4 EDCAL June 27 2016
Transitions
ACSA Region 6 has announced its 2016
Administrators of the Year in the following
categories: Superintendent, Dana Eaton;
Secondary Principal, Kibby Kleiman;
Middle School Principal, Margaret Arman;
Elementary Principal, Cindy HicksRodriguez; Central Office Administrator,
Cindy Alba; Secondary Co-Administrator,
Heidi McFadden; Elementary Co-Admin
istrator, Jennifer Molino; Classified
Leader, Kandi Gravenmier; Confidential
Employee, Sherri Rivenbark; Personnel/
Human Resources, Marci Williams;
Adult Ed, Valerie Lynn Garret; Special
Education Administrator, Wendi Aghily;
Business Services Administrator, Connie
Lu; Pupil Personnel Administrator, Linda
Frecerro; Curriculum and Instruction,
Amy Robbins; Continuation/Ed Options
Administrator,
Scott Bergerhouse;
Retired Administrator, Maryann Hussey;
Technology Administrator, Larry Simon;
Valuing Diversity, Arlando Smith; Ferd
J. Kiesel Memorial, Lindsey Osborne;
Partners in Education, Behring Family;
Marcus Foster, Lisa Murphy Oates.
nnn
San Dieguito Union HSD has named
Eric Dill as interim superintendent, effective July 1. He currently serves as associate
superintendent of B usiness Services.
nnn
Goleta Valley Junior High in Santa
Barbara USD has a new principal, Mauricio
ACSA leader featured in AASPA news
Those in the world of
personnel may have noticed
that ACSA member David
Robertson, chair of ACSA’s
Human Resources Council,
was recently featured in the
newsletter for the American Robertson
Association of School Pers
onnel Administrators.
Robertson, director of human resources
for Twin Rivers Unified School District in
Sacramento, noted that he has a passion
for public education and serving students
through his work. He said that because the
world of HR can be overwhelming at times,
“it’s important to belong to local, state and
other large organizations to help support
your learning. Have that someone you trust
that you can call when you need to discuss
HR issues.”
AASPA is a national affiliate of ACSA
For more information, visit www.aaspa.org.
Ortega. Ortega moves over from his current
position as AP at Santa Barbara High.
nnn
nnn
Cassandra Ziskind has been named
principal of El Rincon Elementary in
Culver City USD. Ziskind has been serving the last three years with Lynwood USD
as principal of Helen Keller Elementary, a
2016 Gold Ribbon School.
nnn
Matthew Duffy is the new superintendent of West Contra Costa County USD,
beginning next year. He moves up from his
current position as Milpitas USD’s assistant
superintendent of educational services.
nnn
David Jaffe is moving up the career ladder to become superintendent of Rancho
Santa Fe SD. Jaffe has spent the past three
years as principal of Torrey Pines High
School in San Dieguito Union HSD.
Matt Reno has been selected as the
superintendent/principal in Alexander
Valley USD after serving for 12 years in
Rincon Valley USD as principal at Sequoia
School.
nnn
Longtime educator and ACSA member,
Lynn Andrews announced he is retiring
June 30 after 46 dedicated years of service
to the Los Angeles USD, the last 34 years as
principal at Allesandro Elementary School.
nnn
Inglewood USD announced the following appointments to its district management team: Jacqueline Sanderlin, executive
director, school and community relations;
Marjorie Rudy, executive director, special
education; Rene Rosas, director of K-12
English learner services and district professional development; Alejandra Velez-
Erickson, director of special education;
Isaac Burgess IV, principal of Morningside
High School; and Oscar Rodriguez, principal of Centinela Elementary School.
nnn
Rick Schmitt is leaving the superintendency of San Dieguito Union HSD, a
job he has held since 2013, to become the
superintendent of San Ramon Valley USD.
Schmitt has been with SDUHSD for a total
of 13 years, including positions as principal,
associate superintendent and deputy superintendent, before stepping up to become
superintendent. Schmitt said he will always
be grateful to SDUHSD, but wanted to
return to the Bay Area, where he and his
wife started their family years ago.
nnn
Johnstonville Elementary SD has named
Melanie Spears as superintendent. Spears
joins the district from her current management position with Alameda USD coordinating CAASPP, literacy, professional
development and Title 1 schools. She will
start her new position in July.
nnn
Valerie Quarles has retired after 40 years
of service to Compton USD. Quarles served
as vice principal and principal at the elementary level, with her most recent assignment at Rosecrans Elementary School.
nnn
Pleasant Ridge Union SD has announced
that Thomas Blivens will be the next principal of Alta Sierra Elementary School.
Blivens moves over from his current position with the district as principal of Ready
See TRANSITIONS, page 6
Superintendent leadership crucial to success for English language learners
Isaac Huang is assistant principal at Luther
Burbank Middle School in Burbank USD. He
wrote the dissertation “An examination of …
school district superintendents and the strategies they employ to improve the academic
achievement of English language learners,” a
summary of which follows, toward a doctorate
from USC Rossier School of Education.
School superintendents possess one of
the most challenging and significant jobs
in America’s public education system. In
fact, the evolution of the role from a mostly
managerial function to that of an instructional leader, highly capable of leading district reform efforts, is no small feat.
Due to the hands-on nature of the
modern-day superintendent, school boards
expect they will work actively with princi-
pals and teachers in curriculum development and implementation, as well as stanHuang
dardized-test growth to close
the achievement gap among student groups,
particularly those classified as English language learners.
The state of California has one of the
largest ELL populations in the nation.
From 2011 to 2014 there were between 1.4
million and 1.6 million ELLs. An inability
to adequately address the academic achievement of ELL students educated in the U.S.
compared to native English speakers has
further perpetuated the achievement gap.
Although the high school dropout
dilemma has steadily improved through
the years, wide disparities by race and foreign-born status continue to persist. Sadly,
research has also found one’s identification
as an ELL puts him or her at high risk of
eventual high school dropout.
The strategies a superintendent implements to support the academic performance
of ELLs is critical to both students’ and a
district’s overall success.
Purpose of the study
This study adds to the growing body of
academic literature on the impact superin-
tendent leadership exerts on the academic
achievement of ELLs. The study sought
to investigate how strategies employed by
mid-sized school district superintendents in
California improve the academic achievement of ELL students.
Results and findings
Research question 1 asked: “What strategies do mid-sized school district superintendents in California employ to improve
the academic achievement of ELLs?”
Professional development focused on
ELL instruction, data-driven decision making, teacher expectation for ELL achi evement, high expectations for student achievement, clearly defined districtwide academic
goals for ELLs, instructional leadership,
See RESEARCH, page 6
Systems Leadership Collaborative reflects on year
Build your cultural proficiency capacity to
lead for equity and LCAP implementation.
Starts September 9-10 • Lancaster
Information & Registration
www.acsa.org/equity
CO-SPONSORED BY
Leading the Leaders is a professional learning program that has successfully assisted first and second year superintendents
for over fourteen years. The program places participants into a yearlong cohort (North or South) and tackles the current
issues faced by superintendents in four (4) workshop settings.
Each workshop is comprised of session topics based upon the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders
(CPSEL), delivered by experienced superintendents.
Cohort registration begins soon for the
2016-17 program. Quarterly workshops in
both
and■ Effectively
Southern
■ Negotiations-Setting
the StageNorthern
and Understanding the
Working With Your BoardCalifornia
(reviewing your contract
Impacts of Your First Interim
and preparing for evaluation)
provide
superintendents
the content
Literacy, Citizenship, & Leadership
a Pro Active World
■ Digital
■ Leadership inwith
■ Personnel Issues
■ Superintendent Ethics and Form 700
and
support
need.
a Better Grasp of Specialthey
Education
■ Seven Habits of Highly Effective Instructional Leaders
■ Getting
■ What Have You Learned & Setting Goals for Next Year
www.acsa.org/programs
In addition, ACSA will provide a one-on-one mentor to each participant, whose goal will be to assist each new
Practical topics will be included, such as:
superintendent experience success in the most demanding of public education jobs.
Sign up now, as space is limited.
2015-2016 Cohort Workshop Dates & Locations
Southern CA Series
SAVE THE
DATE!
Northern CA Series
Session 1 | Sacramento | October 26-27, 2015
Lions Gate Hotel, 3410 Westover Street, McClellan, CA 95652
Session 1 | Ontario | October 30-31, 2015
ACSA Office, 3602 Inland Empire Blvd., Suite A-230, Ontario, CA 91764
Session 2 | Monterey | January 26 – 27, 2016
Session 2 | Monterey | January 26 – 27, 2016
Monterey Convention Center
(Held prior to the Superintendents’ Symposium)
Monterey Convention Center
(Held prior to the Superintendents’ Symposium)
Session 3 | Sacramento | March 9-10, 2016
Session 3 | Ontario | March 25-26, 2016
ACSA Office, 3602 Inland Empire Blvd., Suite A-230, Ontario, CA 91764
Session 4 | Sacramento | June 17, 2016
Session 4 | Ontario | June 17, 2016
ACSA Office, 3602 Inland Empire Blvd., Suite A-230, Ontario, CA 91764
McClellan Conference Center, 5411 Luce Avenue, McClellan, CA 95652
ACSA Office, 1029 J Street, Suite 320, Sacramento, CA 95814
For further program information contact:
Sacramento – Don & Molly Helms, Program Directors, [email protected]
Ontario - John Roach, Program Director, [email protected]
October 5-7, 2016 | Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza
acsa.org/conferences
School districts throughout California are preparing for the transition to a
new accountability system that merges LCAP and ESSA with a common
goal of closing achievement gaps for all students. The Systems Leadership
Collaborative, coordinated by ACSA in partnership with lead advisor Michael
Fullan and lead partner InnovateEd, has engaged school districts with leading
systems coherence for this changing education landscape. On June 16, the 14
districts convened to reflect on the year-long progress and impact of efforts
that laid the foundation for the focus of 2016-17.
Systemic Collaboration and Co-Learning Focused on Student
Success: The LCAP is a strategic plan for long-term growth of district capacity and student achievement that communicates a few goals and outcomes
focused on aligning services and supports for leadership, teaching and student
learning. The Systems Leadership Collaborative will bring together district
leaders, school principals and teacher leaders as a collective body to define
the critical supports, high impact practices and evidence of learning aligned
with desired student skills as part of a continuous improvement process.
Align District Supports with School Improvement Efforts: The impact
of districtwide improvement efforts is reliant upon the backwards mapping of
desired student skills to ensure alignment of instructional practices, student
supports, school leadership and district services. School districts have recognized that district supports must build capacity to implement school improvement efforts. The roles of the principal, school leadership team and teacher
teams are foundational for building capacity of schools to lead a continuous
improvement process. The Collaborative will engage school districts in the
research and best practices for leading districtwide improvement efforts
through structures and supports that develop capacity of principals and teachers to lead continuous improvement of student learning.
Evidence of Learning Informs and Improves Practices: The key driver for
long-term growth of student achievement and improvement of school district
practices is the relentless pursuit of evidence. By identifying the short-term
leading indicators of student success that align with the long-term lag indicators defined by LCAP metrics, school districts can both engage in root cause
analysis of student underperformance, as well as identify research-based
practices that most impact student learning and achievement. The Systems
Leadership Collaborative will support district leaders, principals and teacher
leaders with backwards mapping student skills to identify local evidence of
student learning that is predictive of attaining annual student achievement
outcomes for LCAP and ESSA. Classroom and school level evidence of learning will serve as the driver of districtwide continuous improvement efforts, so
that teachers and principals are directly empowered to lead improvement of
practices based on student learning needs.
Lead Implementation Focused on Results: A districtwide strat egic focus
driven by evidence of impact that builds capacity to lead site-driven improvement efforts has the potential to close achievement gaps for all students,
each classroom
and every
school site.
The challenge
is developing
capacity to
implement with a focus on short-term results for the continuous improvement
of leadership, teaching and learning. What is measured and monitored will
improve, and the key is cultivating a culture of shared accountability, wherein
all school staff, principals and district leaders monitor evidence of impact on
student learning to continuously adapt and improve supports and practices.
The goal of the Collaborative is to provide tools, resources and supports so
the collective leadership of district administrators, principals and teachers
establishes a sustainable system of continuous improvement.
Next Steps: During the 2016-17 school year, the 14 districts will convene
multiple times and work as a collective body to engage in a process focused
on leading systems coherence improvement efforts. The 12 County Offices of
Education serving the school districts will be invited to participate. This next
phase will focus on statewide systems coherence that connects the roles of
county offices, school districts and school sites.
ACSA members can look forward to learning more of the processes and practices developed by the Systems Leadership Collaborative via ACSA, Michael
Fullan and InnovateEd. For more information contact: Chris Adams, cadams@
acsa.org; Michael Fullan, [email protected]; Jay Westover, jayw@InnovateEd.