As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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Tougher principal selection process in the works
By: Rebecca Harris / February 17, 2012
Chicago Public Schools is embarking on yet another revamp of its controversial principal eligibility process, based on a new set of principal skills that will also play into new state-mandated principal evaluations.
The changes could take effect as soon as this summer, but it’s not clear yet what they will be. The current process includes an application with essays and an initial interview; a scenario exam; a school data case study; a more in-depth interview; and a mock teacher observation. (Those could still be part of the revamped process.)
Steve Gering, chief of the Office of Leadership Development, announced the new skills at the recent Chicago Principals and Administrators Association conference. He says the new skills are simpler than the current set of five principal competencies and 12 “success factors” that are linked to the current principal eligibility requirements.
What’s more, the current competencies – and eligibility process – “do not say a word about” family and community engagement, Gering says.
The new principal competencies are as follows:
- “Creates professional learning systems” to improve teaching (implementing Common Core State Standards, using data analysis to improve instruction)
- “Champions teacher excellence through a focus on continuous improvement” (this includes observing each teacher weekly and supporting teacher leadership teams)
- “Establishes a college-going culture” among staff and students, including a strong “school brand”
- “Empowers and motivates families and community to become engaged”
- “Relentlessly pursues self-disciplined thinking and actions”
Currently, “I think the process is not as selective as we would like it to be,” Gering says. However, 70 percent of applicants initially failed the current process, prompting complaints from aspiring principals.
Part of the increased selectivity will happen on the front end – before candidates are recruited into principal preparation programs – and within the programs themselves. The newly created Chicago Leadership Collaborative will bring together several existing principal preparation programs and make sure their curriculum is in line with the new skills. (Officials issued a request-for-proposals from principal prep programs last fall, and are currently reviewing applications.)
The collaborative won’t just be about principal preparation, Gering notes, but will also offer other training to principals and principal candidates.
Gering, who was hired by CPS in August after working for the district as a consultant for years, is charged with coordinating that group’s work as well. He says that one goal is to triple the number of graduates from high-quality preparation programs – which now include the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Urban Education Leadership doctoral program, New Leaders for New Schools, and Teach for America’s Principal Leadership Pipeline – from 32 a year to 100.
The move comes as the district is poised to implement new state rules changing principal evaluations.
Starting in fall 2012, all principal evaluations in Illinois must rely on student achievement growth – such as value-added test scores – to determine at least 25 percent of a principal’s score. By fall 2014, achievement growth will be required to count for at least 30 percent of principals’ ratings.
Districts are also required to observe principals and rate their “professional practice.” In Chicago, those ratings will likely be based on the new set of principal skills.
Principal Eligibility List
Does anyone know how many principals are on the current principal eligibility list?
Qualifications
Can the committee reviewing applicants for such positions ensure that the applicants are human beings? It seems like it would be cost effective and increase teacher morale in the long run.
400-ish
400-ish
What happens to those on the list now for three years in March
Are they kicked off of it?--there were about the first 56 and the process was very difficult then. And in that first process--there was a parent engagment part.
I've heard it's over 400.
I've heard it's over 400.
Hmmmm Child Happiness????
Sounds like they dont want humans? Why dont they just hire an adroid? I thought children came first? what about adding ensureingg above all teh "safety and happiness of children?". Does our own CEO even fit this bill? DOes Rahm?
Hmmm..Happy and safe Children
Sounds like they don't want humans? Why dont they just hire an android? I thought children came first? what about adding ensuring above all the "safety and happiness of children?". Does our own CEO even fit this bill? Does Rahm? I hate to say this...but this school system is sounding more and more like some type old Soviet style system bent on destroying any glimmer of humanity, creativity and he acceptance of human error?
“Champions teacher excellence
“Champions teacher excellence through a focus on continuous improvement” (this includes observing each teacher weekly and supporting teacher leadership teams)
Well that's quaint. There are over 200 teachers in my building. Good luck to the principal who is required to observe each teacher weekly.
If our principal invested a full 40 hour work week in observations, to the exclusion of all other responsibilities, this "competency" would allow for a grand 12 minutes of observation time. How helpful. And, um, competent?
If our four member administrative team observed each teacher for a full class period every week it would collectively take them 165 hours. Right.
“Establishes a college-going
“Establishes a college-going culture” among staff and students, including a strong “school brand”
Now here we get to the reality of urban education in 2012. Schools are to become "brands" - rich in marketing, slick promotions, and other materials and strategies designed to "sell" the school to the consumer in a competitive market economy where a well funded, fully supported, quality education becomes a scarce resource designed to earn a profit for its investors. And we all know that "branding" advertising is honest and true, forthright and full of integrity, right?
What a joke.
Mantra
I think they got these phrases from a Pyramid Scheme or a pamphlet from a care salesmanager training manual?
New Mantra?
I think they got these phrases were borrowed from Jeffrey Skillings Enron Training Manual or a pamphlet from a car sales manager leadership class?
Image vs. reality re: principal competencies
The new principal competencies set forth by the CPS reflect the current culture's faith in data-based decision-making, and the implicit assumption that lack of attention to the preceding has been and is a primary obstacle to improved schools and student achievement.
The new competencies also reflect the growing awareness of the principal's role in school improvement. Researchers agree that this role is paramount among school personnel, and that sustained school improvement cannot be achieved without an effective principal.
The competencies do not to my mind sufficiently address the crucial importance of a principal's interpersonal skills. Because a school's work environment is so heavily dependent upon its social climate, its leaders must be competent in "emotional intelligence," and capable of fostering high levels of trust between principal and teachers, among fellow teachers, and between school personnel and parents/students. More simply put, it is difficult to lead anyone toward anything unless your followers like and trust you. (The same exact point holds for teachers attempting to lead students to greater knowledge.)
There are also "contextual factors" that appear to place limits on the degree to which schools can improve student outcomes, such as extreme poverty, high transience, high crime, and high percentages of neglected/abused students. (See the recent book "Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago," 2010). There do not appear to be any simple solutions for the educational problems these factors create--much less relatively inexpensive ones (e.g., choosing the "right" principal and/or "right" teachers.) The political powers that exist in Chicago as well as many other areas charged with educating the urban poor do not wish to call the attention of their electorates to these issues, because they will be very costly to address successfully. Many in our society are strongly supportive of educational equality for all--until it starts taking money out of their pockets!
Instead of hearing "truth spoken to power," we will continue to hear about how a few "great" principals (and/or charter schools) have done great things with their poor and minority students. These stories will continue to fuel the illusion that inner city schools merely need the right principals and teachers. They do, but there aren't going to be enough such heroic principals to supply the need. Moreover, these schools are going to need a lot more help than simply great principals and great teachers.
CPS takes a few of its most outstanding principals/schools and holds them up as though their successes can be duplicated anywhere else in the system. This amounts to holding up the top one or two percent in any profession and demanding that the other 98 percent should be capable of the same level of performance. Even though this is ridiculous, CPS will likely tell its principal candidates not to even bother applying unless they believe that all students are capable of graduating from college, given the right principal to lead them.
So, CPS and Mr. Brizard, I eagerly await hearing more about the whole truth of the situation and how you are going to address it, instead of high-sounding rhetoric about how Chicago will not settle for anything less than the best with respect re: its new principals. And in the meantime, it would be nice if the network chiefs would do a few walk-throughs at those of their schools where safety and order are seriously lacking and do something about it. (I think the research is unanimous that adequate safety/order are prerequisites for effective schools.)
One final suggestion
CPS in its enthusiasm for "accountability" overlooks the importance of honest teacher feedback in its principal evaluations. The primary vehicle for obtaining same seems to be the online teacher survey conducted by the CCSR (Consortium on Chicago School Research of the U. of Chicago). The most recent version of this survey conducted last March/April was billed to teachers as "anonymous," yet included several items which could easily have made possible the discovery of their identities. Moreover, principals were told the specific identities of those teachers who had and had not yet completed the surveys, and some (perhaps, many) principals used this information to encourage survey completion.
The survey results were thus partially invalidated--especially at schools whose principals merited critical feedback from teachers who feared to offer it. The implications for future summative and formative principal evaluations seem self-evident. Such surveys should be conducted either by the teachers union or by some wholly independent third party and guarantee teacher anonymity.
CPS should let principals be princpals
Stop making principals be business managers, accountants, and human resource specialists--let them be instructional leaders. That is what 125 is supposed to do.
Principals ask for help at 125 and no one even knows what you are talking about!
Those at 125 do not have to do accounting, spending the money and audits--heck--they do not even have to drive!
response to principals-survey
so what do the three LSC members, elected by the faculty of the princpals's school, do?
please--CPS schools with over 1000 students get 1 clerk and 1 AP
and the AP is supposed to teach!
Administrators at 125 get secretaries and assistants--with no direct contact with students
Principal surveys
I think you should share your concerns with your school's union delegate, your union field representative, and cc the union leadership. This is a district-wide issue and very important to the process of identifying areas of principal leadership in need of strengthening remediation. When the latter is not possible, the principal should be replaced. The teachers union in my view should absolutely take the lead in this matter.
Finally, teachers should be given detailed feedback regarding the survey's results, and in a timely manner.
How Many Principals on New List
It used to be over 400 principals on the old list. The new list has less than a 100. Does anyone know the real number?
CPS Tough rules....
“Creates professional learning systems” to improve teaching (implementing Common Core State Standards, using data analysis to improve instruction
The above Makes me laugh coming from the same Executives who let spelling mistakes go out on the first Common Core test (Fall 2011) to elementary sudents! They want perfection from all but themselves hahahaah
Don't forget--wrong answers AND double answers too
CPS paid for this using our tax dollars for people at 125 to write this stuff.
ANd they took away coaches from our schoosl and have them all to themselves at 125--thanks Ms. Cheat-um!
If any of them had any work as a CPS teacher--they would have learned from the CASE mistake!
As I always ask
Who is judging the judges????
This is terrific step toward more coherence
I think it's great to have high standards for leaders in schools and that an objective screening process helps get the right people into the jobs that are open who will make an impact on the school. Bravo to Chicago for working toward connecting hiring to the work that matters in the principalship and aligning that to the evaluation process. While I am sure there will be bumps in the road, it makes it much easier to understand leadership actions and how they impact the community of learning that happens in schools.
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