As of the spring of 2006, fifteen of the original twenty-three strategies proposed at the start of the Highly Qualified Leaders Project in 2001 had been implemented through activities undertaken by the twelve demonstration sites, RIDE and the legislature. The remaining strategies and others subsequently identified are considered continuing challenges that will constitute the focus of upcoming demonstration site projects.

Accomplishments

State Priority for and Approach to Leadership

• Develop a shared vision and operational definitions of school and district leadership.
  • In 2003, the RI legislature amended its Professional Development Investment Fund policy to include administrators. The policy stipulates that districts must annually appropriate funds to support teacher, and now administrator, professional development. (Article 31)

The Candidate Pool

• Assist superintendents in creating succession leadership programs.
  • [Bristol Warren Administrative Intern Program]
• Create pathways for teacher leaders to prepare for the principalship.
  • [SORICO’s Pre-Internship for Teacher-Leaders/Aspiring Principals]
• Develop alternative routes to principal certification.
  • The Education Partnership developed an alternate principal certification program entitled the Principal Residency Network.
• Work with education organizations to identify teacher leaders and potential principal leaders.
  • Through the demonstration site programs implemented by The Education Partnership, the East Bay Educational Collaborative, the Southern RI Regional Collaborative, the RI Association of School Principals, and Providence LEAD, over 250 aspiring and practicing education leaders were identified and trained.
• Develop a marketing and recruitment system for attracting candidates, particularly minority candidates, into principal preparation programs. Explore interstate initiatives.
  • [Providence LEAD]

Education and Professional Learning

• Develop state-of-the-art education, training, and support programs reflecting research and best practice.
  • Each of the twelve demonstration sites’ programs was developed using the latest research and many were modeled after other successful research-based programs.
• Employ non-traditional learning opportunities for principals and superintendents, with a particular emphasis on job-embedded learning, support networks, mentoring, and communities of practice.
  • All of the demonstration sites’ programs can be considered non-traditional as they all employ novel and creative approaches to supporting leaders.
  • Currently RIDE, in partnership with Rhode Island School Superintendents' Association and American Association of School Administrators' Center for System Leadership, is in the process of developing a Northeast Network for early career superintendents.
• Hold annual leadership forums focused on knowledge and disposition of effective leaders.
  • In 2006, Douglas Reeves, CEO and Founder of the Center for Performance Assessment presented to well over 125 RI education leaders. In 2005, Brian McNulty, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) Vice President of Field Services also presented to over 125 RI education leaders. In 2004, Richard Elmore, Harvard Professor of Educational Leadership, presented to 75 RI education leaders.

Licensure, Certification, and Program Accreditation

• Create criteria and standards to guide the design of performance-based administrator preparation programs.
  • Providence College, Rhode Island College, Providence School Department/University of Rhode Island and the Principal Residency Network’s administrator preparation programs have selected The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards as the foundation for their curricula and learning experiences. These standards form the basis of the program accreditation process.
  • Commissioners of Higher and Elementary and Secondary Education continue to meet to address the status of leadership preparation programs in RI. A systems analysis of leadership preparation programs has been conducted.
  • Guidelines for the review/approval of Institutions of Higher Education that prepare educational leaders will now include additional sets of questions that focus on the context of teaching in RI and statewide initiatives in PK-12 schools. The approval process reviews how these expectations are integrated into the curriculum of these preparation programs and how they are assessed.

Conditions of Professional Practice

• Provide a statewide program for administrator individual planning and peer review.
  • In 2005, the Department of Education’s I-Plan process for teachers was expanded to include all educators.
• Assist superintendents in establishing learning systems within their school districts.
  • Cranston Public Schools turned five of their buildings into “Center Schools” where their elementary and secondary school teachers and principals participated in observations and trainings on: the “Math Investigations” program; “Response to Intervention” model implementation; AIMS WEB software program; electronic portfolios and senior projects; and, the use of Smart boards, Alpha Smarts, Running Records and other methods of enhancing education with the use of technology tools.
• Connect work on school leadership to current statewide initiatives on high school reform and school district redesign.
  • The Education Alliance demonstration site project connected leadership training to school district redesign local priorities. The Woonsocket Middle School demonstration site project was designed to mentor practicing leaders in school district redesign. Cranston used both of its high schools as Center Schools where elementary and secondary school personnel could become familiar with the electronic student portfolio (one of the mandatory options for the new statewide graduation requirements).

Authority for Practice and Governance Structures

• Examine distributed leadership models focused on supporting student learning.
  • North Kingstown developed a staff development program for parents to support them in taking leadership roles in school district initiatives alongside school leaders.
  • Teachers and principals learned side-by-side in the Cranston Center Schools (Laboratory Schools) and the East Bay Educational Collaborative’s Laboratory Classrooms. Teacher-leaders received training through SORICO’s pre-internships.
• Assist school committees in focusing their leadership on strategy, policy development, and accountability standards, rather than on day-to-day operations.
  • South Kingstown's school committee examined and redesigned its leadership role in the school system including approving a bylaw revision that authorized a subcommittee to design, initiate, and evaluate a professional development system.

Continuing Challenges and Goals

The following continuing challenges and goals include the remaining strategies proposed in the original proposal that will be addressed with upcoming Wallace Foundation SAELP funding:

• Develop and enact statewide policy initiatives, including:
  • Support the statewide system with legislative and administrative policies that are closely aligned with Rhode Island’s accountability system.
  • Examine such issues as salary, tenure, pension portability, and length of contracts.
• Continue developing a comprehensive system of professional development for education leaders that coordinates and aligns separate initiatives within the state, and effectively and efficiently uses statewide resources.
• Work more closely teacher unions on leadership issues and initiatives.
• Work more closely with school committees on leadership issues and initiatives.
• Aligning roles and responsibilities so that an education leader’s decision-making capacity empowers them for successful accountability.
• Revise education leader job descriptions to reflect current research on effective leadership.
• Continue to create state and district environments and cultures that value school leaders and leadership.
• Continue ensuring that principal preparation and general leadership development programs are in keeping with current research and best practices.
• Provide opportunities for extended service and contributions for retired school leaders.