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EA 740 Foundations of School Leadership

Four Frames Assignment

Memo to the Superintendent

To: Dr. Superintendent

From: Craig Rizzi

Re: District analysis of professional learning schedule

Date: December 2016

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of a district team that has been asked to research

a current issue that is a challenge for Rochester Community Schools. I reviewed the topic

that our focus group identified: the sporadic schedule for professional learning in our

district. In response to your request, we followed the Bolman and Deal Four Frames

analysis and included a research-based response to this issue.

As indicated, I have included information that describes Rochester Community Schools,

the issue at hand, and the implications as evident in each of the Four Frames. A reference

list is also included that cites all research used to defend the suggestions related to this

issue.

It is a privilege to be able to look in-depth at an issue that is a challenge for our district,

and to provide alternative means for a resolution that can move us forward in a positive

direction. I look forward to the December meeting in which we will present our responses

in a public forum.
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The Situation

Rochester Community Schools (RCS) is a somewhat unique district in Michigan,

as we have over three hundred teachers at four middle schools and four high schools

(including the alternative education high school) among which we must coordinate. Over

the past few years, our strategic plan has placed the focus on providing a consistent

educational experience for every student in RCS, regardless of which school they attend.

Therefore, it is becoming increasingly critical for teachers to be able to meet with their

counterparts in the buildings across the district in order to begin to standardize our

approach for teaching in classes at every level.

As you are aware, our current professional learning schedule allows for three full

days of professional learning before the school year begins and one full day in the months

of October, November, and March. The current schedule makes it hard for us, as teacher

leaders, to develop continuity in our discussions. We are not able to easily follow up on

conversations that we start at any given professional learning meeting. Teachers, building

administrators, and district departmental consultants have all expressed frustration in this

current model of professional learning.

Our proposed solution to this problem is to split our professional learning sessions

into shorter segments, spread out more evenly throughout the year. Instead of conducting

three full-day sessions throughout the year, we propose the implementation of monthly

late-start or early-release days to allow teachers a half day of professional learning time.

This schedule would give us more opportunities to meet regularly and develop continuity

in our discussions and implementation of initiatives. Additionally, Darling-Hammond,

Chung Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos (2009) have concluded that effective
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professional development should be intensive, ongoing, and connected to practice.

Adopting this new schedule of professional learning would be more consistent with

current research.

Bolman and Deal’s (2008) four frames for analyzing organizational structure and

decision-making provide a new lens for us to examine the issue at hand. The four frames:

structural, human resource, symbolic, and political allow us to take four unique

perspectives in analyzing solutions and potential challenges in developing a stronger

professional learning schedule for RCS.

The Human Resource Frame

The human resource frame takes into account employee’s needs and feelings.

Through this lens, Bolman and Deal advocate for providing support, warmth, and

encouragement to employees. According to this frame, a good leader will ensure that his

employees (in this case, teachers) feel respected, listened to, and accepted in the district.

As mentioned above, teachers and building administrators are currently

advocating for a new model for professional learning because of the difficulties for

collaboration in the current model. By amending the current model of professional

learning, the district would show that they hear and value the opinions of its employees.

From the human resource frame, the proposed model of professional learning will benefit

the district in the following ways:

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 Teachers will feel more comfortable in the organization because of the consistent

time to plan and learn with colleagues.

 Teachers will receive more consistent support from their colleagues through this

new model of professional learning.

 We will be able to develop a more collaborative model of teaching and learning in

RCS by providing opportunities for sustained collaboration.

 Teachers will be able to develop trust and dependence on their colleagues because

of the increased amount of face time.

 Teachers will feel that their time is valued because they will see that the district is

willing to invest more resources and time in their professional development.

With any frame of reference in analyzing a situation come some potential

difficulties, as well. In considering the human resource frame, district leaders will have to

be careful not to appear too passive or weak. When providing this learning time for

teachers, district administrators have an important job in ensuring that the time is used

wisely. Additionally, parents will have difficulty in adjusting their childcare routine to

this new schedule of professional learning, so district administrators must be diligent in

communicating the new schedule and its benefits to the instructional program in RCS. If

parents do not understand the purpose for the switch, they may feel as though this change

is not justifiable. We will need to make sure their concerns are heard and that they are

provided reassurement throughout the process.

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The Structural Frame

In analyzing a situation from the structural frame, leaders analyze a situation from

a logical, fact-oriented viewpoint, as opposed to an emotional one. However, a good

structural leader does not impose orders to solve every problem. Instead, they provide

just enough guidance and structure to ensure everyone knows their role in the

organization, keeping relationships moving in a positive direction.

By considering the facts presented in the introduction, district leaders will be

examining the situation from a logical perspective. It is clear that the proposed model of

professional learning will provide greater opportunities for collaboration and

standardization across the district. Moving forward with the new model will provide

teachers with a new structure for their own learning, however, it is important to not

prescribe specific activities for each professional learning session. This would be seen as

micromanagement, which would reduce teacher autonomy, as opposed to increasing and

encouraging teacher leadership.

From a structural framework, the proposed model of monthly professional

learning would benefit the district in the following ways:

 A consistent professional learning schedule will help teachers plan a continuous,

rigorous professional learning program for themselves that aligns more closely to

the one defined by Darling-Hammond, et al. (2009).

 The district will be able to add three “student days” to the school calendar because

they will be able to count the half-day professional learning sessions as student

days if the students are in session for at least half of the day.
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 More leadership will be given to the teachers in allowing them to determine their

own needs for professional learning.

 Teachers will see more value in the professional learning process because it will

occur more consistently.

 The professional learning process will become more predictable and comfortable

for teachers, allowing them to invest in it more fully.

As mentioned above, we must be careful not to provide too much structure for

these professional learning sessions. Structural leaders often run the risk of appearing too

rigid or authoritarian, which reduces the support they receive from their employees.

Developing overarching goals for the district will help to set a focus, as you have done

this year through the theme of “pride in excellence.” However, giving too many

directives for professional learning activities, which is one of the dangers of the structural

framework, may lead to reduced teacher motivation and autonomy.

The Symbolic Frame

From a symbolic perspective, a good leader focuses on inspiring his employees by

giving them a higher purpose and creating an identity for the organization. They take an

organization’s history into account and create physical symbols, slogans, awards, and

more in order to motivate their employees. These symbols carry a meaning and

implication that is known to everyone in the organization, enabling them to be used as

both instrinsic and extrinsic motivators throughout the organization.

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In our case of changing the model for professional learning, the symbolic frame of

reference predicts success in the following ways:

 The monthly model of professional learning symbolizes an investment in the

district’s teachers by providing a time and monetary commitment.

 Teachers will be able to spend time exploring the mission, vision, and values for

their department, building, and the district as a whole, reinforcing these ideals.

 The increased collaboration that will result from this change is a symbol for the

teamwork and professional community that we want to develop in RCS.

As with the other frames, there are potential dangers to viewing situations solely

from a symbolic perspective. If the symbols used in the analysis are weak or meaningless,

then the leader can begin to lose credibility in the organization. We will have to make

sure our commitment to teacher autonomy and collaboration are strongly defined and

reinforced to ensure that these are symbols around which teachers can rally.

The Political Frame

From a political frame perspective, a good leader recognizes that different groups

within an organization need scarce resources and does his best to distribute those

resources in a fair and methodical way. According to Bolman and Deal, a political leader

will develop strong ties to each group in an organization and negotiate compromise

whenever necessary.
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In this situation, a political superintendent would begin to develop a strong

working relationship with teachers, building administrators, and curriculum directors in

order to begin forging a path forward for monthly professional learning meetings. By

creating these stronger relationships, the leader would be able to establish fair

expectations decided upon by all stakeholders, creating trust between parties and

compromising when necessary.

We can use the political framework to analyze the benefits of the proposed

monthly professional learning schedule in the following ways:

 The new model would show that the central office trusts teachers enough to let

them lead their own learning on a monthly basis.

 Leadership would be distributed more evenly throughout the district, creating a

fairer dynamic that values input from all stakeholders.

 A more consistent professional learning schedule would allow district leaders to

distribute resources more evenly among departments, based upon clearly defined

needs and expectations.

The danger with the political framework is that a leader may appear to be

manipulative or overly intimidating. In distributing resources for professional learning,

district administrators must work to be fair and consistent. This will allow teachers to

develop trust and faith in the system because they know that their needs will be fairly met

if scare resources allow it.

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Conclusion

In all, Bolman and Deal’s four frames allow us to look at an issue from a variety

of perspectives. This gives us a better idea of how to approach the issue and develop a

solution that will be most viable in an organization. It is interesting to note that many

solutions require perspective from multiple frames, with many of the key points

overlapping within two or three of the frames. For example, the benefit of increased

teacher leadership and autonomy can be seen from a human resource perspective as a

way for individuals in an organization to feel valued and self-actualized, while it can also

be viewed from a structrual frame as a way for an organization to distribute leadership

and define a hierarchy of responsibility for professional learning.

By restructuring our professional learning schedule to incorporate monthly half-

day professional learning sessions, we can more easily provide opportunitites for

distributed leadership throughout the district. Scribner, Sawyer, Watson, and Myers

(2007) have identified the importance of distributed leadership in teacher teams. More

importantly, however, they noted that a structure and purpose is necessary for the success

of these teacher teams. From a structural framework, it is important to note that this

structure can be provided by the district or by each department, depending on the level of

trust placed in the teaching staff.

The monthly professional learning schedule will also be able to provide a

continuous and sustained professional learning experience that more closely aligns with

the research done by Darling-Hammond, et al. (2009). Their conclusion that “the duration

of professional development appears to be associated with stronger impact on teachers

and student learning” further supports a monthly model of professional learning, as

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opposed to the episodic model that we currently use (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009, p. 9).

This relates most closely to the human resource framework because the district will be

providing opportunities to develop trust, collaboration, and personal growth for its

employees.

In terms of implementation, we recommend implementing this new schedule for

professional learning next year. The model we are using this year is minimally effective

because of the lack of continuity, so it would not be wise to continue to use this model

next year. From a political perspective, it will be important for you to communicate this

schedule change as soon as possible to the parents so that they can begin to organize

solutions for childcare on the half days. By communicating early, you will be able to

minimize some of the panic and concern felt by the parent community over this change.

We also recommend providing the parents with a sound rationale of the benefits of the

change so that they will feel more assured that this change will improve the teaching and

learning in RCS.

After analyzing the proposed change from all four frames described by Bolman

and Deal, we are confident that this change in the schedule of professional learning will

benefit all stakeholders in RCS in a number of different ways. We look forward to

discussing this issue with you further in order to find the best solution for our students

and teachers in Rochester.

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References

Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Darling-Hammond, L., Chung Wei, R., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S.

(2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on

teacher development in the U.S and abroad: Technical report. Stanford

University Calif.: National Staff Development Council.

Scribner, J. P., Sawyer, R. K., Watson, S. T., & Myers, V. L. (2007, February 01).

Teacher teams and distributed leadership: A study of group discourse and

collaboration. Educational Administration Quarterly, 43(1), 67-100.

doi:10.1177/0013161x06293631