NorCal ELC builds momentum by practicing what they coach and continuously improving as they enter this next three-year cycle.
They are continuing what worked from Cohort 1, such as their equity-centered, team-based approach to addressing Problems of Practice using Improvement Science. Their Leadership Academy (LA) and Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) Community of Practice are held virtually and span 11 northern counties.
What’s new is that they are refining their focus and their coaching by developing four foundational areas: equity, leadership, continuous improvement, and team development. This summer, teams of coaches, staff, and the Abeo team drafted continuums designed to bring clarity and understanding to these four areas—areas they deem the most critical components of the program. The continuums are designed for individuals and teams to self-assess their own competencies and provide guidance for professional goals and growth.
| Equity | An approach to ensuring equally high outcomes for all by removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any racial, social, or cultural factor. (Street Data) | Domains:
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| Continuous improvement | Continuous improvement is an umbrella term that covers methodologies that share a common approach of empirically testing changes to a system by focusing on improving the interactions of people, processes, materials, and norms toward a common goal. (West Ed; Getting Better at Getting more Equitable) | Domains:
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| Leadership | Leaders provide supportive and shared leadership structure and opportunities to ensure positive school culture and effective professional learning communities that impact school improvement. | Domains:
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| Team development | In order to transform schools we need high-functioning groups of educators working together; this competency supports teams in organizational fluency and relationships acknowledging how teams relate to each other and how teams engage in the work together. | Domains:
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In addition, Dr. Michael Gulbransen, NorCal ELC’s Professional Learning Director, created a NorCal ELC Leadership Coach Continuum to support coaches in their own coaching skills. As noted in the continuum:
Coaching focuses consistently on leadership that positively impacts learning and teaching practice. It is a complex process leading to changes in leaders' practice by rethinking and re-strategizing leadership and transforming their dispositions, behaviors, and communication. Effective coaching will result in building leadership capacity, increasing instructional improvement, and extending student learning.
Teams are getting introduced to the full continuums, and having facilitated conversation, over a period of time. Alongside learning and practicing Improvement Science and working on problems of practice, team leads and team members are now getting a fuller picture of what equity, leadership, continuous improvement and team development means in this 21CSLA region.
If you would like to know more about NorCal ELC’s continuums or approach to educational improvement in rural communities, please contact Dr. Kotar at mkotar@csuchico.edu.