, and monitor the individualized
leadership development plan and to provide two (2) hours
of direct, 1-on-1 coaching per month
23
Interaction
June of Program
with Program Year 1 and July
Staff
through June of
Program Year 2
Evaluation of Ongoing, with
Mentee
formal rating
submissions and
recommendations
in May or each
Program Year
Evaluation of June of each
Mentor
Program Year
Renewal
June of each
Decisions
Program Year
As described more in section 8, evaluation of work during the clinical experiences by both the
Lead For Delaware coordinator and the mentor form a critically important component of the
overall evaluation of the aspiring leader during the program. Aspiring leaders must
demonstrate the competencies across the seven (7) clusters of the School Leader Competency
Framework in order to earn a recommendation for certification.
When developing, updating, and monitoring the individual development plan for each cohort
member, the Lead For Delaware coordinator, with consultation from the mentor, will ensure
that the clinical experiences (both the summer program administrator role and the year-long
school-based clinical experience) incorporate significant opportunities in each of the following
areas:
Driving measurable student achievement results through leading adults
Exposure to diverse student populations, including general, special education, & ELL
Instructional leadership, including observing and evaluating teachers, leading professional
development and PLCs, and driving assessment, curriculum & instruction
Operations and resources, including talent acquisition, talent management, finance,
strategic planning and school operations
Indeed, the purpose of including a full-time summer program administrator role in addition to
the year-long clinical experience is to ensure that each cohort member has some time during
the clinical experiences when the cohort member has primary responsibility for all facets of
leadership. Additionally, the expert principal consultants will be dedicated to specific areas of
content expertise that align with the areas listed above.
24
See http://www.ccsso.org/documents/2008/educational_leadership_policy_standards_2008.pdf
See http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/224
25
creates and keeps an observation schedule that allows consistent and effective collection of the
data on most school goals and individual teacher and team goals, (4) provides feedback that is
accurate, correctly connects the key issue to a school goal, and strengthens the teachers sense
of efficacy, and (5) plans and delivers professional development that is planned specifically for
the teachers needs around school goals and uses adult learning theory at the foundation.
These specific indicators of instructional leadership competencies are the foundation for the
largest Lead For Delaware training module Improving Instruction. This module will incorporate
at least 15 hours of DPAS II-specific training sessions into the 70-hour course, which will more
broadly focus on the history of teacher feedback and evaluation nationally and in Delaware, the
legal and policy framework for DPAS, and best practices for observation, feedback, and student
learning objectives. The Delaware Department of Education training sessions and materials
including administrator boot camp may adapted and used for part of Lead For Delawares
DPAS II training.
The lead instructor negotiated and led the implementation of similar state-approved teacher
and principal evaluation systems, based on multiple measures, in New York State during the
2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 school years. This implementation included a variety of
observer certification and calibration activities along with data analyses focused on
maintaining and improving inter-rater reliability for two instructional practice rubrics for
teachers and one leadership practice rubric for principals. Teach For Americas own model for
coaching new teachers is recognized as an effective model of support, without which many new
teachers would underperform and/or fail to improve significantly. The Lead For Delaware team
brings expertise and experience to bear in this module in particular.
Two Lead For Delaware partners TNTP and Jounce will co-design and co-facilitate some
sessions of the Improving Instruction module, bringing significant additional, external expertise
to the module. TNTPs national reports, including The Widget Effect 28, Teacher Evaluation 2.0 29,
and The Irreplaceables 30, arguably were responsible in part for igniting and continuing the
national shift particularly including the U.S. Department of Educations change in focus
through Race to the Top after The Widget Effect toward more meaningful teacher evaluation
systems like DPAS II. Jounce Partners will add perspective through training on its own
innovative teacher-coaching model, which has the potential to increase the amount of
development teachers are getting each month by a factor of eight or more. In short but
frequent coaching sessions, and in-the-moment classroom feedback, Jounce focuses on very
specific skills that teachers can learn and perfect.
28
http://tntp.org/publications/view/the-widget-effect-failure-to-act-on-differences-in-teacher-effectiveness
http://tntp.org/assets/documents/Teacher-Evaluation-Oct10F.pdf
30
http://tntp.org/publications/view/the-irreplaceables-understanding-the-real-retention-crisis
29
26
During year one of the preparation program, learning from the Improving Instruction module
will link to coaching that cohort members will provide to teachers. Specifically, each aspiring
school leader will provide 50 hours of mentoring and coaching, combined, to one or two
program-identified teachers. Coaching will be guided through the Improving Instruction
module, with participants practicing and applying discrete strategies in stages throughout the
first year of the program. Module sessions will include calibration activities. Each of the Lead
For Delaware modules continues into the second year of the program, but a majority of hours
for this module will be completed during the first year.
If any candidates do not meet state credentialing requirements by the end of June of the first
year, an intervention plan will be developed to provide additional support from the Lead For
Delaware coach, one or more Lead For Delaware principal consultants, and/or other district- or
school-based resources. This intervention plan may also include completion of in-person or
online training sessions developed and/or led by the Delaware Department of Education. An
aspiring school leader with an intervention plan due, wholly or partly, to failure to earn DPAS II
observer credentials must successfully complete the intervention plan by September 1st of the
second year. If a cohort member fails to do so after the implementation of the intervention
plan, the cohort member will either be exited from the program or his/her continuation into
year two of the program will be deferred for one year, providing additional time to complete
this requirement.
During year two, each participant will complete at least one formal (i.e., DPAS II-aligned)
teacher observation with feedback for each week of the summer school administrator
experience and the year-long, school-based clinical experience. School-based mentors will
provide oversight for this work. Additionally, executive coaching and optional consulting
sessions with one or more principal consultants will include some focus on this instructional
leadership activity; the specific level of priority given to related leadership competencies will be
determined in accordance with each participants individualized leadership development plan.
27
Laurisa Schutt
Executive Director
Teach For America-Delaware
Jeremy Grant-Skinner
Senior Managing Director, School Leadership
Teach For America-Delaware
Lead For
Delaware
Support Staff
Partner Organizations
0.5 FTE
effective 2017
Harvard
University
National
Academy of
Advanced
Teacher
Education
(NAATE)
Wilmington
University
TNTP
Jounce
Partners
JEREMY GRANT-SKINNER
Jeremy Grant-Skinner is Senior Managing Director, School Leadership for Teach For America
Delaware. Now in his fifteenth year working in education, after being the first college graduate
in his family, he has led at the classroom, school, district, and state levels with public, charter,
and turnaround schools. In his current role, he leads Teach For Americas work in Delaware to
build pathways for excellent teachers to become excellent teacher leaders and school leaders.
28
He will be the director and lead instructor of the Lead For Delaware school principal
certification program.
Immediately preceding his work with Teach For America Delaware, Grant-Skinner was the
chief HR/talent officer for the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) in Syracuse, New York,
serving 21,000 students and nearly 4,000 full- and part-time staff. With the SCSD, he designed
and implemented selection, training, and support programs for master teachers, aspiring
principals, and new principals, with the work funded in part by a Turnaround School Leaders
Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education and multiple competitive state grants.
With his leadership, SCSD became the first district with collective bargaining in the nation to
implement Opportunity Culture staffing models in collaboration with Public Impact.
He began his career as a Teach For America corps member in Baltimore City, where he taught
first and fifth grade students. He has also served as an education consultant with TNTP, where
he supported the launch of a statewide recovery district by developing new roles for master
teachers and a performance-based compensation system that enabled excellent teachers to
earn nearly six figures in Tennessee. Prior to TNTP, he was division leader at the state education
agency for the District of Columbia, where he managed a dozen federal education grant
programs, with total annual budgets of up to $200 million, for DCs more than 200 schools.
Grant-Skinner earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from New York University and a Master of
Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education from the Johns Hopkins University. Hes also an
alumnus of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Candice Bocala is the co-chair of the Data Wise Summer Institute and a senior team member
for the Data Wise Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Since 2009, she has
been working with educators to use the Data Wise Improvement Process, and she has directly
supported school teams in districts such as Prince Georges County, MD to integrate Data Wise
into their work. She also conducts policy research and program evaluation for WestEd, where
her research interests include data use, educator effectiveness, professional development, and
school improvement. Previously, she taught elementary school in Washington, DC. Bocala holds
a BA in government from Cornell University, an MA in policy analysis and evaluation from
Stanford University, an MAT in elementary education from American University, and an EdD in
education policy, leadership, and instructional practice from the Harvard Graduate School of
Education.
29
Kathryn Parker Boudett is Lecturer on Education and the Director of the Data Wise Project at
HGSE. Her research and teaching focus on helping educators make effective use of a wide range
of data sources to improve instruction and student achievement. She is coeditor of Data Wise:
A Step-By-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning with
Richard Murnane and Elizabeth City; Data Wise in Action: Stories of Schools Using Data to
Improve Teaching and Learning with Jennifer Steele; and Key Elements of Observing Practice: A
Data Wise Facilitator's Guide and DVD with Elizabeth City and Marcia Russell. Boudett holds a
PhD in Public Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a BA in
Economics from Yale University.
NAATE
Cara Stillings Candal, Director of Research and Curriculum, is an experienced educator,
curriculum and assessment specialist, and policy analyst. She began her career in education as
an English literature and English as a second language teacher, working in classrooms both in
the United States and abroad. In 2002 she became a lead test and curriculum development
specialist in English language arts at the Riverside Publishing Company. In this capacity, she
worked closely with teachers, school districts, and state departments of education to create
large-scale assessment items, evaluate standardized assessments for bias and sensitivity issues,
and provide professional development around data-driven instruction methods.
Candal continues to consult in the areas of large-scale assessment and teacher professional
development and maintains a relationship with Boston University, where she conducts
30
educational research and teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses in domestic and
international education policy. Candal is the editor of two books about education policy and the
author of several academic articles on topics such as No Child Left Behind, charter schools, and
other education policies for disadvantaged students.
Candal holds a doctorate in education policy and administration from the Boston University
School of Education, an MA in anthropology from the University of Chicago, and a BA in English
literature from Indiana University. She serves on the Board of Trustees for City on a Hill Charter
Public School in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Jason Griffiths, Managing Director of Recruitment and Research, was the founding head master
of The Brooklyn Latin School (TBLS), a selective, public school on the border of the Bushwick
and Williamsburg neighborhoods of Brooklyn. TBLS offers a liberal arts curriculum combined
with an emphasis on the classics. All students take four years of Latin and are enrolled in the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. One hundred percent of TBLS graduates have
been accepted into a post-secondary program. In 2013, TBLS was ranked as the #1 high school
in New York City and New York State by the US News and World Report. Mr. Griffiths also
briefly served as the principal of the Harlem Village Academy High School in the Fall of 2013.
Before starting TBLS, Mr. Griffiths was a teacher at Delaware Valley High School in Milford, Pa.
He earned a bachelor's in history from Princeton University and a master's in educational
administration from Temple University. He was a member of the fifth cohort of New Leaders, a
national principal leadership program. He currently serves on the board of Common Core, a
non-profit organization that promotes the teaching of the liberal arts in American schools.
Angela Harvey-Bowen, Director of Recruitment and Support, spent seven years working with
students with emotional challenges prior to joining the District of Columbia Public School's
master educator team. Harvey-Bowen has experience working in school districts including
Baltimore, MD, Rochester, NY, and Los Angeles, CA. As a lead special education teacher, she
mentored teachers in both general and regular education classes, providing them with
strategies that led to significant gains in student achievement and decreases in behavioral
difficulties overall. Recently, she has been working within the professional development
community, and she continues to design effective trainings and instructional resources for
teachers of students with emotional challenges. Harvey-Bowen experienced success in a short
career in marketing, prior to making the transition to education. As a career-changer, she
completed the Baltimore City Teaching Residency to become a special education teacher.
Harvey-Bowen received her BA degree in business administration and music from the
University of La Verne. Additionally, she received a Masters degree in leadership and teaching
from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, MD.
31
Tony Klemmer, Founder and President, received his Ph.D. in Humanities from Salve Regina
University. His doctoral work focuses on Moral Coherence in the Modern World. He graduated
from the Harvard Business School and has a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the U.
of Penn. Tony taught Production and Operations Management in the MBA program at Babson
College, while helping develop entrepreneurship course materials there. He is a cum laude
graduate of Portsmouth Abbey School, Portsmouth, RI.
Klemmer is also the Founder and President of The Center for Better Schools and is currently
focused on developing new programs of advanced teacher education for high performing K 12
classroom teachers. He served as the Assistant Headmaster of Portsmouth Abbey School. He
has participated in the start-up and board level activities of a number of social enterprises. He
helped found several high-tech companies in the medical device, advanced materials and
industrial automation industries. He developed distribution networks in Europe and ran Asian
sales offices, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer of a $1.5 billion public, multi-national
technology company. Klemmer managed a successful marketing, strategic planning and
investment consultancy and led the healthcare and life science practice at a Boston-based
boutique investment bank. In 2010, he and The Center for Better Schools were named one of
47 Finalists from a field of over 500 applicants by the Kauffman Foundation as a Kauffman
Education Venture Fellow. In 2011 he was named to the inaugural cohort of Pahara/Aspen
Institute Teacher Leader Fellows and is a Pahara/Aspen Moderator.
Deborah Levitzky, Chief Program Officer & Founding Director of Programs, has spent the last
twenty-five years working in a variety of roles in the field of public education, with the last
decade spent focusing on professional learning. Prior to joining NAATE, she was the chief
content officer for the Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC), an initiative of New
Leaders. At New Leaders she led the development of a web-based professional development
platform for teachers and school leaders, highlighting the practices that were driving
improvements in student and school achievement. Prior to New Leaders, Levitzky served as
director of the Office of New and Small Schools in the Bronx, and as an associate director in the
Office of New Schools in the NYC Department of Education. While there, Levitzky helped to
create dozens of small schools as part of Chancellor Joel Klein's Children First Initiative. She
served as a school designer with Expeditionary Learning in New York where she supported the
development of experiential-learning approaches of teacher teams in district schools.
Levitzky got her start in the field of education over two decades ago as a co-founder of the
Public Service Corps, a service learning and career tech internship program for high school
students. Levitzky has served as an educational consultant for a range of clients including Teach
for America, Green Dot Public Schools, IDEA Public Schools, the Coro Foundation, and several
independent charter schools. Levitzky holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management, a
32
MSA of education administration from Trinity College, and a BA from Barnard College. She was
also a Coro Fellow in public affairs.
Maia Merin, Program Manager, received her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from New York
University in January 2015. She was a former social studies teacher in New York City public
schools. After seven years of teaching, she returned to graduate school to pursue a doctoral
degree in Social Studies Education. Her dissertation explored New York City's educational
history, specifically one experimental school district in the Lower East Side in the late 1960s.
She conducted extensive oral histories and archival research. Merin holds a Masters degree in
Secondary School Education from Brooklyn College and a BA in History from Wesleyan
University in Connecticut. She was a New York City Teaching Fellow and the recipient of the
Ruth Landes Fellowship while at NYU.
WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY
Karen Thorpe, Adjunct Instructor, is a retired business manager with experience in two
Delaware school districts and, altogether, more than 30 years of hands-on experience in
strategic planning, management of business processes, budgeting, and improving operational
efficiency. She presently consults with multiple school districts regarding school finance issues.
She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Delaware and a
Bachelors degree in Accounting from Villanova University. For more than ten years, Thorpe has
taught Fiscal Operations and Resources, a core course in Wilmington Universitys Masters in
Education in School Leadership program. This course examines fiscal policy, control systems,
and effective teaching methods of budget planning related to resource-allocation and
improving the quality of teaching and learning. The course is designed to prepare school leaders
for fiscal planning, operations, control responsibilities, financial decision making, and problem
solving. The course will address state financial structures and policies, legal and ethical issues,
financial management systems, and budget-building/implementation at the school and district
level. The course also explores major unsolved problems related to financing of public
education, including: equalizing educational opportunity - a goal that has not been achieved on
a nationwide scale; providing high-quality education that is equitable for all students regardless
of place of residence or degree of parental affluence; and providing adequate funding in a
manner that is fair to all taxpayers.
33
TNTP
Regan Kelly began her career as a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher in Compton, California, where she
taught for five years. She worked closely with new teachers in her district and as a staff
member for Teach For Americas summer institute, as a regional learning team leader and as a
mentor and instructor in her districts certification program. After several years in the
classroom, Kelly became a literacy coach in Los Angeles where she supported K-5 teachers. She
has extensive experience in teacher professional development and was an author of the
curriculum sessions for Teach For Americas summer institute. More recently, Kelly supported
and managed charter school principals and leaders. As regional director for a national charter
management organization, she worked closely with school leaders to support implementation
of curriculum and teacher development. For the past several years, she has been coaching
principals in Washington, DC on performance management and family engagement. Most
recently she has been designing and leading training for aspiring school leaders with TNTP. Kelly
received her Masters degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and
her Bachelors of Arts in philosophy from Barnard College, Columbia University.
JOUNCE PARTNERS
Paul Dean, Executive Director, focuses on the design, execution and effectiveness of the Jounce
Partners programming. He works closely with the President and the board, setting the longterm strategy of the organization. Prior to co-founding Jounce Partners, Dean worked at New
Orleans College Preparatory (NOCP), an award winning urban charter school in New Orleans,
LA. At NOCP, he served on the five-person school leadership team, managed teachers as an
instructional coach, and taught English and science. Before working at NOCP, Dean fulfilled his
Teach For America commitment at Carver High School in New Orleans, leading his 9th graders
to an average increase of 1.5 years of reading comprehension growth each semester. He
graduated Summa Cum Laude from Yale University in 2008.
Michael McKenna, School Launch Partner works with the Executive Director to improve and
refine the Jounce coaching model, and leads training for school leaders and teachers across
Jounce partner schools. He is also developing his school leadership skill set, building a team of
community leaders and educators, and designing the systems and structures to launch a
Jounce-model school in 2016. Before joining Jounce, McKenna was with KIPP Philadelphia
Charter School as an 8th grade math teacher and then an Assistant Principal. In 2013-2014, he
participated in the nationwide Miles Family Fellowship, a training program to prepare future
KIPP school leaders. Before joining KIPP, McKenna was the first 8th grade math teacher at the
Soulsville Charter School in Memphis, Tennessee. During his five years at Soulsville, he served
34
as a grade level chair, athletic director, and math department chair. Originally from
Philadelphia, he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in sociology and earned his
Masters of Education from Christian Brothers University.
Logan Blyler is also a School Launch Partner. He started his educational career as a 2011 Teach
for America Corps member at Eastern University Academy Charter School teaching 7th and 8th
grade Science and Math. In his second year at EUACS, he led his students from 4% proficiency in
Mathematics to 57% proficient/advanced on end-of-year assessments. For the last two years,
he has continued teaching 7th grade Math in Camden, NJ at Freedom Prep and 7th and 8th grade
Science at Young Scholars Frederick Douglass. Blyler earned his B.S. from Temple University as
a brother of Alpha Chi Rho and his M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania.
35
36
With Lead For Delaware, Teach For America Delaware will apply lessons from partner regions
across the country to attract, inspire, develop, place/match, and support some of Delawares
next generation of school leaders, Lead For Delaware is open to all candidates both alumni
and non-alumni.
The chart below shows projected annual program costs, using the annual average over the first
five years, given that the program will initially be more expensive and then later less expensive
based on cohort size projections. Lead For Delaware intends to serve a cohort of five aspiring
principals beginning upon approval in 2015, followed by annual cohorts of ten aspiring
principals. Because the program spans two years, beginning in 2016, there will be a cohort in its
second year and a cohort in its first year of the program concurrently.
Category
Unit Cost
Harvard University
NAATE
Teach For All
TNTP
WilmU
Jounce Partners
Principal Consultants
Excellent School Visits
Materials
Operating costs
Recruitment
Participant Fee
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Total
4,750
4,000
1,983
389
1,500
389
1,667
2,000
1,000
18,400
556
(7,000)
29,634
Lead For Delaware cohort members will be primarily funded through grants and donations
secured by Teach For America Delaware. All resources are managed by Teach For America
Delaware, which follows strict fiscal controls set by the national Teach For America
organization. The programs director has experience managing budgets of more than $100
million, mostly federal grant funds for which very stringent administrative rules apply.
Lead For Delaware will fundraise for the large majority of costs in order to keep costs for a very
competitive program low, given our goal of attracting diverse, proven, and high-potential
leaders to become Delaware school leaders, without any barriers. As shown in the projected
budget above, Lead For Delaware will charge a fee of $7,000 to each program participant for
the full two-year program. Although remaining costs are intended to rely on fundraising, the
cost of the program is low compared to other programs available in other states with which
Lead For Delaware seeks to be competitive. A popular program available at Columbia
Universitys Teachers College has total costs of roughly $60,000.
37
38
Below are three examples of rubric scores on the School Leader Competency Framework.
Numbers one (1) through seven (7) represent the competency clusters. Letters A through E
represent the competencies within a cluster: not all clusters have five competencies.
Example 1: Eligible to be Recommended for Certification Met Option 1
A
B
C
D
E
Cluster
Rating
Composite
Rating
2
2
1
3
2
2.00
2
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
1
3
2
2
3
3
1
2
2.50
2.00
2.00
2
2
1
3
3
2.20
2.33
2.00
2.15
Composite
Rating
A
B
C
D
E
Cluster
Rating
2
2
1
1
2
1.60
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
2
3
3
3
2
3
3
2
2
1.50
1.67
2.67
3
3
3
3
3
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.31
Example 3: Not Eligible to be Recommended for Certification Did Not Meet Option 1 or 2
A
B
C
D
E
Cluster
Rating
2
2
1
1
2
1.60
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
2
3
3
3
2
3
3
2
2
1.50
1.67
2.67
3
2
2
2
3
2.40
2.67
2.33
Composite
Rating
2.15
39
Criteria/Tool
Sources of
Evidence
See Section 1
Evaluators/
Participants
Lead For
Delaware
selection team
Review
Processes
See Section 1
End of Year
1
DPAS II Certification
Assessment
Passing score
Cohort
members
Review of
data
School-based
Recommendation
PD Hours
Recommended
School-based
mentor
Program
director
Program
director
Course
instructors
Program
director
Program
director and
mentor
Program
director
Course
instructors
Program
director
(possibly using
stakeholder
input and data)
and mentor
ETS
Submission by
mentor
Review data
Selection Criteria
PD Attendance
Course Scores
End of Year
2
Program
Completion
PD Hours
Clinical Experience
Hours
PD Attendance
Course Scores
School Leader
Competency
Framework
School Leaders
Licensure Assessment
Session
attendance data
Session
attendance data
Scores
Session
attendance data
Clinic time
tracking data
Session
attendance data
Scores
Ratings based on
observation,
stakeholder
input, and/or
student learning
data
Score
Impact Decisions
on Data
Admit without
Intervention, Admit
with
31
Intervention , or
Deny
Continue or defer
year two of
program for one
year (or exit)
Continue, continue
with intervention
plan, or exit
Review data
Review scores
Review data
Review data
Review data
Review scores
Submit
ratings and
calculate
Recommend for
certification or do
not recommend for
certification; of
those
recommended,
data may affect
matching support
(to ensure a strong
school match)
Review scores
31
For example, a cohort member who does not yet meet the minimum criteria for state certification must have an
intervention plan outlining the steps he or she must take to meet the criteria by the end of the program.
40
41
Each of these program metrics will be monitored by the Lead For Delaware director and the
Teach For America Delaware Executive Director. The data will be shared with the Delaware
Department of Education in semi-annual reports, with LEA partners, with Teach For America
Delawares advisory board, and with program sponsors. LEA partners, advisory board members,
and sponsors will provide input into program improvements. We will also share data with Teach
For Americas School Leadership Initiative to assist with program improvement. Before the
beginning of each new cohort, Lead For Delaware staff will determine based on data, a
general review of the program, and any changing guidance or circumstances if any
adjustments are warranted that would require changes to the state-approved program and, if
so, request approval of such changes as appropriate.
42
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Lead For Delaware Application Components .................................................... 44
Appendix B: Selection Criteria and Rubric ............................................................................ 46
Appendix C: Letters of Support ...........................................................................................104
Appendix D: School Leader Competency Framework...........................................................106
Appendix E: Teach For America Core Values........................................................................129
Appendix F: Lead For Delaware Director Resume ................................................................130
43
44
Part 2: Resume
Part 3: Short Essay Questions (5)
Why do you want to be a school leader, why do you want to do it in Delaware, and why
do you want to earn certification through the Lead For Delaware program? Whats
something special that you will add to the cohort and to school leadership in Delaware?
(Max: 500 words, approximately 30 40 lines)
What data are you most proud of that demonstrates your success with students
academically in the past? (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what you believe has been your greatest instructional strength as a
teacher and explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what area of your instructional practice you believe you need to work
on to become a better classroom teacher. Please describe what area of leadership
practice you believe you will need to work on most to become a successful school
leader. (Max: 500 words, approximately 30 - 40 lines)
Please describe what you believe to be your greatest strengths as a colleague and/or
leader of other teachers. Please explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Part 4: References
Reference #1 Name
Reference #1 Job Title
Reference #1 Employer
Reference #1 Email Address
Reference #1 Phone Number
Reference #2 Name
Reference #2 Job Title
Reference #2 Employer
Reference #2 Email Address
Reference #2 Phone Number
Reference #3 Name
Reference #3 Job Title
Reference #3 Employer
Reference #3 Email Address
Reference #3 Phone Number
45
Acknowledgements
This toolkit was funded by The Chicago Public Education Fund. In particular, the authors would
like to thank Kathleen St. Louis for her support and guidance and Carrie Stewart for her
insightful input and assistance with interviews. The authors would also like to thank Victoria
Van Cleef, The New Teacher Project; Jamey Roberts, The New Teacher Project; Rachel Curtis,
Human Capital Strategies for Urban Schools; John Luczak, the Joyce Foundation; and Dr.
Sharon Davis Williams, Atlanta Public Schools, for reviewing earlier versions of this work.
47
Toolkit Sections:
Selection Preparation Guide
Day-of-Interview Tools
Candidate Rating Tools
Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools
Appendix A: Complete Competency Rating Levels
Appendix B: Critical Competency Rating Levels
Printing Instructions
This toolkit includes six separate sections, listed above, each of which is designed to be used at
different stages of the selection process. For your convenience, each section has its own cover
and Table of Contents so that you may print, copy and use the sections separately as needed. You
also will need to make additional copies of some tools, and this is indicated where we think you
will find copies most helpful (in the interview and candidate rating steps). Every member of the
interview team should have one complete copy of this toolkit, as well.
48
School Turnaround
Teachers
By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008
49
Introduction
The turnaround teacher competencies included here are the best currently known, measurable
distinguishers between very high performers and more typical or lower-performing teachers in a
turnaround setting. The competency list we provide does not include all capabilities needed to
perform. Instead the list here focuses on competencies that would distinguish between very
successful teachers and the rest in a turnaround situation.
The competencies were derived primarily from a combination of research on successful teachers
in high-poverty schools in the U.S., detailed competency studies of successful teachers in the
U.K., and cross-sector research on successful organization turnarounds. 1 Some level of many of
these competencies would be needed to perform well teaching in any school. But in a
turnaround situation, where failure has become an entrenched way of life for students and staff,
teachers need stronger and more consistent habits in these critical areas to transform wide-scale
failure to learning success.
For more information about turnaround leader and teacher competencies, please see the Leaders
for School Turnarounds: Competencies for Success and Teachers for School Turnarounds:
Competencies for Success (available at PublicImpact.com). These documents provide
background information about effective bad-to-great turnarounds, turnaround teacher and leader
competency definitions with school examples, and a bibliography of helpful sources.
The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).
50
competencies that determine teacher success in a turnaround are more likely to succeed as future
turnaround teachers.
Unfortunately, research indicates that traditional interview techniques rarely uncover
competencies that predict future performance differences. Too often, job candidates speak in
generalities about what they think they should or would do, not about what they actually do at
work. Fortunately, it is possible to learn what people actually do through a specialized interview
technique the Behavior Event Interview (BEI). In a BEI, candidates are asked to describe their
detailed actions and thinking in past work events. And knowing what candidates have done to
achieve success at work is a strong predictor of how they will seek success at work in the future.
As part of your hiring process you may want to screen teacher candidates for knowledge or skills
that are not addressed directly in the competencies (e.g., subject knowledge and mastery of
specific instructional practices that your school uses). In this case, the BEI can be used as one
part of a longer interview. In addition to the interview, you may choose additional candidate
screening techniques. Assessing writing samples, observing teachers in their classrooms, and
asking teachers to perform job-related tasks such as presenting information to a group of parents,
are all common techniques used to screen candidates.
All members of the Interview Team should read this document, the Selection
Preparation Guide. This guide provides detailed, concise information about how to
Source: see Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993) for a detailed description of BEI techniques.
51
conduct a BEI interview including how to introduce the BEI to the interviewee, how to
select and ask initial questions, and what types of follow-up questions are effective.
Determine which interview questions you want to ask from the Choosing Questions to
Ask in Interviews section of this guide.
Decide who will ask questions and follow-up probes and who will take detailed notes
during the interview. Ideally, two people should interview each candidate.
Use the Script for Introducing BEI Questions provided in this guide (p. 8).
Establish an informal, friendly tone and explain the interview objectives and format
(different from most interviews, asks candidates to replay key events in great detail so
you can understand exactly how they do their work).
Explain that interviewer may interrupt to probe for more detail (e.g., Sorry in advance for
interrupting).
Reward candidates when they provide appropriate level of detail (e.g., Thanks, that is just
the level of detail I am looking for ...).
Interrupt candidates to probe for step by step details of what they did, said, and thought at
the time (e.g., Lets go back. What did you say to him?).
Examples of effective probes:
o What did you say?
o What did you do next?
o Take me through that incident, step by step.
o What was going through your mind at that point?
Dont waste candidate time by allowing answers that you cant score interrupting and
probing ensures that each candidate has the best possible chance to score highly.
Avoid asking why a person did or said something in the past, since this leads most
people to speculate rather than recount past thoughts. Instead, ask What were you
thinking at the time? to find out what was in the persons mind at the time.
Take notes on what the candidate says scorable interview responses must be:
o in first person,
o descriptive of real rather than hypothetical events or thoughts,
o set in the past, and
o precise (not: I usually, Typically I.etc.).
52
notes on the types of support and guidance each candidate will need to be successful in
his or her new position. Are there particular supports, guidance and/or resources that
would help the candidate prepare to hit the ground running? Take note of these
immediately.
1. Decide when you are going to use BEI questions in your interview process. Many
interview teams find it more effective to ask other questions before launching into the
BEI portion of the interview.
53
Critical Competencies (see below). Then, rate interviewee responses against the other
competencies on this list or against your own list of high-priority competencies from the
Complete Question Menu (see below). Estimated Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Quick Version: Ask Question #1 plus two more. Select the two additional questions
from the Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies or from the Complete
Question Menu. Estimated Time: 1 hour for three questions.
Long Version: Ask all five Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies or
select your own 5 questions from the Complete Question Menu. We suggest always
asking Question #1 (Achievement), as it often elicits information both about peoples
standards for success and other competencies they use when they are most successful.
Estimated Time: 1 - 2 hours for five questions.
Other considerations:
Time required: Response time per question can vary from 15 minutes to an hour. Highly
competent people often have longer, richer stories to tell. Most people can provide
responses with enough detail in 15 30 minutes.
Altering questions: If you alter questions, avoid changing them to leading questions
that indicate the desired responses. Leading questions (e.g., So you decided at that point
to meet with parents because you thought this would ease the tension?) reduce
distinctions in responses of more and less competent people, limiting their usefulness for
selection decisions.
54
Cluster
Driving for
Results
Achievement
(ACH)
Influencing
for Results
Impact and
Influence
(I&I)
Driving for
Results
Initiative and
Persistence
(I&P)
Influencing
for Results
Teamwork
(TWK)
Competency
Question*
Belief in
Learning
Potential
(BLP)
55
Competency
Question
Achievement
(ACH)
Initiative and
Persistence (I&P)
Monitoring and
Directiveness
(M&D)
Planning Ahead
(PLA)
Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud of something you
accomplished at work, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when you accomplished something satisfying at work
despite one or more obstacles. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you set a standard for someone elses work and held
that person accountable for adhering to that standard, and tell me the story.
(Can be a student, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you had to think ahead to accomplish something
satisfying at work. Tell me the story. (Make sure to clarify time frame: when
did the thinking ahead occur in relation to the anticipated events in the future?
How far in advance?)
Impact and
Influence (I&I)
Interpersonal
Understanding
(IU)
Teamwork (TMW)
Think about a time when you influenced another person or people in a way
that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when someone elses feelings or emotions affected their
work and you dealt with the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
(Notes: 1. Here you must probe especially well for what the interviewee was
thinking and feeling at the time. 2. The someone else may be a student,
peer, or any other person)
Think about a time when you participated on a group or team of people to
accomplish work that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Analytical
Thinking (AT)
Conceptual
Thinking (CT)
Think about a time when you had to solve a problem or figure something out
that involved a lot of information, data or steps. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you were confronted with a lot of information and
had to figure out what was most important. Tell me the story.
Tell me about a time when you helped another person, someone whom others
were not sure could improve, become more successful. Tell me the story.
(Can be a student if interviewee is a teacher, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you felt a strong, negative emotional reaction to a
11 Self-Control (SCT) situation, but you were able to address the situation to your satisfaction. Tell
me the story. (Example emotions: anger, frustration, embarrassment, etc.)
Think about a time when another person or people stood in your way to get
Self-Confidence
12
something done and you addressed the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me
(SCF)
the story.
Think about a time when a situation changed at work and you were able to
13
Flexibility (FL)
deal with it to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
10
Belief in Learning
Potential (BLP)
Page 8
56
School Turnaround
Teachers
Day-of-Interview Tools
By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008
57
Day-of-Interview Tools
All members of the Interview Team should read the Selection Preparation Guide. This
guide provides detailed, concise information about how to conduct a BEI interview
including how to introduce the BEI to the interviewee, how to select and ask initial
questions, and what types of follow-up questions are effective.
In addition, all members of the interview team should familiarize themselves with the
teacher competencies that are needed for success in a turnaround school. 3 Detailed
descriptions of these competencies as well as the rating levels within each competency
can be found in Teachers for School Turnarounds: Competencies for Success (available
at PublicImpact.com).
Decide which questions you are going to ask and check or circle those on the following
pages. For more help, see the Choosing Questions to Ask in Interviews section of the
Selection Preparation Guide.
Each member of the interview team should have a copy of Day-of-Interview Tools.
Make additional copies of the Interview Notes pages (see attached). At the top of the
page, indicate the questions for which you are taking notes. Every member of the
interview team should have one copy of the two-page Interview Notes pages for each
question that the team plans to ask.
Decide who will ask questions and follow-up probes and who will take detailed notes
during the interview. Ideally, at least two people should interview each candidate.
The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).
58
Each team member should have the Interview Notes pages in front of them. There
should be one copy for each BEI question you plan to ask.
The space for Notes includes a section to write down a brief overview of the incident
the candidate chooses to describe as well as additional space to write detailed notes about
what the candidate says. These notes will later be used to determine if the candidate has
the competencies at high enough levels to be successful, so detailed notes are important.
For the detailed notes, write down anything you hear about:
o what the candidate actually said, did or was thinking or feeling at the time of
the incident, and
o responses they got from other people at the time.
Tips for the questioner - Examples of effective probes:
o What did you say?
o What did you do next?
o Take me through that incident, step by step.
o What was going through your mind at that point?
Tips for the note taker -Scorable interview responses must be:
o First person (I did this, not We did this)
o Real rather than hypothetical actions and feelings (I said not I would
say)
o Volunteered by candidate, not suggested by interviewer (What was your
role? . . . I led the meeting, not Did you lead the meeting? . . . Yes)
o About the past rather than present feelings or behavior (I felt hopeful)
o Precise, not general (not: I usually, Typically I , etc.)
Use the Candidate Rating Tools to determine whether candidates have the competencies
at high enough levels to be successful.
Use the Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools to compare and rank candidates for
selection.
59
60
Cluster
Driving for
Results
Achievement
(ACH)
Influencing
for Results
Impact and
Influence
(I&I)
Driving for
Results
Initiative and
Persistence
(I&P)
Teamwork
(TWK)
Influencing
for Results
Competency
Question*
61
Competency
Question
Achievement
(ACH)
Initiative and
Persistence (I&P)
Monitoring and
Directiveness
(M&D)
Planning Ahead
(PLA)
Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud of something you
accomplished at work, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when you accomplished something satisfying at work
despite one or more obstacles. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you set a standard for someone elses work and held
that person accountable for adhering to that standard, and tell me the story.
(Can be a student, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you had to think ahead to accomplish something
satisfying at work. Tell me the story. (Make sure to clarify time frame: when
did the thinking ahead occur in relation to the anticipated events in the future?
How far in advance?)
Impact and
Influence (I&I)
Interpersonal
Understanding
(IU)
Teamwork (TMW)
Think about a time when you influenced another person or people in a way
that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when someone elses feelings or emotions affected their
work and you dealt with the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
(Notes: 1. Here you must probe especially well for what the interviewee was
thinking and feeling at the time. 2. The someone else may be a student,
peer, or any other person)
Think about a time when you participated on a group or team of people to
accomplish work that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Analytical
Thinking (AT)
Conceptual
Thinking (CT)
Think about a time when you had to solve a problem or figure something out
that involved a lot of information, data or steps. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you were confronted with a lot of information and
had to figure out what was most important. Tell me the story.
Tell me about a time when you helped another person, someone whom others
were not sure could improve, become more successful. Tell me the story.
(Can be a student if interviewee is a teacher, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you felt a strong, negative emotional reaction to a
11 Self-Control (SCT) situation, but you were able to address the situation to your satisfaction. Tell
me the story. (Example emotions: anger, frustration, embarrassment, etc.)
Think about a time when another person or people stood in your way to get
Self-Confidence
12
something done and you addressed the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me
(SCF)
the story.
Think about a time when a situation changed at work and you were able to
13
Flexibility (FL)
deal with it to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
10
Belief in Learning
Potential (BLP)
Page 6
62
Page 1 of 2
Interview Notes
Candidate Name
Interviewer
Date
Achievement: Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud of something you accomplished at work, and tell me the story.
Impact and Influence: Think about a time when you influenced another person or people in a way that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Initiative and Persistence: Think about a time when you accomplished something satisfying at work despite one or more obstacles. Tell me the story.
Teamwork: Think about a time when you participated in a group or team of people to accomplish work that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Belief in Learning Potential: Tell me about a time when you helped another person, someone whom others were not sure could improve, to achieve or
succeed at a higher level.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes
Overview of Incident (3-6 Key Milestones, start-middle-end):
63
Interview Notes
Candidate Name
Page 2 of 2
Interviewer
Date
Notes
Details about Incident:
Page 8
64
School Turnaround
Teachers
By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008
65
List or mark the competencies that you are assessing in the Competency List column on the
scoring sheet. Start with the competencies for which you have asked specific interview
questions. You may decide to assess all of the critical competencies (see Selection Preparation
Guide for more information about critical competencies), or you may decide to assess candidates
for additional or different turnaround teacher competencies that you have chosen.
Step 2: Highlight scorable data
Read through interview notes and underline scorable data for competencies you have listed on
the scoring sheet. Use the Complete Competency Rating Levels (Appendix A) [or the shorter
4
The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).
66
Critical Competency Rating Levels (Appendix B)] to help you think about what kinds of data
are relevant to the competencies you wish to score.
Scorable data is:
First person (I did this not We did this)Real rather than hypothetical actions
and feelings (I said not I would say)
Volunteered by candidate, not suggested by interviewer
About the past rather than present feelings or behavior (I felt hopeful)
Precise, not general (not: I usually, Typically I , etc.)
Example:
Interviewer: What thoughts went through your mind at that point?
Candidate: I suddenly realized that I had been going about things in the wrong way. I
had been criticizing the students, not building their confidence. Id seen this before with
students lots of frustration so I realized I needed to calm down and speak in a lower
tone. So I said, You all have done this really well before, with an easier problem. This
is a harder problem, but the same rules apply.
Step 3: Determine competencies
Compare your underlined statements with the competency definitions in the Complete
Competency Rating Levels or the Critical Competency Rating Levels . Note in the margins of
the interview notes the competencies that are demonstrated in the underlined statements.
Example: Id seen this before with students lots of frustration Interpersonal
Understanding (IU).
Step 4: Assign competency zones and levels
Compare the underlined statements with the competency levels in the Complete Competency
Rating Levels or the Critical Competency Rating Levels.
Determine whether the candidates comments suggest they have demonstrated the Red Flag,
Neutral, Threshold or Superior zone for each of the competencies you are assessing. Circle
the appropriate rating in the Zone column.
You also may assign a numerical level to each of the competencies you are assessing. Circle
the number of the highest level you see in the interview notes in the Level column.
Members of the interview committee may want to collaborate during this process and discuss
zone and level assignments.
Note: Note Red Flag responses on any turnaround teacher competency, whether or not it is
one you intended to assess.
Take brief notes on interview details that will help you remember why you gave the
candidate a particular rating.
Also make a note of any other Red Flag responses, or concerns you have from the
interview about a particular competency.
Note if you do not have enough information to rate a competency of concern to you.
Page 3
67
Interviewer
Zone
Date
Level
Notes
Achievement (ACH)
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
Teamwork (TWK)
RF = Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
N = Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
TH = Threshold Zone: Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
SU = Superior Zone: Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
68
Interviewer
Zone
Date
Level
Notes
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF
TH
SU
RF = Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
N = Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
TH = Threshold Zone: Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
SU = Superior Zone: Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
Page 5
69
School Turnaround
Teachers
By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008
70
As an interview team, look over your notes and rating sheets and determine whether you have
enough data to assess each of the competencies. 5 In cases where you do not have enough data,
note this on the Candidate Comparison Scoring Sheet. In cases where you do have enough
information, note each candidates zone (and level, if available) for each competency.
Step 2: Compare and Select Candidates
The interview team should consider the candidates either for specific positions (e.g., math
resource specialist) or general recruiting where several staff with more general
qualifications are needed (e.g., K 4 classroom teachers). Note the number of slots you
need to fill for each type of position, and group candidate rating sheets accordingly so
you may consider all candidates for each position simultaneously.
Compare the strengths of the candidates, particularly in the critical competencies.
Highlight top tier candidates for each position.
Compare extreme weaknesses (Red Flags on any competency, Neutrals on critical
competencies) that might keep a candidate from succeeding despite strengths.
Few candidates will have all of the competencies and skills needed at the highest levels.
Make a note of the top candidates for specific positions or for your general hiring pool.
Select a second or third choice, if possible, for specific positions.
Other considerations:
If someone appears to be in the Superior Zone on all or most high priority competencies
with no obvious red flags, a rapid, personal recruiting effort is appropriate. Hire as many
of these candidates as you can.
If someone is a mix of Threshold and Superior Zones, consider the candidate for second
tier recruiting.
A red flag on any competency is a no hire even if the person has other great strengths.
5
The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).
71
If you have only candidates who score consistently in the Threshold Zone, give priority
to those who score at higher levels within that.
Consider the overall mix of turnaround teacher competencies across grades, if possible,
so that every grade and subject has at least one strong Achievement driver to keep
expectations high and one strong Impact and Influence thinker who can help other
teachers think about how to influence students with differing barriers to learning.
Immediately following the interview process is an ideal time to begin the larger induction
process, because the candidates strengths and weaknesses are fresh in everyones mind.
Consider spending a few minutes as an interview team taking initial notes on the types of support
and guidance each candidate will need to be successful in his or her new position. Are there
particular supports, guidance and/or resources that would help the candidate prepare to hit the
ground running? Take note of these immediately.
Page 3
72
Page 1 of 3
Name
Competencies
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Achievement
(ACH)
Initiative and
Persistence
(I&P)
Monitoring
and
Directiveness
(M&D)
Planning
Ahead
(PLA)
73
Page 2 of 3
Name
Competencies
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Interpersonal
Understanding
(IU)
Teamwork
(TMW)
Problem Solving Cluster
Analytical
Thinking
(AT)
Conceptual
Thinking
(CT)
74
Page 3 of 3
Name
Competencies
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Zone
Level
Self-Control
(SCT)
SelfConfidence
(SCF)
Flexibility
(FL)
Page 6
75
Appendix A
School Turnaround
Teachers
Complete Competency
Rating Levels
By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008
76
Table of Contents
77
78
79
Driving for Results Cluster These enable a relentless focus on learning results.
5
Achievement: The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high
standard of performance despite barriers.
Initiative and Persistence: The drive and actions to do more than is expected or
required in order to accomplish a challenging task.
Monitoring and Directiveness: The ability to set clear expectations and to hold
others accountable for performance.
80
Achievement (ACH)
The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance
despite barriers.
Level
General Description
3
TH
5
S
Superior
Threshold
Neutral
Zone
Red
Flag
Zone
Zone
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
81
Level
General Description
Threshold
3
TH
Independent Effort
Extra Effort
.
4
Significant Extra Effort
Superior
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Red Flag
Zone
The drive and actions to do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a
challenging task.
5
S
Extraordinary Effort
Engages Others in
Extraordinary Effort
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
82
General Description
Avoiding Direction
Routine Directions
3
TH
Detailed Directions
Superior
Threshold
Red Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Asserts Needs
5
S
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
83
Red
Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
5
S
Superior
Threshold
3
TH
General Description
Specific behaviors
Fully Addresses
Current Needs
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and
support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and
support).
84
Influencing for Results Cluster These enable working through and with others.
5 Interpersonal Understanding: Understanding and interpreting others concerns,
motives, feelings and behaviors.
5 Impact and Influence: Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking
and actions of others.
5 Teamwork: The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared
goals.
85
Threshold
3
TH
Superior
Red
Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
5
S
General Description
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
86
General Description
Lacks Understanding
Identifies Feelings
3
TH
Aware of Connection
Between Feelings and
Actions
Superior
Threshold
Red Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Aware of Underlying
Meaning
5
S
Understands Patterns of
Behavior
Classifies Patterns of
Behavior
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
87
Teamwork (TMW)
Specific behaviors
Harms Team
3
TH
4
Contributing Member
Active Supporter
5
S
Empowers Team
Resolves Conflict
Superior
Threshold
General Description
Red
Flag
Zone
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared goals.
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
88
89
Superior
Threshold
General Description
Red
Flag
Zone
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
The ability to break things down in a logical way and to recognize cause and effect.
Creates Lists
3
TH
Makes Limited
Connections
Makes Multiple
Connections
5
S
Does Complicated
Planning and Analysis
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
90
General Description
Red
Flag
Zone
Zone
Thinks Concretely
3
TH
4
S
Superior
Threshold
Level
Neutral
Zone
The ability to see patterns and links among seemingly unrelated things.
Sees Patterns
Applies Known
Complex Conceptual
Tools
Simplifies Complex
Ideas
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
91
92
Level
General Description
Specific behaviors
Has Negative
Expectations
3
TH
Offers Specific
Support
5
S
Provides Developmental
Feedback
Scaffolds Learning
Superior
Threshold
Neutral
Zone
Red Flag
Zone
Zone
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
93
Self-Control (SCT)
Acting to keep ones emotions under control, especially when provoked.
General Description
Reacts Inappropriately
Avoids Stressful
Situations
Superior
Threshold
Red
Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
3
TH
Holds Emotions in
Check
5
S
Proactively Monitors
and Addresses Stress
Diffuses Situation
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
94
Self-Confidence (SCF)
A personal belief in ones ability to accomplish tasks and the actions that reflect that belief.
Red
Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Threshold
Superior
3
TH
5
S
General Description
Conducts Tasks
Without Hesitation
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
95
Flexibility (FL)
The ability to adapt ones approach to the requirements of a situation and to change tactics.
Threshold
General Description
Unwilling to Change
3
TH
Willing to Change
5
S
Superior
Red Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Tailors Actions
Adapts Organization to
Situation
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
Page 21
The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).
96
Appendix B
School Turnaround
Teachers
Critical Competency
Rating Levels
By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008
97
Table of Contents
98
Achievement (ACH)
The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance
despite barriers.
Level
General Description
3
TH
5
S
Superior
Threshold
Neutral
Zone
Red
Flag
Zone
Zone
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
99
Threshold
3
TH
Superior
Red
Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
5
S
General Description
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
100
Level
General Description
Threshold
3
TH
Independent Effort
Extra Effort
.
4
Significant Extra Effort
Superior
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Red Flag
Zone
The drive and actions to do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a
challenging task.
5
S
Extraordinary Effort
Engages Others in
Extraordinary Effort
Specific behaviors
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
101
Teamwork (TMW)
Specific behaviors
Harms Team
3
TH
4
Contributing Member
Active Supporter
5
S
Empowers Team
Resolves Conflict
Superior
Threshold
General Description
Red
Flag
Zone
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared goals.
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
102
General Description
Specific behaviors
Has Negative
Expectations
3
TH
Offers Specific
Support
5
S
Provides Developmental
Feedback
Scaffolds Learning
Superior
Threshold
Red Flag
Zone
Level
Neutral
Zone
Zone
Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).
Page 7
The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).
103
August 4, 2015
Mr. Mark T. Murphy
Secretary of Education
Delaware Department of Education
The Townsend Building
401 Federal Street, Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901-3639
Dear Secretary Murphy,
I am pleased to write today in support of Teach For Americas application for a new certification
program for leaders in education. I believe that Lead For Delaware will prepare ready-to-lead new
principals to help meet the current and future demand for highly effective school leaders in the lowestincome communities across our state. The proposed program offers a new alternative for aspiring
leaders, complementing the other current principal certification programs offered within Delaware.
I support the application based on my review of the programs components. The program will be
cohort-based, building a much-needed network of new school leaders across Delaware schools and
districts. I believe the program balances the urgent demand for excellent new principals for our state
with the necessity to provide comprehensive training by offering a full 24-month program. Lead For
Delaware specifically targets excellent teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership
potential, a resource that can be leveraged thoughtfully.
I appreciate the menu of leadership development activities provided by the program, in which
participants will engage in coursework designed and led by an array of individuals and organizations,
including Teach For America, Wilmington University, Harvard University, NAATE, TNTP, Jounce Partners,
and Teach For All.
I support the Lead For Delaware school principal certification program application. Approval of this
application will provide an additional option for aspiring school leaders in my school who are seeking a
high-quality preparation program in our state.
Sincerely,
Kia Childs
Executive Director
Great Oaks Charter School Wilmington
104
105
Indicators
1
Developing
2
Exemplary
3
Exemplary
106
1
Developing
Indicators
107
2
Effective
Seeks to learn,
demonstrates change
accordingly
3
Exemplary
D. Grit
Level
0
Unacceptable
Description
Does not retain focus and
orientation on goals
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
E. Self-Awareness
Level
Description
0
Does not have selfUnacceptable
awareness
Indicator
Lacks focus on goal and/or views goal as flexible (changes goals, tasks and/or jobs),
AND/OR
-Quits, lowers efforts, and/or takes no action when confronted with challenge
-Maintains focus on goals, though those goals may be shorter-term in nature (limited
evidence of achieving goals of long-term nature)
-May persevere through challenges, though the challenges are not significant and/or
complex
-Achieves both long- and short- term goals by maintaining unwavering focus on them
-Adapts to changing circumstances and incorporates new learning throughout course of
challenge
All of effective +
-Has overcome challenges rarely encountered by peers
Indicators
Cannot identify strengths, weaknesses, or core values/beliefs
108
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Uses self-awareness to
drive leadership and
management of school and
people
-Identifies strengths, weaknesses, values, triggers, but may have limited understanding of
where they came from and the impact they have on others
-Inadequately leverages and/or compensates for strengths, weaknesses, values, and
triggers in his/her work
-Able to articulate his/her strengths, weaknesses, core values, and triggers, where they
come from, and their impact on others; these reflections align with observed behaviors
-Leverages and compensates for strengths and weaknesses by delegating work and/or
partnering with complementary skilled colleagues
-Develops coping skills to identify, better understand, manage, and address personal
triggers
All of effective +
Uses core values to guide decision making and set vision and strategy as a leader
109
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Developing awareness of
identity
Supports
team/organization on
identity awareness
development
Indicators
-Unable to articulate how aspects of their identity (gender, race, class, ability, sexual
orientation, etc.) affects them, how they view and interact with others, and how others
perceive them (e.g. not aware of own biases, privileges, archetypes, etc.)
-Possesses limited, if any, awareness about the things that might be important to people
with identities different from the themselves
-May resist or actively reject the idea that a persons identity affects their experience in
institutions or society
-Articulates how one or two aspects of their perceived identity impacts how they view and
interact with others, and how they are perceived by others
-Begins to articulate how people with a different identity may have differing experiences
and things that are important to them, and thus their perspective may be different
-Articulates how multiple aspects of their perceived identity (race, class, gender, ability,
sexual orientation) affects them, how they perceive of and interact with others, and how
others perceive them and works to dismantle own biases, leverage privileges for good of
the others, and question archetypes and stereotypes
-Articulates multiple ways that people who have different perceived identities from them
may have different experiences in society, as well as different values and histories. Works
to understand and adapt to these perspectives as appropriate, and leverages the
strengths of people with different identities.
All of effective +
-Devotes time, energy, resources, to encouraging the identity development of their team
and/or organization
110
B. Valuing Diversity
Level
Description
0
Does not believe diversity
Unacceptable
is important
1
Developing awareness of
Developing
identity
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Supports
team/organization on
identity awareness and
development
Indicators
-Does not believe diversity is necessary for the educational equity movement to succeed;
may act defensively when this belief is challenged
-Believes diversity is important, but may not cite this as a personal core value
-May not articulate a personal commitment to increasing the representation of those who
share the background of the students we serve, but is open to the idea of its criticality to
the success of our movement
-Believes that diversity in every respect (race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability,
etc.) is a necessary condition for achieving transformational change in schools, systems,
communities, and society and acts to increase the diversity within their teams and
organizations
-Believes in the unique role that people who share the background of the students we
serve can play in the movement for educational equity, as well as in the value of those
who bring the privilege of our current system and a commitment to using that privilege to
advance the cause of equity
All of effective +
-Takes extraordinary action to increase diversity of team, organization, or broader
movement
-Consistently works to cultivates the belief in diversity amongst others, such as team,
teachers, staff, etc.
111
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Indicators
-Can only view the experience of others through their own perspective
-Makes unreasonable or unfair assumptions(s) (i.e. makes a big leap, connection between
evidence and the conclusion is unclear, assumption might be rooted in
stereotype/archetype of a group or individual) and does not explore whether those
assumptions are accurate
-Does not listen or respond well to others; may act disrespectfully towards others
All of Effective +
-Moves beyond disagreement to consensus building
D. Equity Leadership
Level
Description
0
Fails to lead for equity
Unacceptable
Indicators
-Does not attempt to understand or address equity gaps
-Does not attempt to understand diverse cultures represented in school, system, or
community
-Fails to identify or respond to cultural or equity issues when the arise
112
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Attempts to lead for equity, -Identifies equity gaps and commits to closing them, but doesnt sufficiently plan to do so
but efforts arent fully
-Uses general knowledge of the diverse cultures represented at the school and/or system
sufficient or successful
to shape policy, create events, and involve parents and other community members
-Addresses cultural or equity issues amongst students, staff, and families when prompted
-Devotes time with staff to learning about culture and equity , but may not do so
consistently or effectively
Leads from an equity
-Makes and follows through on a public commitment to equity
imperative
-Consistently uses knowledge of the diverse cultures represented at the school and/or
system to shape policy, create events and involve parents and other community members
-Intervenes swiftly, respectfully and with resolve when cultural or equity issues arise
-Holds staff and students accountable to understanding and respecting cultures, coaches
team and staff to embody diversity, equity and cultural leadership
Serves as a model for
All of effective +
equity leadership to staff
-Commits time and space for equity work amongst staff, students and community
members
-Is aware of, speaks opening about and celebrates differences and diversity among
students, staff, and families
-Prioritizes recruitment and development of employees who represent diverse cultural
backgrounds
113
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Works to understand
obvious thoughts and
actions
Works to understand
unspoken thoughts and
behaviors
Works to understand
complex underlying
thoughts and behaviors
and adapts accordingly
Indicators
One or more flags:
-Misunderstands or is surprised by others feelings or actions
-Sees others primarily in terms of racial, class, cultural, or gender stereotype
-Shows no explicit awareness of others
-Makes no attempt to listen
-Offends other or make them close up
Understands explicit meanings and obvious emotions
Listens to the perspectives of others
Uses understanding to explain others past behavior
-Invites conversation and puts others at ease in order to seek to understand unspoken
thoughts, concerns, or feelings
-Uses this understand to predict, adapt, and respond to others reactions
All of Effective +
Works to understand complex, often hidden cause of others long-term underlying
attitudes, behavior patterns, or problems
Listens responsively by reflecting peoples concerns and/or altering behavior in a
responsive manner
Indicators
One or more flags:
-Uses negative behaviors in an attempt to influence
-Fails to take action to influence others
-Attempts to influence others but unable to gain support or achieve intended outcomes
114
1
Developing
Influences others
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
-Builds some support for ideas through relationship building and navigating internal
structures
-Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in approaching others, demonstrates exemplary
listening skills, and draws on several influencing mechanisms to cultivate support and
inspire action around straightforward ideas
-Shows an ability to address conflict and resolve conflict in a way that leads to productive
outcomes
-Builds alliances and networks across divisions in order to support base
-Consistently demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in approaching others,
demonstrates exemplary listening skills, and draws on several influencing mechanisms to
cultivate support and inspire action around sophisticated ideas
-Consistently demonstrates ability to address and resolve conflicts in a way that leads to
productive outcomes
-Consistently navigates structures and relationships to gain support across a wide array of
stakeholders
-Consistently demonstrates adaptability and flexibility, demonstrates exceptional listening
skills, and draws on a wide array of influencing mechanisms to cultivate support and
inspire action around sophisticated and controversial ideas
-Consistently demonstrates ability to address conflict and resolve differences in a way that
leads to productive outcomes
C. Effective Communication
Level
Description
Indicator
0
Communicates ineffectively One or more flags:
Unacceptable
-Uses an off-putting tone
-Is extremely difficult to follow
-Has multiple, egregious errors in written communication
1
Communicates logically
-Communicates clearly and with relative ease
Developing
and clearly
-Arguments are logical and easy to follow
-May not adequately consider communication vehicles or timing of messages
115
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Communicates complicated -Is able to communicate complicated information and subtle messages in ways that are
information and adapts
clear, are easy to understand, and invoke attention to individuals and groups through
messages
exemplary written forms, as well as through clear verbal messages
-Adapts key messages to varying stakeholders based on their interests and motivations;
selects the appropriate vehicles to communicate these messages
Communicates exemplarily All of effective +
with disinterested or
-Is clear, easy to understand, and invokes attention with constituents that are
unsympathetic others
oppositional, disinterested or unsympathetic
116
1
Developing
Indicators
-One or more of the following flags:
-Does not break down problems in component parts
-Fails to analyze information or data to draw conclusions
-Breaks down a project or task into a list of steps and able to make simple prioritizations
-When analyzing data and information, notes the relationship among a few items and/or
sees simple causal relationships
-Analyzes and notes the relationship among multiple things (related and seemingly
unrelated)
-Organizes a complex activity into steps in a logical way (based on time, importance, or
other factors)
-Breaks apart complex problem or process into categories and subcategories down to
basic steps or parts
-Analyzes a difficult problem from several different perspectives or using different criteria
before arriving at a detailed solution
Indicators
One or more of the following flags:
-Does not make timely decision about routine issues or tasks
-Does not prioritize action based on time sensitivity, importance, or impact on others
-Fails to articulate a strategic course of action to address identified problems and root
causes
-Chooses a course of action with a sound, if basic, rationale
-Pursues lots of different efforts that arent fully integrated or connected to the problems
and their root causes
117
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Articulates an integrated
strategy with high potential
for impact
Makes high stakes
decisions in the best
interest of the school and
students
C. Systems Thinking
Level
Description
0
Does not identify
Unacceptable
connection between
seemingly unrelated
components
1
Identifies some potential
Developing
connections between
seemingly unrelated
components
2
Understands and
Effective
articulates how seemingly
unrelated components
affect one another and
identifies the appropriate
leverage points for change
3
Has effectively engineered
Exemplary
a system change in a school
district or CMO setting
-Articulates a strategy that addresses the core problems and root causes of the
team/schools work; chooses to pursue a few, tightly interwoven objectives that
represent large potential returns for the schools vision
-Is willing to cut bait even on a pet project when those projects are not producing results
All of effective +
-Does so for the highest-stakes, most visible decisions for the school
Indicators
-Fails to consider factors beyond those immediately related to system component in
question
-Sees potential connection between issues in the system that may at first seem unrelated
118
Indicators
-Demonstrates pattern of not following through on commitments to others
Inconsistently prioritizes their work and fails to be productive
-Strives to follow through on commitments, through timeliness is inconsistent
-Prioritizes daily and weekly tasks appropriately
-Spends most of her time on the priorities that will have the maximum short and long
term impact
-Has structures, systems, and tools in place to support personal organization and
effectiveness
-Follows through on commitments and promises to others with appropriate timeliness
Maximizes teams time and All of effective +
resources to meet priorities -Puts structures, systems, and tools in place to support teams organization and
effectiveness
B. Project Management
Level
Description
0
Does not plan in advance
Unacceptable
1
Addresses current needs
Developing
2
Effective
Indicators
-Focuses thinking on the past
Fails to address current needs and opportunities
-Acts quickly, decisively, and completely to address current needs and challenges as the
arise, but does not proactively identify future needs and challenges
-Does not check-in on and/or evaluate plans mid-course
-Proactively identifies future needs and anticipates challenges and opportunities; plans or
acts in advance to address these, up to a year in advance
-Demonstrates flexibility when plans or situations change unexpectedly
-Recognizes when mid-course adjustments as needed and take the necessary actions to
achieve results
119
3
Exemplary
C. Team Leadership
Level
Description
0
Does not lead
Unacceptable
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
D. Staff Management
Level
Description
0
No management
Unacceptable
experience
All of Effective +
-Considers and plans for the future of the school more than a year in advance by taking
direction action needed now, capitalizing on and orchestrating opportunities, aligning
resources, building a bench for future leadership, and creating sustainable plans for
staffing and resources
Indicators
-Provides no directions, goals, roles, or clarity when needed or asked
OR
-Has never lead a team
-Communicates agendas, time constraints, and work tasks
-Tells people affected by decisions or events what is happening, ensuring that people have
information they need
-Uses formal authority fairly, treats people on team with respect and fairness
-Monitors and promotes team morale and performance by checking in with individuals to
see how they feel about the teams work together and allocating appropriate time for
purposeful culture-building
-Provides appropriate information, time, people, and money to support the groups
development and performance
- Sells the team mission, goals, and actions to its members
All of effective +
-Creates a culture of ownership, innovation, and entrepreneurship on the team by giving
team members appropriate autonomy and creating opportunities for team to generate
new ways to accomplish vision and goals
-May also do this for a group/department/unit as a senior leader in the organization
Indicators
-Has no adult management experience
120
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
E. Talent Development
Level
Description
0
Does not identify talent or
Unacceptable
capacity of others
1
Developing
2
Effective
Indicators
-Avoids providing feedback, recognition, and/or stretch opportunities to others
-Does not differentiate strategies/approach between top performers and most struggling
team members
-Expressed desire and/or value of setting high performance bars for others
-Recognizes top performers, but does not consistently leverage those strengths
-Provides feedback to struggling team members
-Provides development opportunities for all staff, one size fits all
-Communicates a high bar for performance and goals in a manner that supports,
challenges and inspires each staff member
-Provides multiple opportunities for shared leadership throughout the school
-Provides multiple opportunities for development (differentiates as necessary and uses
adult learning theory)
-Works to recognize, reward, stretch, retain, and career plan for top performers
-Engages aggressively when a team member is struggling and employs transparent
process for improvement. Removes low performers
121
3
Exemplary
All of Effective +
-Holds staff accountable for personal and school growth
Staff members and stakeholders of all backgrounds/levels have the opportunity to
develop as leaders, lead various processes within the school and are empowered to make
decisions on high stakes work
122
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Indicators
-Does not align staffing and scheduling to the school vision
-Work is mainly reactive
-Does not align time usage with priorities, is ineffective, or focuses only on what is urgent,
not on what is important
-Does not align school budget with school goals
-Aligns staffing to priorities, but scheduling may not be
-Uses time management skills, but day to day rather than strategically planned
-Attempts to align budget to support school goals, but not strategically
-Works with facilities staff to create a safe, clean, and pleasant environment
-Designs an effective safety and risk management plan, but does not ensure it is
consistently implemented
-Uses innovative scheduling and staffing practices to maximize instructional time to
benefit all students
-Creates a schedule that allows teachers to learn, innovate, and plan together
-Makes budget and resource decisions that are clear and based on the schools vision and
goals
-Focuses long and short term fiscal management on equity for all student populations
-Develops external resources that align with school vision and goals
-Ensures that the school is safe, clean, and pleasant
-Designs effective safety and risk management plans and ensures they are consistently
implemented
All of Effective +
-Unique use of staff and scheduling resulting in full maximization of the school day and
year while improving student achievement and staff collaboration
-Supports all staff to ensure that time is organized and managed well to advance school
priorities
-Proactively communicates difficult budget decision transparently and secures additional
resources
123
B. School Culture
Level
Description
0
Fails to create,
Unacceptable
communicate and enact a
school-wide culture plan.
1
Developing
2
Effective
Understands the
importance of a school
wide culture plan, curates
the implementation of that
plan, and ensures that
there is social and
disciplinary equity within
the school.
Implements and curates
such a strong culture plan
that staff and students
begin to own the plan and
innovate. Ensures social
and disciplinary equity
exists, as well as growth
and restoration.
3
Exemplary
Indicators
-Does not plan for the emotional, social and physical safety of staff and students
-Communications are sometimes negative or unprofessional
-Does not provide celebration to mark success or achievement
-Behavior management systems are not communicated well and inconsistently applied
resulting in unpredictable, chaotic, unsafe, or unjust school environment
-Leadership and staff feel ownership over the safety of students and staff
-Provides structures to ensure the building is safe and some students feel valued/sense of
belonging
-Communications are usual professional and positive, but sometimes only with certain
groups of staff
-Celebrations are inconsistent
-Allows behavior management systems that do not reflect responsiveness to student
culture and are usually applied inconsistently
-Ensures that all adult stakeholders feel ownership of the safety of the school
-Embraces the values, strengths, and experiences of students resulting in most students
feeling valued and a sense of belonging
-Monitors school climate to ensure all interests and opinions are being heard and
respective
-Acts to ensure behavior management systems work to end any disproportionality of
discipline actions on certain groups of students and are applied consistently
All of Effective +
-Ensures students feel ownership over the safety of each other and feel safe themselves
-Ensures students feel valued, able to be themselves, and comfortable throughout the
school
-Set up structures and expectations for students, teachers and other staff and community
members to lead celebrations
-Acts to ensure that behavior management systems are not only equitable, but result in
growth and restorative practices
124
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
Indicators
-Makes only superficial attempts to communicate with parents/families and community
that do not reach a large group
-Does not work with staff to put in systems to partner with families in the school, families
do not have favorable/trusting view of the leader
-Demonstrates interest in community and is beginning to engage, but has not established
partnership.
-Inconsistently communicates the success and needs of the school to the community
-Regularly updates families and community members on the schools progress- both
successes and challenges
-Does not use easy to navigate structures for families and community to contact or
provide feedback to the leader
-Interacts with families and acknowledges their critical role, but provides only limited or
very specific ways to be involved both inside and outside of the school
-Develops community partnerships, but their role is unclear or they do not move the
leader closer to achieving the vision
-Has high degree of visibility, accessibility, and responsiveness- consistently interacting
with students, staff, parents, and community through varied platforms (in persona, at
events, email, social media, website, etc.)
-Uses easy to understand and navigate structures for parents and community members to
provide feedback to the leader
-Listens to, values, and highlights families and community members talents, cultural
heritage, skills, and knowledge to strengthen curriculum and student activities
-Develops numerous community partnerships that reflect the community, support the
vision of the school, and actively support the vision
All of Effective +
-Stakeholders possess a sense of pride in the school that they communicate to the
broader community
-Parents and community feel valued and safe enough to regularly communicate feedback
and ideas
-Leader empowers and welcomes the community members and families to be leaders
within the school
125
Indicators
-Does not have a history of effective teaching in a classroom and/or
-Cannot articulate effective curricular and classroom practices
All of Effective +
-Is able to share specific examples of making decisions and implementing changes
regarding curriculum, effective classrooms, and/or instructional best practices schoolwide, team wide or department wide
126
Indicators
-Is uncertain about the importance of data use school-wide
-Cannot effectively analyze and utilize data
-Says that school-wide data use is important to achievement and growth, but:
-Is unable to analyze the data from the school, or analyzes the wrong data
-Cannot fully articulate the what or the why of the schools data
-Does not or cannot monitor interim data or make predictions based on data
-Identifies data points that most impact end of the year goals
-Effectively analyzes and uses the data from the school
-Can generate next steps that align data trends
-Can articulate the what and the why of the schools data
-Monitors formative and interim data to make accurate predictions
All of Effective +
-Creates a culture where staff regularly participate in the data cycle without having to be
led by the principal/school
-School consistently meets the EOY goals set at the beginning of the year
Indicators
-Is not able to articulate the importance of growing the skill of teachers in the school
-Does not think it is part of the principal or school leader role
-Does not set standards for teacher planning
-Does not regularly observe teachers
-Does not plan or deliver regular professional development for teachers
127
1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary
-Is unsure whether this is the school leaders role, or how the school leader would do this
-Lacks a working theory about how growing strong teachers would be done in a school
-Sets standards for teacher planning, but lessons are not reviewed and teachers do not
receive regular, consistent feedback
-Observes teachers inconsistently or in a way that is not useful to their growth
-Plans and delivers professional development that is not tailored to the schools goals or
teachers needs
-Ensures that teacher plans (year long, unit, and daily) have all the baseline components,
reviews (or ensures review of) plans in a systemic way, provides feedback that is targeted
and aligned with individual teacher/team goals and school goals
-Implements a cycle of observation, feedback, and coaching that is on-going, aligned with
school data and priorities, and includes all staff
-Creates and keeps an observation schedule that allows consistent and effective collection
of the data on most school goals and individual teacher and team goals
-Provides feedback that is accurate, correctly connects the key issue to a school goal, and
strengthens the teachers sense of efficacy
-Plans and delivers professional development that is planned specifically for the teachers
needs around school goals and uses adult learning theory at the foundation
All of Effective +
-Systems and processes exist for teachers to support one another in being their best
-Creates opportunities for shared/distributed leadership
-Differentiates teacher support so that everyone gets what they need
-Ensures that teachers leave PD with multiple of examples of how to use the learning in
their classroom, and a plan for follow-up
128
Leadership
Team
We value and care about each other, operate with a generosity of spirit,
and have fun in the process of working together. To maximize our
collective impact, we inspire, challenge, and support each other to be our
best and sustain our effort.
Diversity
We act on our belief that the movement to ensure educational equity will
succeed only if it is diverse in every respect. In particular, we value the
perspective and credibility that individuals who share the racial and
economic backgrounds of the students with whom we work can bring to
our organization, classrooms, and the long-term effort for change.
Respect
& Humility
129
JEREMY GRANT-SKINNER
jeremy.grant-skinner@teachforamerica.org
WORK EXPERIENCE
06/15
Wilmington, DE
TEACH FOR AMERICA-DELAWARE
Senior Managing Director, School Leadership
Design and direct Lead For Delaware, a 2-year alternative principal certification program
Serve as lead instructor and executive coach for annual cohort of up to 10 aspiring principals
Develop a seamless leadership pipeline for excellent teachers included TFA alumni nationally
02/13 06/15
Syracuse, NY
SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Executive Director of Talent Management
Served as chief HR/talent officer of district with 21,000 students, 4,000 staff, and 37 schools
Developed and implemented comprehensive district talent strategy in alignment with strategic plan
Created and facilitated sessions of Aspiring Leaders Academy to develop 50 leaders over two years
Secured total of $20 million in competitive funding, including Turnaround School Leaders Program
Oversaw implementation of all teacher and principal evaluations, including Peer Observer program
Managed labor relations with 10 unions; negotiated 4 historic contracts with teachers union
Created recruitment brand (All In) differentiating SCSD and outlining districts total value proposition
Designed Join SCSD website, attracting 50,000 unique visitors in one year, averaging 300 daily visits
Coordinated $12 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant with incentives to retain top teachers/leaders
Facilitated design, pilot of Multi Classroom Leader positions to expand teacher career pathway roles
Redesigned new teacher orientation/induction with 175 hours of support in teachers first 13 months
Hired 750 new staff (20% of employees) over two years; tripled the number of teachers of color hired
Implemented new teacher selection tools, resulting in 2/3 of new hires being in top 40% of applicants
Staffed 12 Innovation Zone schools with 700 new and returning teachers fully through mutual consent
Designed improvements to human resource database and procedures, including paperless forms and
automated reports to improve customer service, enhance data reliability, and increase transparency
02/12 02/13
TNTP
Washington, DC
Project Director, Emerging Services
Provided talent expertise and critical input to executive-level clients including superintendents
Conceptualized and facilitated a working group responsible for knowledge management related to
compensation and career pathways based on national research and practice across contracts
Designed innovative teacher compensation and career pathways model for the ASD, a state
turnaround district, allowing the best new teachers to double base salary within 5 years
Developed and managed implementation of plan enabling teacher leaders to earn over $90,000
Identified high-priority teacher leadership roles and created selection materials and criteria
Provided resource allocation recommendations to Philadelphia Public Schools to improve schoolbased support to teachers; compared charter resource allocation for NewSchools Venture Fund
Managed, developed, and evaluated Analyst and Site Manager staff across multiple projects
Supported revitalization of TNTPs Teacher Talent Toolbox, reporting out best national practices
03/09 02/12
Washington, DC
DC OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION
Deputy Assistant Superintendent
Led Teaching and Learning team and was second-in-command for division with 50 staff
Managed $200 million annual budget as state director for a dozen federal grant programs
Earned team average rating of 5.5/6.0 on survey collecting customer service feedback from LEAs
Resolved nearly 100 past findings from program monitoring and single audits; served as point of
contact with US Education Department, A-133 auditors, and US Government Accountability Office
Secured more than $10 million in competitive funding, winning SIG and Striving Readers grants
Designed and executed procedures improving annual application approval timeline by 10 months
Created policies for allowing fund consolidation (increasing flexibility), equitably allocating Title I funds
Increased 6-month LEA drawdown rates by 400% over 1 year and 1700% over 2 years
Oversaw implementation of turnaround models in 16 lowest-performing schools in 2 LEAs
01/05 02/09
TNTP
Baltimore, MD
130
Baltimore, MD
JUVENILE LAW, CHILDRENS ISSUES, AND LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CLINIC
Law Clinic Teaching Assistant and Student Attorney
Advocated for students in juvenile delinquency, special education, and school discipline cases
Led all facets of student representation in school and legal proceedings, including client interviewing
and counseling, fact investigation, case management, and advocacy in formal and informal settings
Served as advisor to students involved in the Baltimore City Student Court program, an alternative
program offering young offenders an opportunity to make restitution for an offense through peermandated, constructive, and restorative sanctions, avoiding fines and a criminal record
As Clinic Teaching Assistant, managed partnership with Baltimore Freedom Academy (BFA), an
innovative high school with a mission of preparing students to be advocates for their communities
Led team of law students in conducting legal research, creating lesson plans, developing advocacy
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projects for students, supporting Mock Trial Team, and teaching weekly 10 grade classes
04/07 07/07
Philadelphia, PA
TEACH FOR AMERICA
Corps Member Advisor
Supervised 12 teachers in pre-service training, earning average rating of 6.3 out of 7.0
Managed teachers in 4 classrooms with over 70 students; evaluated teachers using TFA rubric
Generated final average of 94% rubric proficiency, surpassing Institute-wide goal of 80%
05/06 08/06
Baltimore, MD
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF M ARYLAND
Law Clerk
Supported preparation and filing of illegal arrest lawsuit against the Baltimore City Police Department
Wrote memos, briefs, and letters, including letter to MD AG regarding anti-gay harassment in schools
Authored op-ed and created information card on early voting rights in advance of 2006 MD elections
08/01 07/05
Baltimore, MD
BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS/TEACH FOR AMERICA
Teacher
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Taught 1 /5 -grade classes at two Title I schools, serving 99% African American/Latino population
Chaired School Improvement Team; served as Teacher Liaison on Parent Teacher Organization
Planned and delivered standards-based lessons in all subjects for classes of up to 32 students
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As Team Leader, led first grade to highest assessment scores ever 90 percentile citywide
Surpassed state average in Maryland School Assessment fifth grade reading scores
Successfully advocated for safe schools regulation before MD State Department of Education
EDUCATION
08/05 05/08
Baltimore, MD
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF LAW
Juris Doctor (Law)
Leadership Scholar; VP of MD Public Interest Law Projects 501(c)(3) Board of Directors
Author: Acknowledging Uncommon Relationships: Changing How We Teach Students to Be Leaders
06/01 05/03
08/98 05/01
Baltimore, MD
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