Middle leaders in schools are increasingly recognised as playing pivotal roles in school improvement. Although some school systems provide formal professional development for middle leaders, many middle leaders express a preference for job-embedded learning. Yet, international research has documented difficulties in providing intensive support…

The Learning Forward Academy is Learning Forward's flagship deep learning experience, committed to increasing educator and leader capacity and improving results for students in the ever-changing landscape of education. For over 30 years, the academy has supported the problem-based learning of teachers, teacher leaders, instructional coaches,…

Educational policy in the United States in the past decade has focused on eliminating the achievement gap by establishing legislation orienting educators toward research-based evidence and increased accountability at all levels of the system (Daly, Liou et al., 2014). Educational leaders play an important role in initiating and maintaining change,…

Azerbaijan has introduced significant reforms to improve school leadership in public schools. Responsibilities were redefined to prioritize teacher supervision and engagement with school governance structures to ensure school improvement and accountability measures. The purpose of this study was to provide insight into contextual factors…

Title 1 principals face many day-to-day challenges due to the complexity and demands of their jobs. Research has found (Levin et al., 2019) that principals valued professional development (PD) more if it allowed them to address their school's specific needs and circumstances and increase their leadership capacity. This research aims to explore the…

Rural school principals in Tennessee face serious challenges in leading their schools, including isolation, high turnover, and a lack of instructional leadership skills. Facilitated by a state university, the Tennessee Rural Principals Network (TRPN) was developed to provide professional learning opportunities for rural school principals. The…

This qualitative study explores the early implementation of a university school leadership preparation program and school district collaborative effort to develop school leaders and sustain leadership capacity in nine rural school districts. Emerging findings drawn from survey, focus-group, and participant observation data include (a) the…

This qualitative case study investigated the processes by which an elementary school principal uses Distributed Leadership to accomplish leadership tasks and progress toward organizational goals. It aimed to provide a thick description of the practices, behaviors, perspectives, and experiences of the participants of Distributed Leadership. The…

School leadership is a critical factor in school improvement. The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and Region 4 Comprehensive Center (R4CC) have strengthened school leadership through implementation of the Delaware Leadership Network and the Delaware Principal Supervisor Leadership Program. These two major efforts, collaboratively designed…

In the ESSA Leadership Learning Community (ELLC), education agency leaders, community organization leaders, and others have together taken on challenges facing schools and school leaders in their states. They have produced advice to state agencies on policy design and rollout, for example on official definitions of equity, on requirements for…

Building school capacity for teacher learning is the competitive advantage that leads to schools' sustained improvement. Literature has highlighted the importance of school capacity building. However, scant research has explored how schools in the specific contexts practically build their capacity for teacher learning. Using qualitative data…

Purpose: Systems educational reform in developing countries through effective principal capacity- building programs is essential for improving student learning, with the purpose of this paper being to use case studies to identify key success factors in the implementation of an instructional leadership program in the developing country of Kiribati.…

This case study examined the first two years of adult preparation or "readiness" for an elementary school's adoption and implementation of a trauma-informed, social emotional learning (SEL) universal curriculum. SEL programming served as a key lever for improving the academic growth and achievement of students over a 3-year period. The…

This applied research study seeks to improve principal capacity as instructional leaders. The need for principals to increase their instructional leadership capacity became evident with the ever-changing requirements of state accountability and student achievement. Using four elements in this study, cohort-based professional development for…

Using effective models for continuing teacher and school leader education in developing countries is essential for long-term improvement of the education system and student outcomes. Instructional leadership approaches have been used to capacity-build school leaders, improving leader skills in working with teachers on classroom practices and also…