Leadership magazine Sept/Oct 2014 V 44 No 1 | Page 27

graduation rates (69.9 percent) of the 21 school districts in Riverside County. As a result, the superintendent and school board created a wildly important goal of attaining a 100 percent high school graduation rate as a compelling, long-term outcome that could engage the entire school district. When Moreno Valley USD subsequently engaged in community-based strategic planning and LCAP design sessions, this outcome was further validated as the priority for all stakeholders. Shifting school district culture to focus on the relentless pursuit of a common, audacious goal may be the greatest challenge of any school district leader. To achieve this outcome, structures were designed for organizing district personnel and the staff at every middle and high school to improve student support services. Processes were also created to engage district and school staff in a continuous improvement cycle based on the learning needs of each student. The first step was to understand the root cause of constraints within existing student support systems. A deep dive into data revealed that in the first semester of 2011, approximately 5,000 failing grades had been assigned to the 10,000 students attending high school, and that ninth-grade students received the most failing grades. To further inform root cause analysis, a longitudinal, student cohort study had been conducted by Palm Springs USD that identified the leading indicators for high school dropout or failure to attain a high school diploma were attributed to two factors: two failing grades in seventh grade followed by two failing grades in eighth grade. Metrics for monitoring high school completion A formalized structure was established so each middle and high school could design grade-level leading indicators of atrisk students that guided a protocol-driven process for targeting student support and monitoring the impact on middle and high school grades and completion of high school course credits. Leading indicators included metrics such as attendance, discipline infractions, progress reports of student grades, district benchmark assessments, standardized test scores and completion of student plans for high school and beyond. A structure was also established for guiding the design of school intervention plans and sharing of progress with district personnel multiple times during the year. This laid the foundation for a continuous improvement process wherein school sites designed and implemented action steps, assessed progress, shared results and used feedback to inform next steps. After having improved the fundamental system of integrated student support, Moreno Valley USD was recognized in 2014 as having the highest increase in high school graduation rates in Riverside County, and at 81 percent that rate has exceeded the California state average. Moreno Valley USD can leverage this process to implement the LCAP through established structures and processes and an emerging culture of continuous improvement aimed at the long-term pursuit of attaining a 100 percent high school graduation rate. Shifting to sustainable solutions There is a powerful theme that can lead the work of California school districts in these early stages of LCAP implementation: focus on what matters most. This echoes a phrase made famous by the late Steve Jobs, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” which conveys the true complexity of leading a strategic focus to build capacity of school district systems. If, however, school districts create an inspirational vision with a few goals to reallocate and redirect local resources that directly empower schools to engage all stakeholders in systems change, then innovative solutions for closing student achievement gaps are clearly on the horizon. To achieve this vision, three fundamental shifts in practice are paramount: a shift from a complianceorientation to that of internal capacity building; a shift from seeking single solutions to leading systems change; and a shift from short-term strategies reliant on staff reactions and prescribed learning to long-term outcomes driven by a few compelling goals and a culture of continuous improvement. n References Fullan, M. (2009). “Have Theory, Will Travel: A Theory of Action for Systems Change.” In A. Hargreaves and M. Fullan (Eds.), Change Wars. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Kirkpatrick, J. & Kirkpatrick, W. (2014). The Kirkpatrick Four Levels: A Fresh Look after 55 Years. Kirkpatrick Partners. McChesney, C.; Covey, S. & Huling, J. (2012). The Four Disciplines of Execution. New York, NY: Free Press. Westover, J. (2008). “A Framework for Excellence: The Role of the Central Office.” I n The Collaborative Administrator: Working Together as a Professional Learning Community (pp. 235-251). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. ©2014 Jay Westover Jay Westover is chief learning officer of InnovateEd, a consulting firm committed to building capacity of school districts through leadership development, instructional support services and integrated student support systems. He can be contacted at [email protected]. September/October 2014 27