Many instructional leaders--superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum coordinators, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches--forget how hard it is to teach. The real-life experience of teaching, with its day-to-day intensity, fades a little bit each month one is not in the classroom. There is, however, a way that…

On the world stage, youth are using their voices to effect change. Shouldn't we also listen to them in our schools? University of Rochester's Valerie Marsh and Superintendent Shaun Nelms describe what happened when a struggling urban high school, on the brink of closure, put student voice at the center of its turnaround.

When the pandemic took hold, the superintendent of Selma City Schools realized the strategic plan her district had in place wasn't enough. She shares the collective steps her team took to embrace change and rethink what school could look like from the ground up.

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…

Two superintendents who are infusing social-emotional learning throughout their districts (in Minneapolis and Atlanta) discuss strategies they've found that help their efforts. They note support they receive through participating in the Collaborating Districts Initiative, a multidistrict effort launched by the Collaborative for Academic, Social,…

Richard DuFour, a leading advocate for creating professional learning communities in schools, shares his insights on why teaching has become an "embattled profession" and the steps teachers and school leaders can take to enhance teachers' practice and their working lives. DuFour explains how recent reforms aimed at educators themselves…

The author, who has served as a school board member and district superintendent, advocates that school districts use an academic return on investment approach to evaluate and make decisions about spending, specifically in special education. This approach requires that schools formally evaluate all programs, efforts, and strategies by multiple…

When Deborah Peterson reluctantly accepted the principalship of Roosevelt High School in Portland, Oregon, a high-poverty school no other qualified applicants would touch that her supervisor assigned to her, books for new principals were no help. The books suggested actions like crafting a school vision and developing professional learning…

Principals and superintendents frequently lament that their hands are tied by contracts, policies, and regulations--especially when it comes to hiring and firing staff, assigning employees to schools or classrooms, designing programs, or allocating resources. But it is also the case that educational leadership is marked by a debilitating timidity…

Describes the often unrecognized, but important instructional leadership role of central-office staff. (PKP)

The US public school superintendents and principals wish to see some major reforms in the educational systems though they have put in tremendous efforts. The five areas in which school leaders would like to see changes found by public agenda are briefly discussed.

Argues that studying the history of school supervision can aid understanding of current problems and future possibilities for supervision in schools. Presents a brief history of American school supervision in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (JG)

When he was director of alternative schools and deputy superintendent of New York City's District Four in the 1970s and 1980s, Seymour Fliegel created a districtwide free choice plan and a nationally recognized network of 24 alternative concept schools. In this interview, Fliegel argues the merits of choice and suggests ways for schools to…

Lists several websites that provide information and literature that define instructional leadership, discuss the role of teachers as instructional leaders, and identify instructional leadership development resources. (PKP)

Argues that the center of the educational leader's role should be maintaining, justifying, and articulating sound, comprehensive programs of instruction, rather than concentrating on administrative tasks such as collective bargaining, budgeting, and public relations. (JG)