Supporting Instructional Leaders through Action Learning Schools

Action Learning Schools is a process for empowering schools to improve the quality of schools from within. This process focuses on developing meaningful observations around what is working in schools and contributes to the on-going improvement of schools. Action Learning Schools grows out of the understanding that organizations can collaborate, learn and develop shared understandings around organizational improvement. Ultimately, the goal of Action Learning Schools is to enhance student outcomes.

Action Learning Schools is a circular process. Schools undertake collaborative action research and develop their knowledge base of the best practice in the process. Changes in practice are scaled up through repeated movement through the action research cycle, with a positive impact on student achievement. Practices include:

• Learning organizations: Schools that participate with Action Learning Schools are learning organizations. Action Learning Schools is developed from the understanding that both organizations and individuals learn and grow through this collaborative system.
• Appreciative: Action Learning Schools is an appreciative process that grows out of a focus on what is working and how to build from the schools’ strengths.
• Process oriented: Action Learning Schools involves processes that become part of the ongoing work of the school and regularly scheduled teacher collaboration throughout the year.
• Evidence based: The process of Action Learning Schools works to collect and use evidence to enhance the work of teachers and maximize the potential of students. Educational literature, best practice and student data are used as evidence to in-form practice.
• Instructional leadership focused: Action Learning Schools works with principals and school leadership teams to collectively lead and support implementation, driving the change the school is working towards.

How does the model work?

The school principal guides the process within the school, with the support of an established leadership team. They, with the support of all staff, determine a clear focus and set an improvement goal based on student achievement evidence. A negotiated plan based on research, both theirs and others, informs the next steps.

Teachers are encouraged to plan using short cycles of inquiry (Learning Sprints)1 and to then reflect on student progress. The leadership team recognizes that substantive change can only happen in the classroom, so they create collaborative professional learning opportunities within the school and organize and facilitate learning groups based on the needs expressed by the teachers.

A critical friend, external to the school and division, is committed to providing support to the school. Their role is to be encouraging and supportive but they are also able to provide constructive feedback based on their expertise. This relationship forms the basis for collaborative work.

Action Learning Schools in Border Land School Division

The learning journey with Border Land School Division, through Action Learning Schools, began with two schools and has grown to include eight. Initially, participation was school initiated; over time, having seen the positive impact on participating schools, participation in Action Learning Schools has become a divisional initiative. From a divisional perspective, the decision to move to school wide implementation flowed from observations by senior ad-ministration that school plans were more focused.

Furthermore, principals were vocal in affirming the value of working alongside a critical friend. The role of the critical friend added value because they provided an objective lens for principals to reflect on their planning. In school visits, it was evident to senior administration that school leaders had sharpened their school planning skills—in particular, literacy and numeracy goals were more targeted, and, as a result, there was a sense that the school plan was a worthwhile document.

When asked about the impact for school planning, a consistent theme that emerged from principal responses was clarity of purpose. Expectations for school planning have always been an important aspect of principal leadership; what each of the four principals highlighted, however, was a greater sense of confidence in the precision of school goals.

“For our writing goal we focused on teaching and using conventions, as this was an area that consistently showed up on the BC writing rubrics throughout the grades as a growing edge,” described one principal. They also noted that the clarity of focus provided the confidence to make school goals visible to the school community, including students and parents. Another principal stat-ed that “the main impact of working with a critical friend was to help us see the value and purpose in drilling down to set narrow and specific goals for students.”

While the sense of having been positively impacted was clear in each of the principals’ responses, the range of experience shaped the nature of the impact. A first-year principal pointed to the valuable sense of mentorship provided by working with a critical friend, stating that the collaboration “put me on a learning curve to effectively work with staff on school goals.”

A veteran principal explained that she felt affirmed in the work she was already doing and that the critical friend “helped me link to resources and some alternate protocols or frameworks to try with staff to become more specific in examining evidence of student learning.” Without exception, principals expressed value in working alongside a critical friend, as an “outside person.”

Teacher impact was observed in a variety of ways; from “going deeper into the work and having more ideas for how to work on the goals,” to holding “everyone a bit more accountable,” to giving teachers a “clear sense of how to continually check in on students and create short sprints to address an area they were struggling with.” Teachers felt more confident and equipped to take on leadership roles.

Impact on students was identified by principals as evident in students’ sense of engagement, enthusiasm and clarity of what matters in learning. One principal highlighted that, “Students see themselves making gains in the specified goal and can use language to de-scribe what they are working towards.” From another school the principal beautifully not-ed that the students “Get more of the best from their teachers.”

Action Learning Schools in Southwest Horizon School Division

Two schools in Southwest Horizon School Division began as pilot schools in the initial Action Learning Schools project, with five more schools joining the project during the 2018-19 school year. Each school had established norms and protocols for kindergarten to Grade 12 Professional Learning Communities but found that collaboration with a critical friend added clarity and value to their work. In describing the process, one principal said, “We developed a common understanding and a common language, and, consequently, our dialogue became deeper as we participated in collaborative analysis of student evidence to determine our next steps.”

Principals consistently reported that a critical friend provided a balance of affirmation, challenge and accountability in assisting the school team. A veteran principal said, “I appreciate the external skillset of expertise and experience that the critical friend brings to the table as well as the perspective, strategies and best practise shared from other divisions, national and international educational settings.”

Principals view their critical friend much like senior administration who observe, as-sist with the collection of data, ask tough questions and provide feedback. The difference, however, is the absence, whether perceived or real, of preconceived bias and evaluation. Principals believe the sole purpose of a critical friend is to assist with school improvement.

Another principal identified the greatest impact in her first year working with Action Learning Schools as the challenge of bringing specific evidence to the table for collaborative analysis. Success criteria became clearer because the team was challenged to narrow goals to a very specific level. All participants reported that Action Learning Schools assisted the team to maintain their focus, keep the noise out and go an inch wide and a mile deep with their learning.

One of the strongest impacts of critical friends noted by teachers was the focus on celebration. One coach stated, “As instructional leaders we tend to gain momentum as we watch our students learn and progress but forget to celebrate the successes, no matter the size.” Another coach reported, “We had a critical friend for four years, and now that our critical friend has moved on, it feels like a staff member has moved out of our school!”

Although senior administration does not participate directly in the school-based work of Action Learning Schools in schools or receive direct feedback from critical friends, the influence of the work permeates the system. Principals and literacy and numeracy coaches provide evidence of their team’s work during monthly leadership meetings, sharing the work developed and expanding the knowledge base and the learning network.

Assuming the role of a critical friend to schools outside my own division has challenged me to examine my impact as a system leader and to develop my coaching and collaboration skills. Although there are many similarities between the roles of system leader and critical friend, the role of a critical friend is solely about improving schools by building capacity through collaborative work. As well, through collaborating with a cohort of critical friends, I can bring additional value to my home division.

Conclusion

Evidence indicates that Action Learning Schools supports school leaders, in conjunction with their staff, to collect and to use student evidence to narrow their focus and then take deliberate action to achieve their goals. By doing this, teachers are empowered to think about improvement in terms of short cycles of inquiry and are held accountable for the commitments they make. External critical friends working in partnership with the leadership team are valued for their non-evaluative, advocacy stance as they influence the actions that best bring about the schools’ desired change. Action Learning Schools in schools promises to be a valuable process for Manitoba schools.

Carolyn Cory is the Superintendent for the Southwest Horizon School Division. Eileen Sutherland is the Executive Director for the Manitoba Rural Learning Consortium, and Jonathan Toews is the Assistant Superintendent for Border Land School Division.