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All of the biology teachers of JPS meet as a collective on a regular basis. Thanks to Dr. Cork, we receive a plethora of training, professional development, and content development. Dr. Cork prioritizes our needs, but I wonder about who is responsible for providing Dr. Cork with all of her needs so that she can provide us with our needs. Dr. Cork became an instructional coach at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. She was trained by one of the best educators in the district, former Biology I instructional coach Dr. Laquanda Sims. Alongside Dr. Sims, Dr. Cork receives professional development from instructional science groups such as The Kirkland Group and The Bailey Group. Dr. Cork has proven herself worthy of being a teacher leader for our district.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Top 10 Learning Needs For Teacher Leaders

Our rapidly changing world and the increasingly complex demands placed on schools because of that change has led to an increasing awareness that the school principal alone cannot provide all of the leadership necessary for school development. More and more school districts are asking teachers to share leadership responsibilities with school administrators. At the same time, even teacher leaders who are outstanding classroom teachers and committed to assisting their colleagues and renewing their schools still need their own professional learning in order to reach their leadership potential. Based on studies in which we have asked teacher leaders about their professional learning needs (Gordon, 2011; Gordon, Jacobs, & Solis, 2013; Jacobs, Gordon, & Solis, 2013) and our own work with teacher leaders, we can make two

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Authors

Stephen P. Gordon, Jennifer Jacobs, and Rachel Solis

Stephen P. Gordon (sg07@txstate.edu) is a professor of education and community leadership at Texas State University. Jennifer Jacobs (jjacobs8@usf.edu) is an assistant professor in the Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies, University of South Florida. Rachel Solis (rsolis@rawsonsaunders.org) is an assistant head at Rawson Saunders School, Austin, Texas, and a student in the school improvement Ph.D. program, Texas State University.

References

Bain, A. (2007). The self-organizing school: Next generation comprehensive school reform. Landham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Brown, K.M. (2004). Leadership for social justice and equity: Weaving a transformative framework and pedagogy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 77-108.

Dana, N.F. & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2009). The reflective educator's guide to classroom research: Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Glickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P., & Ross-Gordon, J.M. (2014). Supervision and instructional leadership: A developmental approach. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Gordon, S.P. (Ed.). (2008). Collaborative action research: Developing professional learning communities. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Gordon, S.P. (2011, November). Teacher leaders in 1990 and 2011: Their perceptions of attributes of effective teacher leaders as well as problems, support, and benefits associated with teacher leadership. Paper presented at the annual convention of the University Council of Educational Administration, Pittsburgh, PA.

Gordon, S.P., Jacobs, J., & Solis, R. (2013, April-May). Critical issues in teacher leadership: Phase I of a national study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.

Hall, G.E. & Hord, S.M. (2006). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Jacobs, J., Gordon, S.P., & Solis, R. (2013, October). Critical issues in teacher leadership: A national look at teacher leader perceptions. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision, University Park, PA.

Murtadha-Watts, K. & Stoughton, E. (2004). Critical cultural knowledge in special education: Reshaping the responsiveness of school leaders. Focus on Exceptional Children, 37(2), 1-8.

Stiegelbauer, S.M. (2008). The dimensions of learning: From plans to action. In S.P. Gordon (Ed.), Collaborative action research: Developing professional learning communities (pp. 112-133). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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Top 10 Learning Needs For Teacher Leaders | Learning Forward

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Our rapidly changing world and the increasingly complex demands placed on schools because of that change has led to an increasing awareness that the school principal alone cannot provide all of the leadership necessary for school development. More and more school districts are asking teachers to share leadership responsibilities with school administrators.

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"...teacher leaders who are outstanding classroom teachers and committed to assisting their colleagues and renewing their schools still need their own professional learning in order to reach their leadership potential." (Gordon, 2014)

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Dr. Cork is such a darling, but she takes her job seriously. She is not a fan of mediocrity. She will not allow you to half-ass being a teacher. She holds each of us accountable, and she expects us to maintain our professional responsibilities. Gladly, Dr. Cork and I haven't had a difficult conversation, but she has checked a few of my co-workers who neglect their professional responsibilities. She doesn't play about teaching and learning, and she doesn't play about data! Dr. Cork surpasses my expectations when it comes to providing adequate support. She only asks for us to do the same.

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By Josh Parker

I have spent nearly half of my career in some form of teacher leadership. Now that the horizon of 15 (!) years in education is quickly approaching, I have come to understand where I have made the most improvement (and done the most damage) as a leader of teachers and students. My mistakes and bad decisions have come with consequences, though I believe I was doing what I thought at the time was best for students. I have come to understand over time that both the positive choices and the not-so-good choices matter. I offer them here as "Do this/not that" advice for other emerging teacher leaders.
Do This-Have difficult conversations
In the past three years, this has most likely been my biggest area of growth. If you want to lead, you have to become comfortable, or at least willing, to have tough conversations. These conversations might be with your colleagues or subordinates. No matter the position of the person you are talking to, your willingness to confront the issues that can drive down the culture in a building create an atmosphere where real connection and collaboration can occur. I remember having an extremely difficult conversation with my direct supervisor recently. I was terrified the entire time internally, but as I maintained positive self-talk and breathed throughout the very necessary conversation, I could feel the air in the room getting lighter. I could sense that an exchange of meaning happened between her and I. The conclusion of the meeting was so much more free, authentic and generative. If you have a tough conversation in the 'inbox of your mind,' clear it out today. Like, right now.
Don't Do That-Avoid making tough decisions
When you put off tough decisions and conversations, something insidious happens. They grow larger. Like snarling beasts, they take up space in your mind and in your future that you cannot retrieve. Every minute, hour or day that I waited to make a decision that I needed to make, the stakes only got higher and the consequences steeper. Putting off a tough decision that you have to make today probably guarantees that it is an impossible situation later.
Do This-Coach teachers from a place of honesty
Teachers are inundated with so much data that really does not matter; your feedback as a leaders should not be a part of it. Great feedback is honest feedback. When I have dispensed with pretense and just told it straight, I have gotten more return on investment than any other type of conversation. To be fair, honesty is not absolute truth. There are many perspectives to the evaluation of classroom instruction. In those cases, I lead with the student outcomes and its alignment to the grade level standards. Are the students showing that they can independently achieve grade-level work? If not, we have to be honest about it. As a parent of one of my former students said to me during a conference about her daughter's behavior, "We have to get real, so we can get healed."
Don't Do That-Coach teachers only from a place of compassion
This does not mean that compassion should not be a part of your approach. It just should not be your entire approach. In years past, I have allowed my compassion and understanding for teachers (and students) that I support overwhelm my better judgment. The imbalance led me to hold back what would have been honest and helpful for the teacher (and the student). When compassion is applied disproportionately to coaching, you get teachers who feel heard but get crushed under the weight of minimal improvement. We all have a right to be heard and empathized with, but the better use of our professional development lives lies in warm but demanding dialogue and real problem-solving.
Do This-Above all else, focus on student outcomes
Students getting better at completing grade-level work is our job. There are other aspects to our profession that get the movie treatment and become the subject of great speeches and impactful novels, but if students aren't moving towards mastery, everything else we do will be undercut. I recently had a conversation with a colleague over an aspect of this idea. We discussed the importance of having a teacher who is a content expert versus a teacher who can relate well to students. In an ideal world, we would want both; but in this hypothetical scenario, the side we eventually came down on is content expertise. We want teachers who relate to students well, but we mostly want teachers who can teach content well which can only happen when they know content well. In the book entitled, Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson explains the concept of the adjacent possible. The idea is that when one advancement is made all future advancements that depend on that first breakthrough are now possible. The type of students we want to release to the world are children with soul, wit and the ability to transform their world. Deep knowledge of concepts makes that more possible than anything else.
Don't Do That-Above all else, focus on student participation
My wife and I love the book Good to Great. Jim Collins' seminal work opens up with one of my favorite lines:
"Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools......Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life."
I have advanced this idea to why we do not have great students-it is because we settle for their willing participation and eventual graduation as acceptable signs of progress. Some of the best leadership moves I have made have occurred when I chose to not accept modest gains as a sign of 'the best we can do.' The pressure of high-stakes testing performance amidst the grind of a school year and the ever present challenges of student behavior and institutional bureaucracy can coalesce to press leaders into managers. I would rather walk against the wind as a transformative leader than manage a slow decline. We do not accept this phenomenon in any other of the foundational professions and we should refuse to allow it in education.
Do This-Converse with colleagues from a place of authenticity and vulnerability
People may get attracted by those who are stars, but they follow those who show scars. When we engage from a place of vulnerability and authenticity (I know, I sound just like a Brene Brown book. I do love her work!), the type of communication we can have is much more secure and impactful. I used to think that I had to be the exemplar. I had to be the perfect teacher, return e-mails the fastest and always have the right answer to whatever questions my teachers asked. Those years are over. I always strive for greatness at my work, but I am so much more ready to admit what I got wrong and even experiment with the same advice I give teachers. I also express my frustration and joy with an intentionality and purpose that was missing from my early teacher leader years. I find that this willingness to be fully seen (I know, Brene Brown again) makes possible the best type of relationships that you can have between a leader and his/her 'subordinates.'
Don't Do That-Converse with colleagues from a zero/sum position or assumed superiority
Years ago, I showed up to an interview for a position that I believed I was qualified for, with about seven books. When the interview started, I softly laughed when they asked me if I had any experience in the field I was pursuing a position in and tapped on my stack of books as evidence of my prowess. I did not get the job. I did get a lesson in humility.

The easiest position to talk from is one of perceived superiority. How quickly did I forget about the struggles I had with classroom management and conducting participant-centered professional development before I led with my library in the interview? When teachers turn into department chairs, coaches and administrators, we can forget the daily grind and struggle that accompanies just completing one solid lesson. The further we get removed from a full teaching load, the easier we think it is for the teachers we lead to change. This attitude then permeates into the way we assess and support teachers who obviously are not as 'skilled' as we are. We are not as skilled as we think. We must avoid thinking that our experience, expertise and skillset automatically give us authority over the teachers we support. Additionally, when we engage teachers in a win/lose situation when it comes to accepting our advice or changing their practice, we end up getting compliance at best or passive-aggressiveness at worse. I am thankful for the many times I have been humbled in the early years of my career, for they have led me to an education that I could not have attained any other way. Certainly not from a stack of books.

These strategies are not meant to be exhaustive, but to inspire (and terrify) any teacher leader about the promise and pitfalls of leading teachers in schools. I recently had a difficult yet necessary conversation with a teacher that I was coaching. To be honest, I may have expressed too much frustration at what I would like to see her do with her students. As our conversation dwindled, I told her a statement that is as true today as it was the first time I attempted to teach a class: just make our kids one class period better than before. May that statement unite us all in this work.
Josh Parker is the 2012 Maryland State Teacher of the Year and a member of Board of Directors for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year. He currently serves as an instructional coach for the District of Columbia Pubic Schools. He will be presenting at Photo credit: National Network of State Teachers of the Year NNSTOY's national teacher leadership conference July 14-19 in Washington, D.C.

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This, Not That: Real Strategies for Teacher Leaders (Opinion)

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Teachers are inundated with so much data that really does not matter; your feedback as a leaders should not be a part of it. Great feedback is honest feedback. When I have dispensed with pretense and just told it straight, I have gotten more return on investment than any other type of conversation.

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Teacher leaders will not not have a difficult discussion with you.

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"If you want to lead, you have to become comfortable, or at least willing, to have tough conversations. No matter the position of the person you are talking to, your willingness to confront the issues that can drive down the culture in a building create an atmosphere where real connection and collaboration can occur." (Parker, 2017)

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Dr. Cork willingly offers support to all of the bio teachers in JPS. She shares instructional resources such as 5E lesson plans, interactive activities, and note-taking strategies; sends monthly pacing calendars and instructional guides; assists in unpacking standards; shares vocabulary strategies; helps to interpret and analyze student data; creates common assessments; and co-teaches lessons. Dr. Cork also observes my class sessions. She offers great advice as to how I can improve my teaching practices. Moreover, she aids in formulating plans that are specific for my scholars.

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Are you getting the support you need from the instructional coach in your school?

Instructional coaches have been an integral part of education systems for a long time now. You may have an instructional coach at your school who serves as a generalist, or they may be content specific, such as reading or math coaches. Often, teachers are not quite sure how to leverage the support of an instructional coach. At the same time, coaches are not always sure what teachers need and want, or how best to support them.

I had the honor of serving teachers at my school as their instructional coach for several years, and I'd like to share a few of my favorite ways to foster a strong teacher-coach relationship. If you're a new teacher, you may want and need an instructional coach but feel overwhelmed and unsure where to begin or what to ask. As a veteran teacher, you have your routines set and it's smooth sailing in your classroom, so you may not see how useful a coach could be to you.

Whether you are a new teacher or have been teaching for 20 years, you can benefit from your school's instructional coach. Here are five things to turn to them for.

1. Resources

Do you need an activity for guided reading? A center activity for graphing? Formative assessment ideas? Two more copies of Junie B. Jones to do a literature circle? Your instructional coach can help you with these requests and more.

Whether you are a new teacher or have been teaching for 20 years, you can benefit from your school's instructional coach.

Instructional coaches are a treasure trove of resources. They are often veteran teachers or teachers who have demonstrated expertise in various instructional strategies. This experience means they have many resources to share or, if they don't own them themselves, they know where to find them. They frequently have connections with other coaches, teachers at your school, and others around your school district who can help them find what you need. Instructional coaches may also have a flexible schedule and be able to find time to locate resources for you.

2. A coaching cycle

Your instructional coach may be trained to provide a coaching cycle to you. Think of coaching cycles as personalized professional development.

A coaching cycle begins with a pre-conference to determine what you are wanting or needing to work on. During the pre-conference, you will sit with your instructional coach and create an area of focus. Next, your coach will observe your class. During the observation, your coach will take notes on what you discussed. After the observation, you will have a post-conference to discuss the data they collected and the next steps you should take. Your instructional coach can provide resources and support you need to help you meet your goals.

3. Modeling

Instructional coaches can provide modeling in your classroom. That means they can demonstrate instructional strategies you might want to see in action with your class.

You may want a collaborative structure or a specific area of your curriculum demonstrated, for example. By utilizing your instructional coach as the teacher, you can become the observer. During your observation, you can take notes on the process, how your students are responding, and what you would like to do when you try it on your own. After the modeling process, you should meet with your instructional coach again to discuss what you observed and decide your next steps.

4. Class coverage so you can observe another teacher

One of my favorite ways to use an instructional coach was to have them cover my class so I could observe another teacher. There are amazing things happening all over your building, and you can learn so much from seeing each other in action.

At my school, we set up a pineapple chart to help us see what exciting things were happening in the classrooms throughout the building. As an instructional coach, I would cover teachers so they could observe the classrooms they had signed up to see.

5. Data conversations

Meeting with your instructional coach after each time you administer MAP® Growth™, or any other assessment used in your district, is a great way to discuss how your data may impact your instructional decisions. Your instructional coach could also meet with grade-level teams to help determine trends in the data and identify areas of focus. They may suggest a data protocol to help you analyze your data both as a group and as an individual.

If you do not give MAP Growth assessments, you can still have data conversations with your coach around your data sources. Instructional coaches can help you triangulate your data to best meet the needs of your students.

You don't have to go it alone

Research shows that a strong teacher-coach relationship has a positive impact on both teacher practice and student achievement. Utilizing your school's instructional coach for these purposes can be highly beneficial not just for you but for your students as well.

I encourage you to find your instructional coach and start a conversation about how they can help you this year. Each school and district uses coaches differently, so clearly defining your coach's role at the start will be helpful. Partnering with them will help you grow in your practice and make an even bigger impact on the lives of your students.

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5 ways instructional coaches can support teachers - Teach. Learn. Grow.

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Are you getting the support you need from the instructional coach in your school? Instructional coaches have been an integral part of education systems for a long time now. You may have an instructional coach at your school who serves as a generalist, or they may be content specific, such as reading or math coaches.

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Teacher Leaders Present Ideas and Offer Support

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Teacher Leaders Present Ideas and Offer Support

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"Instructional coaches partner with teachers to analyze current reality, set goals, identify and explain teaching strategies to hit the goals, and provide support until the goals are met." (Knight, 2016)

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Dr. Aisha Cork, Jackson Public Schools' Biology I instructional coach, don't hesitate to ask for teacher input regarding teaching and learning. She allows us to voice our opinions and ideas without much drawback. Dr. Cork allows us to make decisions that will positively impact our scholar's learning experience. She seeks to understand the different perspectives of all of the teachers she assists. Most importantly, she establishes open communication where all ideas are heard and all possibilities are explored.

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A few weeks ago, a friend called me to chat. While our children attend different schools, we often call one another to connect (and sometimes vent) about issues we-or our kids-are experiencing.

"My son is really struggling with his workload," my friend said. "So I called the division head to talk about how he is feeling and what he is experiencing, but I really didn't feel like she heard what I was saying."

After asking her a few more questions about the conversation, she added, "I didn't necessarily want special treatment or changes to his workload. I just wanted her to understand what my son is going through." She paused. "I just wanted her to listen."

In the age of Twitter Instagram, emails and texting, means of communication are constantly at our disposal. But the act of listening has become a skill we use less and less and school environments are no exception. Listening allows us insight about each other and about ourselves. When used wisely, thoughtful listening can transform schools and help educators work more collaboratively. And with some deliberate and thoughtful practice, school leaders can improve their listening capacity.

In a 2018 Harvard Business Review article, researchers Guy Itzchakov and Avi Kluger discuss their research findings around listening in the workplace. Through their research, they observed that employees paired with quality listeners felt, "less anxious, more self-aware, and reported higher clarity about their attitudes on the topics." In addition, the researchers argue that listening is a practiced skill that requires focus and attention.

Some school leaders may say, "listening is all I do!" Days spent in meetings, on calls and responding to emails and text messages are all ways that school leaders try to listen to other administrators, teachers, parents and students. But technology does not always provide the most productive means for listening. Email and texting, for example, do not facilitate deeper listening in the same way as face-to-face conversation (or even Zoom calls). As a school leader, it is important to provide more than one way for people to get in touch. But once they do, what does good listening look like?

Better listening requires a shift from a reactive frame of mind to one which is more receptive. For school leaders, daily conversations can often be something that requires immediate action. But when moments allow, shifting thinking from, "what is the solution?" to "what is this person saying to me?" or "what emotions is this person displaying?" can provide powerful results.

Focusing attention in the moment is also key. If you find yourself thinking about the hundred other things on your to-do list, you cannot be truly listening. Asking questions and refraining from providing one's own perspective is a difficult but necessary component of deeper listening.

Questions that seek to understand the speaker's perspective and emotions are essential not only to clarify their experience, but to acknowledge that they are actually being heard. Comments such as "tell me more about that situation" or "what can I do to support you?" can feel like trivial responses. But in this current climate, genuinely asking these questions-and listening to the responses-can validate the experiences of others and provide emotional support.

Providing a variety of paths to listening may not be enough; a proactive approach is essential. Developing "listening hours" either in person or via Zoom is a great tool to start this work. In these sessions, parents, teachers or even students can meet with school leaders to discuss certain topics. Remember: The purpose of these sessions is to listen not to respond, defend or resolve. These listening sessions also allow opportunities to develop insight into experiences and perspectives that are not your own; a key component in developing empathy.

There is, however, a fine line between providing avenues for thoughtful discussion and letting conversations spiral into gripe sessions. As Itzchakov and Kluger note in their research, supervisors worry that opening up these listening avenues can cause a loss of power in their position and some even fear change that could be a result from more open communication. To avoid this, set certain parameters, such as the number of participants, set time, and appropriate subjects to discuss. With specific rules, stakeholders can release their emotions around topics while moving toward more productive discussions.

There is no doubt that quality listening takes time and effort. It is a skill that takes practice and can, at times, be difficult to implement. But the long term positive effects that active listening will have on school leaders, teachers, parents and students will be well worth the effort.

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Attention School Leaders: Listening is Essential. Here's How to Get Better at It. - EdSurge News

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A few weeks ago, a friend called me to chat. While our children attend different schools, we often call one another to connect (and sometimes vent) about issues we-or our kids-are experiencing. "My son is really struggling with his workload," my friend said.

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"But the act of listening has become a skill we use less and less and school environments are no exception. Listening allows us insight about each other and about ourselves. When used wisely, thoughtful listening can transform schools and help educators work more collaboratively. And with some deliberate and thoughtful practice, school leaders can improve their listening capacity." (Collins, 2021)

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Fostering a Collaborative Culture to Support Educator Development and Student Learning 

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Fostering a Collaborative Culture to Support Educator Development and Student Learning 

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The teacher leader models effective skills in listening, presenting ideas, leading discussions, clarifying, mediating, and identifying the needs of self and others in order to advance shared goals and professional learning.