Purpose: Replicating and extending earlier research, this mixed-methods study inquired about the characteristics of effective school leadership networks and the contribution of such networks to the development of individual and collective leaders' professional capacities. Design: The study used path analytic techniques with survey data provided by…

In 2008, the authors published an article in this journal entitled "Seven Strong Claims about Successful School Leadership" (Leithwood, Harris, and Hopkins 2008). The article was based on a major literature review that was summarised in a paper published by the National College for School Leadership in England. Both the National College…

This paper addresses a wicked problem faced by leaders wanting to be evidence informed in their choices of school improvement priorities and the most productive leadership practices to enact in pursuing those priorities. While local contexts will always be central to these choices, results of research ought to provide useful points of departure.…

This review of research was prompted by the widespread belief that at least in a significant number of secondary schools, department heads are an underutilized, if not untapped, source of instructional leadership, the type of leadership critical to secondary-school improvement initiatives. Forty-two methodologically diverse empirical studies were…

In this paper the authors provide a synopsis of their results to date by organising them in response to four questions. These are questions about: leadership actions that account for sustained improvement or effectiveness in their school over at least several years; how the influence of these actions is exercised; differences among heads'…

In a recent 334-page report, "Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning," authors Kyla Walstrom, Karen Seashore Louis, Kenneth Leithwood, and Stephen Anderson discuss findings from the Learning from Leadership study. This study was designed to identify and describe successful educational leadership and to explain how such leadership at…

This article identifies characteristics of school districts that have been exceptionally successful in closing gaps in achievement among diverse groups of students, including students in challenging circumstances. Evidence for the paper was provided by 31 studies. These were studies, published in the past ten years, which reported original…

"Turnaround Schools and the Leadership They Require" was commissioned by the Canadian Education Association (CEA) in 2006. The research, conducted by Kenneth Leithwood and Tiiu Strauss, was a two-year study of Ontario schools identified as in need of "turnaround" meaning that a significant improvement in school achievement was…

Introduces a collection of articles on educational accountability, outlining the framework used to select and order the articles. The framework clarifies the concept of accountability and identifies assumptions and tools associated with four different approaches to accountability (market competition, decentralization, professionalization, and…

What is educational leadership? Why should individuals care about it? How does it work? What forms might it take? Which leadership practices are useful in almost all contexts? Which are context-specific? What are the sources of successful leadership? These questions--addressed in this paper--are questions presently of concern to a growing number…

Demonstrating the contribution of leadership development programs to student learning has become a problem of considerable recent interest to both school reformers and those attempting to improve how school leaders are prepared. This article describes an innovative approach to improving school leadership developed by the Greater New Orleans School…

In 1990, the Ontario Ministry of Education implemented the Transition Years project, an initiative for restructuring middle-grades education. This document presents quantitative findings of a study that identified variations in progress among pilot school sites, with a focus on the commitment-building process. Data were derived from: (1) two…

Strategic planning, accountability, and restructuring efforts often exacerbate targeted problems because the accurate information required for success is unavailable. This document offers a model monitoring system for utilizing important information by schools and districts. Part 1, "Basic Assumptions About Schools and Districts," explores how…

Current school restructuring focuses too little on changes in principal appraisal procedures. The article considers the meaning of school restructuring and discusses change strategies that foster good school restructuring. A discussion of transformational leadership's role in school restructuring is presented along with guidelines for designing…

Collaborative school cultures have been associated with achieving various school reform objectives for both teachers and students. One central dimension of school restructuring is the empowerment of teachers within a school culture that is both shared and technical. Little is known about how such cultures develop and whether or how school…