This document discusses research on effective district leadership behaviors that are associated with increased student achievement. It finds that district leaders must ensure collaborative goal setting with key stakeholders, establish non-negotiable goals for achievement and instruction, create school board alignment with district goals, and allocate resources to support goal achievement. Effective districts have tightly coupled systems with consistent district-wide focus on achievement, while ineffective districts have loosely coupled systems that decentralize focus. The document provides details on establishing goals and initiatives at the district and school level to increase student outcomes.

1. Striking the
Right Balance
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
THAT WORKS
Robert J. Marzano /Timothy Waters

2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the strength of the relationship
between district level administrative acts and
average student achievement?
What are the specific district leadership
behaviors that are associated with student
achievement?

3. LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES ASSOCIATED
WITH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
 Leaders must ensure collaborative goal setting by
including all key stakeholders
 Leaders must establish non-negotiable goals for both
achievement and instruction
 Leaders must create board alignment with and
suppor t of district goals
 Leaders must allocate resources to suppor t these
goals for achievement and instruction

4. LOOSELY COUPLED VS.
TIGHTLY COUPLED SYSTEMS
 Loosely Coupled System
 Do not focus on student achievement system wide
 Tend to foster site-based management
 Tightly Coupled System
 Necessary for an increase in student achievement and a
different view of district leadership
 Requires that non-negotiable goals be set for achievement and
instruction
 Goals must be established through a collaborative process that
includes all key stakeholders

5. NON-NEGOTIABLE GOALS FOR
ACHIEVEMENT
Formatively based, value added system
Phase 1 – Reconstitute state standards as a
measurement of reporting topics
Phase 2 – Student progress should be tracked using
teacher and district designed formative assessments
Phase 3 – Provide support for individual students in
specific areas where students are not meeting
expectations.
Phase 4 – Redesign report cards to reflect student
progress rather than grades

6. NON NEGOTIABLE GOALS FOR
INSTRUCTION
 Highly qualified teachers
 Pedagogy
 Phase 1 – Teachers systematically explore and examine
instructional strategies
 Phase 2 – The district must design a language of instruction
that allows for campuses to make their own adaptions
 Phase 3 – Teachers must systematically interact about the
language of construction
 Phase 4 – Teachers must observe one another
 Phase 5 – Monitor the effectiveness of individual teaching
styles

7. COLLABORATIVE GOAL SETTING
Collaborative Goal Setting
Board Alignment and Support
Allocation of Resources

8. DEFINED AUTONOMY HIGH RELIABILITY
ORGANIZATIONS
School leadership for defined autonomy
 Ensure collaborative goal setting
 Establish non-negotiable goals for achievement and
instruction
Create board alignment and support
Monitor non-negotiable goals
Allocate Resources
Principals must operate within the confines of
the non-negotiable, pre-established district
goals

9. FIRST ORDER VS
SECOND ORDER CHANGE
 First Order Change
 Perceived as extension of
the past
 Fits with existing paradigms
 Consistent with prevailing
values and norms
 Can be implemented with
existing knowledge and
skills
 Requires resources currently
available
 May be accepted because of
common agreement that
innovation is necessary
 Second Order Change
 Perceived as a break with
the past
 Lies outside the existing
paradigm
 Conflicts with prevailing
values and norms
 Requires new knowledge
and skills
 Requires resources currently
NOT available
 May be resisted because
only those who have a broad
perspective of the school
see innovation as necessary

10. ADVICE FOR DISTRICT LEADERS
Know the implications of your initiative
Maintain an unified front
Keep the big Ideas in the forefront
Use what is known about acceptance of new
ideas
 Communicate with “Sticky Messages”
Manage personal transitions
Purpose
Picture
Plan
Part

11. DR ROBERT MARZANO