Douglas Fisher
Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership
Douglas Fisher (dfisher@sdsu.edu) is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College having been an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. He is the recipient of an International Reading Association William S. Grey citation of merit, an Exemplary Leader award from the Conference on English Leadership of NCTE, as well as a Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education. Fisher has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design as well as books, such as PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design, Building Equity, and Assessment-capable Learners.
All Articles
-
Strengths-based focus builds team collaboration
The hallmark of an effective leadership team is members’ ability to collaborate with each other in planning and implementing the steps to achieve the team’s vision and objectives. When done well, this collaborative work facilitates the growth of each team member and a learning culture for the larger school community […] -
Strong teams start with collective vision and early wins
In summer 2023, we shared an overview of why leadership teams are important for school success on Learning Forward’s blog (Spiro & Fisher, 2023). We are pleased to have the opportunity to write a recurring column for The Learning Professional to explore leadership teams in more depth, focusing on what […] -
How school leadership teams lead to success
School leaders have a major impact on student achievement and schoolwide improvement, but they can’t achieve success by acting alone. Excellent results require a team effort. High-functioning leadership teams are built intentionally and are, on average, five times more productive than average teams (Keller, 2017). Even when leaders recognize the […] -
My Plan C: Preparing for the Next Wave: Making mid-course corrections to our COVID plans
In an everchanging landscape, districts and charter management organizations have had to make and adjust plans for the beginning of the school year. The focus of the discussion will be on the ways systems are shifting to implement their Plans A, B, and C around in-person, hybrid, and distance learning […] -
5 questions PLCs should ask to promote equity
How might the work of professional learning communities (PLCs) focus on the changes necessary to ensure that all students are engaged, inspired, and successful? Despite current efforts, some groups of students are not making expected progress to meet grade-level standards and achieve at the highest levels. PLCs present a rich […] -
Power Plan
“There’s still a question on the table. How can we get our students to read more and better? I mean, they read what they have to, and they’re doing OK. But how do we ensure that they are ready for what comes after high school?” This comment, made by an […] -
Close and Critical Reading
"Close reading" refers to a level of understanding that students of any age can achieve with the right kind of instruction. In this webinar, authors Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher share an overview of a research-based instructional plan that teachers, schools, and districts can use to stretch students' capacity to read […]
