One of the challenges faced by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has been frequent turnover in crucial executive leadership positions. As of 2022, there were 99 HBCUs; two-year and four-year private and public institutions (NCES, 2024). In the fall of 2023, at least 18% of the HBCUs in the country were without a permanent…

School climate surveys are frequently used to collect information about student experiences in school. Less is known about how educators use survey data after survey administration. This paper explores one school district's critical use of evidence to promote equitable change. We conducted eight semi-structured interviews with district and school…

This qualitative study explored the development, implementation, and measurement of a district-wide equity initiative in a suburban Chicago school district. The study used a qualitative research design and the researcher as the primary instrument for data collection. The research questions used in the study were designed to document the…

Learning organizations (LOs) serve as an important tool for continuous school improvement. School leaders can shift a school culture from top-down control to a learning-centered environment in which all staff share collective responsibility for improvement. This demands a collaborative culture, ongoing reflection on data to challenge existing…

The purpose of the study was to examine the behaviors and actions of the administrative team as they work to grow the leadership team's capacity to improve the instruction culture using action research cycles. The challenges of building a positive school culture at the high school level are vast; however, building a culture specifically around…

Student learning loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic became an issue nationally. When school systems were thrown into hybrid and virtual learning environments, some schools still saw success due to their culture and hard-wired improvement practices. This article will illustrate how those practices at one particular school led to an actual…

Principal leadership matters. While school principals impact student achievement in mostly indirect ways, the cumulative effect of their agency to design the school program, organize teacher and staff interactions and opportunities to collaborate, and make other important decisions that influence the culture of the school meaningfully affects the…

Student voice initiatives like surveys, student councils, and classes focused on leadership and agency all provide youth a way to share their opinions about school-based issues and take action to rectify them to some degree. But the way each initiative is leveraged, the experiences of the young people and educators involved, and the initiatives'…

Together, culture and climate can make or break your school improvement efforts. Authors Todd Whitaker and Steve Gruenert help educators understand how to leverage culture and climate to drive deep and lasting change. Learn how to assess current culture, address climate issues, combat challenges, and work toward a collaborative school community…

This case study focuses on researching the connections between policy and teaching practices in the context of English further education. It describes how an ethnographic approach was used to examine how teachers navigate policy directives in their day-to-day work, focusing particularly on quality improvement directives. It shows how two linked…

This article reports on an inquiry that explored how a school management team (SMT) in a rural school in Limpopo Province, South Africa, understood their role in creating a school climate conducive for improving teaching and learning. I used a qualitative case study design to investigate how their understanding informed their practices. A single…

The need to overcome student learning gaps exists in every school. The answer is not a culture of remediation but one of acceleration. Every student deserves to learn at grade level or beyond--this is equity in action. "Acceleration for All" offers research-informed, real-world, and ready-to-implement strategies, with an emphasis on core…

Purpose: This study investigates teachers' perceptions of how school conditions influence their motivation for opportunity recognition. It uses discovery theory as a theoretical lens to understand the dynamics of entrepreneurial teachers' knowledge and alertness in responding to school conditions. Design/methodology/approach: Using a multi-case…

In recent years, arts education has become a focus of some school improvement efforts, with consistent evidence emerging that vibrant arts programs can improve factors commonly listed as goals in school improvement plans, including engagement, attendance, and school climate. Such models mainly make use of arts integration, an approach that marries…

This study aimed to identify the factors that foster a collaborative culture in the school improvement process. Estonian schools are characterized by a high degree of autonomy in developing the school curriculum and choosing the appropriate methods for its implementation. As a result, some schools are more successful, while others face…