Recently, Tom Vander Ark from Getting Smart published an insightful to-do list for education leaders. Vander Ark states, “Being an education leader is complicated and challenging. The politics are personal and multilayered. It can be the best and worst job in the world at the same time. But there is no role where an individual Read more about 7 Things Education Leaders Should Do Right Now[…]
Is a principal’s educational experience, professional behavior, or leadership style related to increased student learning? This systematic review of the literature conducted by Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast with support from the Institutes of Education Sciences answers these questions. The research team identified 52 peer-reviewed studies that met the review criteria, including: One experimental study that Read more about The Relationship between Principal Characteristics and Student Achievement[…]
School leaders, especially those serving in school turnaround contexts, play an important role in shaping access to excellent educators for all students. As states move forward with Equitable Access Plan implementation, the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) is offering two new resources that help to identify the standards and competencies that principals Read more about What do School Leaders Need to Succeed?[…]
Evaluation systems require principals to spend increasing amounts of time observing each individual teacher. Yet other requirements of the job put demands on principals’ time that can cut into instructional supervision. In Helping Principals Beat the Clock, CTAC Senior Associate Joan McRobbie considers how to help support instructional leadership by principals. This issue is addressed Read more about Helping Principals Beat the Clock[…]
School administrators serve as instructional leaders and set the tone for the culture of a school. The principal’s influence is pivotal. In this month’s issue brief, we explore effective school leadership and recommendations for improving the training, support and evaluation of educational leaders. What essential skills should principals master in order to be exceptional instructional Read more about May Issue Brief: Great Principals[…]
Two national education organizations are seeking additional feedback from the public on revised draft standards for education leaders. These standards aim to ensure district and school leaders are able to improve student learning and achievement and meet new, higher expectations. The first public comment period last fall resulted in suggested changes that have been incorporated Read more about Public Comment Sought on Revised Draft Standards for Education Leaders[…]
In 2013, The Wallace Foundation identified, based on a decade of research, five practices principals can use to guide their schools to better teaching and learning. WNET, New York City’s PBS affiliate, has just released a series of five videos that bring these practices to life by showing how successful principals put them to work Read more about Effective Principal Practices in Action[…]
The third in a series of reports evaluating a multi-year Wallace initiative explores the ways in which six districts are working to improve school leadership districtwide. The report, Building a Stronger Principalship, describes several new measures districts are implementing, including: systematic support for assistant principals the use of performance standards to hire and evaluate principals, Read more about Building a Stronger Principal Pipeline[…]
Principals’ roles have expanded significantly over the past decade. These leaders face new challenges and new levels of accountability. Performance evaluation provides a powerful tool for developing leadership practices, but many districts and administrators are inexperienced with this strategy. AIR engaged educators in three states to design the Five Essential Practices of School Leadership framework, Read more about Building Leadership Talent Through Performance Evaluation[…]
School leaders are critical in the lives of students and to the development of their teachers. Unfortunately, in too many instances, principals are effective in spite of – rather than because of – district conditions. To truly improve student achievement for all students across the country, well-prepared principals need the tools, support, and culture that Read more about Great Principals at Scale: Creating District Conditions That Enable All Principals to Be Effective[…]
The Council of Chief State School Officers is seeking feedback from the public on draft standards for education leaders that aim to ensure district and school leaders are able to improve student achievement and meet new, higher expectations. The standards detail the leadership skills and knowledge effective district and school leaders need in order to Read more about CCSSO Wants Your Comments on Revised Standards for Education Leaders[…]
Since 2010, at least 36 states have adopted laws requiring principals to undergo regular assessments and increasing the rigor of those reviews, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. This change is in large part due to demands set on school systems by No Child Left Behind and the later waivers granted by the Read more about States Forge Ahead on Principal Evaluation[…]
America Achieves’ latest multimedia report in its Spotlight on Promising Practices series is entitled “Great Principals: Developing Every Teacher.” As the title indicates, these stories showcase effective school leadership and its impact on teaching and learning. Watch how at Merrill Middle School in Denver, school leaders have implemented an incredibly thoughtful practice in which educators Read more about Great Principals: Developing Every Teacher[…]
Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems is the latest policy brief from NASSP and NAESP. It is the product of two months of work from a committee of elementary, middle level, and high school principals from the across the country who are all experiencing different challenges and opportunities in conducting classroom observations, mentoring and Read more about Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]
School administrators serve as instructional leaders and set the tone for the culture of a school. The principal’s influence is pivotal. In this month’s issue brief, we explore effective school leadership and recommendations for improving the training, support and evaluation of educational leaders. What essential skills should principals master in order to be exceptional instructional Read more about February Issue Brief: Principalship[…]
A new report suggests that principal walkthroughs do not improve student performance. For years, one of the key debates about principalship has been their role in “instructional leadership”. In other words, how much should principals be doing to directly impact student instruction and what exactly should they be doing if it is so important? Principal Read more about Principal walkthroughs: Do they help or hurt?[…]