Educators often consider the importance of leadership approaches in effectively operating K-12 schools in their state districts. However, traits, skills, and behavioral leadership styles all seem relevant to faculty, staff, and students surrounding how principals interacted with their employees in K-12 schools. One ineffective decision by…

The status quo is no longer an option. School leaders need to model care, courage, and open communication. Superintendent Jennifer Gallagher reflects on three important components of adaptive and effective leadership--communication, care, and courage--that she found helpful in navigating her district through the challenges of the pandemic.

There is a growing understanding that, after engaging teaching, educational leadership is the second most important factor accounting for student success. Despite this fundamental declaration, educational leadership has fallen through the cracks. Little interest has developed concerning in-depth studies of this important position in education.…

Policy makers increasingly acknowledge that problems and challenges arising at the school level should be resolved on site. At the same time, the political expectation to delegate more responsibility to the individual school is rather heavily contrasted with the weak knowledge about how this new public management approach can be translated into…

School leaders, specifically principals, play a pivotal role in shaping student learning outcomes. The benefits of strong leaders extend beyond academic achievement, such as reductions in absenteeism and exclusionary discipline. While quality principals are critical for creating and sustaining quality schools, the staffing pipeline is facing…

Since 2013, most states have passed laws or implemented policies related to evidence-based reading instruction, with many doing so just in the past few years. Most of these laws and policies focus on integrating phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension into high-quality reading curriculum, teacher preparation standards,…

There are many accomplished school leaders in Australia, but the profession has yet to develop credible systems for recognising their impact. This article provides a progress report on research initiated by professional associations of school principals, to provide school leaders with authentic and feasible methods for documenting their practice…

Quality education is an effective equalizer in an unequal world. The link between cyclical poverty and a lack of quality education is well understood, as is the inextricable link between the provision of quality education and sustainable economic growth. As governments, policymakers, civil society, and ordinary citizens work together to make…

The heart and soul of any successful organization is outstanding leadership. In education, school divisions are always striving to increase school achievement and as such hold school leaders accountable for this growth. Leaders require explicit leadership skills. This article shares a proposal in which school leaders participate in direct literacy…

The school principal has long been recognized as a critical driver for school improvement and student success, but new research supported by The Wallace Foundation has found that principals have an even greater impact than previously stated. A synthesis of two decades of studies builds on previous research about how principals impact student…

Stress is part of the job of a school leader. How can principals and other leaders manage the stress so they can be resilient and effective? This article shares advice on this topic from five experts. Tips include: (1) Balance urgency with purposeful action (Ayesha Farag, Principal of Williams Elementary School in Newton, Massachusetts); (2) Keep…

In "Justice for Black Students: Black Principals Matter," Kofi Lomotey begins with a two-pronged premise: (1) Black students do not receive a quality education in US public (or private) schools, and (2) Black principals, like Black teachers, can make a positive impact on the academic and overall success of Black students. Through the…

One of the anticipated results of the wider adoption and use of the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools (NSBECS) has been the call for different tools aligned to the NSBECS. Multiple (arch)dioceses and schools have endeavored to construct such tools for their own use. In the state of Wisconsin, the Catholic Conference…

A school's success is largely determined by the effectiveness of its principal--decades of research have made this clear. Less settled is the question of what principals need to know and do to drive positive outcomes in their schools. A recent report funded by The Wallace Foundation provides evidence on the connection between school principals and…

A recent synthesis of research from the last two decades confirms that principals can have a significant impact on student learning outcomes, accelerating annual student learning by more than two months. Effective principals focus on high-leverage instructional activities, build a productive culture and climate, facilitate collaboration and…