Models for Implementing Site-Based Management

Video Transcription

In this tutorial, we'll explore two different models that you might use to implement site-based management. We'll first examine the Dolan model and then we'll look at the PLC model. Let's get started. Let's begin with the Dolan model. The Dolan model is a site-based management structure that incorporates many different theories that support site based management in action, and it's currently in use in many schools.

W Patrick Dolan is a labor management consultant who advocates for incorporating shared decision making into education. His model of site-based management that we use today recommends that site based management should be established gradually over a three year period. This helps to ensure purposeful implementation of the site based management, and it also fosters sustainability. The Dolan model also tells us that both school board support and district administration support are crucial for successful site-based management.

In fact, Dolan recommends the establishment of a review committee or an oversight committee that exists at the district level to ensure that this support is provided as the very first step in site-based management implementation. After this oversight committee has been established and after they have begun providing that guidance for site-based management at the overarching district level, then the Dolan model recommends that each individual school begins their gradual implementation of site-based management through a school level committee or a school site council that mirrors that district level council. The Dolan model uses team building and role defining activities that help establish the principal as a facilitator who will be sharing the decision making responsibilities.

Furthermore, the goals of the school site council and the goals of the district need to be aligned. The school site council goals also need to be aligned to the unique school needs that are identified through data, including survey and assessment data, constituent feedback, and assessments of needs. In this model, successful site based management requires ongoing training and support for the school site councils and for that district wide oversight committee. Both the oversight committee and the school based teams or the school site councils need to be continuously reflecting and adjusting in order to meet the ever changing needs of the overall district and of each individual school.

This model asserts that without a clear organizational structure and without that district level support, site-based management tends to fail shortly after its implementation, and so using the Dolan model, schools who are considering moving to this site-based management structure are encouraged to adopt a clear model, to establish clear guidelines, and to implement that guidance that is necessary in collaboration with the school board and with district administrators, and also to make sure that there is a system in place for monitoring progress towards goals and for making any adjustments to goals as necessary. And again, that ongoing support and training needs to be provided both at the school level and at the district level to maintain the successful implementation and the oversight that will continue to move all of the teams forward.

Next, let's explore the PLC model for site-based management. PLCs are designed to support improvement and reform at the school level. So typically, a school improvement team that is organized as a PLC is occupying the role of the site-based management team. Both PLCs and site-based management focus on school improvement and increasing student achievement. And so PLCs can be organized in order to support our site-based management initiatives.

There are three big ideas that are associated with PLCs. The first big idea is ensuring that all students can learn. This means that there are guidelines that must be met when a professional learning community responds to students who are experiencing difficulty. First, the response must be timely. The PLC needs to quickly identify students who are in need of additional supports or additional time.

Second, the response must be based on intervention rather than being based on remediation. So the PLC should be providing students with help as soon as they are experiencing difficulties, rather than perhaps waiting for summer school to begin or rather than relying on retention or remedial courses to provide supports. And finally, the response must be directive. So instead of simply inviting students to seek out additional help if they need it, the PLCs systematic plan should require students to receive this additional assistance and to devote this extra time that is needed until they have demonstrated mastery of be identified concepts.

The second big idea of PLCs is a culture of collaboration. This is the idea that they're not just your students and they're not just my students, but they are all our students. This big idea tells us that we need to be collaborating for the purpose of school improvement. So we should be collaborating to set our goals, to monitor and review our progress towards those goals, to make any necessary adjustments, and finally, to celebrate our successes together. And finally, we need to remove barriers to success in order to help everyone succeed.

The third and final big idea of PLCs is a focus on results. In other words, what gets measured gets done. There is a focus here on hard work and commitment. There are many different forms that PLCs might take in a school that is using the PLC model as their approach to site-based management. For example, you might form a school improvement team, grade level teams, content area teams, RTI, or response to intervention teams, data teams, positive behavior teams, and health and wellness teams, among many other different types of PLCs that you might see.

No matter what form your PLCs take, the idea is that each PLC works as a part of the whole system in order to support the school's improvement efforts it's also critical that there is communication among all of the varying teams and that there is also alignment of their goals. This needs to be coordinated by that umbrella school improvement team. So this means that those smaller PLC teams like the content area teams, the grade level teams, the RTI teams, these pieces would be reporting to the school improvement team and providing that school improvement team with the data that they need in order to inform the decisions that they are making around the school's continuous improvement efforts and also to keep everyone informed about progress towards achieving initiatives and goals. And likewise, then, the school improvement team would report to the district level team regarding their goals and the progress towards these goals, and this open communication provides opportunities for collaborative learning at all levels.

So here's a chance for you to stop and reflect. If your school has already implemented site-based management, do you know whether it was the Dolan model or the PLC model that was used? Or maybe even some combination of the two. If you haven't yet implemented site-based management, which of these two models might best fit the needs of your school?

As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skillset. Thank you for joining me today. Have a great day.