How might you rethink school leadership and school system conditions to drive instructional improvement at scale?
In 2018, Barr sought to more deeply understand the challenges of sourcing, supporting, and retaining strong school principals in Massachusetts. With support from Attuned Education Partners, Barr convened a working group of education leaders from across the state to explore ways to increase principal effectiveness. The resulting final report in 2019 recommended actions tailored to state policymakers, school system leaders, principal preparation programs, and funders; these actions focused on four core challenges: preparation, scope, coaching, and representation. Ultimately, these findings lead to the development of the first Strengthening School Leadership cohort in 2020.
Building upon the progress and learnings of the initial Strengthening School Leadership cohort, Barr is launching a request for proposals (RFP) to invite a new cohort of Massachusetts districts to reflect on school leadership in their own contexts and pursue planning and pilot implementation of instructional leadership initiatives to drive systemic improvements. We believe that school leaders are vitally important for driving the necessary improvements in instruction that support excellent learning and life outcomes for all students. There may be no clearer path to these outcomes than by ensuring that every school is led by a highly-effective principal working within an aligned, coherent strategy for driving instructional improvement at the school and system level.
We are excited to announce this request for proposals from local education agencies in Massachusetts with public high schools who are interested in thinking systemically about school leadership and instructional improvement. The initial funding will support efforts to discover and create the conditions needed to ensure that principals drive instructional practice towards success for all students, and that these leaders and their teams feel supported and developed in their efforts. We are looking for new district partners that bring curiosity, a willingness to learn, and desire to become a site of learning for others.
This opportunity may be aligned to your school system if your team:
- Is committed to a belief that all students are capable of achieving at high levels and is willing to interrogate disparities in data to understand progress
- Believes that the role of the principal is essential to driving instructional change to improve student outcomes
- Seeks to improve school leader efficacy and retention by thinking systemically
- Values learning within your context and contributing to the knowledge of the education sector
- Values cross functional teamwork between district leaders, school leaders, and teachers to implement cohesive instructional change across the context
- Is committed to leading a multi-year change effort in ultimate service of student success
