VIEW FROM THE HIL
News and Highlights from the WMU-HIL Literacy Leadership Project
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HIL Project schools keep networking and supporting students. We're finding new technologies and innovative ways to connect as we support teachers and principals in West Michigan.
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December 2020
HIL PROJECT DIFFERENCE
SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS
FOCUS ON PARTNERS
UPCOMING EVENTS
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 FROM THE DIRECTORS
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Year 4 of the HIL Project is well under way. 71 brave school principals and their staffs have become Cohort B with no less commitment and focus than the 75 schools in Cohort A. We already see signs of real progress and growth. We have 34 highly trained and well supported Facilitators working with their schools to integrate Essential Literacy Practices with engaging remote and virtual learning strategies.
We continue to work with schools to build capacity through the school’s:
- Positive Core
- Collective Ownership
- Evidence-based decision-making
- Organizational Learning
These are four critical dimensions of high impact leadership that put a school in a state of adaptive change informed by four practices that school leaders can use to build and sustain each of the four. It also just so happens that the four leadership principles are so powerful they are helping schools weather the roller-coaster ride of a local, national, and global crisis.
READ THE FULL REPORT
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Virtual networking events
Finding new opportunities to learn together
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by Lisa Ryan, HIL Project Assistant Director
The HIL Project hosted its first official virtual networking event during October 2020. All Cohort A and Cohort B High Impact Leadership Teams (HILTs) and other supporters were invited to attend one or more 75-minute events held over the course of a week. Each session focused on one of four questions:
- How are teachers collecting real-time literacy data in a virtual and/or face-to-face (f2f) environment?
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How are teachers and principals supporting student engagement in a virtual and/or f2f environment?
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How are schools implementing literacy coaching and professional learning in the post-COVID school environment?
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How are teachers planning for and implementing small group instruction in a virtual and/or f2f environment?
The use of small breakout groups and the Jamboard collaboration tool provided an opportunity for real dialogue and engagement among participants. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with tremendous sharing of resources and ideas among participants. (Click the image to view the Summary of Networking Jamboards- October 2020.)
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The HIL Project team also learned from these Networking Sessions. We learned that:
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Our region’s resilient and flexible educators approach their work of educating students with a growth mindset while focusing on strengths and opportunities.
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Collaboration and sharing of best practices, in both face-to-face and virtual settings, are more important than ever.
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There is a continued need for sustained, ongoing relationships that promote collective ownership of the work in our schools.
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While collecting real-time student literacy data has proven to be challenging, educators are continuing to make evidence-based decisions by reflecting on and adapting the ways they are assessing and understanding the current state of student learning.
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Our schools are staying in the learning zone and viewing this “new normal” as a time for possibilities and opportunities rather than problems.
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This optimism will positively impact our staff, students, and communities when they need it the most; which is right now!
We know schools with strong, reciprocal relationships, in which they support each other and learn from each other, lead to improved students outcomes, and we strive to be a resource to develop those relationships.
Look for more opportunities to learn with and from each other in the new year.
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Encouragement, focus, follow-up
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By Barb Johnson, HIL Project Facilitator
Encouragement, Focus, and Follow-up. As one of the HIL facilitators, I have these goals, and use them as my email “Subject” line for my communication, planning, and work done with the Grand Rapids Public Schools who participate in the HIL grant!
Since teaching is such a fast paced, meaningful, creative, multi-faceted profession, using the “Four High Impact Leadership (HIL) Principles” helps us all organize and focus our thinking and planning for the greatest, positive impact in each classroom in the shortest amount of time. These four leadership principles have been found to be tried and true, effective in supporting school staffs as they support children at all levels.
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What are they? They include:
- Having a Positive, Growth Mindset
- Using Data,
- Sharing Leadership in aligning Instruction with Standards and Assessments, and
- Building Systems to facilitate follow-through and consistency.
READ ABOUT how HIL Project schools implement these four principles.
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By Mark Tompkins, HIL Project Facilitator
A key to HIL Project success is the development of collaborative school leadership teams consisting of teachers, coaches, and administrators. Nell Duke’s (2013) synthesis of successful elementary turn-around cases revealed those successful schools had a high value on teamwork and collaboration, a commitment to data-driven decisions, a focus on shared responsibility, and a system for distributed leadership boosted student achievement. John Hattie (2012) has also identified collective teacher efficacy as one of the most powerful interventions schools can use to boost learning. Jianping Shen (2018) developed and validated surveys that include this important school leadership construct.
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This not new information. Schools for years have attempted to build grade-level teams, professional learning communities (PLCs), Response-to-Intervention (RTI) teams, and teams dedicated to curriculum change. Success is fleeting, however. Rarely are these teams sustained and effective. School culture “eats teamwork attempts for lunch.”
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Typical school culture encourages teacher isolation, privacy, non-interference, and autonomy. In some schools, collaboration is seen as “treasonous” behavior. The prevailing school culture is a powerful force for maintaining the status-quo, even when the status-quo does not work for our students.
READ ABOUT the impact of collaboration on HIL Project school success.
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SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS
Muskegon Big Reds go the extra mile
by Don Hammond, HIL Project Facilitator
Imagine a time when education has dramatically changed in a matter of months and yet literacy is still a moral imperative. At the same time, the world is experiencing a pandemic and subsequent economic downturn, while principals are charged with leading through this quagmire of challenges and adversity. Mary Scott, principal of Marquette Elementary, and Okeelah McBride, principal of Bunker Elementary, have done just that.
READ AN ACCOUNT of how Scott, McBride, and HIL facilitator Don Hammond have been collaborating and reviewing school data as their schools reimagine how to teach students remotely and prioritize literacy.
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Principal Mary Scott (Marquette Elementary, HIL Facilitator Don Hammond, and Principal Okeelah McBride (Bunker Elementary) are poised to continue the work together to ensure not only a path ahead through this time of change but also a solid direction to deliver on the promise of success for all.
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SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS
Sister Lakes Elementary plants a love of reading
By Becky Stauffer
One of the unique pillars of the HIL grant is its belief that there is not a “one-fits-all” model. HIL Facilitators and each school leadership team work towards profiling the individual needs of their students, staff and school and then use the resources to meet the specific needs of each school. Sister Lakes Elementary (Dowagiac-Union Schools) has lived that philosophy from the beginning.
READ MORE about the school's migrant family parent night and book giveaway.
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Recognizing that mobility and access to books at home is a challenge for many of the migrant children—and for many other students as well—the Sister Lakes HIL team used a portion of the funding provided by the HIL grant to buy books to send home with the school’s children and families.
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Thank you…
…to our partner, Scholastic Corporation, who donated over 3,000 $10 teacher coupons and 150 principal gift boxes containing literacy resources to our Cohort A and B schools.
Your support matters!
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PARTNER PROFILE
St. Joseph County ISD
Partner + focus = positive progress
by Suzy Coffman & Brittini Knowles, St. Joseph County ISD
Moving forward and making positive progress is easier with partnerships. That is true with many things like sports teams, businesses, and building houses, to name a few. This is especially true when working in schools. Schools that form strong partnerships between the school leadership team, principal, teachers, and staff usually make more progress.
One key element of developing a partnership is to gather key stakeholders together. That is what occurs at St. Joseph County ISD when the Literacy Coaches within the schools work together with school leadership teams and the HIL Facilitator. This creates a powerful partnership that builds upon everyone's strengths and knowledge to make a positive change within the school.
READ MORE...
The collaboration of HIL Project processes and ISD-based literacy coaching, depicted in the graphics below, join forces to make a significant difference for students, and sustainability into the future.
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Check out what's happening at www.HILwmu.org!
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Parent and online learning resources
The HIL website now features a page of resources to support parents who are overseeing online or remote learning. Fun, easy-to-do activities are offered to support "four pillars of home-based literacy": Talking, Reading, Thinking, and Writing. An additional page of online/remote learning resources will be available soon to support HIL Project school leaders.
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Leading Now, Reading WOW!
Don't miss all the latest news and happenings featured in the Leading Now, Reading WOW! widget on the www.HILwmu.org home page! You'll find project updates and stories about the impact high integrity, high fidelity leadership practices are making in schools.
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Upcoming HIL Events
All dates subject to change based on State and National travel and assembly restrictions in place at the time of the event. At all times, we are committed to regularly engaging our teams using creativity and technology as necessary.
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SUMMITS
March 15-18, 2021
(Virtual)
June 21-24, 2021
(Virtual)
(Subject to change based on current State health guidelines.)
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FACILITATOR WORKSHOPS
December 11, 2020
January 8, 2021
January 21, 2021
February 12, 2021
February 25, 2021
March 12, 2021
March 25, 2021
April 22, 2021
All workshops are planned for virtual engagement at this time.
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GELN DIRECTORS PARTNER MEETINGS
January 28, 2021
February 25, 2021
March 25, 2021
April 22, 2021
All meetings are planned for virtual engagement at this time.
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Other Learning Opportunities
Formative Assessment Strategies that Improve Distance Learning Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
APRIL 21, 2021
This webinar features author and assessment expert Susan Brookhart, focusing on five strategies she recommends as first steps to improve distance learning outcomes for students with disabilities.
Learn more and register here.
Building Classroom Libraries: Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy
This series of courses was created by a subgroup of the ISD Early Literacy Coaching Network to provide support to district literacy leadership teams focused on building and supporting classroom libraries within their school. The courses are aligned with the Essential Instructional Practices in Early and Elementary Literacy.
Click here to learn more.
(To access courses, you will need an EduPaths account and be logged in.)
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How can you help?
Some HIL Project schools are benefiting from the generosity of local businesses and charitable foundations. These donors recognize the good work happening and want to leverage their giving through partnerships poised for success.
We acknowledge with appreciation their support and invite others to join them.
Thank you:
BESCO Water Treatment
Binda Foundation
Metal Flow Corporation
Perrigo Charitable Foundation
Red Line Designs
Scholastic Corporation
United Way
Contact us to learn how individuals and organizations can enhance literacy efforts at HIL Project schools, AND receive recognition for their generosity.
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