Americas Center for Instructional Leadership
Leading with Purpose: Developing, Enhancing, Networking, Innovating
Collaborating with school and district leaders to ensure excellent instruction and high academic achievement for all students.
Overview of the Center for Instructional Leadership (CIL)
The primary mission of the CIL is to ensure high academic achievement for all DoDEA students. The Centers for Instructional Leadership will systematically develop high-impact educational leaders in their pursuit of excellence and equity. Success is measured when all DoDEA schools ensure that every student is adequately prepared for success in college, careers, and citizenship.
The Americas CIL has four functions:
- Systemic Leadership Development and Support
- Professional Development for Systemic Priorities
- Learning Networks
- Innovative Best Practices
The Americas CIL works in partnership with District Superintendents, Community Superintendents, Instructional Systems Specialists (ISS), School Administrators, and Teacher Leaders to ensure that these individuals are well equipped to lead and support in their respective roles.
Our Services
We work directly with District Superintendents, Community Superintendents, Instructional Systems Specialists, and Teacher Leaders to provide professional development, learning networks, coaching, and systemic leadership development and support.
Our Impact
Effective school leadership has a significant impact on student learning. School leaders drive the culture by creating safe and welcoming learning environments, setting a clear vision, and enhancing teacher collaboration to advance student outcomes. The four functions of the CIL empower school leaders and enhance their effectiveness.
Who We Serve
District Leadership
The Center for Instructional Leadership provides support to executive leaders through coaching, executive leader networks, and professional learning. This function is undertaken by the Chief of Instructional Leadership Development. The chief facilitates networks across the region and provides individual coaching sessions on a consistent schedule with a focus on supporting district and community superintendents.
Through feedback, the greater CIL Team offers differentiated support to district leaders to meet their specialized needs. This includes establishing and facilitating regional networks, initiating the sharing of resources, and supporting the leaders as they learn to embody the DoDEA definition of Instructional Leadership. The Chief and the CIL also work side-by-side with school leaders to support the implementation and monitoring of the DoDEA Learning Walkthrough and DoDEA Focused Collaboration initiatives.
District and Community Superintendents are an integral part of our team, providing impactful leadership supporting DoDEA’s mission to Educate, Engage, and Empower Every Student, Every Day, Everywhere.
ISS Leadership
The Professional Development Specialist
The Center for Instructional Leadership (CIL) supports each district in multiple ways, including a team of Professional Development Specialists (PDSs), located throughout the Americas Region. The PDS is a key member of the CIL who designs, delivers, and evaluates professional learning in all areas of instructional leadership, with a focus on supporting ISSs.
The PDS CIL Team Members support instructional leaders in the Americas Region through professional learning and coaching; they are assigned to support ISSs with their needs. The CIL facilitates networks of ISSs across the Americas Region and provides individual coaching sessions for ISSs, as requested. The PDS CIL Team offers differentiated support to ISSs to meet their specialized needs to include establishing and facilitating regional networks, initiating the sharing of resources, and supporting the next level of implementation of the College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS). The Instructional Systems Specialists (ISSs) are an integral part of our team, providing impactful support n their areas of expertise at the school, district, and regional levels.
The PDS CIL Team is committed to supporting the ISSs through the following venues:
- Coaching
- Serving as thought-partners to ISSs
- Providing professional learning at the district and community levels
- Sharing support structures for Focused Collaboration
- Promoting and supporting the effective use and interpretation of data
- Teaming with HQ, regional, district, and school leaders for the implementation and sustainment of systemic priorities through the development of professional learning
Any ISS can reach out to a PPIS or PDS for coaching and support at any time. The PDS CIL Team Members are here to support the four functions of the CIL and be of support to districts and ISS teams for all their professional learning needs.
School Leadership
The Professional Practice Improvement Specialist
The Center for instructional Leadership (CIL) provides support for each district in multiple ways, including a team of Professional Practice Improvement Specialists (PPISs). There are PPISs strategically located in each community. The PPS is a key member of the CIL and designs, delivers, and evaluates professional learning in all areas of instructional leadership with a focus on supporting ISSs, school, and district leaders.
The PPIS CIL Team Members support instructional leaders in the Americas Region through professional learning and coaching. They are primarily assigned to support school leaders with their needs inside of their assigned communities. The CIL facilitates networks of school leaders across the region and provides individual coaching sessions for principals and assistant principals on a consistent schedule and when requested. The PPIS CIL Team offers differentiated support to school leaders to meet their specialized needs. This includes establishing and facilitating regional networks, initiating the sharing of resources, supporting the leaders as they learn to embody the DoDEA definition of Instructional Leadership. Research has found that the impact of highly effective principals is equivalent to raising the achievement of a typical student by two or more months of extra learning in a single school (Hanushek & Rivkin, 2013). Principals and Assistant Principals are an integral part of our team, providing impactful leadership supporting DoDEA’s mission to Educate, Engage, and Empower Every Student, Every Day, Everywhere.
The PPIS CIL Team is committed to supporting leaders through the following venues:
- Providing ongoing consultation, coaching, and collaborative opportunities to implement research-based and student-centered instructional practices to foster professionalism, improve learning outcomes, and support transfer of learning into practice
- Serving as a thought-partners to school and district leaders
- Providing professional learning to include:
- Summits
- Communities of Practice
- Professional Learning Networks
- Monthly School Leadership Meetings
- Conducting district and school visits supporting continuous school improvement efforts and sharing support structures for Focused Collaboration
- Facilitating CIL, district, and school leadership teams to make informed decisions and develop robust plans for improving student achievement, and monitoring school, district, and regional effectiveness
- Assesses the professional learning needs of leaders to meet systemic goals
- Develops and implements ongoing evaluation of professional learning experiences (inputs) and quality and degree of implementation (outputs) to identify performance deficiencies and inform professional development
- Participates in professional learning communities and networks to maintain skills, share effective implementation practices, resolve common concerns, and provide research-based instruction to improve student achievement.
Any ISS, School, or District Leader can reach out to a PPIS or PDS for coaching and support at any time. The PPIS CIL Team is here to support the four functions of the CIL and support districts and ISS for all their professional learning needs.
Tools and Resources
DoDEA Coaching Model: The DoDEA Coaching Model is a framework that is used to ensure that all coaching relationships are built on a foundation of trust where goals are set, actions are taken, and feedback is provided that is targeted and specific to help leaders move toward their goals.
DoDEA defines coaching as a “one-to-one process of providing deliberate support to clarify and achieve instructional leadership goals to ultimately impact student achievement goals. As highlighted in the Blended Coaching Model, coaching can be instructional (provide expert information, advice or resources) or facilitative) guide the coachee to learning using feedback and reflective questions). Effective coaching has the following characteristics: based on trust and permission, provides the coachee with data and feedback, values problems learning opportunities, uses listening and powerful questions, and is practiced in an ethical manner (Bloom, Castagna, Moir, & Warren, 2005). Coaching is not supervision, mentoring, training, or therapy. Coaching is a way to provide ongoing, consistent follow-up by way of questioning, demonstrations, constructive feedback, and intentional conversations about new strategies and knowledge”
DoDEA Coaching Model Innovation Configuration (IC) Map: The DoDEA Coaching Model Innovation Configuration (IC) Map aims to outline the core components of The DoDEA Coaching Model. The basis for the IC Map is a set of core coaching components drawn from the Blended Coaching Model and aligned with the International Coach Federation Core Coaching Competencies.
DoDEA Learning Walkthrough Implementation Guide 2.0: This guide supports instructional leaders in implementing the DoDEA Learning Walkthrough process within a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school. It is designed to offer thoughtful guidance to DoDEA schools with an established culture of collaboration and inquiry, as well as those that are just beginning to observe instructional practices in classrooms and discuss teaching and learning in a focused manner.
Focused Collaboration Guide: Focused Collaboration is a structured time dedicated to making decisions that are grounded in evidence, accumulating and circulating knowledge and ideas, providing educators with support that improves the effectiveness of teaching, and creating a culture that increases teachers’ confidence. At the same time, it encourages teachers to be more open and actively engaged in a process of continuous improvement and change. All DoDEA schools have an established structure for collaboration, a minimum of 45 minutes per week within the duty day.
Events
Regional Continuous Improvement Plan (RCIP)
RCIP Collaboration and Planning (Beginning of the Year)
The Regional Continuous Improvement Plan Collaboration and Planning Session is the first of three strategic planning sessions comprised of school, district, and regional personnel divided into 8 committees. This session's purpose is to review multiple data sources from the previous year to assess the effectiveness of the action plans. HQ priorities and data are used to adjust goals, strategies, measures, and action plans to improve conditions for success for students, staff, or parents, ensuring all stakeholders are equipped to implement each RCIP component.
RCIP Analyze and Adjust (Middle of the Year)
The Regional Continuous Improvement Plan Collaboration and Planning Session is the second of three strategic planning sessions comprised of school, district, and regional personnel divided into 8 committees The purpose of this session is to measure the progress of implementing RCIP action plans and identify barriers and mitigation strategies to ensure plans are implemented with fidelity. Additionally, mid-year data is evaluated to monitor progress towards benchmarks for goal attainment, identification of areas with the greatest need for support, and refinement of action plans based on mid-year analysis.
RCIP Analyze and Adjust (End of the Year)
The Regional Continuous Improvement Plan Collaboration and Planning Session is the third of three strategic planning sessions comprised of school, district, and regional personnel divided into 8 committees The purpose of this session is to conduct a comprehensive review of the year’s work to measure progress in implementing RCIP action plans, celebrate and recognize successes, and identify barriers and mitigation strategies to overcome roadblocks that inhibited the implementation of tasks within RCIP action plans.
New Leaders Essential Learning
The New Leaders Essential Learning Series is a 5-day series of professional learning sessions designed to equip new school leaders and Instructional Support Specialists with foundational information needed to successfully serve their school communities. The sessions are aligned to DoDEA initiatives and priorities and address topics in the categories of improving and monitoring teaching practices, operational functions, and management protocols.
ISS-Kick-Off
Participants will understand the new expectations for the Americas Region ISSs and learn how to submit appropriate After-Action Reports (AAR) after providing a key service action. Day two participants will work within their respective breakouts (district/region/special education) on topics relevant to their work.
High Quality Instructional Practices (HQIP) Leader Training
School, district, and regional leaders will meet quarterly to participate in the DoDEA High Quality Instructional Practices (HQIP) leadership professional learning. The purpose for High-Quality Instructional Practices is to refine educator reflective practice and elevate instructional practices to achieve excellence in education for every student, every day, everywhere in all content areas as evidenced by Common Student Behaviors. The HQIP Leadership PL aims to empower school leaders in cultivating a culture of highly impactful teaching practices.
Secondary Math Leader Training
Quarterly, school leaders gather to review and analyze best practices for supporting Secondary Math teachers in facilitating effective mathematical classroom instruction and initiating data-driven conversations during Focused Collaboration sessions. Leaders collaborate with colleagues to discuss the integration of both mathematical teacher practices and student mathematical practices into daily lesson instruction and student-focused activities. In addition, the administrators review all available data reports to determine which ones are most useful when working with teachers to ignite a change in instructional practice. These quarterly meetings, provide leaders the opportunity collaborate and discuss systematic changes to provide a catalyst for ensuring all students receive equitable access to mathematics thereby receiving a high-quality education in a student-centered learning environment.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Leader Training
DoDEA Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) quarterly professional learning sessions will build shared understanding of implementation of MTSS to include system guidance and DoDEA's integrated approach to social-emotional learning in support of providing high-quality instruction and increasingly intensive supports based on students' needs.
ISS Summit
Our ISS Summits equip ISS with essential resources to address system-wide priorities and enhance their capacity to support teachers in the effective implementation of DoDEA initiatives. These summits foster opportunities for ISS to develop robust networks, share their expertise with colleagues, and stay informed about advancements in their field.
Summer Leadership Summit
The Summer Leadership Summit will provide opportunities to build relationships through collaboration, share leadership actions and best practices, and engage in professional learning. This weeklong learning is designed to equip leaders with the tools necessary to empower and inspire stakeholders, develop a shared vision, and lead change. The Summer Leadership Summit sets the stage for leading the continuous improvement process at the school level aligned to regional, district and DoDEA initiatives, priorities, and mission.
Professional Learning: Lunch & Learn Series
Designed with the user in mind, these monthly training sessions focus on the design and development of professional learning for Instructional Systems Specialists and Administrators. The training seeks to inform and engage participants in thinking about and applying high-quality research-based concepts in education that meet end users' needs.
School leader Network
The School Leader Network (SLN) engages in collaborative and supportive experiences that help school leaders gain access to resources designed to improve or foster leadership practices. During the SLN, school leaders have opportunities to receive resources and guidance from subject matter experts in various fields within the organization to support and strengthen leadership. By leveraging meaningful and relevant opportunities for ongoing, collaborative discourse, the SLN addresses skills and behaviors necessary to increase school outcomes leading to equitable and excellent education for every student, every day, everywhere.
New Leader Network
The New Leaders Network offers school administrators—whether new to their role or newly assigned to the Americas region—a chance to participate in collaborative and informative sessions. These sessions are designed to help school leaders access valuable resources and subject matter experts, enhancing their understanding of DoDEA policies and practices. Topics discussed could include incident reporting protocol, how to schedule and manage observation schedules, learning walkthroughs, and focused collaboration observations, staffing responsibilities, navigation of the DPMAP system and staff appraisal documentation, and organizing and adhering to mandatory deadlines and obligations throughout the school year.
ISS Professional Learning Network
ISS Learning Networks provide a chance for Instructional Systems Specialists (ISS) to engage in collaborative experiences while sharing promising strategies. ISS Learning Networks will provide opportunities for participants to seek guidance, and/or gain access to resources designed to improve or foster professional practices that support teacher growth and DoDEA Initiatives. Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) are an effective way to foster school improvement (Brown & Flood, 2020).
Executive Leader Network
The Executive Leader Network is a monthly learning community for senior leaders across the Americas Region. This network is designed to provide dedicated time to collaborate and share strategies to enhance leadership processes, system-wide support for school leaders and ISS, and develop shared commitments to advance school operations and student outcomes.
