This document provides strategies and tools for school leaders to improve rigor in their schools. It discusses six components of improving rigor: culture, ownership and shared vision, managing data, professional development, advocacy, and shared accountability. For each component, it lists specific leadership tools and strategies. For example, to improve culture it suggests conducting a cultural audit by having staff list adjectives to describe the culture and observing artifacts in the school that convey messages about student success and rigor. The document is intended as a toolkit for school leaders to assess and strengthen various aspects of rigor in their school.

1.
-­‐
1
-­‐
A
Leadership
Toolkit:
Improving
Rigor
in
Your
School
Ronald
Williamson
Eastern
Michigan
University
web:
www.ronwilliamson.com
e-­‐mail:
rwmson214@aol.com
blog:
www.effectiveprinciapls.blogspot.com
C
Culture
O
Ownership
and
Shared
Vision
M
Managing
Data
P
Professional
Development
A
Advocacy
S
Shared
Accountability
S
Structures
Leadership
Tools:
Culture:
Conduct
a
Cultural
Audit
Self-­‐Assessment
of
Your
School’s
Culture
Ownership
and
Formation
of
Collaborative
Teams
Shared
Vision:
Fist
to
Five
Managing
Data:
Student
Shadow
Studies
and
Focus
Groups
Professional
Book
Study
Development:
Lesson
Study
Advocacy:
Elevator
Talk
Advocacy
and
Emerging
Technology
Shared
Accountability:
Learning
Walks
Credit
Recovery
Structures:
Collaborative
Teams
Providing
Collaborative
Time
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

2.
-­‐
2
-­‐
Culture
Strategy
1:
We
suggest
a
good
place
to
begin
is
to
conduct
a
quick
assessment
of
your
school’s
culture
by
talking
with
both
students
and
staff,
observing
patterns
of
behavior,
or
considering
your
own
behavior.
•
At
a
staff
meeting
ask
each
person
to
list
five
adjectives
that
describe
the
school’s
culture.
Organize
the
words
into
common
themes.
Discuss
their
meaning.
•
Walk
the
halls
of
your
school.
What
do
you
see?
What
artifacts
are
visible
that
convey
messages
about
student
success?
About
the
value
of
rigorous
work?
About
a
commitment
to
no
accepting
failure?
•
Talk
with
a
cross-­‐section
of
teachers
or
students.
What
gets
them
excited
about
their
work?
About
their
learning?
What
do
they
find
joy
in?
•
Consider
the
last
three
months.
What
have
you
done
to
show
your
enthusiasm
for
learning?
For
student
success?
How
have
you
recognized
and
rewarded
students
and
staff?
Elements
of
Culture:
Rituals
and
Ceremonies
Heroes
and
Heroines
Stories
and
Tales
Rewards
and
Reinforcements
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

3.
-­‐
3
-­‐
Strategy
2:
Leadership
Self-­Assessment:
You
may
also
want
to
assess
the
indicators
of
culture
in
your
school
(Bolman
&
Deal,
2003).
What
do
the
indicators
say
about
rigor
in
your
school?
Guiding
Questions
Examples
from
Your
School
Rituals
and
•
What
are
the
routines
and
rituals
in
Ceremonies
your
school?
What
values
do
they
represent?
•
Are
there
special
ceremonies
or
events
at
your
school?
What
do
they
celebrate?
•
What
messages
do
you
communicate
in
your
daily
actions,
classroom
visits,
and
other
interactions
with
members
of
your
school
community?
Heroes
and
•
Who
are
the
heroes
or
heroines
on
Heroines
your
staff?
Why
are
they
recognized?
•
What
ways
do
you
identify
and
celebrate
people
who
contribute
to
the
success
of
every
student?
Who
have
high
expectations
for
student
success?
Stories
and
Tales
•
How
do
you
communicate
verbally
and
through
your
actions
with
your
faculty
and
staff?
What
underlying
messages
are
represented?
•
What
are
the
stories
you
tell
about
your
school,
its
students
and
staff?
What
stories
do
you
encourage
others
to
tell?
Rewards
and
•
How
do
you
recognize
and
reward
Reinforcements
teachers?
What
values
are
recognized
and
rewarded?
Are
these
strategies
successful?
•
Do
you
routinely
reward
teachers,
staff
and
students
who
make
exceptional
efforts
to
improve
student
learning?
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

4.
-­‐
4
-­‐
Ownership
and
Shared
Vision
Strategy
1:
Formation
of
Collaborative
Teams
__________
Is
the
purpose
clear?
Is
the
role
well
defined?
__________
Is
membership
representative?
Is
membership
appropriate
to
the
task?
__________
Are
there
agreed
upon
norms
for
operation?
For
decision-­‐
making?
__________
Is
there
a
mechanism
to
communicate
with
the
larger
school
community?
With
other
decision-­‐making
groups
__________
What
is
the
process
for
concluding
the
team’s
work?
Strategy
2:
A
Tool
for
Building
Consensus:
“Fist
to
Five”
Consensus
can
be
powerful
but
sometimes
difficult
to
achieve.
One
tool
we’ve
found
helpful
to
move
a
group
toward
consensus
is
the
“Fist
to
Five.”
It
is
an
easy
way
to
determine
the
opinion
of
each
person
and
is
a
visible
indicator
of
support.
Use
of
“Fist
to
Five”
can
help
a
group
seek
common
ground.
Many
groups
we’ve
worked
with
continue
the
process
until
everyone
holds
up
a
minimum
of
three
fingers.
Ask
every
participant
to
raise
their
hand
and
indicate
their
level
of
support,
from
a
closed
fist
(no
support)
to
all
five
fingers
(it’s
a
great
idea).
Fist
No
support
-­‐
“I
need
to
talk
more
on
the
proposal
and
require
changes
to
support
it.”
1
Finger
No
support
but
won’t
block
-­‐
“I
still
need
to
discuss
some
issues
and
I
will
suggest
changes
that
should
be
made.”
2
Fingers
Minimal
support
-­‐
“I
am
moderately
comfortable
with
the
idea
but
would
like
to
discuss
some
minor
things.”
3
Fingers
Neutral
–
“I’m
not
in
total
agreement
but
feel
comfortable
to
let
this
idea
pass
without
further
discussion.”
4
Fingers
Solid
Support
-­‐
“I
think
it’s
a
good
idea
and
will
work
for
it.
5
Fingers
Strong
Support
–
“It’s
a
great
idea
and
I
will
be
one
of
those
working
to
implement
it.”
Adapted
From:
Adventure
Associates
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

5.
-­‐
5
-­‐
Managing
Data
Strategy
1:
Student
Shadow
Study
Originally
developed
by
NASSP
a
shadow
study
charts
the
experience
of
students
throughout
a
school
day.
Observers
follow
randomly
selected
students
and
record
the
ebb
and
flow
of
activities
every
five-­‐to-­‐seven
minutes.
Of
course,
students
quickly
figure
out
that
something
is
going
on.
I
suggest
talking
with
the
student
you
shadow
before
you
begin
and
explain
that
you
are
not
evaluating
them
or
their
work.
It's
also
a
good
idea
to
talk
with
the
student
at
the
end
of
the
day
to
gain
additional
insights
into
their
experience.
Shadow
studies
work
best
when
several
observers
collect
data
by
shadowing
students.
The
December
2009
issue
of
Principal
Leadership
provides
more
detail
about
this
approach.
Comments/
Time
Specific
Behavior
at
5
Minute
Interval
Impressions
Strategy
2:
Focus
Groups
One
strategy
for
gathering
data
about
your
school
is
to
hold
a
series
of
focus
group
sessions
with
students,
parents,
teachers
or
other
interested
people.
A
focus
group
is
a
group
of
individuals
brought
together
for
a
more
or
less
open-­‐ended
discussion
about
an
issue.
They
are
one
way
to
gather
information
about
people’s
beliefs
and
attitudes.
These
sessions
consist
of
structured
discussion
and
are
generally
most
useful
when
conducted
by
an
outside
facilitator.
This
encourages
participates
to
speak
more
feely
and
discuss
difficult
issues.
The
information
that
emerges
should
be
scripted,
analyzed
for
patterns
and
themes,
and
publicly
reported
and
discussed.
There
are
several
advantages
to
a
focus
group
meeting:
•
Participants
can
learn
more
about
your
school
during
the
meeting.
•
You
gain
a
deeper
understanding
of
how
participants
perceive
your
school.
•
These
small
group
meetings
provide
data
that
may
be
helpful
in
working
with
larger
groups.
Additional
information
about
focus
groups
is
available
from:
National
Association
of
Secondary
School
Principals
(2009).
Breaking
Ranks:
A
Field
Guide
for
Leading
Change.
Reston,
VA:
Author.
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

6.
-­‐
6
-­‐
Professional
Development
Strategy
1:
Book
Study
Book
Study
Protocol
•
Membership
should
be
voluntary
but
inclusive.
•
Decide
a
meeting
schedule,
meeting
place,
length
of
book
to
be
read
and
what
will
happen
after
the
book
is
read.
It
is
recommended
that
meetings
last
no
more
than
one
hour
and
be
held
at
a
consistent
time
and
place.
•
Select
a
responsible
facilitator
to
keep
the
group
on
task
and
help
manage
the
meetings.
•
Select
a
book
with
a
clear
objective
in
mind.
For
example,
use
Rigor
is
not
a
Four
Letter
Word
with
teachers
to
launch
the
conversation
about
rigor
or
use
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way
with
school
leaders
or
your
school
improvement
team.
•
Conversation
is
important
in
a
book
study.
Members
of
the
group
share
insights,
ask
questions
about
the
text,
and
learn
from
others.
It
is
important
to
talk
about
how
the
ideas
can
be
applied
directly
in
the
classroom
and
how
to
overcome
any
potential
obstacles.
•
Journaling
is
a
useful
way
for
members
to
think
about
their
reading
and
reflect
on
how
it
might
be
used.
Strategy
2:
Lesson
Study
Lesson
Study
Protocol
•
Participants
should
be
volunteers
but
the
invitation
to
participate
should
be
inclusive.
•
While
working
on
a
study
lesson,
teachers
work
together
to
develop
a
detailed
plan
for
the
lesson.
•
One
member
of
the
group
teaches
the
lesson
in
a
real
classroom
while
other
members
of
the
group
observe
the
lesson.
•
The
group
comes
together
to
discuss
their
observations
about
the
lesson
and
student
learning.
•
The
group
works
together
to
revise
the
lesson.
•
Another
teacher
teaches
the
revised
lesson
while
group
members
observe.
•
The
group
reconvenes
to
discussed
the
observed
lesson.
•
The
revision
process
may
continue
as
long
as
the
group
believes
it
is
necessary.
•
Teachers
talk
about
what
the
study
lesson
taught
them
and
how
they
can
apply
the
learning
to
their
own
classroom.
They
may
prepare
a
report
to
be
shared
with
others.
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

7.
-­‐
7
-­‐
Advocacy
Strategy
1:
Elevator
Talk
An
elevator
talk
is
a
30-­‐60
second
story
that
includes
three
elements.
1. Your
name
and
what
you
do
2. Your
key
issue
3. What
you
would
like
the
person
to
know
to
do
Identify
the
key
elements
of
an
elevator
talk
about
your
school.
Strategy
2:
Advocacy
and
Emerging
Technology
Strengths
Opportunities
School
Website
•
Does
your
school
have
a
website?
If
so,
how
frequently
is
information
updated?
•
Does
it
include
your
vision
of
a
more
rigorous
school?
•
Does
it
provide
information
families
can
use
to
work
with
their
children?
•
Does
it
provide
ways
families
can
become
involved
in
your
school?
Social
Media
Sites
•
Does
your
school
have
a
presence
on
social
networking
sites
(Twitter,
Facebook)?
•
If
so,
how
do
you
share
information
about
school
events
and
successes?
•
Do
parents
know
your
school
has
a
presence
on
these
sites?
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

8.
-­‐
8
-­‐
Shared
Accountability
Strategy
1:
Learning
Walks
Learning
Walk
Protocol
1. Work
with
your
staff
to
identify
the
purpose
of
the
learning
walk.
2. Determine
the
process
including
length
of
classroom
visits
as
well
as
what
will
occur
during
the
visits.
Develop
and
use
a
consistent
tool
for
participants
to
use
to
record
their
observations
and
collect
data.
3. Inform
staff
when
the
learning
walks
will
occur.
4. Conduct
a
pre-­‐walk
orientation
for
those
participating
5. Conduct
the
learning
walk
and
spend
no
more
than
5
minutes
in
each
classroom.
Depending
on
the
lesson
talk
with
the
teacher
and
students,
look
at
student
work,
and
examine
the
organization
of
the
classroom.
6. Immediately
after
the
walk
ask
participants
to
meet
and
talk
about
the
information
they
gathered
and
how
to
share
it
with
the
faculty.
They
may
develop
questions
that
they
would
ask
to
learn
more
about
what
is
occurring.
7. Develop
a
plan
for
sharing
the
information
and
for
using
it
to
guide
your
continued
school
improvement
work.
Strategy
2:
Credit
Recovery
Elements
of
Instant
Credit
Recovery
Model:
1. Teachers
no
longer
assign
grades
below
a
C.
2. Eliminate
the
use
of
zeros.
3. Late
work
is
late,
but
it
must
be
completed
if
teachers
are
to
correctly
determine
if
students
know,
understand,
and
are
able
to
do
whatever
the
verb
within
the
standard
calls
for.
4. Students
must
be
given
extra
help
opportunities
(required)
to
learn
the
information,
skill,
or
concept
to
complete
assignments.
5. Students
must
retake
tests
that
they
fail
and
redo
all
assignments
they
earn
less
than
a
C
grade
on.
6. Consequences
change
for
students
not
having
work
ready
to
turn
in
on
time.
7. Grading
systems
change
from
zeros
or
failing
grades
to
“I’s”
or
some
other
form
of
non-­‐grade.
8. A
few
students
will
still
fail
no
matter
what.
The
goal
is
to
get
MORE
students
to
complete
MORE
assignments
and
assessments
to
the
proficient
level
of
the
standard.
From:
Southern
Regional
Education
Board
(www.sreb.org)
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

9.
-­‐
9
-­‐
Structures
to
Support
Success
Strategy
1:
Types
of
Collaborative
Teams
Option
Description
How
this
option
could
Advantages/
address
student
learning
Disadvantages
needs
Faculty-­‐wide
Participation
of
teams
the
entire
faculty
on
teams
focused
on
the
same
issue.
Interdiscipli Teams
across
nary
teams
grade
or
content
areas
or
who
share
common
planning
time
or
the
same
students.
Grade-­‐level
Focus
on
students
teams
at
a
single
grade
level.
Vertical
Working
together
teams
across
grade
levels.
Subject-­‐area
Focus
within
a
teams
single
content
area.
Special
topic
Teams
formed
teams
around
topics
of
interest.
Between
Teachers
from
school
teams
different
schools
work
together.
Adapted
from:
Team
to
Teach:
A
Facilitator’s
Guide
to
Professional
Learning
Teams.
National
Staff
Development
Council,
2009.
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

10.
-­‐
10
-­‐
Strategy
2:
Providing
Collaborative
Time
Strategy
Description
Common
Planning
When
teachers
share
a
common
planning
period
they
may
use
some
of
the
time
for
collaborative
work.
Parallel
Scheduling
When
special
teachers
(PE,
music,
art,
etc.)
are
scheduled
so
that
grade
level
or
content
area
teachers
have
common
planning.
Shared
Classes
Teachers
in
more
than
one
grade
or
team
combine
their
students
into
a
single
large
class
for
specific
instruction
and
the
other
teachers
can
collaborate
Faculty
Meeting
Find
other
ways
to
communicate
the
routine
items
shared
during
faculty
meetings
and
reallocate
that
time
to
collaborative
activities.
Adjust
Start
or
End
Members
of
a
team,
grade
or
entire
school
agree
to
start
their
of
Day
workday
early
or
extend
their
workday
one
day
a
week
to
gain
collaborative
time.
Late
Start
or
Early
Adjust
the
start
or
end
of
the
school
day
for
students
and
use
the
Release
time
for
collaborative
activity.
Professional
Rather
than
traditional
large
group
professional
development
use
Development
Days
the
time
for
teams
of
teachers
to
engage
in
collaborative
work.
Ways
We
Currently
Provide
Collaborative
Time:
What
IS
Working
with
our
Collaborative
Time:
What
IS
NOT
Working
with
our
Collaborative
Time:
Adapted
from
Williamson
(2009)
and
DuFour,
DuFour,
Eaker
&
Many,
2006)
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).

11.
-­‐
11
-­‐
ACT
Follow-­Up
A
–
What
is
the
first
ACTION
you
want
to
take
when
you
return
to
your
school
to
apply
this
information?
C
–
What
is
one
strategy
you
CURRENTLY
use
in
your
school
that
others
would
like
to
hear
about?
T
–
Which
strategy
or
strategies
are
you
most
likely
to
TRY
with
your
faculty/staff?
©Ronald
Williamson
(www.ronwilliamson.com)
&
Barbara
Blackburn
(www.rigorineducation.com).
From
Rigorous
Schools
and
Classrooms:
Leading
the
Way;
Rigor
in
Your
School:
A
Toolkit
for
Leaders;
and
The
Principalship
from
A
to
Z
(Eye
on
Education,
www.eyeoneducation.com).