Research has confirmed many times that leadership is second only to teaching in influencing student achievement. What do system and school leaders do that teachers value most and identify as most helpful in their efforts to ensure high-quality literacy and standards-based instruction for all students?
5 things school leaders do that make a big difference for teachers
Twists and Turns on the Road to Where I Am Today
People who know Deborah Jackson, Learning Forward board of trustees president, know how passionate she is about education. In this post, she reflects on how her path has not always been predictable and shares a few of the more surprising moments in her life as a learning leader.
So you think you can lead?
When we think about what hooks us to popular reality television shows, it’s often the characters that pull us in each week. Is it the odd or eccentric idiosyncrasies that leave us baffled and intrigued about what they might do next? Do we find ourselves trying to predict their behaviors and how others around them might respond? Trying to decipher the needs and behaviors of others is a critical skill that helps make leaders effective.
The Principal Pipeline Initiative – Unpacking the Effects
The results are in, and they are exciting. Last week I shared Learning Forward’s anticipation about the release of the RAND study of the Wallace Foundation-supported Principal Pipeline Initiative. (See that post here.) On April 8, I represented Learning Forward at the New York unveiling of Principal Pipelines: A Feasible, Affordable, and Effective Way for…
Lessons on professional learning from Star Wars
What can educators learn from Star Wars? You do not have to inhabit a galaxy far, far away to learn lessons about effective professional learning. In fact, the most effective professional learning occurs within your own educational sphere, so here are six lessons to transform learning in your own universe.
What do teachers need in professional learning?
A panel of educators recently discussed the question of teacher agency in professional learning hosted by Learning Forward and the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future. The organizations co-published Moving from Compliance to Agency: What Teachers Need to Make Professional Learning Work, a white paper that explores the importance of amplifying teacher voice in professional learning and outlines strategies to do so.
The Principal Pipeline Initiative – Anticipating the Effects
In 2011, six large school districts set out to build and manage pipelines to support their school principals. This Wallace Foundation-funded effort, known as the Principal Pipeline Initiative (PPI), was built on substantial evidence from more than a decade of the foundation’s school leadership efforts. On April 8, Wallace is hosting a livestream discussion to…
Charting a course for the change process: Learning strategies for sails, surfers, and anchors
Change is a challenge. Read about the different ways your team members will respond to change and how to address each type to ensure learning.
Learning leaders share responsibility for all students
What does it look like to create a compelling teacher leadership agenda at the school or district level? This is a question I’ve been hearing a lot lately, and I’m glad. It shows that school systems and schools are recognizing the importance of sharing responsibility for all students and leadership among all education professionals. Learning…
Learning leadership requires a supportive culture—and a focus on students
A supportive culture energizes participants in Learning Leaders for Learning Schools, an intensive professional learning cohort for a group of Phoenix-area principals and district office personnel.