Tools for Principals in Opportunity Culture Schools

• Planning Tools
• Implementing, Monitoring, and Improving Tools
• More Resources

In the most successful Opportunity Culture schools, principals lead an instructional team of multi-classroom leaders selected for their teaching excellence and leadership potential. Other principals can emulate their approach using this set of tools, which help principals plan for and lead a schoolwide team, along with tools for principals new to an Opportunity Culture school. Leading a team of teacher-leaders who in turn support and guide all of a school’s teachers is a new experience for most principals—a far cry from scrambling to lead, observe, and coach dozens of teachers individually.

Research shows the impact of multi-classroom leaders (MCLs): An average range of teachers who joined teams led by MCLs, (who had prior high growth as teachers) produced learning gains equivalent to those of teachers from the 75^th to 85^th percentile in math, and, in six of the seven statistical models, from 66^th to 72^nd percentile in reading. Teams had a median of five teachers in addition to the MCL.

So building MCLs’ leadership skills fast is crucial. Even the strongest teachers need coaching to excel as team leaders. Principals in any school with empowered teacher-leaders will find these tools helpful. They were informed by the research, advice, and stories of successful principals and multi-classroom leaders nationwide.

 

Planning Tools

Redesign your school(s) to extend great teachers’ reach:

• Opportunity Culture Design Toolkit

 

Clarify your unique vision and goals, including Opportunity Culture and other elements:

• Goal Setting Worksheet–Turnaround Version. Any school can adapt this planning tool.

 

Choose strategies to meet your goals, with specific targets and measures of success all year long:

• Priority Dashboard–Turnaround Version. Any school can use this to plan and track success.

 

Document your change plans:

• School Turnaround Plan. This tool keeps your plans linked in one place for sharing.

 

Recruit and Select the right people for your school:

• Recruitment toolkit
• Selection toolkit

 

Communicate change:

• School-Level Communications Checklist–This one-page checklist links slide decks, videos, and handouts for communicating in your school. 
• Turnaround Presentation (coming soon!)

 

Launch each year with the right steps and clarity:

• Principal Action Planner (to see each season in its own document, click on the following links: Summer; Fall; Winter; Spring)
• Organizational Chart Template–Instructional Leadership and Teams
• School Roles and Responsibilities Chart

 

Joining an Opportunity Culture school as Principal? Read these:

• Introduction for Principals Joining Opportunity Culture Schools
• Checklist for Principals Joining Opportunity Culture Schools

 

 

Implementing, Monitoring, and Improving Tools

Monitor schoolwide actions against your goals and plans, with support from your teacher-leaders:

• Priority Dashboard–Turnaround Version. Any school can use this tool to track success.

 

Take the right steps yourself, and continue to clarify:

• Principal Action Planner (to see each season in its own document, click on the following links: Summer; Fall; Winter; Spring)
• Organizational Chart Template: Instructional Leadership and Teams
• School Roles and Responsibilities Chart

 

Lead your instructional team of teacher-leaders to ensure instructional excellence schoolwide:

• Instructional Leadership and Excellence—The Key Elements (to dive deeply into improving instructional excellence and leadership, with more tools, videos, training, and PLC discussions)
• Leading a Team—a one-page summary
• Leading Across the Organization
• Education Leaders’ Summary Action List—a one-page quick review of all action areas
• Instructional Excellence Summary
• Standing Agendas for Leading an Instructional Team of Leaders

 

Improve your team:

• Training for Opportunity Culture educators
• Selection and evaluation toolkits: kits include job descriptions and competencies for success
• School turnaround principal tools share competencies and actions for principal success

 

 

More Resources

• See our general resources on school turnarounds.
• Revisit our general resources for extending the reach of great educators to all students and providing paid career opportunities and support to all educators.
• See our tools for teachers and teacher-leaders.