The purpose of this study was to gather initial evidence about the performance of the Leadership and Urban Network for Chicago (LAUNCH) principals and National Board Certified teachers, particularly whether they are building the capacity of their schools to improve student learning, and for LAUNCH principals, whether learning gains are larger in…

Describes how a change to teacher leadership made a big difference for one diverse urban high school. Guiding principles included: the principal is the formal leader, but leadership is everyone's responsibility, and every professional is included in monitoring the renewal process. Staff learned that: change must address real needs,…

Meeting the requirement for highly qualified teachers as outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act has left school districts in a quandary, especially those that serve a population of students deemed "at-risk" and where attracting and retaining highly qualified teachers is difficult. One professional development program based on…

Schools have differing levels of ability to develop leadership capacity. Yet even high leadership capacity schools may not always sustain improvements in student achievement. Several factors are key to realizing the promise of leadership. These factors challenge traditional concepts about leadership and the distribution of power, but when…

The 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education was designed to provide up-to-date information and to identify trends in the areas of teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources. A total of 7,752 science and mathematics teachers in schools across the United…

This book examines how to generate successful professional development programs. There are 14 chapters in five parts. Part 1, "Set the Stage for Powerful Professional Learning," includes: (1) "The Case for Powerful Professional Learning"; (2) "Stretch Goals, Deep Change, and a Compelling Vision"; and (3) "A…

Purpose: Aims to explore the role of Principals in producing outstanding education outcomes in Years 7 to 10 in New South Wales (Australia) government schools. Design/methodology/approach: Sites where "outstanding" educational outcomes were believed to be occurring were selected using a variety of data including performance in…

This article draws on the experiences of a range of Australian schools engaging with a teacher-centred process of whole-school renewal known as IDEAS (Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievement in Schools). IDEAS enhances the professional capacity of teachers to improve school outcomes such as student learning, relationships with the community,…

Those who explore the topic of leadership will soon find a consistent theme: Leaders must focus on and accept responsibility for results. The increasing emphasis on measuring results using state and national tests has led some school leaders to focus on raising test scores. Yet data is not what drives educators to change or improve. In this…

Teachers and administrators of Ogden Elementary School (Ogden, Kansas) had a problem--the school had had a pattern of poor student performance at least since 1991, when the Kansas State Assessment was implemented. Ogden had failed to reach the state standard of excellence (25% of tested students scoring in the "exemplary" category; 5% or…

Every teacher who chairs a department, leads a committee, manages a team, coordinates a program, or mentors other teachers needs this hands-on resource to accomplish basic leadership tasks with speed and precision. Filled with tips and how-to's that are left out of most teacher education courses and inservice programs, the guide covers formal and…

Profound change in school begins with profound change in leaders that radiates to others and into the system. Profound change requires more than structural change--it requires changing the brains of teachers and administrators. Creating such change requires that leaders think, speak, and act differently on a daily basis, clarifying their ideas and…

The Annenberg Institute for School Reform recently invited three distinguished educators (a superintendent, principal, and teacher leader) to Providence, Rhode Island, to reflect on the relationship between leadership and student achievement. Schools must tap into educators' training backgrounds; conversations at all levels must stress increasing…

I describe a major research program on primary mathematics in the UK, the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Program, and give a sample of some of the preliminary results. The program combines large-scale longitudinal survey and case studies, quantitative and qualitative data, and observation and intervention studies in order to try to ascertain how and…

School leaders deal with pressures, pitfalls, and opportunities every day. The authors maintain that creative leaders can keep schools moving in the right direction by reflecting on their natural talents and maximizing the strengths of their staff. This completely updated guide helps you assess your role as an administrator, shows how you might…