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As with some of the others, I really enjoyed the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence.  I found it very interesting about the deficiency needs. A lot of time we jump straight to the growth needs without laying the foundation that are so important that we assume they have.  this include veteran teachers too.  So many times do we chalk it up to fixed mindset that we forget that we need to go back and fix foundational pieces.  

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As with some of the others, I really enjoyed the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence.  I found it very interesting about the deficiency needs. A lot of time we jump straight to the growth needs without laying the foundation that are so important that we assume they have.  this include veteran teachers too.  So many times do we chalk it up to fixed mindset that we forget that we need to go back and fix foundational pieces.  

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I also highlighted just about everything when he broke down the 4 questions into teacher needs. Man, what a way to change your thinking about it.

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Professional Learning Opportunities and their influence on developing teacher competence:
Teaching Experience - 89%
Learning from Peers and Colleagues - 76%
PD Activities - 45%
Independent Study - 32%
College of Education - 22%

I feel that Instructional Coaching falls under "Learning from Peers and Colleagues", so that means we have a huge impact on developing teacher competence!

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The connection I made was with Steven Barkley and how he said that we are coaches of pedagogy instead of content. On page 13, it says "new teachers feel most competent in dealing with content but feel the least prepared to work with students. Time management, classroom management, and classroom disciplines are areas in which new teachers feel most insecure". I find this to be very true. 

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The connection I made was with Steven Barkley and how he said that we are coaches of pedagogy instead of content. On page 13, it says "new teachers feel most competent in dealing with content but feel the least prepared to work with students. Time management, classroom management, and classroom disciplines are areas in which new teachers feel most insecure". I find this to be very true. 

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Chapter 1 is great. I love the structure of the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence and it really got me thinking about how I can help better support the teachers at the various levels.

The quote that really stuck out to me is on page 21 - “There is no possible way that leaders, as individuals, can meet every need of every teacher. Rather than scrambling to support each teacher directly, therefore, we can create a system of multiple supports available at various levels of individual interaction.” I struggle on a daily basis with not feeling effective in my role as Instructional Coach. This quote really helped me to think through what I am currently doing and how I can revamp it to help develop the system of multiple support.

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I like how the Four Critical Questions for Building an Excellence Support System have been restated.  Although the previous questions were helpful in PLCs, these seem a little more specific about what we need to be reflecting on/implementing as a campus.

My favorite quote is from #3 – If any teacher fails, we all fail.  While I believe that Leander does an exceptional job with their new teachers, I do feel that there can always be improvements to the system.  As an administrator on a campus, having systems in place to ensure the success of our new teachers (and all teachers) needs to be a priority.  As stated in the book, An excellent school doesn’t leave excellence to chance.

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Connections: Leander has students at the center, which goes along with one of the first quotes I wrote down, "If we want to ensure that all students achieve the highest level of learning excellence, we must make sure that during every year of their education experience they receive excellent instruction delivered by excellent teachers working in excellent schools."  Leander cannot have a student centered district if we don't have all the right supports to make that happen.   

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Connections: Leander has students at the center, which goes along with one of the first quotes I wrote down, "If we want to ensure that all students achieve the highest level of learning excellence, we must make sure that during every year of their education experience they receive excellent instruction delivered by excellent teachers working in excellent schools."  Leander cannot have a student centered district if we don't have all the right supports to make that happen.   

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While reading this first Chapter, I made so many connections to all the work that has been being done this year in LISD. Although there has been a lot of change, it is all change that is going to help make ALL teachers successful.

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I liked how the first paragraph ended with "If we believe that every student counts, we, as leaders, must believe that every teacher counts as well."  I think to ensure that our teachers are successful we need to facilitate our PLCs so they are effective.  It becomes a "collective responsibility" and when PLCs run effectively, every teacher counts which in turn leads to success for all students.  Leander's emphasis on PLCs will prove worthwhile.

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Connections: I love LISD's belief in continuous improvement, PLC's and collaboration among peers.  What originally drew me to this book was the Wink's Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence.  It really hit home with me as a new IC helping me understand the mindset of different teachers and their needs.  

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Connections: I love LISD's belief in continuous improvement, PLC's and collaboration among peers.  What originally drew me to this book was the Wink's Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence.  It really hit home with me as a new IC helping me understand the mindset of different teachers and their needs.  

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In the introduction, it was interesting to make the connection to where LEADS likely comes from, Charlotte Danielson's Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching and the 22 components which Danielson "categorized into four domains -planning and preparing, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities"...LEADS anyone?!
I also love the Excellence Support System for teachers as it relates to RTI.
I was really surprised to hear how inexperienced teachers today are as compared to teachers in 1986. It made me really think about the supports we have in place for new teachers in LISD.

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Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence and 3 Step Support System--- PLCs, LEADS, and Continuous Improvement

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Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence and 3 Step Support System--- PLCs, LEADS, and Continuous Improvement

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One  quote hit me right away: "We can create excellent teachers by providing both the feedback support that can help them peel through the layers of difficulties they are experiencing to uncover and address their greatest area of need first." Leander has held this at their core, and have added ICs to help make this a reality. As I read this book, I feel purpose being added to our roles in a new light. I am excited to begin to implement the practical components of this book with the systems we already have in place. It seems likes such a natural transition.

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I have always appreciated the fact that LISD stays current on effective practices. (LEADS, PLC's, 1:1 tech, common assessments, curriculum, individualized PD, etc) I love that this book is giving us some direction through the Three-Step Excellence Support System on how we can implement these practices with fidelity throughout the district. Wink states "Schools of excellence have systems and tools to identify areas of strength in instructional delivery and areas that need improvement." I think we have great foundational systems in place and I am really excited to see what tools we can collaboratively come up with to strengthen both the function of PLC's and the implementation of LEADS!  The Hierarchy of Needs and the Four Critical Questions are a great resource to guide our work as IC's!

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I feel like Leander is aligning with Wink's concepts through the PLC process (Learning by Doing) and focusing our instruction around the 4 questions. More than anything, I was thinking about LEADs as Wink was discussing the growth needs of teachers. I'm hopeful that through the self-assessment process, teachers will be able to set their growth goals in order to deepen their instructional capacity.

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I LOVE that all of this is aligned to growth and all the while systemically focused with a process both from the District (LEADS), Learn By Doing (Frameworks for PLCs) and supports within all of this from WInk - my mind is blowing up with excitement as to our direction! I would suggest that all of this will put the coach and principal together in a more meaningful way so that we are all working on the right work to support stakeholders effectively...in some senses giving more systemic usage and understanding of the critical role a coach plays in collaboratively developing school improvement ALONGSIDE principals! Amen!

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I wonder if the "Accomplished & Distinguished" parts of the LEADS rubric is a Level 5 (Rigor and Mastery) achievement. It seems Proficient to those levels often involves that 'next level' like what systems and data do you show for that area...intentionality...data...differentiation etc...

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"Excellent schools don't leave excellence to chance." Well, neither does LISD. We believe in learning for all teachers and back it up with systems like NTP, CIC, campus based PD, ongoing content/curriculum support, LEADS evaluation, portfolios, PLCs and mentoring programs that support our continuous improvement mindset
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Wink talks about "systemwide supports should offer more than mere advice on how to navigate day to day routines and procedures"
In Leander we have curriculum support through ICs not only for new teachers, but all teachers new and veteran.  Our new teachers also have extra support with a mentor to help them with the day to day and procedures.
LEADS will help ensure that teachers continue to grow - coaches and principals will be able to help guide them with their growth.

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I knew quality of teaching had a huge impact on students (duh!), but I was astounded by the statistics Wink quoted from Marzano, especially the finding that an average student (50th percentile) attending a highly effective school with 2 consecutive years of highly effective instruction grew on average to the 96th percentile. WOW!

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Of course the PLC questions, but I like how Wink focuses on growth even for teachers.  Sometimes we give up on teachers too soon before we have even given them the tools they need to be successful.  Continuous Improvement is another similarity.  I love his hierarchy and I can see how this would help truly hone in on what a teacher truly needs when he or she is struggling, and it would help narrow what to focus on first (lower levels first).

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I really love John Wink's support of teachers. If we value the mindset that all students can grow and improve, shouldn't we hold the same value for teachers?

LISD has a lot of the systems and ideas that John Wink describes, but I don't think they are always as clearly verbalized as they are in this chapter. There are so many working parts involved in growing excellent schools and excellent teachers, I appreciate Wink's categorization and organization of these ideas (example: Three- Step Excellence Support System and the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence).

I especially like Wink's hierarchy. I wonder how IC's could use this organization chart to help provide a foundation campus teacher support?

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Leander and John Wink share the same philosophy of continual improvement in individual educators as well as collectively through the work of Professional Learning Communities. Many times throughout the chapter I made connections to our LEADS document. I am excited to see what learning will be happening next year using the LEADS rubrics. 

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Leander and John Wink share the same philosophy of continual improvement in individual educators as well as collectively through the work of Professional Learning Communities. Many times throughout the chapter I made connections to our LEADS document. I am excited to see what learning will be happening next year using the LEADS rubrics. 

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Leads                               While I was reading I was constantly thinking about LEADS and our role in this process.  On pg. 5 when it talks about creating excellent teachers by providing both feedback and support to help them "peel through the layers of difficulties they are experiencing to uncover and address their greatest area of need" really hit home.  I think LEADS is really going to open some doors for our IC group!  I am excited about the possibilities!

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Leads                               While I was reading I was constantly thinking about LEADS and our role in this process.  On pg. 5 when it talks about creating excellent teachers by providing both feedback and support to help them "peel through the layers of difficulties they are experiencing to uncover and address their greatest area of need" really hit home.  I think LEADS is really going to open some doors for our IC group!  I am excited about the possibilities!

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PLC Questions - the 4 questions for PLCs and how they can be transformed to focus on teacher growth.  Just like we need to reach students who may still be struggling while enriching those that are ready to move on, we need to work to differentiate PD.  Enlist those teachers that demonstrate levels of mastery to teach others.
Hierarchy of Needs - how this pertains to teachers and meeting their needs for growth.  If a struggling teacher is still at a level of deficiency, he/she can't even begin to think about the growth needs.

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Continuous Improvement, Relationships first, Student Ownership,  Empowering Others!

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I love the way the pyramid really chunks the learning.  I love how it helps us look at teacher needs and identify a more focused way to provide support.  During the conference, John shared how the pyramid linked to LEADS.  I love the possibilities.

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There is a direct connection between PLC and Levels 5-7 (growth needs) of the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence. As the district continues to grow in its knowledge of and experience with PLC (creating some of the systemic conditions outlined in the chapter), I wonder how that will collectively transform learning for both teachers and students.

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I love how we connect the four questions for students translates to the four questions for teachers.  What a great way to focus on our teacher PD and ways we can support our teachers in a systematic ways!

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"We must abandon the idea that teachers ever reach a level of development where they can stop learning."  Excellence is not a condition but a process of continuous improvement over time.

We must continue to learn and improve as educators to be able to provide our students and teammates with excellent learning experiences.