Grant amount
NIS 700,000
Coaching For School Principals In The Social Periphery
Coaching for 50 School Principals in the Social Periphery to Lead a School-Based Effort to Increase the Number of Graduates of Five-Unit Mathematics
Coaching for 50 School Principals in the Social Periphery to Lead a School-Based Effort to Increase the Number of Graduates of Five-Unit Mathematics
“Mathematics First”, the National program for increasing the number of 5-unit graduates began in 2015 in a rush – it was launched after the beginning of the school year and quickly recruited 100 schools to the program. Together with the Education Ministry, we approached the Center for Educational Technology (CET) and asked them to reach out to the 100 principals of the participating schools and explore if they need assistance in implementing the program. CET identified 53 principals who expressed need and willingness to receive coaching and worked with them over the past two years. The coaching helped the principals to overcome difficulties in communicating the focus on mathematics, pooling resources towards this goal, using data to drive their decisions and team building.
In the meantime, the national program has expanded and over the next years it will concentrate on schools in Israel’s social periphery, where the challenges are more complex and needs are immediate. Together with the Ministry, we have approached CET again, to coach 50 of these principals. CET landscaped the field and conducted interviews with principals, which report a lack of confidence in their ability to lead the mathematics teams. They also pointed to difficulty with processes of data-driven decision-making. Management routines seldom include systemic work with department heads and teachers surrounding their professional development and advancing excellence in schools.
To address these needs, CET is proposing to coach the 50 principals in the 12 social periphery cities where the national program will focus. Over the course of the year, nine instructional coaches will meet with the principals seven times for individual coaching sessions. Before each of these meetings, the coaches themselves will meet as a group to learn, plan and reflect together. The coaching will include working on how to use the 5-units in mathematics as a driver for leading their school towards a culture of excellence, developing work routines based on student data and creating school-based communities of practice around clinical teaching skills. The principals will meet and collaborate as a group with the Education Ministry’s integrators and supervisors.