Today's Law As Amended


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SB-961 Leadership Coaching Program for Public School Administrators.(2007-2008)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 44550) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

Article  5.5. Leadership Coaching Program for Public School Administrators
44550.
 The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a) California’s demand for school principals is growing, and the numbers of qualified and experienced candidates is not meeting the demand.
(b) Growing accountability for achievement of academic standards by all learners demands that school leadership effectively demonstrate the ability to guide complex processes of evaluation, change, and group development, that the principal serve as both instructional leader and learning leader, and that the principal often institute significant and immediate changes in schoolsite culture, practice, and policy.
(c) Research on the value of leadership coaching in California conducted by the University of California, among others, demonstrates that coaching can have a significantly positive impact on principal development.
(d) Current educational research demonstrates that there is a significant positive correlation between school leadership and pupil achievement and supports the contention that the leader’s knowledge of best instructional practices must be situationally applied, depending on the unique circumstances of each school.
(e) The leadership of California’s schools can best be fully developed through onsite, of-the-moment, reality-based, contextualized experience shared with a highly qualified, trained, and certified leadership coach who is supported by a rigorous and structured research-based program.
(f) Sustained and continuous improvement in instructional practice and in pupil achievement must be supported at all levels of a school district.
(g) Leadership coaching of site principals and district office administrators who directly support and work with principals will lead to systemic and ongoing support of collaborative and effective instructional practices that will attract and retain effective principals, well qualified teachers, and support staff.
44550.5.
 (a) There is hereby established the leadership coaching program for public school administrators. The Superintendent shall administer the program.
(b) From funds appropriated for the purpose of this article, the Superintendent shall award incentive funding to provide leadership coaching to the following groups of educators in the order of priority specified:
(1) First priority shall be given to first or second year principals of identified program improvement schools who are currently enrolled in programs provided through the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(2) Second priority shall be given to principals with more than two years of administrative experience, currently assigned to identified program improvement schools, who are currently enrolled in or who have completed programs provided through the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(3) Third priority shall be given to first or second year principals not assigned to program improvement schools who are not currently enrolled in the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(4) Fourth priority shall be given to two district office administrators of each local education agency who directly support and work with schoolsite principals serving in local education agencies participating in the leadership coaching program pursuant to this article.
(c) For the purposes of this article, “local education agency” means a school district, a county office of education, or a charter school.
44551.
 (a) To receive incentive funding for the purpose of this article, a local education agency shall submit a program proposal to the Superintendent through a process and upon a timeline to be developed by the Superintendent. The program proposal shall contain both of the following:
(1) An expenditure plan and an explanation of the way in which the coaching program for which funding is being requested addresses the leadership coaching program goals specified in Sections 44553 and 44554.
(2) Information regarding the principals to be coached that will allow the Superintendent to determine placement of the principals on the priority list specified in Section 44550 for allocation of leadership coaching funding.
(b) The Superintendent shall approve or disapprove a local education agency’s plan.
44552.
 (a) Providers of leadership coaching shall submit a program proposal to the Superintendent through a process and upon a timeline to be developed by the Superintendent specifying the manner in which the provider will address the program goals and services delineated in Sections 44553 and 44554.
(b) The Superintendent shall assess and evaluate program proposals submitted by provider applicants, based upon the criteria specified in Sections 44553 and 44554.
(c) The Superintendent shall approve or disapprove a provider’s program proposal, granting or denying authorization to provide leadership coaching pursuant to this article.
44553.
 Leadership coaching providers shall do both of the following to be considered for approval by the Superintendent:
(a) Offer a research-based, rigorous, well-structured coaching training and certification program that includes all components specified in Section 44554.
(b) Build and maintain a network of certified coaches designed to maintain and deepen coaching skills and to provide certified coaches with up-to-date training and information on educational issues and coaching research.
44554.
 Leadership coaching providers shall ensure that leadership coaching services provided pursuant to this article do all of the following:
(a) Extend, deepen, and contextualize the school principal’s understanding of all of the modules of the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(b) Develop leadership abilities in identifying and overcoming challenges to pupil achievement for all learners posed by diverse and unique school cultures.
(c) Develop leadership skills, strategies, and resources in promoting the growth of a purposeful, collaborative school-based professional learning community focused upon successful learning for all pupils.
(d) Extend and apply leadership skills in examining data, culture, and systems that bring site-based challenges to light and establish clear priorities for school action.
(e) Develop site-based application of leadership skills in the identification, promotion, training, supervision, and evaluation of the most effective research-based instructional practices.
(f) Develop understanding and clarification of new leadership roles.
(g) Build capacity for sustaining pupil achievement and for continued growth.
(h) Provide eight hours per month of reality-embedded, goal-oriented coaching by an experienced leadership coach who is trained and certified by the approved provider in research-based coaching concepts, methodology, and tools.
(i) Provide individualized professional development plans focused on the California professional standards for educational leaders and on implementation of all of the modules that are part of the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(j) Provide mid-year formative and end-year summative assessments of professional growth.
44555.
 (a) Leadership coaching providers shall provide leadership coaching training and certification only to coaching applicants who meet all of the following requirements:
(1) Possess a valid California administrative services credential.
(2) Have a minimum of five years of successful administrative experience.
(3) Provide evidence of other characteristics conducive to successful coaching, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Successful administrative experience at the level and setting of principals to be served in the leadership coaching program.
(B) Knowledge of the elements of effective, research-based curriculum and instructional practice.
(C) Knowledge of elements of research-based effective leadership practice.
(D) Strong listening and communication skills.
(E) Ability to focus on enhancing the ability of the coaching recipient to develop leadership behaviors, communication, relationship, anticipation, and reflective skills.
(4) Willingness and ability to complete a coaching training program designated by the approved provider and to complete all of the requirements for coaching certification stipulated by the approved provider.
(5) Provide evidence of the ability to provide timely and effective support to coaching recipients consistent with program expectations.
(b) The leadership coaching provider shall provide for a leadership coaching certification process for all coaches who successfully complete coaching training. Coaches shall meet all of the following requirements before participating in the certification process:
(1) Employment by the approved provider as a leadership coach for at least eight hours per month, for 11 consecutive months.
(2) Active participation in a provider approved coaching network or professional learning community designed to promote development of coaching skills, enhance use of coaching tools and resources, and keep coaches up-to-date with current research, policies, and requirements.
(3) Completion of a portfolio documenting the coach’s successful performance through all of the following:
(A) Reflections on coaching skills.
(B) Logs of coaching activities.
(C) Case study analysis that tracks:
(i) Deepening and site application of the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(ii) The progress of a coaching recipient toward successful implementation of the leadership expectations found in the California professional standards for educational leaders.
(D) Two letters of recommendation from persons knowledgeable of the work of the leadership coach.
(4) Successful demonstration of coaching skills in a coaching role-play designed, assessed, and evaluated by the leadership coaching provider.
(c) To maintain leadership coach certification the approved provider shall ensure that all leadership coaches actively participate in a provider-approved coaching network or professional learning community designed to promote development of coaching skills, enhance use of coaching tools and resources, and keep coaches up-to-date with current research, policies, and requirements.
44556.
 (a) A state allocation of leadership coaching funds shall be made from funds appropriated for purposes of this article to local education agency applicants in the amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year for each participating principal included in the local education agency program proposal approved by the Superintendent.
(1) Leadership coaching allocations shall be made to local education agencies for two years for each participating principal.
(2) Each participating local education agency receiving an allocation shall contribute one thousand dollars ($1,000) per year for each participating principal included in the local education agency program proposal approved by the Superintendent. The local education agency’s required contribution shall be made for each of the two years in which a principal participates in an approved leadership coaching program.
(b) Principals participating in the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing Section 44510) may, at the discretion of each principal’s employing local education agency, choose leadership coaching in place of the additional 80 hours of intensive individualized support and professional development required by the administrator training program set forth in Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510).
(1) If the leadership coaching option is selected, onsite coaching services may only be accessed through a leadership coaching provider selected by the principal’s employing local education agency and approved by the Superintendent, pursuant to this article.
(2) At least six hours per month of direct onsite leadership coaching and an additional two hours per month of onsite or offsite leadership coaching shall be provided.
(3) Leadership coaching services shall be provided to the principal for a period of not less than two years.
(c) Granting of the professional clear administrative services credential shall not be affected by the principal’s choice to participate in the additional 80 hours of individualized support and professional development administered by the principal’s local education agency or by the principal’s participation in leadership coaching through a provider designated by the principal’s employing local education agency pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 44513.
(d) Information exchanged between the coach and the coaches during participation in leadership coaching and data acquired through leadership coaching is prohibited from being utilized for employment-related evaluations or as a basis for terminating employment.
44557.
 By July 1, 2010, and biennially thereafter, the Superintendent shall develop a report for submission to the Legislature regarding the program established pursuant to this article. The report shall, at a minimum, detail all of the following:
(a) The number of school principals and school district administrators who received leadership coaching pursuant to this article.
(b) The entities that received funds for the purpose of offering coaching pursuant to this article and the number of school principals and school district administrators to whom each has offered leadership coaching.
(c) Information detailing the effectiveness of the program established pursuant to this article. This information, at a minimum, shall incorporate survey data concerning program effectiveness that has been gathered from program participants.
(d) Information detailing the retention rate of school principals who participated in leadership coaching pursuant to this article.
(e) A comparison of Academic Performance Index scores for schools within participating local education agencies for the year before the school’s principal received leadership coaching pursuant to this article and for the second year after the school’s principal completed the leadership coaching pursuant to this article.