Book review

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