Over the past year, the Tennessee Department of
Education convened groups of district leaders to
collaborate on designing processes for implementing
policies more effectively in their schools. Working
assessments, writing best practices, instructional
groups address teacher leadership models, the
tools, and resource supports.48 In October, the annual
implementation of RTI2, and the implementation
LEAD Conference gave school and district leaders
of TNReady. While only a small number of districts
the opportunity to convene and share effective
participate in these working groups, they often create
practices.49 The Tennessee Department of Education
resources or models for implementation that are
also maintains a website where leaders can find
available to other districts across the state.
professional learning events in their area that align
with the TILS.50
District leaders and central office personnel who
participated in SCORE’s 2015 Listening Tour reported
The Role of District Leaders. While school leaders
taking a variety of actions to support instruction
provide support to teachers in classrooms, district
in their districts. District leaders often directed
leaders create the conditions that principals need to
this support at school principals. Central office
successfully lead school improvement. As new policies
staff reported visiting schools to provide principals
are passed, significant responsibility falls on district
support with evaluating teachers, providing useful
leaders to determine the most effective strategies
feedback on instruction, analyzing student data, and
for implementing policies in their local districts. It is
connecting struggling teachers to needed supports.
essential for state leaders to support district leaders
Central office personnel also supported teachers
through policies and programs that allow them to
directly by providing group trainings or one-on-one
create environments for principals and teachers to
support with lesson planning, the evaluation rubric,
operate more effectively.51
and curriculum implementation.52
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