Posts Tagged ‘Strategy’

In many of the systems we support, there are two cabinet-level roles that are critical to student and teacher success: the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and the Chief Schools Officer (CSO). In many instances, the CAO is the person responsible for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. They might manage the content-area experts who drive instructional quality in specific subjects or areas. They hold responsibility for defining what needs to be taught, and how. The CSO is the person often responsible for the schools themselves. They manage school leaders, and are responsible for ensuring that the systems in schools foster student learning. Both roles are vital, and achieving system-wide excellence requires extraordinary clarity regarding their respective domains.

The ideal in this structure is not just separation of duties and responsibilities, but intentional distinction rooted in alignment, partnership and unity. By establishing clear CAO and CSO ownership and accountability, a school system minimizes friction and avoids duplicating efforts. At the same time, this ownership must be rooted in alignment across departments – both leaders are responsible for different things in service of the same goal: excellent teaching and learning. 

When the CAO’s focus on curriculum and instruction is measured by metrics tied directly to the CSO’s oversight of school performance, their efforts become aligned. They are two distinct lanes working toward a common, measurable destination, ensuring that clarity in roles ultimately fuels a powerful, unified pursuit of student success.

Clarity on roles does not mean working in silos. The most effective partnerships thrive on a shared nature that is more specific than just an outcome. This is achieved through implementing shared goals and metrics. This typically means defining what is joint work between the CAO and CSO, and what is distinct in ownership and accountability. For example:

• Joint work: Planning, strategy, priorities, goals, student outcomes, teacher and leader development
• CAO: Program – what we teach, when, and how
• CSO: Implementation – pedagogical moves, accountability, fidelity to the instructional vision

This synergy only happens with clear definition, planning and communication. Teams benefit from articulating a theory of action that defines the joint work and distinct ownership between the two functions, and how that structure will ultimately lead to student achievement. It includes articulating both a shared vision and non-negotiables in the work to ensure alignment. It also requires clear operational strategies – like shared meeting structures and data management – so that the alignment is practical.

Are you interested in exploring ways to strengthen your CAO / CSO focus? Reach out to Jess to talk.