Leading School Improvement: What Research Says

Examines practices that promote student achievement through school leadership. Looks at strategies and programs that improve student engagement and motivation, and organizational and management practices that support student learning

Districts Developing Leaders: Lessons on Consumer Actions and Program Approaches From Eight Urban Districts

Profiles eight Wallace-supported approaches to preparing future principals to succeed in improving troubled city schools, including establishing clear expectations so that university preparation programs can craft training accordingly

Superintendent and School Board Relations: Impacting Achievement through Collaborative Understanding of Roles and Responsibilities

One of the most important and influential persons in the governance structure of the local school district is the Superintendent of Schools. Functioning as the CEO of the district, the superintendent is responsible for a myriad of functions. Examples include daily operations inclusive of transportation and finance, curriculum and policy implementation, media relations, and empowering leaders. However, as Meador (2014) contends, a crucial role is that of board liaison. The Superintendent is responsible for keeping the board informed, making recommendations regarding district operations, and setting the board agenda. It is interesting to note that the superintendent does participate in board meetings, but in an advisory capacity. Finally, the superintendent is responsible for enacting all mandates approved by the school board

Assessing California's Multiple Pathways Field

The multiple pathways approach to high school education combines rigorous academic learning and career skills to give students the intellectual and real-world experience to succeed in college, career and life. Growing evidence shows that the multiple pathways approach holds promise for increasing academic engagement and achievement, reducing high school dropout rates and boosting students' future earning power. The James Irvine Foundation engaged the Bridgespan Group to assess the state of the multiple pathways field in California and to make recommendations to strengthen it. Assessing California's Multiple Pathways Field: Preparing Youth for Success in College and Career offers findings and recommendations based on a newly developed framework that assesses the multiple pathways field based on five characteristics of strong fields

Authentic Leadership Practices Among Minnesota Public School Superintendents

The purpose of this study was to examine Minnesota public school superintendents’ perceptions as it relates to the sixteen attributes of authentic leadership as well as the four constructs of authentic leadership. This quantitative study used independent variables of gender, number of years serving in the superintendency, and district size to compare the four constructs of authentic leadership practices. After an extensive literature review on the historical role of the superintendent, current roles and issues faced by superintendents, leadership background and an authentic leadership overview, the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) was the survey tool selected and implemented to answer the research questions. Qualtrics, an online tool, was used to administer the survey. A total of 145 Minnesota public school superintendents completed the survey, equating to a 45% return rate. The results of the survey showed 14 of the 16 ALQ items had a mean score between 3 (Fairly often) and 4 (Frequently, if not always), with Ethical conduct having the highest mean (3.80). The combined mean scores of the four major authentic leadership constructs of self-awareness (3.07), relational transparency (3.29), balanced processing (3.33), and internalized moral perspective (3.54) were between 3 (Fairly often) and 4 (Frequently, if not always) with combined standard deviations for each construct of less than one. Internalized moral perspective had the highest combined mean score for every disaggregated demographic category while self-awareness had either the lowest or tied for the lowest combined mean score for every demographic category. This study found Minnesota public school superintendents self-report high levels of authentic leadership practices, according to the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). Minnesota public school superintendents also self-report a high degree of authentic leadership practices based on the four constructs of self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and internalized moral perspective. Finally, this study found no differences in the four constructs based on the independent variables of gender, district enrollment and numbers of years serving in the superintendency

Supporting The Growth Of Principals As Instructional Leaders: An Interpretive Study About The New Work Of School Leaders

This study explored the emerging context of elementary school principals as they engaged in the work of Instructional Leadership. Naturalistic Inquiry was adopted as a methodological framework to explore the unique perspectives and understandings of participants. Focus Group activities, surveys, small group interviews, and recursive ethnographic interviews were used to capture rich and descriptive representations of principal understandings. Research questions explored the experiences and conditions that participants identified as essential for their growth as Instructional Leaders. The concept of paradigm and the implications of system structures and hierarchies was investigated as it relates to the supporting conditions necessary for principal growth with clear trends emerging about the shifting nature of school leadership to an Interpretive model. The findings of this study highlight an emerging description of the goals and attributes that elementary school principals ascribe to Instructional Leadership. Participating principals identified that the intended outcomes of their work as instructional leaders included: 1) positively impacting broad measures of student outcomes; 2) positively impacting pedagogical change and growth for teachers; and 3) the creation of a learning culture within their schools. Additionally, principals identified that the key attributes of Instructional Leadership could be classified under four broad categories: 1) actions related to leadership style and approach; 2) actions which serve to facilitate the `Improvement Planning Cycle\u27 of schools; 3) establishing and maintaining a focus on the tasks of teaching and learning; 4) and engaging in actions that intentionally cultivate the learning culture of the school. An analysis of the structures and conditions that principals identified as significant in supporting their growth emerged. These reside in: 1) support for self; 2) support from peers; 3) support from the system; and 4) support from the professional organization. A key finding of this study was a disconnect between the learning culture that principals cultivate in their buildings to foster collaboration, trust, co-learning and an inquiry mindset, and the learning culture that exists for principals. The role of the district, and particularly, the superintendent, was explored as being essential to creating the supportive conditions - the culture of learning that principals identify as critical

Leading for Learning Sourcebook: Concepts and Examples

Provides a detailed discussion of ideas and methods that educators can use to enhance leadership in learning. Offers examples of leaders using the ideas and tools for assessment, planning, and teaching. Includes four annotated longitudinal cases

Superintendent evaluation and other influences on the school board and superintendent relationship: Measuring strength of relationship

As schools in the United States resegregate and federal antipoverty programs lapse, the achievement gap widens once again. What can educational leaders do on their own to reverse this trend in the face of increased state and federal mandates, decreasing school funding, and community resistance to change? The purpose of this study was to determine the relative effects of factors (evaluation, conflict, political climate, superintendent influence, teaching & learning style, board training, and overall Strength of Relationship) that influence the board and superintendent relationship and to use these data to suggest strategies to support substantive change. A unique survey questionnaire was developed, tested, and deployed online statewide to all superintendents and board presidents in public school districts in the State of Michigan. Total population was N = 526 school districts, N = 1052 potential respondents. A self-selected sample (n = 1047, 99.5%) responded to the survey. Complete data provided an evenly distributed and representative self-selected sample of the entire state by region and district size from which the researcher could generalize with confidence. A Strength of Relationship (SOR) Scale was developed by rating responses to questions in each factor, which were statistically tested against district level indicators (Size of District, socioeconomic status, per pupil expenditure, student achievement, political type, evaluation type). Conflict, disagreement, and student achievement were also statistically tested against district-level indicators. The significant findings of the study were (a) When pluralistic political type board interaction paired with data-driven superintendent evaluation type (as opposed to global or judgment), Strength of Relationship increased approximately two-fold in most cases, levels of conflict were lower and, more important, levels of student achievement were higher; (b) boards that work in a pluralistic manner are 87–93% less likely to report conflict than were other political types (dominated, factional, inert). Conflict centered first on role definition and fulfillment, and second on financial issues; (c) the lower the levels of disagreement between the board and the superintendent were, the higher the student achievement was. This remained the case regardless of district size, per-pupil expenditure, or socioeconomic status; (d) student achievement was shown to be as much as 3-4 times higher in the Pluralistic and Data-driven combination of political type and evaluation method

Mentee Perceptions of Public School Superintendent Mentorship in a Rural, Midwest State

Superintendent formal mentorship programs have traditionally relied on geographic proximity and mentor availability to pair new superintendents with mentors. This study examines which mentor characteristics contribute to mentee satisfaction with the formal mentorship program. This study used a quantitative research design in which participants completed a survey used to compare mentor characteristics to mentee satisfaction with the program. 73 (49.6%) superintendents participated in the study, of which 19 had participated in a formal mentorship program. The overall research results suggest that two mentor characteristics, Leadership/Disposition Qualities and Mentor Availability had a significant positive relationship to mentee satisfaction with the formal mentorship program. This study suggests modern technology may be utilized in order to facilitate mentorship pairing based on valued characteristics rather than the traditional criteria of geographic proximity and mentor availability