Research and Best Practices
The largest in-depth study of school leadership to date, this report gathers and analyzes quantitative data confirming that education leadership has a strong impact on student achievement, as measured by student test scores. The study shows that leadership makes its mark largely by strengthening a school’s “professional community” – an environment where teachers work together to improve classroom instruction. It also finds that rapid turnover of principals reduces student achievement. In addition, the study shows that although the.....
Leadership Resources
Learning From Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning
The largest in-depth study of school leadership to date, this report gathers and analyzes quantitative data confirming that education leadership has a strong impact on student achievement, as measured by student test scores. The study shows that leadership makes its mark largely by strengthening a school’s “professional community” – an environment where teachers work together to improve classroom instruction. It also finds that rapid turnover of principals reduces student achievement. In addition, the study shows that although the.....
Principal and Teacher Evaluation: A Compilation of Information and Resources for Schools and Districts Developing Educator Evaluation Tools
This document lists information and resources relating to principal and teacher evaluation that districts may find helpful as they develop tools to review a teacher's or principal’s performance. ACC has identified a number of tools, some of which provide examples that include student data in the evaluation process, which are research-based and offer promise as an effective practice. However, any resource’s inclusion or omission from this list does not constitute ACC’s endorsement or lack of endorsement.
Reinventing the American High School (Association for Career and Tech Ed)
In this paper, the Association for Career and Technical Education review the challenges and current efforts in high school redesign, and offer a number of recommendations about what elements should be included in our mutual efforts to reinvent the American high school for the 21st century.
Toolkit for Implementing the School Improvement Grant (SIG) - Transformation Model (CII)
This document is intended for use after the LEA has determined that the Transformation Model is the best fit for the school. The purposes of this document are to:
• outline action items involved in implementing the School Improvement Grant (SIG) Transformation Model and
• provide tools and resources to help districts and school implement the Transformation Model.
Guide to Teacher Evaluation Products
Accurately measuring a teacher's effectiveness is a complex and difficult task. Like building a puzzle, developing a teacher evaluation system requires multiple pieces that must be placed together in a purposeful way to create a holistic evaluation system.
This guide can be used by states and districts to explore various evaluation methods and tools that represent the "puzzle pieces" of an evaluation system.
The guide includes detailed descriptions of more than 75 teacher evaluation tools that are currently implemented and tested in.....
Turnaround Competencies for Teachers and Leaders and Toolkits for Selecting Turnaround Leaders and Teachers
School turnaround is possible, but it takes a concerted effort with daring leadership at the helm and persistent, achievement-oriented collaboration among staff. For turnaround efforts to succeed, nothing is more important than making sure that the leaders and teachers who are selected for these challenging roles have the capacity and the will to make a turnaround happen.
The four resources in the Competencies for Turnaround Success Series are designed to help district officials identify and hire the right leaders and teachers for this.....
Quality School Leadership Identification (QSL-ID): Your Link to Strong School Leaders (Resource for SIG applicants)
High-performing and dramatically improving schools are led by strong principals. District staff know the importance of hiring and supporting quality school principals but are often left on their own to define a hiring process and create hiring tools.
In response to this challenge, Learning Point Associates offers Quality School Leadership Identification (QSL-ID), a standardized hiring procedure built from research-based tools that hiring committees can use to reach consensus when selecting a new school principal.
QSL-ID consists of the.....
Turnaround Strategies and Models for High Schools
(From the National High School Center) This resource is a synthesis of the literature on high school improvement organized by key elements of the turnaround/transformation models, as defined by the federal Title I School Improvement Grant regulations. The synthesis has been organized into the following three sections:
* Improving High Schools Overview/Background
o The High School Context
o Supporting Low Performing Schools: Lessons Learned
o Implications of the Lessons for High School Turnaround
*.....
Successful School Turnarounds Seven Steps For District Leaders
Turnarounds are one of the only proven strategies for quickly achieving success in very low-performing organizations. But they can be difficult and controversial. School board members and district leaders who commit to this strategy must prioritize student learning needs over custom, routine, and established relationships. They must view turnarounds not as a one-time solution but part of a sustained effort. This Issue Brief outlines successful strategies for turnarounds as well as listing qualities of a "turnaround principal."
Key Insights from Principals Making Breakthrough Gains
Lessons learned from school leaders making breakthrough gains in student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Includes policy recommendations for school turnarounds and key insights from The Urban Excellence FrameworkTM.
TQ Resource Library (Publications Database) (National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality)
In the last several years alone, hundreds of books and articles about teacher quality and leadership quality issues have been written. Using standardized criteria to evaluate many of these publications, Learning Point Associates has assembled a database with detailed information about many of the most significant teacher quality publications of the past 20 years.
The TQ Source publications database houses information for publications in the following issue areas: preparation, recruitment and retention, certification and licensure,.....
Technical Assistance Toolbox from National Center for Teacher Quality
In this Technical Assistance Toolbox you will find examples of technical assistance available from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality Center, answers to Frequently asked questions, and descriptions of how to use our large collection of content-rich resources to assist in your efforts to improve teacher quality in your region and state.
"The Idea Center" for CTE
The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) are searching for ideas and practices that are positively impacting student achievement in career and technical education classrooms, buildings and districts. The Idea Center is collecting this information and making it easy for teachers, administrators, guidance counselors and others to share, comment on and experiment to make career and technical education an even better education for our nation's students,.....
How Do Districts Support Schools to Meet AYP?
For the most part, districts can only meet AYP if their schools meet AYP. Consequently, district leadership needs to keep a sharp focus on the student achievement targets, set clear expectations for all schools, build the capacity of instructional leaders to monitor student progress, and hold all schools accountable for knowing where their students are in relation to the content standards and for creating appropriate interventions for students and schools not succeeding.
Making Visible Improvements Early in the Turnaround Process
This multimedia overview describes the nature and purpose of quick wins in turnaround schools. It offers examples of quick wins that principals can achieve in their schools. (5:55 min)
RESPONSIBILITIES OF CULTURALLY PROFICIENT SCHOOL LEADERS
This resource illustrates the "Elements of Cultural Proficient School Leaders." Courtesy of AACP, Gary Whiteley, Director.
Sustaining Reading First
The resources in this link provide a conceptual framework on sustainability, tools for assessing readiness to sustain, and briefs on specific topics related to sustaining evidence based reading instruction.
Handbook on Effective Implementation of School Improvement Grants
The purpose of the Handbook is to bolster the effective implementation of the intervention models and strategies outlined in the 2009 School Improvement Grant (SIG) program in order to achieve the program’s clear goal—rapid improvement of persistently low-achieving schools. This Handbook offers practical explanations of the SIG’s required and recommended models and strategies, references to the underlying research, and connections to useful resources.
