Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD

Division of Curriculum and Instruction

October 8, 2009
NISL ALIGNMENT TO STRATEGIC
IMPROVEMENT PLAN

The Goal of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is high

achievement for all students.
Supporting Objectives
Continuously increase student achievement
Performance Measures
 TEA Recognized/ Exemplary  TAKS Commended Scores
District
 Higher Education Readiness
 Recognized/Exemplary Component
Schools  SAT
 Adequately Yearly Progress  PSAT/NMSQT
(AYP)
 Advanced Placement
 Achievement Gap  Graduation Data
 Special Populations
OVERVIEW

NISL is a product of a study launched in the

late 1990’s by the National Center on
Education and the Economy (NCEE).
The study examined the role of school
leadership in improving
OVERVIEW
school performance.
At the heart of the study was this question:
What could the world of education learn about
leadership from other professions like
medicine, law, the military, and business?
More than $10 million
spent on the
development of NISL
 Basic Premise of NISL

Great schools have great leaders!

 Main Goal

To develop school leaders who will

drive their schools to high
performance and to build system-wide
capacity to leverage and sustain
improvements in instruction
MAJOR THEMES

The principal as strategic

thinker
The principal as instructional
leaders
The principal as creator of a
just culture in which all
students achieve the same
high standards
HIGH QUALITY PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

Face-to-face instruction in
workshops
Case studies
Collaborative work with colleagues
Video
Online work for every unit
Reading!!!
READINGS

14 books
34 articles/executive summaries
5 case studies
NISL is a two-year Executive
Leadership Development
Program consisting of four
courses.
COURSE ONE

Vision and Goals

of World-Class
World-Class Schooling
Schooling: Strategic Thinking
Vision and Goals Foundations of
Effective Learning
Standards-Based
Instructional
System
COURSE ONE HIGHLIGHTS

Establish a sense of urgency and

global context
The World is Flat
Cuban Missile Crisis
Singapore Case Study
Principles of Learning, Teaching, and
Curriculum
Standards-Based Instructional Wheel
The Principles of
Learning:
Effort produces achievement.
Learning is about making connections.
We learn with and through others.
Learning takes time.
Motivation matters.
The Principles of
Curriculum:
The curriculum should focus on
powerful knowledge.
All students should experience a
“Thinking Curriculum.”
The best results come from having an
aligned instructional system.
The Principles of
Teaching:
The teacher matters.
Focused teaching promotes
accelerated learning.
Clear expectations and
continuous feedback activate
learning.
Good teaching builds on
students’ strengths and
respects individuals’
differences.
Good teaching involves
modeling what students
should learn.
COURSE TWO

Instructional
Leadership
Focus on
Teaching and Leadership of
Learning Literacy, Math, and
Science
Professional
Development
COURSE TWO HIGHLIGHTS

NISL Faculty
Inside the Black Box: Raising
Standards Through Classroom
Assessment
Classroom Observations
COURSE THREE

Developing
organizational
Developing capacity
Capacity and
Commitment The role of the
principal in
creating an ethical
culture that
ensures high
standards for all
COURSE THREE HIGHLIGHTS

Building a New Structure for School

Leadership

“The skills and knowledge that matter in leadership

are those that can be connected to, or lead directly
to, the improvement of instruction and student
performance. Standards-based reform forces this
question. It makes leadership instrumental to
improvement.”
. . . Richard Elmore
COURSE FOUR

Principal as a
change agent
Driving for
Results Application of
data to reach
higher
achievement
Getting results
COURSE FOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a

Company One Cup at a Time
The Kotter Model
Establisha sense of urgency
Create the guiding coalition

Develop a vision and a strategy

Communicate the change vision

Empower broad-based action

Generate short-term wins

Consolidate gains and produce more change

Anchor new approaches in the culture

ADDITIONAL LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES

Instructional coaching institute

Final simulation and capstone
project
The Greenwood Middle School
Simulation
 NISL Leadership Team

Cyndi Boyd Nick Lasker

Dr. Bobby Burns Dr. Sheila Maher
Dr. Charles Cole Rosie Oliveira
Benita Gordon Tracy Smith
David Hicks Cathy Webb
Mark Hyatt

NISL Cohort I NISL Cohort II

42 participants 2006-2008 21 participants 2008-2010
“The Art of Mobilizing Others to
Want to Struggle for Shared
Aspirations”

The Leadership Challenge

Kouzes and Posner, 1997