August 17, 2015

Chris Kenton, Executive Director

Professional Standards Board
State of Delaware
401 Federal St. Suite #2
Dover, DE 19901
Dear Mr. Kenton,
Please accept the attached application from Teach For America Delaware, submitted
today to the Delaware Professional Standards Board for its consideration. We wish to earn
state approval for a new certification program for leaders in education. Through the
proposed program, called Lead For Delaware, we will prepare educators who meet the
states requirements for the School Principal and Assistant Principal certification.
We examined the application template closely, including the minimum requirements for
each section, as well as the stated encouragement of ambitiousness in program approach.
In partnership with a variety of leadership development providers and districts and schools,
we seek to serve as one more option for aspiring Delaware leaders looking for a program to
prepare them well for the increasing expectations of leadership in elementary and
secondary education. The Lead For Delaware application outlines Teach For Americas
capacity and plan to meet the standards for Delaware approval.
Should you find that any aspect of the application is unclear or that you require additional
information for any section of the application, please let me know. Thank you for your
assistance in the application process.
Sincerely,

Jeremy Grant-Skinner
Senior Managing Director, School Leadership

LEADFORDELAWARE
APPLICATION
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS FOR LEADERS IN EDUCATION
14 DE ADMIN. CODE 1595

AUGUST 2015

SUBMITTED BY:

JEREMY GRANT-SKINNER, SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

JEREMY.GRANT-SKINNER@TEACHFORAMERICA.ORG

LAURISA SCHUTT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LAURISA.SCHUTT@TEACHFORAMERICA.ORG

CONTENTS
Overview............................................................................................................................... 3
Section 1: Applicant Recruitment and Selection ..................................................................... 9
Section 2: LEA and Program Partnerships ............................................................................. 13
Section 3: Program Curriculum and Standards ..................................................................... 15
Section 4: Residency, Internship, or Clinical Experiences ...................................................... 23
Section 5: Educator Performance Evaluation System Training .............................................. 25
Section 6: Faculty, Instructors, and Mentors ........................................................................ 28
Section 7: Organization Governance and Resources ............................................................. 36
Section 8: Candidate Assessment & Evaluation .................................................................... 38
Section 9: Program Assessment & Evaluation....................................................................... 41
Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 43

OVERVIEW

Delawares Shared Vision

Teach For America shares the vision of districts, schools, and other partners across Delaware for
our public schools to provide all children with the opportunity to succeed, thrive, and reach
their full potential. Throughout the state, districts vision and mission statements describe
offering every student full access to a high-quality education, ensuring every student achieves
college- and career-readiness, and preparing every student for success in life. At the school
level, district and charter schools have similar purposes: one schools vision includes providing
each student the skills needed for success throughout college and in real-world careers. 1
These visions and missions align with the Delaware Department of Educations goals to
dramatically increase students academic proficiency rates, equity across racial and
socioeconomic groups, and college enrollment and retention. 2
Too few students, however, are being provided with this kind of opportunity consistently. A
variety of data shows that students are not as prepared for post-secondary success as they
need to be. The SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark (SAT Benchmark) showed that
19 percent of all Delaware public school students in the class of 2014 were ready for college
without remediation. The SAT Benchmark is a threshold developed by the College Board to
identify students who are likely to be ready to take credit-bearing courses in college: students
meeting the SAT Benchmark have a 65 percent probability of obtaining a first-year college GPA
of B- or higher. The College Board suggests that appropriate uses of these data include
assessing the effectiveness of academic preparation over time and identifying achievement
gaps across demographic groups.
There are large gaps in readiness across demographic groups. Fewer than eight (8) percent of
African American students and roughly thirteen (13) percent of Hispanic/Latino students met
the SAT Benchmark. Similarly, eight (8) percent of students from families living in poverty were
college-ready. At two Wilmington area high schools (in two different districts), 3 combined, 33
out of nearly 600 students met the SAT Benchmark. The challenge of preparing students for
college and career success is toughest in schools in low-income communities, which have more
concentrated numbers of the states 50,000 students living in poverty. 4 In those schools, again,
1

Mission and Vision, The Delaware Met, http://www.thedelawaremet.org

DOE Mission Statement, Delaware Department of Education, http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/1459
3
Howard High School of Technology and William Penn High School
4
See http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2015/03/31/delawares-child-poverty-rate-remainshigh/70750828/
2

students have less than a one-in-ten chance of leaving high school ready for college (if they
graduate 5).
Unprepared graduates affect entire communities. Young people without a quality education
find it difficult to find employment,6 high school dropouts are statistically more likely to have an
early death, 7 and young adult males without a high school diploma are 47 times more likely to
be incarcerated than those who have graduated from college. 8 Every individual who is
incarcerated in Delaware costs the state roughly $35,000 per year.9 According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Delaware has nearly 7,000 inmates in its jails and state prisons 10 imprisoning
citizens at a rate higher than that of all but ten (10) other states. Considering the link between
lack of education and incarceration, these statistics demonstrate staggering, statewide costs
that inhibit the productivity of our communities.
On the other hand, a great school not only educates students, but also has the potential to
anchor a community. A review of related literature by the RAND Corporation 11 highlighted
findings that a one (1) percent increase in English Language Arts or Mathematics standardized
test scores correlates to a one-half (0.5) to one (1) percent increase in property values. An
increase of one (1) year in a communitys average level of education correlates to a 27 percent
decrease in the murder rate. RAND also found empirical evidence of positive impact of
education on voter participation, acceptance of free speech, participation in community events,
and newspaper readership. Higher levels of education led to higher contributions toward, and
lower costs of, social welfare programs.

See ESEA Four-Year Adjusted Graduation Rate for Districts 2013-14, Feb 2015,
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=2822&dataid=13017&FileName=2
014_Final_Grad_Rate_By_Districts.pdf; ESEA Four-Year Adjusted Graduation Rate for Schools 2013-14, Feb 2015,
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=2822&dataid=13019&FileName=2
014_Final_Grad_Rate_for_Schools.pdf
6
Sum, Andrew, et al., (2009). The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Joblessness and Jailing for High
School Dropouts and the High Cost for Taxpayers. Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University,
http://www.northeastern.edu/clms/wpcontent/uploads/The_Consequences_of_Dropping_Out_of_High_School.pdf
7
Woolf, Steven H., (2009). Social Policy as Health Policy. Journal of the American Medical Association.
8
Sum, Andrew, et al., (2009).
9
This estimate accounts for inflation, as the cost was $32,967 per year according to a January 2012 report. Vera
Institute of Justice, The Price of Prisons Delaware Fact Sheet,
http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/the-price-of-prisons-40-fact-sheets-updated072012.pdf
10
Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013, Bureau of Justice Statistics, December 2014,
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus13.pdf
11
Carroll & Scherer (RAND Corporation), The Impact of Educational Quality on the Community: A Literature
Review, 2008, http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/documented_briefings/2008/RAND_DB562.pdf

Leadership Supply and Demand

In this context, high-quality school leadership is essential. Leadership is second only to
classroom instruction in all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at
school. Principals account for 25 percent and teachers for 33 percent of a schools total impact
on achievement. 12 In 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated: I have yet to find a
high-performing school that didn't have a visionary principal at its helm. 13 Researchers found
the same, stating, To date we have not found a single case of a school improving its student
achievement record in the absence of talented leadership. 14
Using rough national averages, an excellent school leader may support 20 teachers, who will be
more effective, and 500 students, who will experience greater success. Optimistically, research
shows that a highly effective principal can increase his or her students scores up to ten (10)
percentile points in one year. 15 Several schools in low-income communities around our state
have shown the power of leadership and change during the past few years.
With school leaders holding such importance to school success, they are in high demand. Since
2000, 70 school leaders including both principals and assistant principals have been hired
annually, on average, for all public and charter schools in the state. 16 Meanwhile, the average
principal tenure in Delaware over the last two decades is three (3) to five (5) years, with onethird remaining in their positions after five (5) years. 17 For assistant principals, one-fifth remain
in their positions after five years. Data show shorter tenures for more recent cohorts than for
earlier cohorts, meaning higher rates of turnover.
Although programs within the state have historically trained large numbers of certified
administrators, changes in state regulations (eliminating the six pack option) may lead to a
12

Eric Hanushek, Hoover Institution/CALDER

Preparing the Teachers and School Leaders of Tomorrow: Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks at the American
Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Conference, February 19, 2010,
http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/preparing-teachers-and-school-leaders-tomorrow-secretary-arne-duncansremarks-american-association-colleges-teacher-education-conference
14
Seashore Louis, et. al. (2010), Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning,
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/key-research/Documents/Investigatingthe-Links-to-Improved-Student-Learning.pdf
15
Waters, Marzano and McNulty, 2003
16
Solano, et. al., Principal Retention in the State of Delaware, 2010
http://www.ccrs.udel.edu/sites/ccrs.udel.edu/files/Principal%20Retention%20report%20FINAL1_2.pdf; Delaware
Teacher and Administrator Supply and Demand Survey Analysis Reports, 2012-2013, Delaware Department of
Education, 2013,
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/cms/lib09/DE01922744/Centricity/domain/271/present%20and%20reports/Teacher_S
upply_Survey_Report_2013-6-26.pdf
17
Presentation to Delaware State Board of Education, Delaware Academy of School Leadership, funded by the
Wallace Foundation (2012), http://www.dasl.udel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Tracking-Transition-stateboard-final.pdf
13

decrease in the overall number of certified administrators. Data also suggests that certification
has not always correlated with preparation. Of all candidates who applied for a principal
position in the 2012-2013 school year, 28 percent were considered acceptable candidates by
Delaware personnel directors. 18
Findings of national studies align with the experience of these professionals. Researchers
seeking to find if there was a principal shortage nationally stated: Few districts faced an
absolute shortage of people with the legally required qualifications, but many felt quality was in
short supply. Where certification was initially developed to be a proxy for competence, school
leadership now requires different capabilities than are guaranteed by the present licensing and
hiring process. 19 The Southern Regional Education Board cited a lack of qualified principals in
one of its studies, stating that the real problem is that the recruitment, preparation and
professional development programs for educators who want to become leaders are out of sync
with scaled-up expectations.
The challenge is even greater for urban schools and schools in low-income communities.
Nationally, according to the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research
(CALDER), the most disadvantaged schools are least likely to have effective principals. In 2012,
another group of researchers found that not only are many preparation programs falling short
of preparing leaders to be successful in todays schools, but also that this is particularly true
for high need urban school settings. 20 This year, Dr. John B. King, Jr., Senior Advisor Delegated
Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education, described the
current state of our countrys preparation of principals for low-income schools as in crisis. In
Delaware, a majority of our public school students are people of color and 23 percent of our
principals are people of color.
Anecdotally, in conversations with local educators and community leaders, we hear about
struggles to attract, develop, and retain exceptional leadership talent in Delaware schools.
What we hear includes reasons such as:
there are limited pathways and pipelines in districts to help exceptional teachers and
educators become leaders;

18

Delaware Teacher and Administrator Supply and Demand Survey Analysis Reports, 2012-2013, Delaware
Department of Education, 2013
19
Roza, A Matter of Definition: Is There Truly a Shortage of School Principals, 2003,
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/state-policy/Documents/Is-There-Trulya-Shortage-of-School-Principals.pdf
20
Mitang, The Making of the Principal: Five Lessons in Leadership Training, 2012,
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/effective-principalleadership/Documents/The-Making-of-the-Principal-Five-Lessons-in-Leadership-Training.pdf

district programs havent consistently identified traits that yield successful school
leaders, and the research on principal effectiveness is minimal compared to the same
research on teachers;
selection and placement processes for principals or school leaders are not transparent
and can be difficult to navigate; and
training programs have historically developed administrator mindsets rather than
leadership mindsets.

These insights mirror findings of studies such as the 2011 Rainwater Leadership Alliance study21
and a Bush Institute study conducted in 2013 22. They found that many principal preparation
programs:
are not selective on any sort of aligned competency model;
are not providing learning outside of the classroom that is aligned to the actual job
experience;
do not support people to get and/or keep a job; and
do not measure their success based on success of students.

The Proposed Program

Given the opportunity presented by the states implementation of new regulations governing
certification programs for leaders in education, Teach For America Delaware designed a new
school principal certification program based on best national practices for school leader
preparation called Lead For Delaware. The state of Delaware and several university and
alternative programs have heeded the call to improve principal preparation, working to
develop, approve, and lead new certification programs. Collectively, Delaware educators
understand that todays programs must better reflect the realities of what it takes to effectively
lead schools, including curricula with strong connections to the real-world needs of principals,
significant clinical training, and mentoring by successful school and district leaders. Teach For
America Delaware seeks to help address the anticipated shortage of leadership talent,
particularly among schools in communities with the highest rates of poverty. We are applying
for support from the state of Delaware to implement a preparation program to increase the
number, impact, and diversity of exceptional school leaders in our state.
Led by Teach For America in collaboration with nearly a dozen partner organizations and
Delaware public school districts, Lead For Delaware will recruit, develop, and retain diverse
21

A New Approach to Principal Preparation, Rainwater Leadership Alliance, 2010,

http://www.anewapproach.org
22
Operating in the Dark: What Outdated State Policies and Data Gaps Mean for Effective School Leadership,
George W. Bush Institute, 2013, http://www.bushcenter.org/sites/default/files/GWBIReport_Op_inthe_Dark_v23v-LR_0.PDF

school leaders with proven skills and high potential to lead schools in low-income Delaware
communities. We will identify extraordinary educators with a record of dramatically improving
student learning and prepare them for school leader roles. Through a 24-month program
grounded in the ISLLC-aligned School Leader Competency Framework, we will help these
educators become cage-busting school leaders through a program that brings together a
variety of local and national partners who are each recognized for their expertise in one or
more aspects of school leadership.

SECTION 1: APPLICANT RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

Applicant Recruitment
Our underlying framework in school leader recruitment is anchored largely in Teach For
Americas recruitment model; similarly, our thoughts about what it takes to be successful as a
leader are based in Teach For Americas Teaching As Leadership curriculum and approach. At
the center of this framework is the core belief that effective educators are like effective leaders
in any context: they set a big vision and related goals, then develop and utilize a set of
knowledge, mindsets, and skills to help them realize both vision and goals. We believe that
exceptional teachers, who have demonstrated effective leadership in that role, have the
highest potential of all other potential recruits to become excellent school leaders. Therefore,
we will focus our recruitment on current teachers.
With our partners, we expect to recruit applicants from across Delaware and the country. We
have access to large numbers of talented teachers here and beyond who with the right
training are prepared to meet the needs of todays schools. Just in Delaware, we expect to
have at least 20-30 Teach For America alumni teachers with at least four (4) years of experience
in each of the next several years. Across the state, there are thousands of other educators,
many of whom have demonstrated excellence in the classroom and are or will be interested in
a pathway to school leadership. In addition to scouting within this regional pool, we are able to
recruit leadership talent from a national pool of more than 40,000 alumni, including 13,000
teachers. With the importance of increasing the diversity of school leaders, it is significant that
more than 50 percent of Teach For America - Delaware alumni identify as people of color.
From these pools of potential candidates both local and national Lead For Delawares
recruitment and cohort size targets for its first five (5) cohorts are shown in the table below.
After the first cohort, we seek at least 100 total applicants per year, from which we will select
annual cohorts of roughly ten (10) aspiring principals. We will establish internal criteria to
define highly qualified applicants, which reflect higher levels of readiness and potential than
the minimum applicant qualifications require. We will then seek to refine our recruitment
strategies over time to increase the percentage of total applicants who meet the highly
qualified criteria, thereby reducing the number of total applicants who are unlikely to be
competitive applicants.
Annual Targets
Total Applicants
Highly Qualified Applicants
Cohort Size
Total: Highly Qualified Applicant Ratio
Selection Rate

2015-17

2016-18
100
25
10
4:1
10%

2017-19
100
33
10
3:1
10%

2018-20
100
40
10
2.5:1
10%

2019-21
100
50
10
2:1
10%

We will incorporate the following activities into our recruitment in order to ensure a robust and
diverse applicant pool each year:

Personalized touch points with all previously identified potential recruits

Identify pitch opportunities with superintendents and principals to share information
and solicit referrals
Work with TFA alumni affairs leaders to expand the number of 1-on-1 connections to
high-potential recruits who may be interested in Delaware school leadership
Annual hard launch to announce cohort recruitment, including information sessions
Paid and earned media campaigns
Provide referral stipends to individuals/schools who recommend recruits who are
selected for admission and matriculate
Attend or provide information for attendees of key conferences or other gatherings
Create a Lead For Delaware website and share it with all Lead For Delaware networks
Develop a social media campaign with targeted messages and consistently expand the
Lead For Delaware social media presence
Leverage networks and events of the LFD partners: schools, districts, Harvard University,
NAATE, Teach For All, Wilmington University, TNTP, and Jounce Partners

Minimum Applicant Qualifications

There are three minimum qualifications to apply to Lead For Delaware. We will provide no
waivers of these requirements. To apply, one must have:
1. At least three (3) years 23 of full-time teaching experience, plus current teacher
certification and a commitment to continue teaching in order to achieve the required
five (5) years of full-time teaching experience,
2. At least a masters degree from a regionally accredited college/university, and
3. A grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

23

Individuals may be granted program admission if they have at least three (3) years of full-time teaching
experience, but they cannot complete the program (or, therefore, earn certification) without reaching five (5)
years of full-time teaching experience.

10

Selection Process
The selection process will include the following phases:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Application, including personal data and information, resume, and short essay questions
Completion of a performance task focused on instructional expertise
On-site interview day focused on turnaround teacher competencies
Reference checks

Our application will include five (5) short essay questions, which were selected in collaboration
with the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (one of our partners):

Why do you want to be a school leader, why do you want to do it in Delaware, and why
do you want to earn certification through the Lead For Delaware program? Whats
something special that you will add to the cohort and to school leadership in Delaware?
(Max: 500 words, approximately 30 40 lines)
What data are you most proud of that demonstrates your success with students
academically in the past? (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what you believe has been your greatest instructional strength as a
teacher and explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what area of your instructional practice you believe you need to work
on to become a better classroom teacher. Please describe what area of leadership
practice you believe you will need to work on most to become a successful school
leader. (Max: 500 words, approximately 30 - 40 lines)
Please describe what you believe to be your greatest strengths as a colleague and/or
leader of other teachers. Please explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)

Through our application and application process, we will collect all of the following required
data:

Number of applicants: projected yield, actual applied, accepted, enrolled (with enrollees
then to be tracked as completed, dismissed, or withdrawn)
GPA (overall/major)
Certifications held
Years teaching
Other leadership experience
Previous educational experience

Lead For Delaware selection will be based on ISLLC-aligned competencies identified by Public
Impact as turnaround school leader competencies and turnaround teacher competencies.
These competencies were identified as those that are most important for teachers and leaders

11

working in schools with a history of low-performance. Of all of Public Impacts identified

competencies, Lead For Delaware will focus on the following five (5) critical competencies:
ACHIEVEMENT: Drive/actions to set challenging goals, reach high standard of performance
despite barriers
INITIATIVE & PERSISTENCE: Drive/actions to do more than expected in order to accomplish
challenging task
IMPACT & INFLUENCE: Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking, and
actions of others
TEAMWORK: Ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared goals
BELIEF IN LEARNING POTENTIAL: Belief that all students can learn at high levels
We know that people who have previously exhibited high levels of the competencies that
determine leadership are more likely to succeed. We select leaders with evidence of 5 critical
competencies through a behavioral interview event process that rates these competencies
based on detailed accounts of specific past leadership experiences with only limited prompting.
Details on the turnaround teacher selection rubrics and process we will use are provided in
Appendix B.
Selection Process Chart
Selection Phase
Application Window
Review of Applications
Performance Task
Evaluation of Tasks
On-Site Interviews
Reference Checks
Admission Offers

Timeline
Rolling: Nov. Feb.
Rolling: Nov. Feb.
Rolling: Dec. Mar.
Rolling: Dec. Mar.
Jan.-Feb. and Mar.-Apr.
Rolling: Jan. Apr.
Rolling: Jan. Apr.

Personnel Involved
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead For Delaware staff
LFD director and selected partners
Lead For Delaware staff
Lead for Delaware director

12

SECTION 2: LEA AND PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS

Lead For Delaware seeks LEA (and school) partners to partner with our principal preparation
and certification program in several primary ways, including:
Allowing one or more current teachers or leaders to participate in the program while
continuing to serve as a teacher or leader in the district,
Recruiting Lead For Delaware prospects to take on a new role in the district while
participating in the program, and
Hiring Lead For Delaware graduates to serve as future principals in the district.
LEA (and school) partnerships take two forms. First, Lead For Delaware has already begun
establishing non-specific partnerships with several LEAs and schools, which carry no obligations
but represent support. These partnerships demonstrate a shared understanding of the need for
the program and Teach For Americas capacity to effectively carry out the program with its
partners. With this application, we are providing letters of support from several of these
general partners, including Colonial School District, Great Oaks Charter School, and New Castle
County Vocational Technical School District.
Second, Lead For Delaware will establish LEA (and school) partnerships through specific
agreements whenever an employee of the district is accepted into the Lead For Delaware
program. These specific agreements will include several standard, minimally required
obligations by the LEA. Lead For Delaware considers these LEA obligations to be non-negotiable
because an aspiring leader cannot complete the requirements of the program without these
conditions. These LEA obligations are:
1. Maintain the aspiring leaders employment for the full 24-month Lead For Delaware
program, unless otherwise agreed by Lead For Delaware and the aspiring leader;
2. Provide full release, without loss of pay or use of paid time off, for up to ten (10) school
days over two years, allowing the employee/aspiring leader to complete program
components (including the NAATE case study fellowship and four (4) excellent school
visits);
3. Consult with Lead For Delaware in matching a Lead For Delaware-selected mentor with
the employee/aspiring leader and in the development of the aspiring leaders
individualized leadership development plan; and
4. Provide substantive opportunities for the employee/aspiring leader to practice real-time
leadership as outlined in the individualized leadership development plan.
These LEA-specific agreements may include any number of additional, individually negotiated
terms, not limited to the examples provided herein. For example, an LEA may make a
commitment to guarantee consideration of certified program graduates or Lead For Delaware
may make a commitment to utilize a specific mentor. Additionally, Teach For America offers a
variety of other related supports, which LEAs may wish to include in the Lead For Delaware
agreement or may wish to participate in.

13

Specifically, Teach For America may offer:

Access to Lead For Delaware cohort members to Teach For America professional
development session materials to lead PD at their current school,
Facilitation for 4 full-day sessions enabling school teams to design new school staffing
models aligned with Opportunity Culture principles,
16-hour selector training on behavioral event interview process for turnaround teachers
and turnaround school leaders based on national research,
12-hour mentor training for Lead For Delaware mentors and up to 3 additional
individuals, depending on space availability, and
10 hours of individualized talent management consulting support for district human
capital leaders.
One final, particularly important role for LEA (and school) partners is the ongoing monitoring,
evaluation, and improvement of the program. LEA partners are included in the regular
monitoring, evaluation, and program improvement activities, which are outlined (particularly
through the identification of success metrics) in section 9 below.
Teach For America will offer the Lead For Delaware program in collaboration with a large group
of other program partners. These partnerships are a central feature of our program,
incorporating various organizations and individuals with school leadership and leadership
development expertise. Details on these partners roles, and their instructional staff, are
included in section 3 and section 6 below.

14

SECTION 3: PROGRAM CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS

Lead For Delaware will develop aspiring school leaders skills across seven (7) clusters with 26
competencies. We started our program design by considering how Teach For America defines
an excellent education with four co-equal components. Next, given that definition of an
excellent education, we identified six dimensions of an excellent school. Finally, given those
dimensions of an excellent school, we developed a School Leader Competency Framework
defining competencies a school leader must exhibit to build and lead an excellent school.
1. Elements of an Excellent Education

Personal Growth

Knowledge & Skills Growth

Learning and mastering academic
knowledge and skills

Developing traits like zest, self-control,

empathy, teamwork, gratitude,
curiosity, optimism, and grit

Critical Consciousness

Access

Growing awareness of the systemic

injustices that perpetuate inequity of
opportunity and of their power to
navigate and dismantle them

Gaining connections to relationships,

resources, and networks that will help
sustain and accelerate their path to
broader opportunities and leadership

2. Domains of an Excellent School

School Culture and

Environment

Staff Culture and

Adult Learning
Community

Culturally Responsive
Learning
Environment

Academic Excellence
and Rigor

Strategic Operational
Excellence

Family and
Community
Engagement

15

3. School Leader Competency Framework24

1

Personal
Leadership

Diversity,
Inclusion,
and Equity
Leadership

Interpersonal
Leadership

Reasoning
and Strategic
Thinking

Managing
People and
Projects

Managing
Operations
and
Systems

Instructional
Leadership

Vision for
Transformational
Change

Identity
Awareness

Interpersonal
Understanding

Analytical
Thinking

Personal
Organization
and
Effectiveness

Resource
and
Operations
Leadership

Instructional
Knowledge
and
Background

Personal
Motivation for
Educational
Leadership

Valuing
Diversity

Influences
Others to
Achieve
Outcomes

Strategic
Decision
Making

Project
Management

School
Culture

Data Driven
Leadership

Learning Mindset

Building
Relationships
in Diverse
Settings

Effective
Communication

Systems
Thinking

Team
Leadership

Family and
Community
Engagement

Growing
Strong
Teachers

Grit

Equity
Leadership

Self-Awareness

Staff
Management
Talent
Development

The School Leader Competency Framework is also rooted in Teach For Americas organizational
core values25 and draws on insights from several research sources and other models, including:
24
25

See Appendix X for the complete, detailed School Leader Competency Framework.
See Appendix X.

16

Internal sector research (Bain/TFA Education Leadership Study, 2012)

External research on leadership traits, including:
o Spencer, Lyle M., and Signe M. Spencer. Competence at Work: Models for Superior
Performance. New York: Wiley, 1993.
o Van Dyne, L., Ang, S., Ng, K.-Y., Rockstuhl, T., Tan, M.L., & Koh, C. (2012). Subdimensions of the four factor model of cultural intelligence: Expanding the
conceptualization and measurement of cultural intelligence (CQ). Social and Personal
Psychology: Compass, 6/4, 295-313.
o Dweck, Carol S. Mindset. London: Robinson, 2012.
o Duckworth, Angela L., Christopher Peterson, et al. Grit: Perseverance and Passion for
Long-term Goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92.6 (2007): 1087-101.
Competency and leadership development models from other organizations that develop
(or support others to develop) leaders in education, including:
o Public Impact, School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success (2008)
o New Leaders
o KIPP School Leadership Programs
o Achievement First Professional Growth Plan
o Teach For America Leadership Development System for staff

The School Leader Competency Framework aligns with the state of Delawares adopted school
leader standards, which were developed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium
(ISLLC).
Alignment with Delaware School Leader Standards (ISLLC Standards)
LFD
Cluster
1

LFD
Competency
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
A
B
C

ISLLC
Standard(s)
1,2
1
5,6
5,6
5
4,5
4,5
4,6
4,5
4,5
4,6
4,6
1,5
1,5
5,6

LFD
Cluster
5

LFD
Competency
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
A
B
C

ISLLC
Standard(s)
5
1
2,4
2,3
2,3
3
2,3
4
2
2,4
2,3

17

Theory of Action and Program Philosophy

If Lead For Delaware...
...recruits and selects cohorts of diverse, highly-motivated aspiring principals who have
demonstrated exceptional levels of success as teachers...
...offers a two-year program during which cohort members remain in their current setting while
accepting new responsibilities demanding real-time leadership practice
...provides rigorous cohort-based professional development, mentoring, and coaching from
expert partners that is driven by individualized leadership development plans...
builds strong partnerships with Delaware districts and schools leading to the placement of
certified program graduates into schools in the states low-income communities
and supports certified program graduates through direct, ongoing professional development
and the facilitation of excellent principal networking after placement
Then
...the number of schools in Delawares highest-need communities led by excellent principals will
increase
student achievement in schools in low-income communities will improve
and these schools and students will demonstrate that all students can indeed achieve
excellence.

Brief Program Summary

Each cohort will spend two years preparing for a school leader role, earning Delaware school
leader certification at the end of the second year. The program kicks off with an international
leadership journey in partnership with Teach For All, whereby aspiring principals are immersed
in another countrys education landscape for a week, during which they will learn more about
forming and communicating a vision for their school community. Throughout year one, they will
complete off-site, multi-day sessions at Harvard University and with the National Academy for
Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE), and they will complete a course online with Wilmington
University. In partnership with Schools to Learn From, the cohort will join an excellent school
visit at one of the best schools in a low-income community in the country. On two days each

18

month, Lead For Delaware sessions will be held partly supported by partners such as TNTP and
Jounce.
Each of these sessions is a part of a specific Lead For Delaware module. Lead For Delaware
modules run concurrently for the full two years. Each aspiring leader will coach and mentor one
or two master teachers while receiving two (2) hours of executive coaching each month.
Although the programs clinical experience does not begin during year one, the Lead For
Delaware modules require regular observation and, through a gradual release model, practice
of specific skills throughout the year. Hours dedicated to this school-based leadership
observation and practice are not counted toward program requirements. Finally, excellent
principal consultants from within and beyond Delaware schools participate in module sessions
related to specific areas of expertise. These same principal consultants will provide
individualized, content-specific support through supplemental coaching during the second year.
In year two, each aspiring leader will serve as a full-time administrator for a program-approved
summer school program, followed by a year-long clinical experience, with an assigned mentor,
in their home school during which the aspiring leader will apply new skills and practice realtime leadership. Each participant will complete at least one formal (i.e., DPAS II-aligned)
teacher observation with feedback for each week of the summer school administrator
experience and the year-long, school-based clinical experience. The second year incorporates
several more excellent school visits, once-per-month Lead For Delaware sessions, and
continued coaching. The once-per-month Lead For Delaware sessions continue the concurrent
modules that began in the first year of the program. Again, principal consultants will be
available for coaching cohort members in their identified area of special expertise, building on
their whole-cohort support during the Lead For Delaware modules in the first year. The
program culminates with a series of sessions our Day One Ready Institute focused on
preparation for the aspiring principals future school leader placement.
An individualized leadership development plan will drive program activities, particularly during
the clinical experiences and coaching, for each aspiring leader.
The first table below shows the distribution of program hours across the various program
components. The Lead For Delaware program meets or exceeds the minimum-required number
of hours for pre-clinical professional development, the clinical experience, and ongoing
professional development during and after the clinical experience.
The second table below shows additional detail for the professional development components
of the Lead For Delaware program, including pre-clinical professional development and ongoing
professional development.

19

Distribution of Program Hours Across Program Components

Pre-Clinical
Coursework,
Including
DPAS Training
and
Calibration

Clinical
Experience
Ongoing
Professional
Development

Brief Description of Courses and

Hours Activities
Individualized study of foundational
texts; DPAS training and calibration;
development of individualized
leadership development plan;
international educational leadership
journey (Teach For All); intensive case
studies (NAATE); data-driven leadership
institute (Harvard); one excellent school
visit; online Wilmington University
course; Lead For Delaware module
sessions two times per month; receiving
executive coaching sessions; providing
coaching/mentoring to master
400
teacher(s)
Service as lead administrator for a Lead
For Delaware-approved summer school
program; continued full-time service in
existing, school-based role while taking
on new or expanded leadership
responsibilities, including coaching and
mentoring of teachers in the
participants school and completing at
least one observation per week;
mentoring and coaching provided by
Lead For Delaware driven by
individualized leadership development
plan; access to additional principal
600
consultants
Three additional excellent school visits;
Lead For Delaware module sessions once
per month; placement support; and Day
One Ready Institute to prepare for
100
principal placement

Timeline

Standards
Alignment

Year 1
(beginning
in July and
ending in
June)

ISLLC
Standards
1-6

Year 2
(beginning
in July and
ending in
May)
Year 2
(beginning
in July and
ending in
June)

ISLLC
Standards
1-6
ISLLC
Standards
1-6

20

Details for Lead For Delaware Modules and Courses

Start

End

Module/Course

Lead

July, Year
1

July,
Year 1

Setting a Vision
for Success

Fall, Year
1
Fall, Year
1
Fall, Year
1

Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 1
Spring,
Year 1

Fall, Year
1

Spring,
Year 2

Excellent School
Visits
Case Study
Fellowship
Coaching and
Mentoring
Master Teachers
Improving
Instruction

Lead For
Delaware
and Teach
For All
Lead For
Delaware
NAATE

Fall, Year
1
Fall, Year
1
Spring,
Year 1

Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 2
Spring,
Year 1

Culture and
Communication
People and
Projects
Fiscal
Operations and
Resources

June,
Year 1

June,
Year 1

Spring,
Year 2

Spring,
Year 2

Data Wise
Leadership
Institute
First Day Ready
Institute

Lead For
Delaware
Lead For
Delaware,
TNTP, and
Jounce
Partners
Lead For
Delaware
Lead For
Delaware
Wilmington
University
Harvard
University
Lead For
Delaware

Total
Days/
Sessions
4 days

Total
Hours
Counted
40

Competencies
Addressed

4 days

40

10 days

120

5 hours
per
month
20
sessions

50

Various
(supplemental)
Various
(supplemental)
Various
(supplemental)

70

7A, 7B, 7C

10
sessions
10
sessions
7-week,
3-credit
online
course
4 days

35

2B, 2C, 3A, 3B,

3C, 6B, 6C,
5A, 5B, 5C, 5D,
5E
2D, 4A, 4B, 4C,
6A

40

4A, 4B, 4C, 7B

10
sessions

35

5A, 5B

35
40

1A, 1B, 1C, 1D,

1E, 2A, 2B

21

Cohort Member Time Commitment by Month

Month
July, Year 1
August, Year 1
September, Year 1
October, Year 1
November, Year 1
December, Year 1
January, Year 1
February, Year 1
March, Year 1
April, Year 1
May, Year 1
June, Year 1
July, Year 2
August, Year 2
September, Year 2
October, Year 2
November, Year 2
December, Year 2
January, Year 2
February, Year 2
March, Year 2
April, Year 2
May, Year 2
June, Year 2
YEAR 1 TOTAL
YEAR 2 TOTAL
GRAND TOTAL

Total Session Time

40
0
10
10
63
10
30
30
10
63
10
43
0
0
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
18
17
319
91
410

Other Activity Time

0
0
5
15
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
120
30
60
60
50
50
50
60
50
50
50
0
60
630
690

Total Session/Activity Time

40
0
15
25
68
15
35
35
15
68
15
48
120
30
67
67
57
57
57
67
57
57
68
17
429
741
1100

22

SECTION 4: RESIDENCY, INTERNSHIP, OR CLINICAL EXPERIENCES

As described above, there are two clinical experiences included in the second year of the Lead
For Delaware program: a summer school program administrator role for 150 hours during the
months of July and August and a school-based clinical experience for 450 hours during the
months of September through May.
For each aspiring leader, the same Delaware administrator will be selected to serve as the
mentor for both the summer school program administrator role and the school-based clinical
experience. To be selected to serve as a mentor, an administrator must hold a standard
Delaware school administrator certificate, have at least two years of effective or highly effective
performance based on the Delaware Performance Appraisal System, and demonstrate proven
ability or high potential to mentor and coach an aspiring leader.
The table below outlines key steps in the process for assigning, training, and overseeing the
work or mentors and their interaction with the programs aspiring leaders. However, LEA
partners will play a critically important role here. Based on specific agreements between each
LEA partner and Lead For Delaware, the details below may be adjusted, except that no
adjustment may result in a mentor being selected or assigned who does not meet the minimum
criteria (listed above) for the role.
Phase
Recruitment

Timeline
September
November,
annually

Selection

November,
annually

Training

Upon selection
and in May,
annually
By January of
Program Year 1

Matching
Interaction
with Mentee

June of Program
Year 1 and July
through June of
Program Year 2

Details/Expectations
Mentors will be selected through a competitive application
process, while soliciting recommendations from LEA
Partners and, where possible, recruiting from schools and
districts in which Lead For Delaware aspiring leaders will be
working
Selection will be based on Public Impacts critical
competencies for turnaround school leaders based on an
on-site behavioral event interview
Training will be provided by the Lead For Delaware director
Matching will be determined in consultation with LEA
partners and, where different, district/school officials in
the aspiring leaders home district/school
Mentors commit to work with the mentee and program
staff to develop, update, and monitor the individualized
leadership development plan and to provide two (2) hours
of direct, 1-on-1 coaching per month

23

Interaction
June of Program
with Program Year 1 and July
Staff
through June of
Program Year 2
Evaluation of Ongoing, with
Mentee
formal rating
submissions and
recommendations
in May or each
Program Year
Evaluation of June of each
Mentor
Program Year
Renewal
June of each
Decisions
Program Year

Mentors commit to providing one report (30-minute time

commitment) each month and a 30-minute check-in call
every other month
Mentors incorporate assessment and feedback into their
regular interactions with mentees and also complete
formal ratings in May of both program years

Program staff complete mentor evaluations, incorporating

feedback from the mentee, in June of both program years
Program staff make a second-year renewal decision in June
of Program Year 1, and make a general renewal decision
(pending a future match) at the end of Program Year 2

As described more in section 8, evaluation of work during the clinical experiences by both the
Lead For Delaware coordinator and the mentor form a critically important component of the
overall evaluation of the aspiring leader during the program. Aspiring leaders must
demonstrate the competencies across the seven (7) clusters of the School Leader Competency
Framework in order to earn a recommendation for certification.
When developing, updating, and monitoring the individual development plan for each cohort
member, the Lead For Delaware coordinator, with consultation from the mentor, will ensure
that the clinical experiences (both the summer program administrator role and the year-long
school-based clinical experience) incorporate significant opportunities in each of the following
areas:
Driving measurable student achievement results through leading adults
Exposure to diverse student populations, including general, special education, & ELL
Instructional leadership, including observing and evaluating teachers, leading professional
development and PLCs, and driving assessment, curriculum & instruction
Operations and resources, including talent acquisition, talent management, finance,
strategic planning and school operations
Indeed, the purpose of including a full-time summer program administrator role in addition to
the year-long clinical experience is to ensure that each cohort member has some time during
the clinical experiences when the cohort member has primary responsibility for all facets of
leadership. Additionally, the expert principal consultants will be dedicated to specific areas of
content expertise that align with the areas listed above.

24

SECTION 5: EDUCATOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM TRAINING

All participants will need to meet the states DPAS II credentialing requirements by the end of
the first year. Altogether, the Improving Instruction module and the year one coaching are
designed to ensure that all cohort members are prepared to effectively lead cycles of
observation and feedback in year two and beyond.
ISLLC Standard 2 states, An education leader promotes the success of every student by
advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to
student learning and staff professional growth. 26 Identified functions of Standard 2 include
supervising instruction and developing the instructional capacity of staff. In direct alignment
with this standard, Teach For Americas School Leader Competency Framework includes a
strong focus on instructional leadership the most technical of the frameworks seven
competency clusters.
As background, aspiring principals in the Lead For Delaware program must possess and build
strong instructional knowledge and background. The description of competency 7A states that
the leader is/was a highly effective teacher and understands and articulates a learning theory
for a school (curriculum and effective practices) and ensures access to learning opportunities
for diverse student populations [emphasis added]. Indicators of effective practice for this
competency are: (1) has a documented history of being a highly effective teacher, (2) is able to
articulate a process for making instructional decisions based on data, current research, and best
practice, and (3) understands the curricula and pedagogical best practices that should be
present in the classroom. Effectiveness in this area is necessary for a school leader to be able to
fulfill the purposes of the Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS), including fostering
educators professional growth, ensuring that all classrooms have quality educators, and
helping students grow and succeed through educator professional development.27
Competency 7C Growing Strong Teachers relates even more explicitly to DPAS. The
description states that the leader understands that growing strong teachers is important, can
articulate how it is done, and shows evidence of having improved teacher practice at his/her
school. Indicators of effective practice for this competency are: (1) ensures that teacher
plans (year long, unit, and daily) have all the baseline components, reviews (or ensures review
of) plans in a systemic way, and provides feedback that is targeted and aligned with individual
teacher/team goals and school goals, (2) implements a cycle of observation, feedback, and
coaching that is on-going, aligned with school data and priorities, and includes all staff, (3)
26
27

See http://www.ccsso.org/documents/2008/educational_leadership_policy_standards_2008.pdf
See http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/224

25

creates and keeps an observation schedule that allows consistent and effective collection of the
data on most school goals and individual teacher and team goals, (4) provides feedback that is
accurate, correctly connects the key issue to a school goal, and strengthens the teachers sense
of efficacy, and (5) plans and delivers professional development that is planned specifically for
the teachers needs around school goals and uses adult learning theory at the foundation.
These specific indicators of instructional leadership competencies are the foundation for the
largest Lead For Delaware training module Improving Instruction. This module will incorporate
at least 15 hours of DPAS II-specific training sessions into the 70-hour course, which will more
broadly focus on the history of teacher feedback and evaluation nationally and in Delaware, the
legal and policy framework for DPAS, and best practices for observation, feedback, and student
learning objectives. The Delaware Department of Education training sessions and materials
including administrator boot camp may adapted and used for part of Lead For Delawares
DPAS II training.
The lead instructor negotiated and led the implementation of similar state-approved teacher
and principal evaluation systems, based on multiple measures, in New York State during the
2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 school years. This implementation included a variety of
observer certification and calibration activities along with data analyses focused on
maintaining and improving inter-rater reliability for two instructional practice rubrics for
teachers and one leadership practice rubric for principals. Teach For Americas own model for
coaching new teachers is recognized as an effective model of support, without which many new
teachers would underperform and/or fail to improve significantly. The Lead For Delaware team
brings expertise and experience to bear in this module in particular.
Two Lead For Delaware partners TNTP and Jounce will co-design and co-facilitate some
sessions of the Improving Instruction module, bringing significant additional, external expertise
to the module. TNTPs national reports, including The Widget Effect 28, Teacher Evaluation 2.0 29,
and The Irreplaceables 30, arguably were responsible in part for igniting and continuing the
national shift particularly including the U.S. Department of Educations change in focus
through Race to the Top after The Widget Effect toward more meaningful teacher evaluation
systems like DPAS II. Jounce Partners will add perspective through training on its own
innovative teacher-coaching model, which has the potential to increase the amount of
development teachers are getting each month by a factor of eight or more. In short but
frequent coaching sessions, and in-the-moment classroom feedback, Jounce focuses on very
specific skills that teachers can learn and perfect.
28

http://tntp.org/publications/view/the-widget-effect-failure-to-act-on-differences-in-teacher-effectiveness
http://tntp.org/assets/documents/Teacher-Evaluation-Oct10F.pdf
30
http://tntp.org/publications/view/the-irreplaceables-understanding-the-real-retention-crisis
29

26

During year one of the preparation program, learning from the Improving Instruction module
will link to coaching that cohort members will provide to teachers. Specifically, each aspiring
school leader will provide 50 hours of mentoring and coaching, combined, to one or two
program-identified teachers. Coaching will be guided through the Improving Instruction
module, with participants practicing and applying discrete strategies in stages throughout the
first year of the program. Module sessions will include calibration activities. Each of the Lead
For Delaware modules continues into the second year of the program, but a majority of hours
for this module will be completed during the first year.
If any candidates do not meet state credentialing requirements by the end of June of the first
year, an intervention plan will be developed to provide additional support from the Lead For
Delaware coach, one or more Lead For Delaware principal consultants, and/or other district- or
school-based resources. This intervention plan may also include completion of in-person or
online training sessions developed and/or led by the Delaware Department of Education. An
aspiring school leader with an intervention plan due, wholly or partly, to failure to earn DPAS II
observer credentials must successfully complete the intervention plan by September 1st of the
second year. If a cohort member fails to do so after the implementation of the intervention
plan, the cohort member will either be exited from the program or his/her continuation into
year two of the program will be deferred for one year, providing additional time to complete
this requirement.
During year two, each participant will complete at least one formal (i.e., DPAS II-aligned)
teacher observation with feedback for each week of the summer school administrator
experience and the year-long, school-based clinical experience. School-based mentors will
provide oversight for this work. Additionally, executive coaching and optional consulting
sessions with one or more principal consultants will include some focus on this instructional
leadership activity; the specific level of priority given to related leadership competencies will be
determined in accordance with each participants individualized leadership development plan.

27

SECTION 6: FACULTY, INSTRUCTORS, AND MENTORS

The Lead For Delaware program will begin, upon receiving approval from the Secretary of
Education, with one staff member serving as full-time administrator, primary faculty member,
and lead instructor. A summary of the experience, skills, and track record of Jeremy GrantSkinner is provided below the organizational chart. A full resume, detailing his instructional
leadership and education management record, is included in the Section 6 Appendix. Then,
brief biographies of a sample of individuals from partner organizations who will lead or co-lead
instruction are also provided below. As shown in the organizational chart, general program
oversight will be provided by Laurisa Schutt, Executive Director of Teach For America
Delaware, and supplementary support may be provided by staff from Teach For Americas
School Leadership Initiative, led by Hilary Lewis, Vice President, Alumni School Leadership.

Laurisa Schutt
Executive Director
Teach For America-Delaware
Jeremy Grant-Skinner
Senior Managing Director, School Leadership
Teach For America-Delaware
Lead For
Delaware
Support Staff

Partner Organizations

0.5 FTE
effective 2017

Harvard
University

Teach For All

National
Academy of
Advanced
Teacher
Education
(NAATE)

Wilmington
University

TNTP

Jounce
Partners

JEREMY GRANT-SKINNER
Jeremy Grant-Skinner is Senior Managing Director, School Leadership for Teach For America
Delaware. Now in his fifteenth year working in education, after being the first college graduate
in his family, he has led at the classroom, school, district, and state levels with public, charter,
and turnaround schools. In his current role, he leads Teach For Americas work in Delaware to
build pathways for excellent teachers to become excellent teacher leaders and school leaders.

28

He will be the director and lead instructor of the Lead For Delaware school principal
certification program.
Immediately preceding his work with Teach For America Delaware, Grant-Skinner was the
chief HR/talent officer for the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) in Syracuse, New York,
serving 21,000 students and nearly 4,000 full- and part-time staff. With the SCSD, he designed
and implemented selection, training, and support programs for master teachers, aspiring
principals, and new principals, with the work funded in part by a Turnaround School Leaders
Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education and multiple competitive state grants.
With his leadership, SCSD became the first district with collective bargaining in the nation to
implement Opportunity Culture staffing models in collaboration with Public Impact.
He began his career as a Teach For America corps member in Baltimore City, where he taught
first and fifth grade students. He has also served as an education consultant with TNTP, where
he supported the launch of a statewide recovery district by developing new roles for master
teachers and a performance-based compensation system that enabled excellent teachers to
earn nearly six figures in Tennessee. Prior to TNTP, he was division leader at the state education
agency for the District of Columbia, where he managed a dozen federal education grant
programs, with total annual budgets of up to $200 million, for DCs more than 200 schools.
Grant-Skinner earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from New York University and a Master of
Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education from the Johns Hopkins University. Hes also an
alumnus of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Candice Bocala is the co-chair of the Data Wise Summer Institute and a senior team member
for the Data Wise Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Since 2009, she has
been working with educators to use the Data Wise Improvement Process, and she has directly
supported school teams in districts such as Prince Georges County, MD to integrate Data Wise
into their work. She also conducts policy research and program evaluation for WestEd, where
her research interests include data use, educator effectiveness, professional development, and
school improvement. Previously, she taught elementary school in Washington, DC. Bocala holds
a BA in government from Cornell University, an MA in policy analysis and evaluation from
Stanford University, an MAT in elementary education from American University, and an EdD in
education policy, leadership, and instructional practice from the Harvard Graduate School of
Education.

29

Kathryn Parker Boudett is Lecturer on Education and the Director of the Data Wise Project at
HGSE. Her research and teaching focus on helping educators make effective use of a wide range
of data sources to improve instruction and student achievement. She is coeditor of Data Wise:
A Step-By-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning with
Richard Murnane and Elizabeth City; Data Wise in Action: Stories of Schools Using Data to
Improve Teaching and Learning with Jennifer Steele; and Key Elements of Observing Practice: A
Data Wise Facilitator's Guide and DVD with Elizabeth City and Marcia Russell. Boudett holds a
PhD in Public Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a BA in
Economics from Yale University.

TEACH FOR ALL

Alex Beard, Director of System Change, directs policy efforts for this global network of 35
education programs stretching from Chile to Bulgaria, India to the U.S. This work spans whole
system reform in education, whether at the school, local or national level. His expertise
includes education management, project management, human capital development,
innovation and public and private sector support. When not working directly with educators,
Beard also works on projects with the European Commission to develop a vision for school
education in the year 2030, Ashoka as part of their Changemaker Schools initiative, and Teach
First as part of the policy panel that meets regularly with the Secretary of State for Education.
Previously, Beard taught English in a secondary school in South London and earned a Masters
degree at the Institute of Education. In the more distant past he studied modern languages at
Cambridge University, living in Barcelona and Paris.

NAATE
Cara Stillings Candal, Director of Research and Curriculum, is an experienced educator,
curriculum and assessment specialist, and policy analyst. She began her career in education as
an English literature and English as a second language teacher, working in classrooms both in
the United States and abroad. In 2002 she became a lead test and curriculum development
specialist in English language arts at the Riverside Publishing Company. In this capacity, she
worked closely with teachers, school districts, and state departments of education to create
large-scale assessment items, evaluate standardized assessments for bias and sensitivity issues,
and provide professional development around data-driven instruction methods.
Candal continues to consult in the areas of large-scale assessment and teacher professional
development and maintains a relationship with Boston University, where she conducts

30

educational research and teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses in domestic and
international education policy. Candal is the editor of two books about education policy and the
author of several academic articles on topics such as No Child Left Behind, charter schools, and
other education policies for disadvantaged students.
Candal holds a doctorate in education policy and administration from the Boston University
School of Education, an MA in anthropology from the University of Chicago, and a BA in English
literature from Indiana University. She serves on the Board of Trustees for City on a Hill Charter
Public School in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Jason Griffiths, Managing Director of Recruitment and Research, was the founding head master
of The Brooklyn Latin School (TBLS), a selective, public school on the border of the Bushwick
and Williamsburg neighborhoods of Brooklyn. TBLS offers a liberal arts curriculum combined
with an emphasis on the classics. All students take four years of Latin and are enrolled in the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. One hundred percent of TBLS graduates have
been accepted into a post-secondary program. In 2013, TBLS was ranked as the #1 high school
in New York City and New York State by the US News and World Report. Mr. Griffiths also
briefly served as the principal of the Harlem Village Academy High School in the Fall of 2013.
Before starting TBLS, Mr. Griffiths was a teacher at Delaware Valley High School in Milford, Pa.
He earned a bachelor's in history from Princeton University and a master's in educational
administration from Temple University. He was a member of the fifth cohort of New Leaders, a
national principal leadership program. He currently serves on the board of Common Core, a
non-profit organization that promotes the teaching of the liberal arts in American schools.
Angela Harvey-Bowen, Director of Recruitment and Support, spent seven years working with
students with emotional challenges prior to joining the District of Columbia Public School's
master educator team. Harvey-Bowen has experience working in school districts including
Baltimore, MD, Rochester, NY, and Los Angeles, CA. As a lead special education teacher, she
mentored teachers in both general and regular education classes, providing them with
strategies that led to significant gains in student achievement and decreases in behavioral
difficulties overall. Recently, she has been working within the professional development
community, and she continues to design effective trainings and instructional resources for
teachers of students with emotional challenges. Harvey-Bowen experienced success in a short
career in marketing, prior to making the transition to education. As a career-changer, she
completed the Baltimore City Teaching Residency to become a special education teacher.
Harvey-Bowen received her BA degree in business administration and music from the
University of La Verne. Additionally, she received a Masters degree in leadership and teaching
from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, MD.

31

Tony Klemmer, Founder and President, received his Ph.D. in Humanities from Salve Regina
University. His doctoral work focuses on Moral Coherence in the Modern World. He graduated
from the Harvard Business School and has a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the U.
of Penn. Tony taught Production and Operations Management in the MBA program at Babson
College, while helping develop entrepreneurship course materials there. He is a cum laude
graduate of Portsmouth Abbey School, Portsmouth, RI.
Klemmer is also the Founder and President of The Center for Better Schools and is currently
focused on developing new programs of advanced teacher education for high performing K 12
classroom teachers. He served as the Assistant Headmaster of Portsmouth Abbey School. He
has participated in the start-up and board level activities of a number of social enterprises. He
helped found several high-tech companies in the medical device, advanced materials and
industrial automation industries. He developed distribution networks in Europe and ran Asian
sales offices, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer of a $1.5 billion public, multi-national
technology company. Klemmer managed a successful marketing, strategic planning and
investment consultancy and led the healthcare and life science practice at a Boston-based
boutique investment bank. In 2010, he and The Center for Better Schools were named one of
47 Finalists from a field of over 500 applicants by the Kauffman Foundation as a Kauffman
Education Venture Fellow. In 2011 he was named to the inaugural cohort of Pahara/Aspen
Institute Teacher Leader Fellows and is a Pahara/Aspen Moderator.
Deborah Levitzky, Chief Program Officer & Founding Director of Programs, has spent the last
twenty-five years working in a variety of roles in the field of public education, with the last
decade spent focusing on professional learning. Prior to joining NAATE, she was the chief
content officer for the Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC), an initiative of New
Leaders. At New Leaders she led the development of a web-based professional development
platform for teachers and school leaders, highlighting the practices that were driving
improvements in student and school achievement. Prior to New Leaders, Levitzky served as
director of the Office of New and Small Schools in the Bronx, and as an associate director in the
Office of New Schools in the NYC Department of Education. While there, Levitzky helped to
create dozens of small schools as part of Chancellor Joel Klein's Children First Initiative. She
served as a school designer with Expeditionary Learning in New York where she supported the
development of experiential-learning approaches of teacher teams in district schools.
Levitzky got her start in the field of education over two decades ago as a co-founder of the
Public Service Corps, a service learning and career tech internship program for high school
students. Levitzky has served as an educational consultant for a range of clients including Teach
for America, Green Dot Public Schools, IDEA Public Schools, the Coro Foundation, and several
independent charter schools. Levitzky holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management, a

32

MSA of education administration from Trinity College, and a BA from Barnard College. She was
also a Coro Fellow in public affairs.
Maia Merin, Program Manager, received her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from New York
University in January 2015. She was a former social studies teacher in New York City public
schools. After seven years of teaching, she returned to graduate school to pursue a doctoral
degree in Social Studies Education. Her dissertation explored New York City's educational
history, specifically one experimental school district in the Lower East Side in the late 1960s.
She conducted extensive oral histories and archival research. Merin holds a Masters degree in
Secondary School Education from Brooklyn College and a BA in History from Wesleyan
University in Connecticut. She was a New York City Teaching Fellow and the recipient of the
Ruth Landes Fellowship while at NYU.

WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY
Karen Thorpe, Adjunct Instructor, is a retired business manager with experience in two
Delaware school districts and, altogether, more than 30 years of hands-on experience in
strategic planning, management of business processes, budgeting, and improving operational
efficiency. She presently consults with multiple school districts regarding school finance issues.
She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Delaware and a
Bachelors degree in Accounting from Villanova University. For more than ten years, Thorpe has
taught Fiscal Operations and Resources, a core course in Wilmington Universitys Masters in
Education in School Leadership program. This course examines fiscal policy, control systems,
and effective teaching methods of budget planning related to resource-allocation and
improving the quality of teaching and learning. The course is designed to prepare school leaders
for fiscal planning, operations, control responsibilities, financial decision making, and problem
solving. The course will address state financial structures and policies, legal and ethical issues,
financial management systems, and budget-building/implementation at the school and district
level. The course also explores major unsolved problems related to financing of public
education, including: equalizing educational opportunity - a goal that has not been achieved on
a nationwide scale; providing high-quality education that is equitable for all students regardless
of place of residence or degree of parental affluence; and providing adequate funding in a
manner that is fair to all taxpayers.

33

TNTP
Regan Kelly began her career as a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher in Compton, California, where she
taught for five years. She worked closely with new teachers in her district and as a staff
member for Teach For Americas summer institute, as a regional learning team leader and as a
mentor and instructor in her districts certification program. After several years in the
classroom, Kelly became a literacy coach in Los Angeles where she supported K-5 teachers. She
has extensive experience in teacher professional development and was an author of the
curriculum sessions for Teach For Americas summer institute. More recently, Kelly supported
and managed charter school principals and leaders. As regional director for a national charter
management organization, she worked closely with school leaders to support implementation
of curriculum and teacher development. For the past several years, she has been coaching
principals in Washington, DC on performance management and family engagement. Most
recently she has been designing and leading training for aspiring school leaders with TNTP. Kelly
received her Masters degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and
her Bachelors of Arts in philosophy from Barnard College, Columbia University.

JOUNCE PARTNERS
Paul Dean, Executive Director, focuses on the design, execution and effectiveness of the Jounce
Partners programming. He works closely with the President and the board, setting the longterm strategy of the organization. Prior to co-founding Jounce Partners, Dean worked at New
Orleans College Preparatory (NOCP), an award winning urban charter school in New Orleans,
LA. At NOCP, he served on the five-person school leadership team, managed teachers as an
instructional coach, and taught English and science. Before working at NOCP, Dean fulfilled his
Teach For America commitment at Carver High School in New Orleans, leading his 9th graders
to an average increase of 1.5 years of reading comprehension growth each semester. He
graduated Summa Cum Laude from Yale University in 2008.
Michael McKenna, School Launch Partner works with the Executive Director to improve and
refine the Jounce coaching model, and leads training for school leaders and teachers across
Jounce partner schools. He is also developing his school leadership skill set, building a team of
community leaders and educators, and designing the systems and structures to launch a
Jounce-model school in 2016. Before joining Jounce, McKenna was with KIPP Philadelphia
Charter School as an 8th grade math teacher and then an Assistant Principal. In 2013-2014, he
participated in the nationwide Miles Family Fellowship, a training program to prepare future
KIPP school leaders. Before joining KIPP, McKenna was the first 8th grade math teacher at the
Soulsville Charter School in Memphis, Tennessee. During his five years at Soulsville, he served

34

as a grade level chair, athletic director, and math department chair. Originally from
Philadelphia, he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in sociology and earned his
Masters of Education from Christian Brothers University.
Logan Blyler is also a School Launch Partner. He started his educational career as a 2011 Teach
for America Corps member at Eastern University Academy Charter School teaching 7th and 8th
grade Science and Math. In his second year at EUACS, he led his students from 4% proficiency in
Mathematics to 57% proficient/advanced on end-of-year assessments. For the last two years,
he has continued teaching 7th grade Math in Camden, NJ at Freedom Prep and 7th and 8th grade
Science at Young Scholars Frederick Douglass. Blyler earned his B.S. from Temple University as
a brother of Alpha Chi Rho and his M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania.

35

SECTION 7: ORGANIZATION GOVERNANCE AND RESOURCES

Teach For America is currently in its 25th year of operation. Teach For America works in
partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the
challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse
corps of college graduates and professionals to make an initial two-year commitment to teach
in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity.
Today, 10,600 corps members are teaching in 36 states, representing 50 urban and
rural regions across the country while more than 37,000 alumni work across sectors. Teach For
America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. Teach For America
Delaware has partnered with Delaware communities since its launch in 2011.
Our alumni form a movement of leaders closing the achievement gap from all sectors and levels
of the education industry. One of the most high-impact career paths that alumni pursue in later
years after their corps commitment is school leadership. In 2006, Teach For America launched
the School Leadership Initiative with the goal of increasing the number of qualified alumni
pursuing this pathway and completing high-quality preparation programs. By 2012, there were
more than 600 alumni leading schools across the country; this year, there are nearly 1,000.
These alumni have received support from Teach For America regions across the country in four
key phases. First, in order to cultivate alumnis interest in and readiness for school leadership
over time, regions have implemented a variety of programs to help inspire alumni about the
power of the principalship and their ability to take on the role. Second, because aspiring leaders
need great training and professional development, Teach For America regions have partnered
with a diverse portfolio of options for principal training and certification and connected alumni
with the programs that will help to best prepare them for leadership roles. Third, when alumni
are ready to enter the job market, regions have provided support to districts and schools to
ensure a strong match. Fourth, when alumni have entered leadership roles, Teach For America
has helped ensure they have access to support networks and the ongoing professional
development needed in order to develop transformational schools.
More recently, as some regions have fewer options for principal preparation, Teach For
America has developed new partnerships to become more directly involved in the second
phase: training. With at least ten years of lessons from all across the country, Teach For
America has a range of resources available to ensure that Lead For Delaware provides the
transformational training and support outlined in its vision. We have the organizational
experience to build and implement this kind of collaborative partnership. Teach For America
Delaware is also supported by its own local advisory board.

36

With Lead For Delaware, Teach For America Delaware will apply lessons from partner regions
across the country to attract, inspire, develop, place/match, and support some of Delawares
next generation of school leaders, Lead For Delaware is open to all candidates both alumni
and non-alumni.
The chart below shows projected annual program costs, using the annual average over the first
five years, given that the program will initially be more expensive and then later less expensive
based on cohort size projections. Lead For Delaware intends to serve a cohort of five aspiring
principals beginning upon approval in 2015, followed by annual cohorts of ten aspiring
principals. Because the program spans two years, beginning in 2016, there will be a cohort in its
second year and a cohort in its first year of the program concurrently.
Category

Unit Cost

Harvard University
NAATE
Teach For All
TNTP
WilmU
Jounce Partners
Principal Consultants
Excellent School Visits
Materials
Operating costs
Recruitment
Participant Fee

$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

Total

4,750
4,000
1,983
389
1,500
389
1,667
2,000
1,000
18,400
556
(7,000)

29,634

Lead For Delaware cohort members will be primarily funded through grants and donations
secured by Teach For America Delaware. All resources are managed by Teach For America
Delaware, which follows strict fiscal controls set by the national Teach For America
organization. The programs director has experience managing budgets of more than $100
million, mostly federal grant funds for which very stringent administrative rules apply.
Lead For Delaware will fundraise for the large majority of costs in order to keep costs for a very
competitive program low, given our goal of attracting diverse, proven, and high-potential
leaders to become Delaware school leaders, without any barriers. As shown in the projected
budget above, Lead For Delaware will charge a fee of $7,000 to each program participant for
the full two-year program. Although remaining costs are intended to rely on fundraising, the
cost of the program is low compared to other programs available in other states with which
Lead For Delaware seeks to be competitive. A popular program available at Columbia
Universitys Teachers College has total costs of roughly $60,000.

37

SECTION 8: CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

Lead For Delawares candidate assessment process incorporates three types of assessment
data: (1) school leader competency ratings, (2) program completion and participation evidence,
and (3) standardized assessment scores. Cohort members must meet all criteria across these
three areas in order to be recommended for School Principal and Assistant Principal
certification (under Section 1591).
School Leader Competency Ratings:
Lead For Delawares candidate assessment process is primarily focused on a candidates
demonstration of competencies in the School Leader Competency Framework. Above all, we
are committed to recommending certification only for candidates who show mastery of the
competencies we have identified for aspiring leaders in our program, in alignment with the ISLLC
standards. Each candidate will be evaluated at the end of the program using the full School
Leader Competency Framework (rubric). Cohort members are expected to show evidence
during the program of successful application of skills and knowledge attained through program
participation.
At the end of the program, each cohort member will be rated by both the program director and
the school-based mentor for their year-long school-based clinical experience. Based on all work
completed in the program (program director) and the year-long clinical experience (schoolbased mentor), the candidate will be rated on a scale from zero (0, unacceptable) to three (3,
exemplary). The program directors ratings may be based in part on 360-degree feedback
and/or appropriate evidence of student learning. For each competency cluster, the rubric
ratings for all competencies in that particular cluster will be averaged to calculate a Cluster
Competency Rating. This will result in seven Cluster Competency Ratings. Then, the rubric
ratings for all 26 competencies will be averaged to calculate a Composite Competency Rating.
To be eligible to be recommended for certification, a candidate must meet the criteria for
Option 1 or Option 2 below from both the program director and their school-based mentor:

Option 1: All of the following:

1. All (26) competency ratings of at least 1 (i.e., no scores of 0).
2. A Composite Competency Rating of at least 2.0.
3. A Cluster Competency Rating for each of the seven clusters of at least 2.0.
Option 2: All of the following:
1. All (26) competency ratings of at least 1 (i.e., no scores of 0).
2. A Composite Competency Rating of at least 2.25.
3. A Cluster Competency Rating for each of the seven clusters of at least 1.5.

38

Below are three examples of rubric scores on the School Leader Competency Framework.
Numbers one (1) through seven (7) represent the competency clusters. Letters A through E
represent the competencies within a cluster: not all clusters have five competencies.
Example 1: Eligible to be Recommended for Certification Met Option 1

A
B
C
D
E
Cluster
Rating

Composite
Rating

2
2
1
3
2
2.00

2
3
3
2

2
2
2

2
1
3

2
2
3

3
1
2

2.50

2.00

2.00

2
2
1
3
3
2.20

2.33

2.00

2.15

Composite
Rating

Example 2: Eligible to be Recommended for Certification Met Option 2

A
B
C
D
E
Cluster
Rating

2
2
1
1
2
1.60

2
1
1
2

2
2
1

2
3
3

3
2
3

3
2
2

1.50

1.67

2.67

3
3
3
3
3
3.00

2.67

2.33

2.31

Example 3: Not Eligible to be Recommended for Certification Did Not Meet Option 1 or 2

A
B
C
D
E
Cluster
Rating

2
2
1
1
2
1.60

2
1
1
2

2
2
1

2
3
3

3
2
3

3
2
2

1.50

1.67

2.67

3
2
2
2
3
2.40

2.67

2.33

Composite
Rating

2.15

Program Completion and Participation Evidence:

In addition to this competency-based evaluation, a candidate must also:
1. Earn passing scores in all courses for which a grade is provided
2. Meet the minimum required hours for professional development prior to the clinical
experience, the clinical experience, and professional development during/after the
clinical experience, and
3. Maintain an overall attendance rate in professional development sessions of at least 90
percent during both year one and year two.

39

Standardized Assessment Scores

Each candidate must also earn DPAS II certification (prior to the school-based clinical
experience) and earn a score of at least 170 on a scale of 100 to 200 on the School Leaders
Licensure Assessment in order to graduate and be recommended for school leader certification.
The chart below shows all summative components of Lead For Delawares candidate evaluation
process.
Matrix of Formal Candidate Evaluation Points
Assessment
Point
Entrance to
Program

Criteria/Tool

Sources of
Evidence
See Section 1

Evaluators/
Participants
Lead For
Delaware
selection team

Review
Processes
See Section 1

End of Year
1

DPAS II Certification
Assessment

Passing score

Cohort
members

Review of
data

School-based
Recommendation
PD Hours

Recommended

School-based
mentor
Program
director
Program
director
Course
instructors
Program
director
Program
director and
mentor
Program
director
Course
instructors
Program
director
(possibly using
stakeholder
input and data)
and mentor
ETS

Submission by
mentor
Review data

Selection Criteria

PD Attendance
Course Scores
End of Year
2
Program
Completion

PD Hours
Clinical Experience
Hours
PD Attendance
Course Scores
School Leader
Competency
Framework

School Leaders
Licensure Assessment

Session
attendance data
Session
attendance data
Scores
Session
attendance data
Clinic time
tracking data
Session
attendance data
Scores
Ratings based on
observation,
stakeholder
input, and/or
student learning
data
Score

Impact Decisions
on Data
Admit without
Intervention, Admit
with
31
Intervention , or
Deny
Continue or defer
year two of
program for one
year (or exit)
Continue, continue
with intervention
plan, or exit

Review data
Review scores
Review data
Review data
Review data
Review scores
Submit
ratings and
calculate

Recommend for
certification or do
not recommend for
certification; of
those
recommended,
data may affect
matching support
(to ensure a strong
school match)

Review scores

31

For example, a cohort member who does not yet meet the minimum criteria for state certification must have an
intervention plan outlining the steps he or she must take to meet the criteria by the end of the program.

40

SECTION 9: PROGRAM ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

Lead For Delaware has developed a program scorecard. Its 15 metrics include both the required
components (feedback from clinical placements and mentors; evaluation of program
coursework or professional development) and others:

Leader Readiness Metrics:

o Average percentage of all competencies rated at least effective at start, middle,
and end of program, for all members in a cohort and cumulatively across cohorts
o Average percentage of all competencies rated exemplary at start, middle , and
end of program, for all members in a cohort and cumulatively across cohorts
o Percentage of cohort members who are recommended by school partners to
continue into year 2, for all members in a cohort and cumulatively across cohorts
o Percentage of cohort members earning a score of at least 170 on SLLA after
program year 1 (this is aspirational, as candidates may continue in the program
without it), , for all members in a cohort and cumulatively across cohorts
o Average percentage of selection competencies rated superior in formal mock
principal interviews, for all members in a cohort, for all members in a cohort and
cumulatively across cohorts
Leader Effectiveness Metrics
o Percentage of LFD principals earning evaluation ratings of at least effective in
years 1, 2, and 3
o Percentage of LFD principals achieving student growth rated at least effective
in years 1, 2, and 3
o Percentage of LFD principals achieving year 1 gains on school culture index
(including student, teacher, and parent/guardian perceptions)
o Difference between LFD schools and all Delaware schools in percentage of
teachers rated at least effective in years 1, 2, and 3
Program Metrics
o Total number of LFD graduates serving as principals in Delaware
o Percentage of matriculated cohort members completing program and earning
certification
o Percentage of LFD graduates hired as principals for the school year immediately
following program completion
o LFD Net Promoter Score from cohort members, graduates, school mentors, and
LEA partners
o Number of annual, highly qualified LFD applicants
o Participant survey ratings of all LFD courses and other LFD program components

41

Each of these program metrics will be monitored by the Lead For Delaware director and the
Teach For America Delaware Executive Director. The data will be shared with the Delaware
Department of Education in semi-annual reports, with LEA partners, with Teach For America
Delawares advisory board, and with program sponsors. LEA partners, advisory board members,
and sponsors will provide input into program improvements. We will also share data with Teach
For Americas School Leadership Initiative to assist with program improvement. Before the
beginning of each new cohort, Lead For Delaware staff will determine based on data, a
general review of the program, and any changing guidance or circumstances if any
adjustments are warranted that would require changes to the state-approved program and, if
so, request approval of such changes as appropriate.

42

APPENDICES
Appendix A: Lead For Delaware Application Components .................................................... 44
Appendix B: Selection Criteria and Rubric ............................................................................ 46
Appendix C: Letters of Support ...........................................................................................104
Appendix D: School Leader Competency Framework...........................................................106
Appendix E: Teach For America Core Values........................................................................129
Appendix F: Lead For Delaware Director Resume ................................................................130

43

Lead For Delaware Application Components

Part 1: Applicant Information:
Name
Preferred Email Address
Preferred Phone Number
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Undergraduate Degree Granting Institution
Undergraduate Major
Undergraduate Overall GPA
Undergraduate Major GPA
Highest Graduate Degree Earned (Masters or Doctorate)
Highest Graduate Degree Granting Institution
Highest Graduate Degree Program of Study
Highest Graduate Degree GPA
Certification #1 State
Certification #1 Subject Area
Certification #1 Expiration Date
Certification #2 State
Certification #2 Subject Area
Certification #2 Expiration Date
Total Years of Full-Time Teaching Experience
Total Years of Full-Time Teaching Experience in Delaware
Total Years of Full-Time Teaching Experience in Low-Income School(s)
Current Job Category, Title
Current Employer
Current Teaching Subject Area
Current Teaching Grade Level(s)
Current Employers Zip Code
Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating Category
Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating Score
Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating Year
State Providing Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating
2nd Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating and State
2nd Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating Score
2nd Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating Year
State Providing 2nd Most Recent Annual Teacher Evaluation Rating

44

Part 2: Resume
Part 3: Short Essay Questions (5)
Why do you want to be a school leader, why do you want to do it in Delaware, and why
do you want to earn certification through the Lead For Delaware program? Whats
something special that you will add to the cohort and to school leadership in Delaware?
(Max: 500 words, approximately 30 40 lines)
What data are you most proud of that demonstrates your success with students
academically in the past? (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what you believe has been your greatest instructional strength as a
teacher and explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Please describe what area of your instructional practice you believe you need to work
on to become a better classroom teacher. Please describe what area of leadership
practice you believe you will need to work on most to become a successful school
leader. (Max: 500 words, approximately 30 - 40 lines)
Please describe what you believe to be your greatest strengths as a colleague and/or
leader of other teachers. Please explain. (Max: 250 words, approximately 15 - 20 lines)
Part 4: References
Reference #1 Name
Reference #1 Job Title
Reference #1 Employer
Reference #1 Email Address
Reference #1 Phone Number
Reference #2 Name
Reference #2 Job Title
Reference #2 Employer
Reference #2 Email Address
Reference #2 Phone Number
Reference #3 Name
Reference #3 Job Title
Reference #3 Employer
Reference #3 Email Address
Reference #3 Phone Number

45

School Turnaround Teachers:

Part of the School Turnaround Collection from Public Impact

For The Chicago Public Education Fund, June 200846

Acknowledgements
This toolkit was funded by The Chicago Public Education Fund. In particular, the authors would
like to thank Kathleen St. Louis for her support and guidance and Carrie Stewart for her
insightful input and assistance with interviews. The authors would also like to thank Victoria
Van Cleef, The New Teacher Project; Jamey Roberts, The New Teacher Project; Rachel Curtis,
Human Capital Strategies for Urban Schools; John Luczak, the Joyce Foundation; and Dr.
Sharon Davis Williams, Atlanta Public Schools, for reviewing earlier versions of this work.

About the Authors

This guide was prepared by Public Impact, a national education policy and management
consulting firm based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Contributors from Public Impact include
Lucy Steiner, Emily Ayscue Hassel, Bryan Hassel, Eli Valsing and Sarah Crittenden. Graphic
design by Tripp Tuttle, Quip Creative.

Companion Guides Available Spring 2008:*

5 School Turnaround Teachers: Competencies for Success
5 School Turnaround Leaders: Selection Toolkit
5 School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success
*Check for these and new, related guides and tools at PublicImpact.com.

47

Toolkit Sections:
Selection Preparation Guide
Day-of-Interview Tools
Candidate Rating Tools
Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools
Appendix A: Complete Competency Rating Levels
Appendix B: Critical Competency Rating Levels

Printing Instructions
This toolkit includes six separate sections, listed above, each of which is designed to be used at
different stages of the selection process. For your convenience, each section has its own cover
and Table of Contents so that you may print, copy and use the sections separately as needed. You
also will need to make additional copies of some tools, and this is indicated where we think you
will find copies most helpful (in the interview and candidate rating steps). Every member of the
interview team should have one complete copy of this toolkit, as well.

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

48

School Turnaround
Teachers

Selection Preparation Guide

By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008

49

Selection Preparation Guide

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Background on the BEI Interview Process ..................................................................................... 2
Overview of the BEI Interview Process.......................................................................................... 3
Script for Introducing BEI Questions ............................................................................................. 5
Choosing Questions to Ask in Interviews
Instructions.................................................................................................................................. 5
Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies ................................................................. 7
Complete Question Menu ........................................................................................................... 8

Introduction
The turnaround teacher competencies included here are the best currently known, measurable
distinguishers between very high performers and more typical or lower-performing teachers in a
turnaround setting. The competency list we provide does not include all capabilities needed to
perform. Instead the list here focuses on competencies that would distinguish between very
successful teachers and the rest in a turnaround situation.
The competencies were derived primarily from a combination of research on successful teachers
in high-poverty schools in the U.S., detailed competency studies of successful teachers in the
U.K., and cross-sector research on successful organization turnarounds. 1 Some level of many of
these competencies would be needed to perform well teaching in any school. But in a
turnaround situation, where failure has become an entrenched way of life for students and staff,
teachers need stronger and more consistent habits in these critical areas to transform wide-scale
failure to learning success.
For more information about turnaround leader and teacher competencies, please see the Leaders
for School Turnarounds: Competencies for Success and Teachers for School Turnarounds:
Competencies for Success (available at PublicImpact.com). These documents provide
background information about effective bad-to-great turnarounds, turnaround teacher and leader
competency definitions with school examples, and a bibliography of helpful sources.

Background on the BEI Interview Process

Competencies, or habitual patterns of behaving and thinking, are key predictors of how someone
will perform at work. Two teachers may have the same content knowledge, but achieve very
different student learning outcomes. Why is this? Research suggests that competencies make the
difference. Acting with initiative and persistence is an example of a competency, as are planning
ahead, flexibility and self-confidence. People who have previously exhibited high levels of the

The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).

50

competencies that determine teacher success in a turnaround are more likely to succeed as future
turnaround teachers.
Unfortunately, research indicates that traditional interview techniques rarely uncover
competencies that predict future performance differences. Too often, job candidates speak in
generalities about what they think they should or would do, not about what they actually do at
work. Fortunately, it is possible to learn what people actually do through a specialized interview
technique the Behavior Event Interview (BEI). In a BEI, candidates are asked to describe their
detailed actions and thinking in past work events. And knowing what candidates have done to
achieve success at work is a strong predictor of how they will seek success at work in the future.
As part of your hiring process you may want to screen teacher candidates for knowledge or skills
that are not addressed directly in the competencies (e.g., subject knowledge and mastery of
specific instructional practices that your school uses). In this case, the BEI can be used as one
part of a longer interview. In addition to the interview, you may choose additional candidate
screening techniques. Assessing writing samples, observing teachers in their classrooms, and
asking teachers to perform job-related tasks such as presenting information to a group of parents,
are all common techniques used to screen candidates.

Overview of the BEI Interview Process 2

In a BEI, the interviewers goal is to understand in detail how candidates perform various aspects
of their work. To do this, the interviewer(s) asks candidates to recall past events when they have
felt successful or have dealt with specific situations at work. (e.g., a time when he or she
influenced another person, participated in a group activity). The expectation is that the candidate
will spend 15 minutes or more describing the incident.
The interviewer asks first for a brief (e.g., 1 minute) summary of what led up to each
situation and the critical milestones or headlines in the story that the person is about to
tell, such as key conversations or meetings, key actions, turning points and how the
situation ended.
Then the interviewers ask the candidate to walk through the story step by step, recounting
exactly what the candidates did, said, thought and felt at the time and how others who
were involved responded.
The interviewer must interrupt the candidate to probe for detail needed to understand
exactly what the person was doing and thinking at the time.
Only responses about what the person was doing, saying, feeling or thinking at that past
time are valid. Current thoughts about the event and hypotheses about what the person
would do next time are not as accurate at predicting what a person would do on the job.
Following these rules of thumb and using the rest of the instructions provided here will
help you make the most valid comparison among candidates using BEIs.
Step 1: Before the interview

All members of the Interview Team should read this document, the Selection
Preparation Guide. This guide provides detailed, concise information about how to

Source: see Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993) for a detailed description of BEI techniques.

51

conduct a BEI interview including how to introduce the BEI to the interviewee, how to
select and ask initial questions, and what types of follow-up questions are effective.
Determine which interview questions you want to ask from the Choosing Questions to
Ask in Interviews section of this guide.
Decide who will ask questions and follow-up probes and who will take detailed notes
during the interview. Ideally, two people should interview each candidate.

Step 2: During the interview

Use the Script for Introducing BEI Questions provided in this guide (p. 8).
Establish an informal, friendly tone and explain the interview objectives and format
(different from most interviews, asks candidates to replay key events in great detail so
you can understand exactly how they do their work).
Explain that interviewer may interrupt to probe for more detail (e.g., Sorry in advance for
interrupting).
Reward candidates when they provide appropriate level of detail (e.g., Thanks, that is just
the level of detail I am looking for ...).
Interrupt candidates to probe for step by step details of what they did, said, and thought at
the time (e.g., Lets go back. What did you say to him?).
Examples of effective probes:
o What did you say?
o What did you do next?
o Take me through that incident, step by step.
o What was going through your mind at that point?
Dont waste candidate time by allowing answers that you cant score interrupting and
probing ensures that each candidate has the best possible chance to score highly.
Avoid asking why a person did or said something in the past, since this leads most
people to speculate rather than recount past thoughts. Instead, ask What were you
thinking at the time? to find out what was in the persons mind at the time.
Take notes on what the candidate says scorable interview responses must be:
o in first person,
o descriptive of real rather than hypothetical events or thoughts,
o set in the past, and
o precise (not: I usually, Typically I.etc.).

Step 3: After the interview

Read your interview notes and highlight scorable interview responses.

Use the Candidate Rating Tools to determine if a particular candidate has the turnaround
competencies at a level high enough to be successful in this demanding environment. On
these tools, note the highest level Red Flag, Neutral, Threshold or Superior of each
target competency that the candidate demonstrated.
Make a note of any other red flag responses, or concerns you have from the interview
about other competencies.
Use the Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools to make hiring decisions.
Induction: Immediately following the interview process is an ideal time to begin the
larger induction process because the candidates strengths and weaknesses are fresh in
everyones mind. Consider spending a few minutes as an interview team taking initial

52

notes on the types of support and guidance each candidate will need to be successful in
his or her new position. Are there particular supports, guidance and/or resources that
would help the candidate prepare to hit the ground running? Take note of these
immediately.

Script for Introducing BEI Questions

Because the BEI is an unusual interview technique, it is important to give candidates good initial
instructions about how you would like them to respond during this part of the interview. The
following is a script that outlines what the interviewer might say at the beginning of the
interview. You will want to adapt this to your own context and use words that you feel
comfortable with, but this gives you a starting point.
Lead interviewer says, We want to understand in detail how you do your work, especially when
you have felt successful or challenged. So, we are going to ask a different type of interview
question from the usual. We are going to ask you to describe past events in great detail almost
as if you have a video camera on your shoulder and are showing us exactly what happened. At
different points, I or my teammates here will interrupt you to ask for more detail. Sorry in
advance for that!
[Ask the question.]
Take a minute to think of a story you have to tell that matches the question. We want you to give
us a headline version first. Take a minute to think, and then give me the headlines of key
events, or most critical parts of your storythe beginning, middle and end. Next well go back
and get you to walk us through it step by step.
[Take notes on the highlights of their story, perhaps drawing little boxes or a list of the key
milestones at the top of your notes page (see the Interview Notes in Day-of-Interview Tools.]
[Once the candidate has given you the headlines:] OK, great. Now, take me back to the
beginning. Walk me through step by step what you did, said and thought at the time. And how
others responded.]

Choosing Questions to Ask in Interviews

Instructions. Prior to the interview, interview team members will need to determine which
competencies they particularly want to address and how long they plan to spend on the BEI
portion of the interview. Some committees may decide to focus entirely on BEI questions, other
teams may have additional questions they would like to ask.
Steps:

1. Decide when you are going to use BEI questions in your interview process. Many
interview teams find it more effective to ask other questions before launching into the
BEI portion of the interview.

53

2. Decide which BEI questions your interviewer(s) will ask.

3. Mark or record your selected questions in advance of interviews on the Interview Notes
in Day-of-Interview Tools.
We suggest one of three routes for choosing interview questions:
Quickest Version: Ask Question #1 only from the Recommended Questions for

Critical Competencies (see below). Then, rate interviewee responses against the other
competencies on this list or against your own list of high-priority competencies from the
Complete Question Menu (see below). Estimated Time: 15 - 30 minutes

Quick Version: Ask Question #1 plus two more. Select the two additional questions

from the Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies or from the Complete
Question Menu. Estimated Time: 1 hour for three questions.

Long Version: Ask all five Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies or

select your own 5 questions from the Complete Question Menu. We suggest always
asking Question #1 (Achievement), as it often elicits information both about peoples
standards for success and other competencies they use when they are most successful.
Estimated Time: 1 - 2 hours for five questions.
Other considerations:
Time required: Response time per question can vary from 15 minutes to an hour. Highly

competent people often have longer, richer stories to tell. Most people can provide
responses with enough detail in 15 30 minutes.

Choosing customized questions: The recommended questions cover critical

competencies to distinguish most teacher candidates for a turnaround. However, your

team may decide that other competencies would better distinguish candidates from your
recruiting pool. Some competencies are fundamental and require use of others: e.g.,
Achievement, Impact and Influence. Others distinguish staff likely to succeed in a
challenging, high-change setting versus a typical school (e.g., Initiative and Persistence).
Still others distinguish teachers likely to contribute more to peer effectiveness in a wholeschool change versus successful lone-wolf teachers (e.g., Teamwork). Also consider
what strengths are needed to balance your existing staff and leadership team.

Altering questions: If you alter questions, avoid changing them to leading questions

that indicate the desired responses. Leading questions (e.g., So you decided at that point
to meet with parents because you thought this would ease the tension?) reduce
distinctions in responses of more and less competent people, limiting their usefulness for
selection decisions.

54

Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies

These five questions were selected to cover competencies that:
o are likely to be most predictive of success for turnaround leaders,
o require use of other critical leader competencies (and so will help you assess multiple
competencies), and/or
o distinguish candidates who would perform well in a turnaround effort versus other school
situations.
#

Cluster

Driving for
Results

Achievement
(ACH)

Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud

of something you accomplished at work,* and tell me the
story.

Influencing
for Results

Impact and
Influence
(I&I)

Think about a time when you influenced another person

or people in a way that was satisfying to you, and tell me
the story.

Driving for
Results

Initiative and
Persistence
(I&P)

Think about a time when you accomplished something

satisfying at work despite one or more obstacles. Tell me
the story.

Influencing
for Results

Teamwork
(TWK)

Think about a time when you participated in a group or

team of people to accomplish work that was satisfying to
you, and tell me the story.

Competency

Question*

Tell me about a time when you helped another person,

someone whom others were not sure could improve, to
5
achieve or succeed at a higher level. (Can be a student if
interviewee is a teacher, a direct report, a more junior
peer, etc.)
* If the candidate is a recent graduate, you may want to invite them to talk about non-work
experiences in order to get the most relevant data.
Personal
Effectiveness

Belief in
Learning
Potential
(BLP)

55

Complete Question Menu

The complete question menu includes questions for the critical competencies as well as the other
competencies that have shown up in numerous cross-sector leader competency studies.
#

Competency

Question

Driving for Results Cluster

1
2

Achievement
(ACH)
Initiative and
Persistence (I&P)

Monitoring and
Directiveness
(M&D)

Planning Ahead
(PLA)

Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud of something you
accomplished at work, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when you accomplished something satisfying at work
despite one or more obstacles. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you set a standard for someone elses work and held
that person accountable for adhering to that standard, and tell me the story.
(Can be a student, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you had to think ahead to accomplish something
satisfying at work. Tell me the story. (Make sure to clarify time frame: when
did the thinking ahead occur in relation to the anticipated events in the future?
How far in advance?)

Influencing for Results Cluster

5

Impact and
Influence (I&I)

Interpersonal
Understanding
(IU)

Teamwork (TMW)

Think about a time when you influenced another person or people in a way
that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when someone elses feelings or emotions affected their
work and you dealt with the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
(Notes: 1. Here you must probe especially well for what the interviewee was
thinking and feeling at the time. 2. The someone else may be a student,
peer, or any other person)
Think about a time when you participated on a group or team of people to
accomplish work that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.

Problem Solving Cluster

8
9

Analytical
Thinking (AT)
Conceptual
Thinking (CT)

Think about a time when you had to solve a problem or figure something out
that involved a lot of information, data or steps. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you were confronted with a lot of information and
had to figure out what was most important. Tell me the story.

Personal Effectiveness Cluster

Tell me about a time when you helped another person, someone whom others
were not sure could improve, become more successful. Tell me the story.
(Can be a student if interviewee is a teacher, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you felt a strong, negative emotional reaction to a
11 Self-Control (SCT) situation, but you were able to address the situation to your satisfaction. Tell
me the story. (Example emotions: anger, frustration, embarrassment, etc.)
Think about a time when another person or people stood in your way to get
Self-Confidence
12
something done and you addressed the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me
(SCF)
the story.
Think about a time when a situation changed at work and you were able to
13
Flexibility (FL)
deal with it to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
10

Belief in Learning
Potential (BLP)

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

Page 8

56

School Turnaround
Teachers

Day-of-Interview Tools

By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008

57

Day-of-Interview Tools

Instructions for Interview Team.................................................................................................. 2

Script for Introducing BEI Questions ......................................................................................... 4
Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies ................................................................ 5
Complete Question Menu ............................................................................................................. 6
Interview Notes.............................................................................................................................. 7

Instructions for Interview Team

The following tools are designed for use during the teacher candidate interview. These tools are
designed to be used in tandem with the Selection Preparation Guide, which provides an
overview of the selection process. They include questions as well as structured note-taking pages
to use during the interview.
Prior to the interview

All members of the Interview Team should read the Selection Preparation Guide. This
guide provides detailed, concise information about how to conduct a BEI interview
including how to introduce the BEI to the interviewee, how to select and ask initial
questions, and what types of follow-up questions are effective.
In addition, all members of the interview team should familiarize themselves with the
teacher competencies that are needed for success in a turnaround school. 3 Detailed
descriptions of these competencies as well as the rating levels within each competency
can be found in Teachers for School Turnarounds: Competencies for Success (available
at PublicImpact.com).
Decide which questions you are going to ask and check or circle those on the following
pages. For more help, see the Choosing Questions to Ask in Interviews section of the
Selection Preparation Guide.
Each member of the interview team should have a copy of Day-of-Interview Tools.
Make additional copies of the Interview Notes pages (see attached). At the top of the
page, indicate the questions for which you are taking notes. Every member of the
interview team should have one copy of the two-page Interview Notes pages for each
question that the team plans to ask.
Decide who will ask questions and follow-up probes and who will take detailed notes
during the interview. Ideally, at least two people should interview each candidate.

The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).

58

During the interview

Each team member should have the Interview Notes pages in front of them. There
should be one copy for each BEI question you plan to ask.
The space for Notes includes a section to write down a brief overview of the incident
the candidate chooses to describe as well as additional space to write detailed notes about
what the candidate says. These notes will later be used to determine if the candidate has
the competencies at high enough levels to be successful, so detailed notes are important.
For the detailed notes, write down anything you hear about:
o what the candidate actually said, did or was thinking or feeling at the time of
the incident, and
o responses they got from other people at the time.
Tips for the questioner - Examples of effective probes:
o What did you say?
o What did you do next?
o Take me through that incident, step by step.
o What was going through your mind at that point?
Tips for the note taker -Scorable interview responses must be:
o First person (I did this, not We did this)
o Real rather than hypothetical actions and feelings (I said not I would
say)
o Volunteered by candidate, not suggested by interviewer (What was your
role? . . . I led the meeting, not Did you lead the meeting? . . . Yes)
o About the past rather than present feelings or behavior (I felt hopeful)
o Precise, not general (not: I usually, Typically I , etc.)

After the interview

Use the Candidate Rating Tools to determine whether candidates have the competencies
at high enough levels to be successful.
Use the Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools to compare and rank candidates for
selection.

59

Script for Introducing BEI Questions

Because the BEI is an unusual interview technique, it is important to give candidates good initial
instructions about how you would like them to respond during this part of the interview. The
following is a script that outlines what the interviewer might say at the beginning of the
interview. You will want to adapt this to your own context and use words that you feel
comfortable with, but this gives you a starting point.
Lead interviewer says, We want to understand in detail how you do your work, especially when
you have felt successful or challenged. So, we are going to ask a different type of interview
question from the usual. We are going to ask you to describe past events in great detail almost
as if you have a video camera on your shoulder and are showing us exactly what happened. At
different points, I or my teammates here will interrupt you to ask for more detail. Sorry in
advance for that!
[Ask the question.]
Take a minute to think of a story you have to tell that matches the question. We want you to give
us a headline version first. Take a minute to think, and then give me the headlines of key
events, or most critical parts of your storythe beginning, middle and end. Next well go back
and get you to walk us through it step by step.
[Take notes on the highlights of their story, perhaps drawing little boxes or a list of the key
milestones at the top of your notes page (see the Interview Notes in Day-of-Interview Tools.]
[Once the candidate has given you the headlines:] OK, great. Now, take me back to the
beginning. Walk me through step by step what you did, said and thought at the time. And how
others responded.

60

Recommended Questions for Critical Competencies

These five questions were selected to cover competencies that:
o are likely to be most predictive of success for turnaround leaders,
o require use of other critical leader competencies (and so will help you assess multiple
competencies), and/or
o distinguish candidates who would perform well in a turnaround effort versus other school
situations.
#

Cluster

Driving for
Results

Achievement
(ACH)

Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud

of something you accomplished at work,* and tell me the
story.

Influencing
for Results

Impact and
Influence
(I&I)

Think about a time when you influenced another person

or people in a way that was satisfying to you, and tell me
the story.

Driving for
Results

Initiative and
Persistence
(I&P)

Think about a time when you accomplished something

satisfying at work despite one or more obstacles. Tell me
the story.

Teamwork
(TWK)

Think about a time when you participated in a group or

team of people to accomplish work that was satisfying to
you, and tell me the story.

Influencing
for Results

Competency

Question*

Tell me about a time when you helped another person,

someone whom others were not sure could improve, to
Personal
5
achieve or succeed at a higher level. (Can be a student if
Effectiveness
interviewee is a teacher, a direct report, a more junior
peer, etc.)
* If the candidate is a recent graduate, you may want to invite them to talk about non-work
experiences in order to get the most relevant data.
Belief in
Learning
Potential
(BLP)

61

Complete Question Menu

The complete question menu includes questions for the critical competencies as well as the other
competencies that have shown up in numerous cross-sector leader competency studies.
#

Competency

Question

Driving for Results Cluster

1
2

Achievement
(ACH)
Initiative and
Persistence (I&P)

Monitoring and
Directiveness
(M&D)

Planning Ahead
(PLA)

Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud of something you
accomplished at work, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when you accomplished something satisfying at work
despite one or more obstacles. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you set a standard for someone elses work and held
that person accountable for adhering to that standard, and tell me the story.
(Can be a student, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you had to think ahead to accomplish something
satisfying at work. Tell me the story. (Make sure to clarify time frame: when
did the thinking ahead occur in relation to the anticipated events in the future?
How far in advance?)

Influencing for Results Cluster

5

Impact and
Influence (I&I)

Interpersonal
Understanding
(IU)

Teamwork (TMW)

Think about a time when you influenced another person or people in a way
that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Think about a time when someone elses feelings or emotions affected their
work and you dealt with the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
(Notes: 1. Here you must probe especially well for what the interviewee was
thinking and feeling at the time. 2. The someone else may be a student,
peer, or any other person)
Think about a time when you participated on a group or team of people to
accomplish work that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.

Problem Solving Cluster

8
9

Analytical
Thinking (AT)
Conceptual
Thinking (CT)

Think about a time when you had to solve a problem or figure something out
that involved a lot of information, data or steps. Tell me the story.
Think about a time when you were confronted with a lot of information and
had to figure out what was most important. Tell me the story.

Personal Effectiveness Cluster

Tell me about a time when you helped another person, someone whom others
were not sure could improve, become more successful. Tell me the story.
(Can be a student if interviewee is a teacher, a direct report, a peer, etc.)
Think about a time when you felt a strong, negative emotional reaction to a
11 Self-Control (SCT) situation, but you were able to address the situation to your satisfaction. Tell
me the story. (Example emotions: anger, frustration, embarrassment, etc.)
Think about a time when another person or people stood in your way to get
Self-Confidence
12
something done and you addressed the situation to your satisfaction. Tell me
(SCF)
the story.
Think about a time when a situation changed at work and you were able to
13
Flexibility (FL)
deal with it to your satisfaction. Tell me the story.
10

Belief in Learning
Potential (BLP)

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

Page 6

62

Page 1 of 2

Interview Notes
Candidate Name

Interviewer

Date

BEI Interview Questions

Critical Competency Questions:

Achievement: Think about a time when you felt very successful or proud of something you accomplished at work, and tell me the story.
Impact and Influence: Think about a time when you influenced another person or people in a way that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Initiative and Persistence: Think about a time when you accomplished something satisfying at work despite one or more obstacles. Tell me the story.
Teamwork: Think about a time when you participated in a group or team of people to accomplish work that was satisfying to you, and tell me the story.
Belief in Learning Potential: Tell me about a time when you helped another person, someone whom others were not sure could improve, to achieve or
succeed at a higher level.

Additional Competency Questions:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes
Overview of Incident (3-6 Key Milestones, start-middle-end):

Details about Incident (Continue on next page):

63

Interview Notes
Candidate Name

Page 2 of 2
Interviewer

Date

Notes
Details about Incident:

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

Page 8

64

School Turnaround
Teachers

Candidate Rating Tools

By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008

65

Candidate Rating Tools

Instructions for Interview Team.................................................................................................. 2

Individual Scoring Sheet Critical Competencies .................................................................... 4

Instructions for Interview Team

The scoring sheet is designed to help you select teachers who will be successful in a turnaround
school a school that needs to move from very low performance to high performance quickly.
By analyzing the candidates comments during the interview and comparing these comments to
what is known about people who have high levels of particular competencies, 4 you will be able
to determine if a particular candidate has a competency at a level high enough to be successful in
this demanding environment. Once you are familiar with the scoring process and the
competency levels, scoring will go quickly, but plan to set aside at least thirty minutes to score
each BEI question when you first begin using this technique.
In order to complete this scoring sheet, you will need:

Interview Notes pages (completed by your team during interviews)

Complete Competency Rating Levels (see Appendix A)

Quick List of Action Steps:

Step 1: List competencies on scoring sheet

Step 2: Highlight scorable data
Step 3: Determine competencies
Step 4: Assign competency zones and levels
Step 5: Take notes
In Detail . . .
Step 1: List competencies on scoring sheet

List or mark the competencies that you are assessing in the Competency List column on the
scoring sheet. Start with the competencies for which you have asked specific interview
questions. You may decide to assess all of the critical competencies (see Selection Preparation
Guide for more information about critical competencies), or you may decide to assess candidates
for additional or different turnaround teacher competencies that you have chosen.
Step 2: Highlight scorable data

Read through interview notes and underline scorable data for competencies you have listed on
the scoring sheet. Use the Complete Competency Rating Levels (Appendix A) [or the shorter
4

The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).

66

Critical Competency Rating Levels (Appendix B)] to help you think about what kinds of data
are relevant to the competencies you wish to score.
Scorable data is:
First person (I did this not We did this)Real rather than hypothetical actions
and feelings (I said not I would say)
Volunteered by candidate, not suggested by interviewer
About the past rather than present feelings or behavior (I felt hopeful)
Precise, not general (not: I usually, Typically I , etc.)
Example:
Interviewer: What thoughts went through your mind at that point?
Candidate: I suddenly realized that I had been going about things in the wrong way. I
had been criticizing the students, not building their confidence. Id seen this before with
students lots of frustration so I realized I needed to calm down and speak in a lower
tone. So I said, You all have done this really well before, with an easier problem. This
is a harder problem, but the same rules apply.
Step 3: Determine competencies

Compare your underlined statements with the competency definitions in the Complete
Competency Rating Levels or the Critical Competency Rating Levels . Note in the margins of
the interview notes the competencies that are demonstrated in the underlined statements.
Example: Id seen this before with students lots of frustration Interpersonal
Understanding (IU).
Step 4: Assign competency zones and levels

Compare the underlined statements with the competency levels in the Complete Competency
Rating Levels or the Critical Competency Rating Levels.
Determine whether the candidates comments suggest they have demonstrated the Red Flag,
Neutral, Threshold or Superior zone for each of the competencies you are assessing. Circle
the appropriate rating in the Zone column.
You also may assign a numerical level to each of the competencies you are assessing. Circle
the number of the highest level you see in the interview notes in the Level column.
Members of the interview committee may want to collaborate during this process and discuss
zone and level assignments.
Note: Note Red Flag responses on any turnaround teacher competency, whether or not it is
one you intended to assess.

Step 5: Take notes

Take brief notes on interview details that will help you remember why you gave the
candidate a particular rating.
Also make a note of any other Red Flag responses, or concerns you have from the
interview about a particular competency.
Note if you do not have enough information to rate a competency of concern to you.

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

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67

Individual Scoring Sheet Critical Competencies

Candidate Name

Interviewer

Critical Competency List

Zone

Date

Level

Notes

Achievement (ACH)
RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

Impact and Influence (I&I)

Initiative and Persistence (I&P)

Teamwork (TWK)

Belief in Learning Potential (BLP)

RF = Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
N = Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
TH = Threshold Zone: Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
SU = Superior Zone: Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

68

Individual Scoring Sheet Additional Competencies

Candidate Name

Interviewer

Additional Competencies List

Zone

Date

Level

Notes

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF

TH

SU

RF = Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
N = Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
TH = Threshold Zone: Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
SU = Superior Zone: Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

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69

School Turnaround
Teachers

Candidate Comparison and

Decision Tools

By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008

70

Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools

Guidelines for Choosing Among Candidates ............................................................................. 2

Candidate Comparison Scoring Sheet ........................................................................................ 4

Guidelines for Choosing Among Candidates

Once you have conducted your interviews, the process of selecting candidates will depend on a
number of variables, many of which are unique to your school. The following guidelines are
offered for your consideration, with the understanding that each interview team will determine
what works best given their circumstances.
Step 1: Determine What Competencies Have Been Assessed and Score

As an interview team, look over your notes and rating sheets and determine whether you have
enough data to assess each of the competencies. 5 In cases where you do not have enough data,
note this on the Candidate Comparison Scoring Sheet. In cases where you do have enough
information, note each candidates zone (and level, if available) for each competency.
Step 2: Compare and Select Candidates

The interview team should consider the candidates either for specific positions (e.g., math
resource specialist) or general recruiting where several staff with more general
qualifications are needed (e.g., K 4 classroom teachers). Note the number of slots you
need to fill for each type of position, and group candidate rating sheets accordingly so
you may consider all candidates for each position simultaneously.
Compare the strengths of the candidates, particularly in the critical competencies.
Highlight top tier candidates for each position.
Compare extreme weaknesses (Red Flags on any competency, Neutrals on critical
competencies) that might keep a candidate from succeeding despite strengths.
Few candidates will have all of the competencies and skills needed at the highest levels.
Make a note of the top candidates for specific positions or for your general hiring pool.
Select a second or third choice, if possible, for specific positions.

Other considerations:
If someone appears to be in the Superior Zone on all or most high priority competencies
with no obvious red flags, a rapid, personal recruiting effort is appropriate. Hire as many
of these candidates as you can.
If someone is a mix of Threshold and Superior Zones, consider the candidate for second
tier recruiting.
A red flag on any competency is a no hire even if the person has other great strengths.
5

The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).

71

If you have only candidates who score consistently in the Threshold Zone, give priority
to those who score at higher levels within that.
Consider the overall mix of turnaround teacher competencies across grades, if possible,
so that every grade and subject has at least one strong Achievement driver to keep
expectations high and one strong Impact and Influence thinker who can help other
teachers think about how to influence students with differing barriers to learning.

Step 3: Plan for Induction

Immediately following the interview process is an ideal time to begin the larger induction
process, because the candidates strengths and weaknesses are fresh in everyones mind.
Consider spending a few minutes as an interview team taking initial notes on the types of support
and guidance each candidate will need to be successful in his or her new position. Are there
particular supports, guidance and/or resources that would help the candidate prepare to hit the
ground running? Take note of these immediately.

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

Page 3
72

Page 1 of 3

Candidate Comparison Scoring Sheet

Candidate
1

Name
Competencies

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Driving for Results Cluster

Achievement
(ACH)

Initiative and
Persistence
(I&P)

Monitoring
and
Directiveness
(M&D)

Planning
Ahead
(PLA)

73

Candidate Comparison Scoring Sheet

Candidate
1

Page 2 of 3

Name
Competencies

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Influencing for Results Cluster

Impact and
Influence
(I&I)

Interpersonal
Understanding
(IU)

Teamwork
(TMW)
Problem Solving Cluster

Analytical
Thinking
(AT)

Conceptual
Thinking
(CT)

74

Candidate Comparison Scoring Sheet

Candidate
1

Page 3 of 3

Name
Competencies

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Zone

Level

Personal Effectiveness Cluster

Belief in
Learning
Potential
(BLP)

Self-Control
(SCT)

SelfConfidence
(SCF)

Flexibility
(FL)

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

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75

Appendix A
School Turnaround
Teachers

Complete Competency
Rating Levels

By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008

76

Table of Contents

Complete Turnaround Teacher Competency List and Definitions.......................................... 3

Turnaround Teacher Competencies: Four Clusters of Competence ....................................... 4
Driving for Results Cluster .......................................................................................................... 5
Achievement (ACH) .................................................................................................................. 6
Initiative and Persistence (I&P) .............................................................................................. 7
Monitoring and Directiveness (M&D) .................................................................................... 8
Planning Ahead (PLA) ............................................................................................................. 9
Influencing for Results Cluster .................................................................................................. 10
Impact and Influence (I&I) .................................................................................................... 11
Interpersonal Understanding (IU) ........................................................................................ 12
Teamwork (TMW) .................................................................................................................. 13
Problem Solving Cluster............................................................................................................. 14
Analytical Thinking (AT) ....................................................................................................... 15
Conceptual Thinking (CT) ..................................................................................................... 16
Personal Effectiveness Cluster ................................................................................................... 17
Belief in Learning Potential (BLP) ........................................................................................ 18
Self-Control (SCT) .................................................................................................................. 19
Self-Confidence (SCF) ............................................................................................................ 20
Flexibility (FL) ........................................................................................................................ 21

77

Complete Turnaround Teacher Competency List and Definitions

Driving for Results Cluster These enable a relentless focus on learning results.
5 Achievement: The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high
standard of performance despite barriers.
5 Initiative and Persistence: The drive and actions to do more than is expected or
required in order to accomplish a challenging task.
5 Monitoring and Directiveness: The ability to set clear expectations and to hold
others accountable for performance.
5 Planning Ahead: A bias towards planning in order to derive future benefits or to
avoid problems.
Influencing for Results Cluster These enable working through and with others.
5 Impact and Influence: Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking
and actions of others.
5 Interpersonal Understanding: Understanding and interpreting others concerns,
motives, feelings and behaviors .
5 Teamwork: The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared
goals.
Problem Solving Cluster These enable solving and simplifying complex problems.
5 Analytical Thinking: The ability to break things down in a logical way and to
recognize cause and effect.
5 Conceptual Thinking: The ability to see patterns and links among seemingly
unrelated things.
Personal Effectiveness Cluster These enable success in a highly challenging situation.
5 Belief in Learning Potential: A belief that all students, regardless of circumstances,
can learn at levels higher than their current achievement indicates.
5 Self-Control: Acting to keep ones emotions under control, especially when
provoked.
5 Self-Confidence: A personal belief in ones ability to accomplish tasks and the
actions that reflect that belief.
5 Flexibility: The ability to adapt ones approach to the requirements of a situation and
to change tactics.

78

Turnaround Teacher Competencies: Four Clusters of Competence

These are the competencies or consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, acting and speaking
needed for teacher success in a turnaround. They were derived primarily from a combination of
research on successful teachers in high-poverty schools in the U.S., detailed competency studies
of successful teachers in the U.K., and cross-sector research on successful organization
turnarounds. Some level of many of these competencies would be needed to perform well
teaching in any school. But in a turnaround situation, where failure has become an entrenched
way of life for students and staff, teachers need stronger and more consistent habits in these
critical areas to transform wide-scale failure to learning success.
Validation and refinement of these competencies will be possible as the number of successful
school turnarounds grows and comparisons among more and less successful teachers in this
context are possible. These competencies are arranged into four clusters of related capabilities.
Driving for Results Cluster This cluster of competencies is concerned with the turnaround
teachers strong desire to achieve outstanding student learning results and the task-oriented
actions required for success. Competencies in this cluster include:
5 Achievement
5 Initiative and Persistence
5 Monitoring and Directiveness
5 Planning Ahead
Influencing for Results Cluster This cluster of competencies is concerned with motivating
others students, other school staff, and parents and influencing their thinking and behavior to
obtain student learning results. Competencies in this cluster include:
5 Interpersonal Understanding
5 Impact and Influence
5 Teamwork
Problem Solving Cluster This cluster of competencies is concerned with teachers thinking to
plan, organize and deliver instruction. Competencies in this cluster include:
5 Analytical Thinking
5 Conceptual Thinking
Personal Effectiveness Cluster This cluster of competencies is concerned with the turnaround
teachers self-management of emotions and personal beliefs that affect student learning.
Competencies in this cluster include:
5 Belief in Learning Potential
5 Self-Control
5 Self-Confidence
5 Flexibility

79

Driving for Results Cluster

This cluster of competencies is concerned with the turnaround teachers strong desire to
achieve outstanding student learning results and the task-oriented actions required for
success. Major actions include setting high goals for oneself and ones students; making
persistent, well-planned efforts to achieve these goals despite barriers and resistance;
holding others accountable for doing their part to achieve success; and putting in extra
effort to ensure success when others fall short.
Why it matters
Without significant competence in this cluster, a teacher in a turnaround school is
unlikely to achieve a sharp increase in student results since former practices have not
worked and must be changed, and multiple, significant barriers must be tackled to ensure
student learning.

Driving for Results Cluster These enable a relentless focus on learning results.
5

Achievement: The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high
standard of performance despite barriers.

Initiative and Persistence: The drive and actions to do more than is expected or
required in order to accomplish a challenging task.

Monitoring and Directiveness: The ability to set clear expectations and to hold
others accountable for performance.

Planning Ahead: A bias towards planning in order to derive future benefits or to

avoid problems.

80

Achievement (ACH)
The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance
despite barriers.

Level

General Description

Low Concern for Work

or Quality

Shows little concern for quality of work,

Or preoccupied by non-work matters
(sports, friends, hobbies, etc.).

Wishes to Do Job Well

Expresses desire to do the job well but does

not make measurable improvements or
have a clear standard of excellence.

3
TH

5
S
Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Threshold

Neutral
Zone

Red
Flag
Zone

Zone

Specific behaviors

Works to do tasks and meet standards

required by principal/management,
Or makes voluntary improvements, but
With no specific goal in mind, or
Only to meet easy/modest goals.
Sets challenging work goals (difficult but
not unrealistic) for self and students (or
Strong Concern for Work
other adults) and acts to meet them,
Goals and Quality
Or sets challenging goals for self and
Improvement
students and monitors progress.
Carefully chooses challenging goals and
actions towards goals (for self and
Prioritizes Goals and
students) based on cost-benefit analysis:
Tasks Based on Impact
time, money and other resources needed
Relative to Effort
versus speed and magnitude of results.
.
Commits significant resources and time
(without being sure of success) to reach
a very challenging goal,
Pursuit of High-Risk
Goals and Improvement And takes multiple actions to minimize risk
and ensure success (e.g., conducts
research, anticipates barriers, plans
carefully ahead, engages others to help).
Moderate Concern for
Work and Quality

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

81

Initiative and Persistence (I&P)

Level

General Description

Avoids Required Work

Threshold

3
TH

Independent Effort

Extra Effort
.

4
Significant Extra Effort

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Red Flag
Zone

The drive and actions to do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a
challenging task.

5
S

Extraordinary Effort

Engages Others in
Extraordinary Effort

Specific behaviors

Does not show up for work reliably or

requires extra supervision to get work
done.
Completes assigned work as required and
without extra supervision,
Or does not give up without trying one or
two steps when a simple obstacle arises.
Works extra hours to complete work even
when not required,
Or takes on voluntary work tasks,
Or routinely tackles moderate obstacles as
they arise in routine work.
Voluntarily initiates and follows through on
new work project (not just a discrete task)
that is not assigned by others, and tackles
significant barriers as they arise.
Acting without formal or explicit direction,
commits significant personal time and
bends organization norms or rules to
accomplish a work objective (emphasis on
improving student outcomes, not on
defiant rule breaking); and persists despite
significant obstacles or early failure.
Involves others in Level 5 effort, including
people over whom the person has no
formal authority.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

82

Monitoring and Directiveness (M&D)

The ability to set clear expectations and to hold others accountable for performance.

General Description

Avoiding Direction

Routine Directions

3
TH

Detailed Directions

Superior

Threshold

Potential Hire Zone

Red Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Asserts Needs

5
S

Asserts High Standard

for Compliance

Confronts Others about

Performance Problems

Specific behaviors

Gives in to others, even when this conflicts

with work objectives,
Or does not give directions or communicate
expectations. (May justify by expressing
concern with others liking them or hurting
peoples feelings.)
Gives directions about routine work,
Or provides some direction that is not very
explicit or detailed.
Gives detailed directions that communicate
to others what needs to be done to
accomplish work tasks.
Says no to requests that are obviously
unreasonable or sets limits on others
behavior,
Or structures situations so that others must
comply.
Sets high standard explicitly up front,
repeats this high expectation, and
monitors/ communicates performance
versus standard.
Or repeatedly insists in a demanding way
that others comply with high standard.
Confronts students (or others) about
performance problems,
Or threatens consequences for performance
shortfalls.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

83

Planning Ahead (PLA)

A bias toward planning in order to derive future benefit or to avoid problems.

Red
Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

5
S
Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Threshold

3
TH

General Description

Specific behaviors

Does Not Think Ahead

Fails to see current needs and opportunities,

Or focuses on immediate needs, tasks and
problems only.

Fully Addresses
Current Needs

Acts quickly and decisively to address

current problems and crises as they arise.

Voluntarily identifies future needs, potential

problems or potential opportunities and
Plans up to Two Months
plans in advance to address these within a
in Advance
two month timeframe.
Voluntarily identifies future needs, potential
problems or potential opportunities that
Plans 3 12 Months
will occur three to twelve months in the
in Advance
future that are not obvious to others and
takes action to plan or act in advance to
address these.
Voluntarily identifies future needs, potential
problems or potential opportunities that
Plans 1 2 Years
will occur one to two years in the future
in Advance
that are not obvious to others. Acts in
advance to address these (e.g., students
needs at next grade level).
Voluntarily identifies future needs, potential
problems or potential opportunities that
Plans 2 or More Years
will occur two or more years in the future
in Advance
that are not obvious to others and acts in
advance to address these (e.g., students
needs at much later grade levels).

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and
support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and
support).

84

Influencing for Results Cluster

This cluster of competencies is concerned with motivating others students, other school
staff, and parents and influencing their thinking and behavior to obtain student learning
results. Turnaround teachers cannot accomplish change alone, but instead must influence
the work of others. They must use a variety of influencing tactics inspiring students
who have become resistant and apathetic from repeated failure, grasping and responding
to unspoken student needs and motivations, and simultaneously supporting and prodding
colleagues to collaborate on the path to school-wide success as the situation requires.
The relationships they form are for the purpose of influencing others to enhance student
learning, not for the purpose of personal bonding.
Why it matters
Teachers in a turnaround school must induce behaviors from students (and others) that
are significantly different from those previously exhibited. Obtaining more and different
effort from others is critical to obtaining better student learning results. They cannot
obtain all of these new and enhanced behaviors by being directive (see Directiveness),
but instead must identify and tap the needs, wants and underlying motives of students and
others.

Influencing for Results Cluster These enable working through and with others.
5 Interpersonal Understanding: Understanding and interpreting others concerns,
motives, feelings and behaviors.
5 Impact and Influence: Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking
and actions of others.
5 Teamwork: The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared
goals.

85

Impact and Influence (I&I)

Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking and actions of others.

Threshold

3
TH

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Red
Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

5
S

General Description

Specific behaviors

Uses negative behaviors for personal

positioning despite harm to organization,
Or states desire to influence others but does
not take steps to implement.
Prepares and presents data and logical
arguments,
No Adaptation to
But
does not tailor to make them appealing
Audience
or influential to the specific audience (e.g.,
students, parents, staff peers).
Takes one limited action to obtain desired
impact (e.g., uses one teaching strategy)
after having briefly considered the likely
Tailors Single Action to
reaction of audience,
Influence Audience
Or takes one dramatic action chosen to
obtain a specific reaction from audience.
(Threats do not count; see Directiveness/
Monitoring.)
Thinks ahead about the likely reaction of
Tailors Two Actions to
audience and takes two or more steps (e.g.,
Influence Audience
uses several teaching strategies) that are
calculated to obtain desired impact.
Takes three or more steps in a pre-calculated
Tailors Three Actions or
set of actions chosen to influence,
Uses Indirect Influence
Or uses others (e.g., parents, other students)
.
to obtain desired impact.
Engages in a complex set of maneuvers with
multiple steps may include personal
Complex Influence
appeals, changing own or others roles, use
of multiple third parties to influence each
other to obtain many wanted behaviors.
Personal Gain Tactics,
Limited Persuasion

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

86

Interpersonal Understanding (IU)

Understanding and interpreting others concerns, motives, feelings and behaviors.

General Description

Lacks Understanding

Identifies Feelings

3
TH

Aware of Connection
Between Feelings and
Actions

Superior

Threshold

Potential Hire Zone

Red Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Aware of Underlying
Meaning

5
S

Understands Patterns of
Behavior

Classifies Patterns of
Behavior

Specific behaviors

Does not understand or misinterprets other

peoples feelings or actions; or dismisses
value of others feelings and concerns;
Or views other people through the lens of
racial, cultural, or gender stereotypes.
Recognizes peoples current feelings or their
actions, but not able to understand how
their actions and feelings are related to
each other.
Understands when others explicitly express
how feelings are related to their actions;
Or identifies peoples current feelings by
observing clear actions and behaviors.
Understands unspoken or hidden thoughts
and feelings and why people are acting in
certain ways, even when they are giving
mixed messages.
Understands the reasons, both immediate
and long-term or indirect, behind peoples
ongoing behaviors, attitudes and feelings.
Able to objectively and accurately describe a
profile of a persons specific strengths
and weaknesses and the underlying causes.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

87

Teamwork (TMW)

Specific behaviors

Harms Team

Damages team morale and functioning by

acting in an unhelpful and disruptive way.

Does Not Participate

3
TH
4

Contributing Member

Active Supporter

5
S

Empowers Team

Resolves Conflict

Superior

Threshold

General Description

Red
Flag
Zone

Zone

Potential Hire Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared goals.

Does not take part or contribute to team

activities.
Shares relevant information with others team
members, participates willingly in team
activities and follows through with work
assigned by team.
Expresses belief that team will be successful,
and speaks respectfully about other team
members.
Values, solicits, and uses information from
other team members to make plans and
solve problems, and
Gives credit publicly to team members who
have performed well.
Openly recognizes and acknowledges
conflicts on the team and works actively
and successfully to resolve these conflicts,
and
Protects team reputation when speaking to
others.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

88

Problem Solving Cluster

This cluster of competencies is concerned with teachers thinking to plan, organize and deliver
instruction. It includes analyzing data to determine student learning needs and next steps;
considering alternatives for materials, methods, and levels of instruction; making clear, logical,
step-by-step plans that both the teacher and students can follow; and clarifying the connection
between school learning goals and classroom activity.
Why it matters
Teachers in a turnaround classroom use these competencies to identify instructional priorities,
understand which tactics are working, identify and consider alternative approaches, and clarify
steps to make instructional changes for individuals and groups of students. The thinking
competencies also are needed for higher levels of Driving for Results competencies and
Influencing for Results competencies.
Problem Solving Cluster These enable solving and simplifying complex problems.
5 Analytical Thinking: The ability to break things down in a logical way and to
recognize cause and effect.
5 Conceptual Thinking: The ability to see patterns and links among seemingly
unrelated things

89

Analytical Thinking (AT)

Does Not Analyze or

Plan

Superior

Threshold

General Description

Red
Flag
Zone

Zone

Potential Hire Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

The ability to break things down in a logical way and to recognize cause and effect.

Creates Lists

3
TH

Makes Limited
Connections

Makes Multiple
Connections

5
S

Does Complicated
Planning and Analysis

Does Highly Complex

Planning and Analyses

Specific behaviors

Responds to tasks only as they arise, does

not break work into steps or create lists,
Or only follows steps created by someone
else.
Creates simple lists of tasks or activities,
without prioritizing importance or
timelines.
Breaks a problem or task down into a few
parts,
Or understands that A causes B,
Or prioritizes a relatively simple list of tasks.
Organizes a complex activity into steps in a
logical way (based on time, importance,
resources needed or other factors),
Or understands several possible causes of
events or results of events,
Or anticipates multiple next steps and likely
barriers.
Breaks apart a complex problem or process
into categories and subcategories down to
basic steps or parts,
Or analyzes a difficult problem from several
different perspectives before arriving at a
detailed solution.
Uses several approaches to analyze a
problem, comes up with multiple
solutions, and weighs value of each.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

90

Conceptual Thinking (CT)

General Description

Red
Flag
Zone

Zone

Thinks Concretely

Applies Basic Rules of

Thumb

3
TH

4
S

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Threshold

Level

Neutral
Zone

The ability to see patterns and links among seemingly unrelated things.

Sees Patterns

Applies Known
Complex Conceptual
Tools

Simplifies Complex
Ideas

Creates New Concepts

6

Specific behaviors

Expresses thinking very literally,

Lacks ability to think creatively about
problems.
Uses only common sense or similar personal
experiences to draw conclusions and make
decisions about how to approach a new
situation or problem.
Notices patterns, similarities, differences or
gaps in information,
Identifies when current situation is different
from a past situation.
Applies past knowledge of similarities,
differences, gaps, and trends to analyze
new situations,
Or uses a known method of categorizing
complex data (e.g., assessment
instruments, scoring rubrics), to identify
what is most important or how things are
related.
Crystallizes the meaning and importance of
a lot of complex data into a simple and
understandable explanation (but not a new,
complete model for others to use),
Or sees the most important issue in a
complicated situation.
Creates a new and useful explanation for a
complex problem or organizes information
in an original way that is not borrowed
from other sources or obvious to others.
E.g., Creates a new model for diagnosing
learning needs and/or matching
instructional methods to child needs.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

91

Personal Effectiveness Cluster

This cluster of competencies is concerned with the turnaround teachers self-management of
emotions and personal beliefs that affect student learning. Major elements include exhibiting
self-control over behavior when faced with stressful, uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations;
maintaining confidence in oneself and a willingness to keep improving despite the many small
failures that are likely to accompany such a challenging role; actively embracing the constant
changes needed to ensure student learning in a high-challenge, high-change situation; and
holding and maintaining a strong belief in the human potential for learning and improvement,
despite significant pressure to settle for less.
Why it matters
Without competence in this cluster, a turnaround teacher is likely to experience extreme stress
and act less effectively than desired in response to the enormous emotional challenges in this
role.

Personal Effectiveness Cluster These enable success in a highly challenging situation.

5 Belief in Learning Potential: A belief that all students, regardless of circumstances,
can learn at levels higher than their current achievement indicates.
5 Self-Control: Acting to keep ones emotions under control, especially when
provoked.
5 Self-Confidence: A personal belief in ones ability to accomplish tasks and the
actions that reflect that belief.
5 Flexibility: The ability to adapt ones approach to the requirements of a situation and
to change tactics.

92

Belief in Learning Potential (BLP)

A belief that all students, regardless of circumstances, can learn at levels higher than their
current achievement indicates.

Level

General Description

Specific behaviors

Has Negative
Expectations

Expresses negative expectations based on

race, gender, culture or past achievement
about who can and cannot learn and
achieve,
Or expresses resentment toward students
and/or their families.

Going Through the

Motions

Makes no deliberate attempt to raise the

learning level of some students, especially
those who have not succeeded in the past.

3
TH

States Belief in Others

Abilities

Offers Specific
Support

5
S

Provides Developmental
Feedback

Scaffolds Learning

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Threshold

Neutral
Zone

Red Flag
Zone

Zone

Makes positive comments about all students

ability to learn more, even those who have
been previously unsuccessful.
Supports all students by offering them
detailed instructions and practical support
for tackling challenging tasks.
Gives specific feedback, both positive and
negative, making sure that it is always
phrased in behavioral not personal terms,
Or reassures students after a setback,
providing negative feedback but
expressing positive expectations for future
performance.
Scaffolds learning experiences so that all
students can experience success in tackling
increasingly difficult tasks,
Or designs unusual learning assignments to
foster specific students development,
Or build all students confidence and skills
by giving them increasing latitude to
design their own learning experiences,
including the opportunity to learn from
their own mistakes in a noncritical setting.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

93

Self-Control (SCT)
Acting to keep ones emotions under control, especially when provoked.

General Description

Reacts Inappropriately

Avoids Stressful
Situations

Superior

Threshold

Potential Hire Zone

Red
Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

3
TH

Holds Emotions in
Check

Acts Calm Under

Pressure

5
S

Proactively Monitors
and Addresses Stress

Diffuses Situation

Specific behaviors

Loses emotional control in the face of high

levels of stress or hostility,
Expresses extreme anger or frustration.
Avoids stressful or difficult situations or
people.
Controls strong emotional reaction (e.g.,
anger, frustration) when provoked or when
faced with hostility but does not take
constructive action. May walk away or
otherwise remove self from situation.
Talks or acts in a calm way even when
feeling negative emotions (e.g. anger,
frustration, stress) after being provoked or
when faced with hostility.
Takes steps to manage stress in an ongoing
way (e.g., takes time for relaxing
activities, exercises regularly) in order to
respond more constructively to difficult
situations and to avoid burnout,
And controls strong emotions effectively.
Able to identify and respond effectively to
the source of serious conflict,
Or able to diffuse a highly stressful situation
by managing ones own emotions and
calming down the other people involved.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

94

Self-Confidence (SCF)
A personal belief in ones ability to accomplish tasks and the actions that reflect that belief.

Red
Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Threshold
Superior

Potential Hire Zone

3
TH

5
S

General Description

Feels or Acts Powerless

Conducts Tasks
Without Hesitation

Specific behaviors

Publicly expresses lack of confidence in self,

Or defers to others inappropriately,
Or avoids challenges because of fear of
failure.
Does work independently as needed.

Makes decisions in spite of disagreements

with peers,
Or acts outside explicitly granted authority
(but without breaking rules).
Openly states own expertise or compares
self positively with others,
States Confidence in Self Or views self as a key actor or originator in
important situation,
Or expresses confidence in own judgment,
even during a conflict.
Is excited to take on challenging tasks and
assignments and seeks additional
responsibility,
Seeks Work Challenges
Or openly disagrees with people in superior
positions, politely and confidently, when
needed to make a point.
Confronts other people in power bluntly
Seeks Extreme
when needed,
Challenge
Or seeks extremely challenging situations.
Acts Decisively

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

95

Flexibility (FL)
The ability to adapt ones approach to the requirements of a situation and to change tactics.

Threshold

General Description

Unwilling to Change

Rigidly Follows Rules

3
TH

Willing to Change

Applies Rules Flexibly

5
S
Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Red Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Tailors Actions

Adapts Organization to
Situation

Specific behaviors

Not willing, even when confronted with

contrary evidence, to change ones
position or opinion,
Does not recognize the validity of other
peoples views.
Follows rules and procedures set by others,
or acts as stickler, even when this harms
organizations goals.
Recognizes the validity of other peoples
views,
Or, when confronted by others with new
information or evidence, willing to change
position.
Proactively judges when bending rules or
procedures will facilitate the attainment of
an important organizational goal.
Repeatedly reaches important work goals by
tailoring responses from scratch to the
needs of particular situations (not just
working from pre-existing procedures or
protocols).
Makes long or short-term adjustments or
changes to the organization, not just own
actions, in response to the needs of a
specific situation.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

Page 21

The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).

96

Appendix B
School Turnaround
Teachers

Critical Competency
Rating Levels

By Public Impact
For The Chicago Public Education Fund
May 2008

97

Table of Contents

Overview of the Five Critical Competencies .............................................................................. 2

Achievement (ACH) .................................................................................................................. 3
Impact and Influence (I&I) ...................................................................................................... 4
Initiative and Persistence (I&P) .............................................................................................. 5
Teamwork (TMW) .................................................................................................................... 6
Belief in Learning Potential (BLP) .......................................................................................... 7

Overview of the Five Critical Competencies

This appendix contains the ratings for the five critical competencies only. These five
competencies were identified as critical because they:
o are likely to be most predictive of success for turnaround teachers,
o require use of other critical teacher competencies (and so will help you assess multiple
competencies), and/or
o distinguish candidates who would perform well in a turnaround effort versus other school
situations.

98

Achievement (ACH)
The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance
despite barriers.

Level

General Description

Low Concern for Work

or Quality

Shows little concern for quality of work,

Or preoccupied by non-work matters
(sports, friends, hobbies, etc.).

Wishes to Do Job Well

Expresses desire to do the job well but does

not make measurable improvements or
have a clear standard of excellence.

3
TH

5
S
Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Threshold

Neutral
Zone

Red
Flag
Zone

Zone

Specific behaviors

Works to do tasks and meet standards

required by principal/management,
Moderate Concern for
Or makes voluntary improvements, but
Work and Quality
With no specific goal in mind, or
Only to meet easy/modest goals.
Sets challenging work goals (difficult but
not unrealistic) for self and students (or
Strong Concern for Work
other adults) and acts to meet them,
Goals and Quality
Or sets challenging goals for self and
Improvement
students and monitors progress.
Carefully chooses challenging goals and
actions towards goals (for self and
Prioritizes Goals and
students) based on cost-benefit analysis:
Tasks Based on Impact
time, money and other resources needed
Relative to Effort
versus speed and magnitude of results.
.
Commits significant resources and time
(without being sure of success) to reach
a very challenging goal,
Pursuit of High-Risk
Goals and Improvement And takes multiple actions to minimize risk
and ensure success (e.g., conducts
research, anticipates barriers, plans
carefully ahead, engages others to help).

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

99

Impact and Influence (I&I)

Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking and actions of others.

Threshold

3
TH

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Red
Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

5
S

General Description

Specific behaviors

Uses negative behaviors for personal

positioning despite harm to organization,
Or states desire to influence others but does
not take steps to implement.
Prepares and presents data and logical
arguments,
No Adaptation to
But
does not tailor to make them appealing
Audience
or influential to the specific audience (e.g.,
students, parents, staff peers).
Takes one limited action to obtain desired
impact (e.g., uses one teaching strategy)
after having briefly considered the likely
Tailors Single Action to
reaction of audience,
Influence Audience
Or takes one dramatic action chosen to
obtain a specific reaction from audience.
(Threats do not count; see Directiveness/
Monitoring.)
Thinks ahead about the likely reaction of
Tailors Two Actions to
audience and takes two or more steps (e.g.,
Influence Audience
uses several teaching strategies) that are
calculated to obtain desired impact.
Takes three or more steps in a pre-calculated
Tailors Three Actions or
set of actions chosen to influence,
Uses Indirect Influence
Or uses others (e.g., parents, other students)
.
to obtain desired impact.
Engages in a complex set of maneuvers with
multiple steps may include personal
Complex Influence
appeals, changing own or others roles, use
of multiple third parties to influence each
other to obtain many wanted behaviors.
Personal Gain Tactics,
Limited Persuasion

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

100

Initiative and Persistence (I&P)

Level

General Description

Avoids Required Work

Threshold

3
TH

Independent Effort

Extra Effort
.

4
Significant Extra Effort

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Red Flag
Zone

The drive and actions to do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a
challenging task.

5
S

Extraordinary Effort

Engages Others in
Extraordinary Effort

Specific behaviors

Does not show up for work reliably or

requires extra supervision to get work
done.
Completes assigned work as required and
without extra supervision,
Or does not give up without trying one or
two steps when a simple obstacle arises.
Works extra hours to complete work even
when not required,
Or takes on voluntary work tasks,
Or routinely tackles moderate obstacles as
they arise in routine work.
Voluntarily initiates and follows through on
new work project (not just a discrete task)
that is not assigned by others, and tackles
significant barriers as they arise.
Acting without formal or explicit direction,
commits significant personal time and
bends organization norms or rules to
accomplish a work objective (emphasis on
improving student outcomes, not on
defiant rule breaking); and persists despite
significant obstacles or early failure.
Involves others in Level 5 effort, including
people over whom the person has no
formal authority.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

101

Teamwork (TMW)

Specific behaviors

Harms Team

Damages team morale and functioning by

acting in an unhelpful and disruptive way.

Does Not Participate

3
TH
4

Contributing Member

Active Supporter

5
S

Empowers Team

Resolves Conflict

Superior

Threshold

General Description

Red
Flag
Zone

Zone

Potential Hire Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

The ability and actions needed to work with others to achieve shared goals.

Does not take part or contribute to team

activities.
Shares relevant information with others team
members, participates willingly in team
activities and follows through with work
assigned by team.
Expresses belief that team will be successful,
and speaks respectfully about other team
members.
Values, solicits, and uses information from
other team members to make plans and
solve problems, and
Gives credit publicly to team members who
have performed well.
Openly recognizes and acknowledges
conflicts on the team and works actively
and successfully to resolve these conflicts,
and
Protects team reputation when speaking to
others.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

102

Belief in Learning Potential (BLP)

A belief that all students, regardless of circumstances, can learn at levels higher than their
current achievement indicates.

General Description

Specific behaviors

Has Negative
Expectations

Expresses negative expectations based on

race, gender, culture or past achievement
about who can and cannot learn and
achieve,
Or expresses resentment toward students
and/or their families.

Going Through the

Motions

Makes no deliberate attempt to raise the

learning level of some students, especially
those who have not succeeded in the past.

3
TH

States Belief in Others

Abilities

Offers Specific
Support

5
S

Provides Developmental
Feedback

Scaffolds Learning

Superior

Potential Hire Zone

Threshold

Red Flag
Zone

Level

Neutral
Zone

Zone

Makes positive comments about all students

ability to learn more, even those who have
been previously unsuccessful.
Supports all students by offering them
detailed instructions and practical support
for tackling challenging tasks.
Gives specific feedback, both positive and
negative, making sure that it is always
phrased in behavioral not personal terms,
Or reassures students after a setback,
providing negative feedback but
expressing positive expectations for future
performance.
Scaffolds learning experiences so that all
students can experience success in tackling
increasingly difficult tasks,
Or designs unusual learning assignments to
foster specific students development,
Or build all students confidence and skills
by giving them increasing latitude to
design their own learning experiences,
including the opportunity to learn from
their own mistakes in a noncritical setting.

Red Flag Zone: Red flag behaviors indicate a severe mismatch for this role.
Neutral Zone: These levels do not indicate a match if they are the highest levels of behavior shown.
Potential Hire Zone: These behaviors enable some level of success in this role.
TH = Threshold behaviors are needed for moderate success (excellence likely only with significant leadership and support).
S = Superior performers use these behaviors when the situation requires (even without significant leadership and support).

Public Impact for The Chicago Public Education Fund

Page 7

The competencies provided here are derived from the following, which are recommended as companion guides: The School
Recruitment Handbook, A Guide to Attracting, Selecting and Keeping Outstanding Teachers, Hobby, Crabtree and Ibbetson
(2004); Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, Haberman (1995); Competence at Work, Spencer and Spencer (1993).

103

August 4, 2015
Mr. Mark T. Murphy
Secretary of Education
Delaware Department of Education
The Townsend Building
401 Federal Street, Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901-3639
Dear Secretary Murphy,
I am pleased to write today in support of Teach For Americas application for a new certification
program for leaders in education. I believe that Lead For Delaware will prepare ready-to-lead new
principals to help meet the current and future demand for highly effective school leaders in the lowestincome communities across our state. The proposed program offers a new alternative for aspiring
leaders, complementing the other current principal certification programs offered within Delaware.
I support the application based on my review of the programs components. The program will be
cohort-based, building a much-needed network of new school leaders across Delaware schools and
districts. I believe the program balances the urgent demand for excellent new principals for our state
with the necessity to provide comprehensive training by offering a full 24-month program. Lead For
Delaware specifically targets excellent teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership
potential, a resource that can be leveraged thoughtfully.
I appreciate the menu of leadership development activities provided by the program, in which
participants will engage in coursework designed and led by an array of individuals and organizations,
including Teach For America, Wilmington University, Harvard University, NAATE, TNTP, Jounce Partners,
and Teach For All.
I support the Lead For Delaware school principal certification program application. Approval of this
application will provide an additional option for aspiring school leaders in my school who are seeking a
high-quality preparation program in our state.
Sincerely,
Kia Childs
Executive Director
Great Oaks Charter School Wilmington

104

105

Cluster 1: Personal Leadership

A. Vision for Transformational Change
Level
Description
0
Vision for students and
Unacceptable
school maintains status
quo

Indicators

1
Developing

Optimistic about potential

for students, not clear or
compelling about the vision

One or more flags:

-Describes a limited view of what is possible for students to achieve or lacks focus on
students
-Describes the current state of schools as either inevitable or unchangeable
Believes strongly in students potential, but does not mention 2 or more of the following
(students will):
-Gain strong academic skills and knowledge
-Grow personally
-Develop social, political, and cultural consciousness
-Gain access to opportunities in ways that are aligned with their own strengths, values,
and interests/cultural responsiveness

2
Exemplary

Expresses a clear and

urgent vision for schools
that is compelling and
includes almost all the
parts of student
development

Believes strongly in students potential and mentions at least 3 of the following:

-Gain strong academic skills and knowledge
-Grow personally
-Develop social, political, and cultural consciousness
-Gain access to opportunities in ways that are aligned with their own strengths, values,
and interests/cultural responsiveness

3
Exemplary

Has a clear and compelling

vision that is particularly
inspiring or tactile

Expresses a vision that includes all 4:

-Gain strong academic skills and knowledge
-Grow personally
-Develop social, political, and cultural consciousness
-Gain access to opportunities in ways that are aligned with their own strengths, values,
and interests/cultural responsiveness
ANDExpresses ideas that will be truly life changing for students
Clearly articulates that educational equity is at the heart of the vision

106

B. Personal Motivation for Education Leadership

Level
Description
Indicators
0
Does not want to be a
-May express general desire to pursue leadership related to education but doesnt cite a
Unacceptable
school leader or doubts
specific desire to serve as a principal, AND/OR
own capacity
-Expresses concerns about how hard the job will be and whether they will be successful;
or doesnt acknowledge the challenge at all
1
Wants to assume increased -Expresses a desire to learn about school leadership but does not express the desire to be
Developing
leadership in education;
a principal as a personal goal, AND/OR
unsure of desire to deal
-Acknowledges that there are challenges inherent in school leadership
with responsibilities and
challenges of leading a
school
2
Wants to be ready for the
-Desires to serve in a school leadership role, as evidenced by an expressed aim to move
Effective
responsibility and the
into a role/or by assuming additional responsibilities to prepare for such a role
-Acknowledges the challenges of leading as school, but is also excited by the possibilities
challenge of a school
leadership role
of such a role
3
Wants to be a principal; is
All of effective +
Exemplary
confident about capacity to -Expresses explicit commitment to serving in school as a primary career goal within the
be successful based on
next 1-3 years
significant experience
C. Learning Mindset
Level
Description
0
Not interested in personal
Unacceptable
growth

1
Developing

Seeks to learn, but does

not consistently show
change

Indicators

One or more flags:

-Resistant to feedback
-Consistently fails to take ownership for own mistakes/growth areas
-Consistently fails to reflect on past challenges and mistakes to identify lessons for the
future
Is open to and seeks out feedback and opportunities for learning, AND
-Inconsistently takes ownership for mistakes/growth areas, AND/OR
-Does not consistently improve in response to feedback

107

2
Effective

Seeks to learn,
demonstrates change
accordingly

3
Exemplary

Builds learning mindset of

school and/or others

D. Grit
Level
0
Unacceptable

Description
Does not retain focus and
orientation on goals

1
Developing

Maintains focus on short

term goals; challenges are
not significant

2
Effective

Sets and maintains solution

oriented actions
throughout challenge
Has persevered through
extraordinary challenge

3
Exemplary

E. Self-Awareness
Level
Description
0
Does not have selfUnacceptable
awareness

-Continuously seeks feedback and opportunities for growth, AND

-Consistently takes ownership for mistakes and growth areas, AND
-After receiving feedback and development, takes tangible steps to adapt the results in
improvement
All of effective +
-Serves as a model within the school and for other leaders AND/OR
-Builds systems and structures within teams and school to create culture of feedback,
ownership and growth

Indicator
Lacks focus on goal and/or views goal as flexible (changes goals, tasks and/or jobs),
AND/OR
-Quits, lowers efforts, and/or takes no action when confronted with challenge
-Maintains focus on goals, though those goals may be shorter-term in nature (limited
evidence of achieving goals of long-term nature)
-May persevere through challenges, though the challenges are not significant and/or
complex
-Achieves both long- and short- term goals by maintaining unwavering focus on them
-Adapts to changing circumstances and incorporates new learning throughout course of
challenge
All of effective +
-Has overcome challenges rarely encountered by peers

Indicators
Cannot identify strengths, weaknesses, or core values/beliefs

108

1
Developing
2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Emerging awareness of self

Self-Aware

Uses self-awareness to
drive leadership and
management of school and
people

-Identifies strengths, weaknesses, values, triggers, but may have limited understanding of
where they came from and the impact they have on others
-Inadequately leverages and/or compensates for strengths, weaknesses, values, and
triggers in his/her work
-Able to articulate his/her strengths, weaknesses, core values, and triggers, where they
come from, and their impact on others; these reflections align with observed behaviors
-Leverages and compensates for strengths and weaknesses by delegating work and/or
partnering with complementary skilled colleagues
-Develops coping skills to identify, better understand, manage, and address personal
triggers
All of effective +
Uses core values to guide decision making and set vision and strategy as a leader

109

Cluster 2: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Leadership

A. Identity Awareness
Level
Description
0
Lacks awareness of own
Unacceptable
identity

1
Developing

2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Developing awareness of
identity

Fully developed awareness

of identity

Supports
team/organization on
identity awareness
development

Indicators
-Unable to articulate how aspects of their identity (gender, race, class, ability, sexual
orientation, etc.) affects them, how they view and interact with others, and how others
perceive them (e.g. not aware of own biases, privileges, archetypes, etc.)
-Possesses limited, if any, awareness about the things that might be important to people
with identities different from the themselves
-May resist or actively reject the idea that a persons identity affects their experience in
institutions or society
-Articulates how one or two aspects of their perceived identity impacts how they view and
interact with others, and how they are perceived by others
-Begins to articulate how people with a different identity may have differing experiences
and things that are important to them, and thus their perspective may be different

-Articulates how multiple aspects of their perceived identity (race, class, gender, ability,
sexual orientation) affects them, how they perceive of and interact with others, and how
others perceive them and works to dismantle own biases, leverage privileges for good of
the others, and question archetypes and stereotypes
-Articulates multiple ways that people who have different perceived identities from them
may have different experiences in society, as well as different values and histories. Works
to understand and adapt to these perspectives as appropriate, and leverages the
strengths of people with different identities.
All of effective +
-Devotes time, energy, resources, to encouraging the identity development of their team
and/or organization

110

B. Valuing Diversity
Level
Description
0
Does not believe diversity
Unacceptable
is important
1
Developing awareness of
Developing
identity
2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Fully developed awareness

of identity

Supports
team/organization on
identity awareness and
development

Indicators
-Does not believe diversity is necessary for the educational equity movement to succeed;
may act defensively when this belief is challenged
-Believes diversity is important, but may not cite this as a personal core value
-May not articulate a personal commitment to increasing the representation of those who
share the background of the students we serve, but is open to the idea of its criticality to
the success of our movement
-Believes that diversity in every respect (race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability,
etc.) is a necessary condition for achieving transformational change in schools, systems,
communities, and society and acts to increase the diversity within their teams and
organizations
-Believes in the unique role that people who share the background of the students we
serve can play in the movement for educational equity, as well as in the value of those
who bring the privilege of our current system and a commitment to using that privilege to
advance the cause of equity

All of effective +
-Takes extraordinary action to increase diversity of team, organization, or broader
movement
-Consistently works to cultivates the belief in diversity amongst others, such as team,
teachers, staff, etc.

111

C. Building Relationships in Diverse Settings

Level
Description
0
Resists engaging with OR is
Unacceptable
unfairly critical of the
perspectives of others

1
Developing

2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Indicators
-Can only view the experience of others through their own perspective
-Makes unreasonable or unfair assumptions(s) (i.e. makes a big leap, connection between
evidence and the conclusion is unclear, assumption might be rooted in
stereotype/archetype of a group or individual) and does not explore whether those
assumptions are accurate
-Does not listen or respond well to others; may act disrespectfully towards others

Has some, but not all, of

the skills needed to build
relationships in diverse
settings

-Expresses desire to understand others perspectives, but responds to all situations

through their own perspective/worldview
-Asks simple or surface questions about what informs others perspectives or ideas
Identifies a balance of assets and deficits in other parties or perspectives
-Listens to other(s) but may have difficulty respectfully disagreeing; either disengages
from discussion to takes slightly off putting tone

Has many of the skills

needed to build
relationships in diverse
settings

-Attempts to understand others perspectives

-Shows curiosity about the values, background and/or experiences that have shaped
others ideas and/or perspectives
-Identifies mostly assets in other parties or perspectives
-Listens and responds well to other(s). Is able to respectfully disagree.

Has strongly developed the

skills needed to build
relationships in diverse
settings

All of Effective +
-Moves beyond disagreement to consensus building

D. Equity Leadership
Level
Description
0
Fails to lead for equity
Unacceptable

Indicators
-Does not attempt to understand or address equity gaps
-Does not attempt to understand diverse cultures represented in school, system, or
community
-Fails to identify or respond to cultural or equity issues when the arise

112

1
Developing

2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Attempts to lead for equity, -Identifies equity gaps and commits to closing them, but doesnt sufficiently plan to do so
but efforts arent fully
-Uses general knowledge of the diverse cultures represented at the school and/or system
sufficient or successful
to shape policy, create events, and involve parents and other community members
-Addresses cultural or equity issues amongst students, staff, and families when prompted
-Devotes time with staff to learning about culture and equity , but may not do so
consistently or effectively
Leads from an equity
-Makes and follows through on a public commitment to equity
imperative
-Consistently uses knowledge of the diverse cultures represented at the school and/or
system to shape policy, create events and involve parents and other community members
-Intervenes swiftly, respectfully and with resolve when cultural or equity issues arise
-Holds staff and students accountable to understanding and respecting cultures, coaches
team and staff to embody diversity, equity and cultural leadership
Serves as a model for
All of effective +
equity leadership to staff
-Commits time and space for equity work amongst staff, students and community
members
-Is aware of, speaks opening about and celebrates differences and diversity among
students, staff, and families
-Prioritizes recruitment and development of employees who represent diverse cultural
backgrounds

113

Cluster 3: Interpersonal Leadership

A. Interpersonal Understanding
Levels
Descriptions
0
Does not aim to
Unacceptable
understand or listen to
others

1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary

Works to understand
obvious thoughts and
actions
Works to understand
unspoken thoughts and
behaviors
Works to understand
complex underlying
thoughts and behaviors
and adapts accordingly

B. Influences Others to Achieve Outcomes

Level
Description
0
Does not influence others
Unacceptable

Indicators
One or more flags:
-Misunderstands or is surprised by others feelings or actions
-Sees others primarily in terms of racial, class, cultural, or gender stereotype
-Shows no explicit awareness of others
-Makes no attempt to listen
-Offends other or make them close up
Understands explicit meanings and obvious emotions
Listens to the perspectives of others
Uses understanding to explain others past behavior
-Invites conversation and puts others at ease in order to seek to understand unspoken
thoughts, concerns, or feelings
-Uses this understand to predict, adapt, and respond to others reactions
All of Effective +
Works to understand complex, often hidden cause of others long-term underlying
attitudes, behavior patterns, or problems
Listens responsively by reflecting peoples concerns and/or altering behavior in a
responsive manner

Indicators
One or more flags:
-Uses negative behaviors in an attempt to influence
-Fails to take action to influence others
-Attempts to influence others but unable to gain support or achieve intended outcomes

114

1
Developing

Influences others

2
Effective

Builds support for

sophisticated ideas through
alliances and networks

3
Exemplary

Gains support for

sophisticated and
controversial ideas across a
wide span of stakeholders

-Builds some support for ideas through relationship building and navigating internal
structures
-Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in approaching others, demonstrates exemplary
listening skills, and draws on several influencing mechanisms to cultivate support and
inspire action around straightforward ideas
-Shows an ability to address conflict and resolve conflict in a way that leads to productive
outcomes
-Builds alliances and networks across divisions in order to support base
-Consistently demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in approaching others,
demonstrates exemplary listening skills, and draws on several influencing mechanisms to
cultivate support and inspire action around sophisticated ideas
-Consistently demonstrates ability to address and resolve conflicts in a way that leads to
productive outcomes
-Consistently navigates structures and relationships to gain support across a wide array of
stakeholders
-Consistently demonstrates adaptability and flexibility, demonstrates exceptional listening
skills, and draws on a wide array of influencing mechanisms to cultivate support and
inspire action around sophisticated and controversial ideas
-Consistently demonstrates ability to address conflict and resolve differences in a way that
leads to productive outcomes

C. Effective Communication
Level
Description
Indicator
0
Communicates ineffectively One or more flags:
Unacceptable
-Uses an off-putting tone
-Is extremely difficult to follow
-Has multiple, egregious errors in written communication
1
Communicates logically
-Communicates clearly and with relative ease
Developing
and clearly
-Arguments are logical and easy to follow
-May not adequately consider communication vehicles or timing of messages

115

2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Communicates complicated -Is able to communicate complicated information and subtle messages in ways that are
information and adapts
clear, are easy to understand, and invoke attention to individuals and groups through
messages
exemplary written forms, as well as through clear verbal messages
-Adapts key messages to varying stakeholders based on their interests and motivations;
selects the appropriate vehicles to communicate these messages
Communicates exemplarily All of effective +
with disinterested or
-Is clear, easy to understand, and invokes attention with constituents that are
unsympathetic others
oppositional, disinterested or unsympathetic

116

Cluster 4: Reasoning and Strategic Thinking

A. Analytical Thinking
Level
Description
0
Does not adequately break
Unacceptable
down problems or analyze
information
1
Breaks down tasks into
Developing
component parts and
draws basic connections in
data
2
Prioritizes tasks based on
Effective
multiple factors and makes
multiple connections in
data
3
Does complicated planning
Exemplary
and analysis

B. Strategic Decision Making

Level
Description
0
Fails to make strategic
Unacceptable
decisions

1
Developing

Course of action not fully

strategic

Indicators
-One or more of the following flags:
-Does not break down problems in component parts
-Fails to analyze information or data to draw conclusions
-Breaks down a project or task into a list of steps and able to make simple prioritizations
-When analyzing data and information, notes the relationship among a few items and/or
sees simple causal relationships
-Analyzes and notes the relationship among multiple things (related and seemingly
unrelated)
-Organizes a complex activity into steps in a logical way (based on time, importance, or
other factors)
-Breaks apart complex problem or process into categories and subcategories down to
basic steps or parts
-Analyzes a difficult problem from several different perspectives or using different criteria
before arriving at a detailed solution

Indicators
One or more of the following flags:
-Does not make timely decision about routine issues or tasks
-Does not prioritize action based on time sensitivity, importance, or impact on others
-Fails to articulate a strategic course of action to address identified problems and root
causes
-Chooses a course of action with a sound, if basic, rationale
-Pursues lots of different efforts that arent fully integrated or connected to the problems
and their root causes

117

2
Effective
3
Exemplary

Articulates an integrated
strategy with high potential
for impact
Makes high stakes
decisions in the best
interest of the school and
students

C. Systems Thinking
Level
Description
0
Does not identify
Unacceptable
connection between
seemingly unrelated
components
1
Identifies some potential
Developing
connections between
seemingly unrelated
components
2
Understands and
Effective
articulates how seemingly
unrelated components
affect one another and
identifies the appropriate
leverage points for change
3
Has effectively engineered
Exemplary
a system change in a school
district or CMO setting

-Articulates a strategy that addresses the core problems and root causes of the
team/schools work; chooses to pursue a few, tightly interwoven objectives that
represent large potential returns for the schools vision
-Is willing to cut bait even on a pet project when those projects are not producing results
All of effective +
-Does so for the highest-stakes, most visible decisions for the school

Indicators
-Fails to consider factors beyond those immediately related to system component in
question
-Sees potential connection between issues in the system that may at first seem unrelated

-Hypothesizes about possible relationships between components of the system which at

first appear unrelated
-Identifies promising leverage points in the system in which making a change addresses
root causes of the issue
-Demonstrates understanding that influencing one aspect of a system has implications for
other aspects of the system
All of Effective +
-Has demonstrated experience in working within a system to make broad improvements
in a school setting

118

Cluster 5: Managing People and Projects

A. Personal Organization and Effectiveness
Level
Description
0
Does not uphold
Unacceptable
commitments
1
Upholds immediate needs
Developing
and commitments
2
Manages time and
Effective
resources according to
priorities
3
Exemplary

Indicators
-Demonstrates pattern of not following through on commitments to others
Inconsistently prioritizes their work and fails to be productive
-Strives to follow through on commitments, through timeliness is inconsistent
-Prioritizes daily and weekly tasks appropriately
-Spends most of her time on the priorities that will have the maximum short and long
term impact
-Has structures, systems, and tools in place to support personal organization and
effectiveness
-Follows through on commitments and promises to others with appropriate timeliness
Maximizes teams time and All of effective +
resources to meet priorities -Puts structures, systems, and tools in place to support teams organization and
effectiveness

B. Project Management
Level
Description
0
Does not plan in advance
Unacceptable
1
Addresses current needs
Developing
2
Effective

Considers and plans for

long term needs

Indicators
-Focuses thinking on the past
Fails to address current needs and opportunities
-Acts quickly, decisively, and completely to address current needs and challenges as the
arise, but does not proactively identify future needs and challenges
-Does not check-in on and/or evaluate plans mid-course
-Proactively identifies future needs and anticipates challenges and opportunities; plans or
acts in advance to address these, up to a year in advance
-Demonstrates flexibility when plans or situations change unexpectedly
-Recognizes when mid-course adjustments as needed and take the necessary actions to
achieve results

119

3
Exemplary

Plans more than and year

in advance and possibly
beyond own tenure

C. Team Leadership
Level
Description
0
Does not lead
Unacceptable
1
Developing
2
Effective

3
Exemplary

Manages team activity

Invests the team

Nurtures innovation and

entrepreneurship

D. Staff Management
Level
Description
0
No management
Unacceptable
experience

All of Effective +
-Considers and plans for the future of the school more than a year in advance by taking
direction action needed now, capitalizing on and orchestrating opportunities, aligning
resources, building a bench for future leadership, and creating sustainable plans for
staffing and resources

Indicators
-Provides no directions, goals, roles, or clarity when needed or asked
OR
-Has never lead a team
-Communicates agendas, time constraints, and work tasks
-Tells people affected by decisions or events what is happening, ensuring that people have
information they need
-Uses formal authority fairly, treats people on team with respect and fairness
-Monitors and promotes team morale and performance by checking in with individuals to
see how they feel about the teams work together and allocating appropriate time for
purposeful culture-building
-Provides appropriate information, time, people, and money to support the groups
development and performance
- Sells the team mission, goals, and actions to its members
All of effective +
-Creates a culture of ownership, innovation, and entrepreneurship on the team by giving
team members appropriate autonomy and creating opportunities for team to generate
new ways to accomplish vision and goals
-May also do this for a group/department/unit as a senior leader in the organization

Indicators
-Has no adult management experience

120

1
Developing
2
Effective
3
Exemplary

Manages people, with

results inconsistently
meeting standards
Manages people to
consistently meet or
exceed standards
Manages people to
consistently meet or
exceed standards in
complex structures

E. Talent Development
Level
Description
0
Does not identify talent or
Unacceptable
capacity of others
1
Developing
2
Effective

Able to identify talent and

capacity of others
Able to identify and
leverage talent and
capacity of others

-Has managed adults in previous role

-May still be developing key adult management skills such as setting clear expectations,
monitoring progress, holding individuals accountable, providing feedback, and developing
individuals
-Has managed at least one team of adults
-Sets clear expectations, provides development and support, provides feedback, and
monitors performance
All of effective +
-Has successfully achieved results by managing through multiple layers; and/or has
successfully managed turnaround or start up schools requiring the effort of multiple
teams and stakeholders, including those not directly reporting to them

Indicators
-Avoids providing feedback, recognition, and/or stretch opportunities to others
-Does not differentiate strategies/approach between top performers and most struggling
team members
-Expressed desire and/or value of setting high performance bars for others
-Recognizes top performers, but does not consistently leverage those strengths
-Provides feedback to struggling team members
-Provides development opportunities for all staff, one size fits all
-Communicates a high bar for performance and goals in a manner that supports,
challenges and inspires each staff member
-Provides multiple opportunities for shared leadership throughout the school
-Provides multiple opportunities for development (differentiates as necessary and uses
adult learning theory)
-Works to recognize, reward, stretch, retain, and career plan for top performers
-Engages aggressively when a team member is struggling and employs transparent
process for improvement. Removes low performers

121

3
Exemplary

Builds talent capacity of

others/school (CMO or
district)

All of Effective +
-Holds staff accountable for personal and school growth
Staff members and stakeholders of all backgrounds/levels have the opportunity to
develop as leaders, lead various processes within the school and are empowered to make
decisions on high stakes work

122

Cluster 6: Managing Operations and Systems

A. Resource and Operations Leadership
Level
Description
0
Lacks skills in using money,
Unacceptable
time, people, and plans

1
Developing

Does not ensure the

consistent good use of
time, money, people and
plans in order to meet
goals

2
Effective

Consistently uses time,

money, people and plans
to advance the goals of the
schools

3
Exemplary

Consistently and creatively

uses time, money, people
and plans in a way that
meets the school s goals
and beyond

Indicators
-Does not align staffing and scheduling to the school vision
-Work is mainly reactive
-Does not align time usage with priorities, is ineffective, or focuses only on what is urgent,
not on what is important
-Does not align school budget with school goals
-Aligns staffing to priorities, but scheduling may not be
-Uses time management skills, but day to day rather than strategically planned
-Attempts to align budget to support school goals, but not strategically
-Works with facilities staff to create a safe, clean, and pleasant environment
-Designs an effective safety and risk management plan, but does not ensure it is
consistently implemented
-Uses innovative scheduling and staffing practices to maximize instructional time to
benefit all students
-Creates a schedule that allows teachers to learn, innovate, and plan together
-Makes budget and resource decisions that are clear and based on the schools vision and
goals
-Focuses long and short term fiscal management on equity for all student populations
-Develops external resources that align with school vision and goals
-Ensures that the school is safe, clean, and pleasant
-Designs effective safety and risk management plans and ensures they are consistently
implemented
All of Effective +
-Unique use of staff and scheduling resulting in full maximization of the school day and
year while improving student achievement and staff collaboration
-Supports all staff to ensure that time is organized and managed well to advance school
priorities
-Proactively communicates difficult budget decision transparently and secures additional
resources

123

B. School Culture
Level
Description
0
Fails to create,
Unacceptable
communicate and enact a
school-wide culture plan.
1
Developing

Understands the role of a

consistent school wide
culture plan and routines,
but plans are not culturally
responsive and
inconsistently applied.

2
Effective

Understands the
importance of a school
wide culture plan, curates
the implementation of that
plan, and ensures that
there is social and
disciplinary equity within
the school.
Implements and curates
such a strong culture plan
that staff and students
begin to own the plan and
innovate. Ensures social
and disciplinary equity
exists, as well as growth
and restoration.

3
Exemplary

Indicators
-Does not plan for the emotional, social and physical safety of staff and students
-Communications are sometimes negative or unprofessional
-Does not provide celebration to mark success or achievement
-Behavior management systems are not communicated well and inconsistently applied
resulting in unpredictable, chaotic, unsafe, or unjust school environment
-Leadership and staff feel ownership over the safety of students and staff
-Provides structures to ensure the building is safe and some students feel valued/sense of
belonging
-Communications are usual professional and positive, but sometimes only with certain
groups of staff
-Celebrations are inconsistent
-Allows behavior management systems that do not reflect responsiveness to student
culture and are usually applied inconsistently
-Ensures that all adult stakeholders feel ownership of the safety of the school
-Embraces the values, strengths, and experiences of students resulting in most students
feeling valued and a sense of belonging
-Monitors school climate to ensure all interests and opinions are being heard and
respective
-Acts to ensure behavior management systems work to end any disproportionality of
discipline actions on certain groups of students and are applied consistently
All of Effective +
-Ensures students feel ownership over the safety of each other and feel safe themselves
-Ensures students feel valued, able to be themselves, and comfortable throughout the
school
-Set up structures and expectations for students, teachers and other staff and community
members to lead celebrations
-Acts to ensure that behavior management systems are not only equitable, but result in
growth and restorative practices

124

C. Family and Community Engagement

Level
Description
0
Does not understand the
Unacceptable
importance of family and
community engagement,
or is unable/unwilling to
act in a way that leads to
that engagement
1
Developing

Has a basic understanding

that family and community
engagement is important,
but actions are surface
level or generic.

2
Effective

Deeply understands the

importance and impact of
family and community
engagement and uses a
variety of actions in order
to continue and grow that
engagement.

3
Exemplary

Deeply understands the

importance of family and
community engagement,
actions ensure that families
and community members
begin to take ownership
and innovate in their
relationship to the school.

Indicators
-Makes only superficial attempts to communicate with parents/families and community
that do not reach a large group
-Does not work with staff to put in systems to partner with families in the school, families
do not have favorable/trusting view of the leader
-Demonstrates interest in community and is beginning to engage, but has not established
partnership.
-Inconsistently communicates the success and needs of the school to the community
-Regularly updates families and community members on the schools progress- both
successes and challenges
-Does not use easy to navigate structures for families and community to contact or
provide feedback to the leader
-Interacts with families and acknowledges their critical role, but provides only limited or
very specific ways to be involved both inside and outside of the school
-Develops community partnerships, but their role is unclear or they do not move the
leader closer to achieving the vision
-Has high degree of visibility, accessibility, and responsiveness- consistently interacting
with students, staff, parents, and community through varied platforms (in persona, at
events, email, social media, website, etc.)
-Uses easy to understand and navigate structures for parents and community members to
provide feedback to the leader
-Listens to, values, and highlights families and community members talents, cultural
heritage, skills, and knowledge to strengthen curriculum and student activities
-Develops numerous community partnerships that reflect the community, support the
vision of the school, and actively support the vision
All of Effective +
-Stakeholders possess a sense of pride in the school that they communicate to the
broader community
-Parents and community feel valued and safe enough to regularly communicate feedback
and ideas
-Leader empowers and welcomes the community members and families to be leaders
within the school

125

Cluster 7: Instructional Leadership

A. Instructional Knowledge and Background
Level
Description
0
Was not an effective
Unacceptable
teacher and/or does not
understand curriculum and
effective classroom
practices
1
Was/is an effective
Developing
teacher, but unsure how to
articulate that practice into
a learning theory for the
school
2
Is/was highly effective
Effective
teacher and understands
and articulates a learning
theory for a school
(curriculum and effective
practices) and ensures
access to learning
opportunities for diverse
student populations
3
Is/was a highly effective
Exemplary
teacher, articulates a
learning theory, and has
some measureable success
in implementing that
theory in a school, team or
department

Indicators
-Does not have a history of effective teaching in a classroom and/or
-Cannot articulate effective curricular and classroom practices

-Has a documented history of being highly effective in the classroom

-Cannot articulate effective curricular and classroom practices- only able to speak in terms
of his/her classroom
-Has a documented history of being a highly effective teacher
-Is able to articulate a process for making instructional decisions based on data, current
research, and best practice
-Understands the curricula and pedagogical best practices that should be present in the
classroom

All of Effective +
-Is able to share specific examples of making decisions and implementing changes
regarding curriculum, effective classrooms, and/or instructional best practices schoolwide, team wide or department wide

126

B. Data Driven Leadership

Level
Description
0
Does not understand or
Unacceptable
identify the importance of
data driven leadership
1
Understands the
Developing
importance of data but is
unable to analyze and
utilize data
2
Understands the
Effective
importance of data and is
able to analyze and use the
data in order to meet
school goals
3
Understands the
Exemplary
importance of data, uses it
to meet school goals, and
empowers others to use
data as well
C. Growing Strong Teachers
Level
Description
0
Does not understand the
Unacceptable
importance of building the
teaching talent in the
building

Indicators
-Is uncertain about the importance of data use school-wide
-Cannot effectively analyze and utilize data
-Says that school-wide data use is important to achievement and growth, but:
-Is unable to analyze the data from the school, or analyzes the wrong data
-Cannot fully articulate the what or the why of the schools data
-Does not or cannot monitor interim data or make predictions based on data
-Identifies data points that most impact end of the year goals
-Effectively analyzes and uses the data from the school
-Can generate next steps that align data trends
-Can articulate the what and the why of the schools data
-Monitors formative and interim data to make accurate predictions
All of Effective +
-Creates a culture where staff regularly participate in the data cycle without having to be
led by the principal/school
-School consistently meets the EOY goals set at the beginning of the year

Indicators
-Is not able to articulate the importance of growing the skill of teachers in the school
-Does not think it is part of the principal or school leader role
-Does not set standards for teacher planning
-Does not regularly observe teachers
-Does not plan or deliver regular professional development for teachers

127

1
Developing

Understands that growing

strong teacher is
important, but unsure
about their ability to do so

2
Effective

Understands that growing

strong teachers is
important, can articulate
how it is done, and shows
evidence of having
improved teacher practice
at his/her school

3
Exemplary

Knows that strong

teachers is important, and
can do it, and is able to
meet individual needs of
teachers regularly

-Is unsure whether this is the school leaders role, or how the school leader would do this
-Lacks a working theory about how growing strong teachers would be done in a school
-Sets standards for teacher planning, but lessons are not reviewed and teachers do not
receive regular, consistent feedback
-Observes teachers inconsistently or in a way that is not useful to their growth
-Plans and delivers professional development that is not tailored to the schools goals or
teachers needs
-Ensures that teacher plans (year long, unit, and daily) have all the baseline components,
reviews (or ensures review of) plans in a systemic way, provides feedback that is targeted
and aligned with individual teacher/team goals and school goals
-Implements a cycle of observation, feedback, and coaching that is on-going, aligned with
school data and priorities, and includes all staff
-Creates and keeps an observation schedule that allows consistent and effective collection
of the data on most school goals and individual teacher and team goals
-Provides feedback that is accurate, correctly connects the key issue to a school goal, and
strengthens the teachers sense of efficacy
-Plans and delivers professional development that is planned specifically for the teachers
needs around school goals and uses adult learning theory at the foundation
All of Effective +
-Systems and processes exist for teachers to support one another in being their best
-Creates opportunities for shared/distributed leadership
-Differentiates teacher support so that everyone gets what they need
-Ensures that teachers leave PD with multiple of examples of how to use the learning in
their classroom, and a plan for follow-up

128

Teach For Americas Core Values

Transformational
Change

We seek to expand educational opportunity in ways that are life-changing

for children and transforming for our country. Given our deep belief in
children and communities, the magnitude of educational inequity and its
consequences, and our optimism about the solvability of the problem, we
act with high standards, urgency, and a long-term view.

Leadership

We strive to develop and become the leaders necessary to realize

educational excellence and equity. We establish bold visions and invest
others in working towards them. We work in purposeful, strategic, and
resourceful ways, define broadly what is within our control to solve, and
learn and improve constantly. We operate with a sense of possibility,
persevere in the face of challenges, ensure alignment between our actions
and beliefs, and assume personal responsibility for results.

Team

We value and care about each other, operate with a generosity of spirit,
and have fun in the process of working together. To maximize our
collective impact, we inspire, challenge, and support each other to be our
best and sustain our effort.

Diversity

We act on our belief that the movement to ensure educational equity will
succeed only if it is diverse in every respect. In particular, we value the
perspective and credibility that individuals who share the racial and
economic backgrounds of the students with whom we work can bring to
our organization, classrooms, and the long-term effort for change.

Respect
& Humility

We value the strengths, experiences, and perspectives of others, and we

recognize our own limitations. We are committed to partnering effectively
with families, schools, and communities to ensure that our work advances
the broader good for all children.

129

JEREMY GRANT-SKINNER
jeremy.grant-skinner@teachforamerica.org
WORK EXPERIENCE

06/15

Wilmington, DE
TEACH FOR AMERICA-DELAWARE
Senior Managing Director, School Leadership
Design and direct Lead For Delaware, a 2-year alternative principal certification program
Serve as lead instructor and executive coach for annual cohort of up to 10 aspiring principals
Develop a seamless leadership pipeline for excellent teachers included TFA alumni nationally

02/13 06/15

Syracuse, NY
SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Executive Director of Talent Management
Served as chief HR/talent officer of district with 21,000 students, 4,000 staff, and 37 schools
Developed and implemented comprehensive district talent strategy in alignment with strategic plan
Created and facilitated sessions of Aspiring Leaders Academy to develop 50 leaders over two years
Secured total of $20 million in competitive funding, including Turnaround School Leaders Program
Oversaw implementation of all teacher and principal evaluations, including Peer Observer program
Managed labor relations with 10 unions; negotiated 4 historic contracts with teachers union
Created recruitment brand (All In) differentiating SCSD and outlining districts total value proposition
Designed Join SCSD website, attracting 50,000 unique visitors in one year, averaging 300 daily visits
Coordinated $12 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant with incentives to retain top teachers/leaders
Facilitated design, pilot of Multi Classroom Leader positions to expand teacher career pathway roles
Redesigned new teacher orientation/induction with 175 hours of support in teachers first 13 months
Hired 750 new staff (20% of employees) over two years; tripled the number of teachers of color hired
Implemented new teacher selection tools, resulting in 2/3 of new hires being in top 40% of applicants
Staffed 12 Innovation Zone schools with 700 new and returning teachers fully through mutual consent
Designed improvements to human resource database and procedures, including paperless forms and
automated reports to improve customer service, enhance data reliability, and increase transparency

02/12 02/13

TNTP
Washington, DC
Project Director, Emerging Services
Provided talent expertise and critical input to executive-level clients including superintendents
Conceptualized and facilitated a working group responsible for knowledge management related to
compensation and career pathways based on national research and practice across contracts
Designed innovative teacher compensation and career pathways model for the ASD, a state
turnaround district, allowing the best new teachers to double base salary within 5 years
Developed and managed implementation of plan enabling teacher leaders to earn over $90,000
Identified high-priority teacher leadership roles and created selection materials and criteria
Provided resource allocation recommendations to Philadelphia Public Schools to improve schoolbased support to teachers; compared charter resource allocation for NewSchools Venture Fund
Managed, developed, and evaluated Analyst and Site Manager staff across multiple projects
Supported revitalization of TNTPs Teacher Talent Toolbox, reporting out best national practices

03/09 02/12

Washington, DC
DC OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION
Deputy Assistant Superintendent
Led Teaching and Learning team and was second-in-command for division with 50 staff
Managed $200 million annual budget as state director for a dozen federal grant programs
Earned team average rating of 5.5/6.0 on survey collecting customer service feedback from LEAs
Resolved nearly 100 past findings from program monitoring and single audits; served as point of
contact with US Education Department, A-133 auditors, and US Government Accountability Office
Secured more than $10 million in competitive funding, winning SIG and Striving Readers grants
Designed and executed procedures improving annual application approval timeline by 10 months
Created policies for allowing fund consolidation (increasing flexibility), equitably allocating Title I funds
Increased 6-month LEA drawdown rates by 400% over 1 year and 1700% over 2 years
Oversaw implementation of turnaround models in 16 lowest-performing schools in 2 LEAs

01/05 02/09

TNTP

Baltimore, MD
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Fellow Advisor and Selector

Trained and managed Baltimore City Teaching Residencys pre-service teachers in 2005, 2007, 2009
Led sessions to develop mastery of key competencies with average survey rating of 3.51 out of 4
Interviewed and made recommendations for 200 prospective teachers over 8 selection seasons
08/06 05/08

Baltimore, MD
JUVENILE LAW, CHILDRENS ISSUES, AND LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CLINIC
Law Clinic Teaching Assistant and Student Attorney
Advocated for students in juvenile delinquency, special education, and school discipline cases
Led all facets of student representation in school and legal proceedings, including client interviewing
and counseling, fact investigation, case management, and advocacy in formal and informal settings
Served as advisor to students involved in the Baltimore City Student Court program, an alternative
program offering young offenders an opportunity to make restitution for an offense through peermandated, constructive, and restorative sanctions, avoiding fines and a criminal record
As Clinic Teaching Assistant, managed partnership with Baltimore Freedom Academy (BFA), an
innovative high school with a mission of preparing students to be advocates for their communities
Led team of law students in conducting legal research, creating lesson plans, developing advocacy
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projects for students, supporting Mock Trial Team, and teaching weekly 10 grade classes

04/07 07/07

Philadelphia, PA
TEACH FOR AMERICA
Corps Member Advisor
Supervised 12 teachers in pre-service training, earning average rating of 6.3 out of 7.0
Managed teachers in 4 classrooms with over 70 students; evaluated teachers using TFA rubric
Generated final average of 94% rubric proficiency, surpassing Institute-wide goal of 80%

05/06 08/06

Baltimore, MD
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF M ARYLAND
Law Clerk
Supported preparation and filing of illegal arrest lawsuit against the Baltimore City Police Department
Wrote memos, briefs, and letters, including letter to MD AG regarding anti-gay harassment in schools
Authored op-ed and created information card on early voting rights in advance of 2006 MD elections

08/01 07/05

Baltimore, MD
BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS/TEACH FOR AMERICA
Teacher
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Taught 1 /5 -grade classes at two Title I schools, serving 99% African American/Latino population
Chaired School Improvement Team; served as Teacher Liaison on Parent Teacher Organization
Planned and delivered standards-based lessons in all subjects for classes of up to 32 students
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As Team Leader, led first grade to highest assessment scores ever 90 percentile citywide
Surpassed state average in Maryland School Assessment fifth grade reading scores
Successfully advocated for safe schools regulation before MD State Department of Education

EDUCATION

08/05 05/08

Baltimore, MD
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF LAW
Juris Doctor (Law)
Leadership Scholar; VP of MD Public Interest Law Projects 501(c)(3) Board of Directors
Author: Acknowledging Uncommon Relationships: Changing How We Teach Students to Be Leaders

06/01 05/03

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Master of Arts in Teaching (Elementary Education)

08/98 05/01

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

New York, NY
Bachelor of Arts (Politics; Mathematics)
Graduated in 3 years, cum laude, with Honors; Trustees Scholar; University Honors Scholar
Harvard University Galbraith Scholar (Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy)
Volunteer in after-school program at Henry Street Settlement, tutoring middle grades students
Thesis: Poverty Measurement in the United States: A Review of the Orshansky Method

Baltimore, MD

131