Effective School Leadership

Effective instructional and administrative leadership is required to implement change processes. Effective leaders are proactive and seek help that is needed. They also nurture an instructional program and school culture conducive to learning and professional growth. Effective leaders can have different styles and roles-teachers and other staff, including those in the district office, often have a leadership role.

INDICATORS:

Administrative Leaders

• Facilitate the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community.
• Advocate, nurture, and sustain a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
• Ensure management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
• Collaborate with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.
• Act with integrity , fairness, and in an ethical manner
• Understand, respond to, and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
• Facilitate development and implementation of the school improvement plan with aligned professional development that supports vision and operational philosophy.

Teacher Leaders

• Use research-based instructional program models researched-based practices.
• Model team learning approach with a focus on planning lessons, assessing students, and group problem solving. Mentor other teachers.
• Support a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
• Collaborate with parents, families, and other community members involved in the student learning environment.

Student Leaders

• Students work to remove barriers to learning (NEA/WEA).
• Students are role models (Partnership for Learning).
• Students are peer tutors (Partnership for Learning).

RESOURCES:

• Research - U.S. Department of Education Cross-Site Indexing Project
• Leading Learning Communities: What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do
• Leadership and Change Process, "Asking the Right Questions."
• Leadership and organizational vitality
• American Association of School Administrators
• National Association of Elementary School Principals
• National Association of Secondary School Principals
• National High School Association
• National Middle School Association
• Phi Delta Kappa International
• National Education Association
• American Federation of Teachers
• Barth, R. S. (1990). Improving Schools from Within: Teachers, Parents, and Principals Can Make the Difference. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Blase, J. and Kirby, P. C. (1992). Bringing Out the Best in Teachers: What Effective Principals Do. Newbury Park, CA: Corwin Press Inc.
• Bolman, L. G. and Deal, T. E. (1995). Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. (1989). Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century. Report of Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• Conley, D. T. and Goldman, P. (1994). Facilitative Leadership. How Principals Lead without Dominating. Oregon School Study Council. 37(9).
• Cunningham, W. G. and Gresso, D. W. (1993). Cultural Leadership. The Culture of Excellence in Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Irvin, J. L. (Ed.) (1997). What Current Research Says to the Middle Level Practitioners. Columbus, OH. National Middle School Association. See section VII, Leadership.
• Kaplan, L. S. and Owings, W. A. (2001, November). Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: Recommendations for Principals. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin. 85(628).
• Keefe. J. W., Valentine, J., Clark, D. C., and Irvin, J. L. (1994). Leadership in Middle Level Education: Leadership in Successfully Restructuring Middle Level Schools. Columbus, OH: National Association of Secondary School Principals.
• Louis, K. S. and Miles, M. B. (1990). Improving the Urban High School: What Works and Why. New York: Teachers College Press. See chapter 2, Making Change Happen: Leading and Managing.
• National Association of Secondary School Principals. (1996). Breaking Ranks: Changing an American Institution. Report of NASSP in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching on the High School of the 21st Century. Alexandria, VA: NASSP.
• Schlechty, P. C. (2001). Shaking Up the School House: How to Support and Sustain Educational Innovation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc. See Part Three, Transformational Leadership.
• Senge, P. et al. (2000). Schools that Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares about Education. New York: Currency / Doubleday. See chapter XII, Leadership.
• Sergiovanni, T. J. (1990). Value-Added Leadership: How to Get Extraordinary Performance in Schools. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers.