Reorienting Central Office to Support Teaching and Learning in Montgomery County Public Schools

Abstract

It should be the intention of any organization to continually examine its infrastructure to assure that the work that people do allows them to channel their efforts toward the mission and vision of the organization. As Dr. Joshua Starr assumed the role of Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in July 2011, he led his team in a deep investigation of what structures were in place to stimulate student achievement. Based on the findings and his leadership philosophies he decided that the definition of and operational practices that constitute central office support to schools needed to be further examined and reoriented. This capstone explores the investigation that was done with a deep consideration of both existing literature on how structure supports achievement, as well as comprehensive asset mapping of the existing professional learning structures in the District. An internal team gathered information by speaking with stakeholders at all levels and met to determine the best way to support district employees and therefore student achievement in the schools. After a year of focusing on the changing of leadership practices at the central office, the Superintendent’s cabinet decided that, in order to continue to provide quality professional learning opportunities and begin to standardize achievement across the grade levels, moving to a district with horizontal instructional leadership alignment and level-alike school support would optimize the way that central support services in Montgomery County supported the improvement of teaching and learning in schools. The level-alike restructuring will be actualized on July 1, 2013 and will be in effect for the upcoming school year. This capstone concludes with reflections on potential implications for the author, MCPS, and the larger education sector.