Knight, an author and consultant, writes on the importance of protecting teachers' autonomy and discretion in instructional coaching arrangements in the face of schools' tendency to presume a need for greater top-down control. He describes how valuing autonomy can change how coaches and school leaders think about traditional elements of…

After a grand jury report cited a pervasive pattern of racism and hate speech, a California school district took bold--sometimes uncomfortable--steps toward cultural change. At San Mateo Union High School District, assistant superintendent Julia Kempkey and equity coaches Shane Safir and Joe Truss faced the hard truth that no single policy,…

As a principal, Sarah E. Fiarman learned that developing teacher leadership requires more than merely soliciting teacher input. "School leaders," she writes, "need to create a culture in which each professional feels an urgent responsibility to influence the achievement of all students." To promote such a schoolwide leadership…

Principals are tasked with being the instructional leaders in their schools--developing teacher's abilities through formal and informal classroom observations and feedback. But how can school districts ensure that principals have the skills they need to fulfill this crucial role? In Clarke County School District in Georgia, central-office leaders…

Principals can easily observe when a class is engaged in learning. Engaged students are learning because the content or activity feels "relevant" and "interesting," and they're achieving "success" in whatever they're doing. These three factors of engagement don't happen by chance. It happens when talented teachers…

Co-­teaching is the newest initiative to be implemented in school districts. Students with special needs can no longer be simply physically "included" in general education classes. These students need and deserve authentic opportunities to access and participate in the curriculum. To accomplish this goal, co-­teaching has been embraced.…

Rebecca Van Tassell struggled during her first years as a science teacher. She knew her colleagues had good ideas to share, but she never got to see them in action, so she started a walk-through club in which she and a few colleagues visited one another's classrooms and discussed what they saw. The group met every two weeks, after having…

One of the failings of teacher evaluation systems in the United States has been their reliance on the school principal alone as the person expected to observe teachers, mentor those who struggle, document concerns and processes, and make the final call on whether to recommend dismissal. Given the enormous scope of their duties, it's simply…

School districts have typically not done a good job of managing the human side of teacher evaluation. In general, neither supervisors nor teachers find performance assessment a constructive, interpersonally respectful experience. District leaders can cultivate high-quality teaching--and attend to the human side of assessment--by taking five…

The Transformational Coaching Team in Oakland Unified School District provides differentiated, sustained, job-embedded support to the district's school leaders. In this article, members of the team describe how they work with principals to transform the culture of schools. Student achievement data show above-average improvement in schools in which…

A low-performing California school district experienced a dramatic turnaround when faculty members began studying student assessment data and working together to ensure students had the support they needed. Sanger Unified School District began its reform journey in 2004 when district leaders launched an effort to focus deliberately on student…

The Instructional Leadership Project of the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Public Schools determined staff development needs in the district's secondary schools and designed a three-year program to help administrators, guidance personnel, and department chairpersons build the requisite staff development skills. (PGD)

Describes California's integrative approach to curricular planning and staff development. Under the state's new vision of excellence, all students experience a common core curriculum providing a solid academic background and promoting literacy in the various disciplines. Content and skill development go hand in hand. Includes four references. (MLH)

Describes the career development plan adopted by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Public Schools. Reviews the preparatory steps through which new teachers rise to career status. Assesses the role of "mentors" or master teachers, the administrator's role, and the impact of the teachers' action-growth plans. (PGD)

Briefly discusses Phillip Schlechty's view on teacher career development with university cooperation, needs for systematic faculty development, appropriate administrator roles, encouragement of professionalism, the use of differentiated staffing patterns, and appropriate attitudes toward reform. (PGD)