Blumberg Center for
Interdisciplinary Studies in Special Education

Project for responsive educational systems

Leadership

General Description

In School Leadership That Works: What We Can Learn from 25 Years of Research (2003), Tim Waters stated that school leaders who demonstrate positive leadership qualities have a significant effect on student learning and behavior.  Leadership facilitates the success of all students by helping faculty, staff, parents, community members, and the students themselves to envision, embrace, and realize the possibilities for high achievement through shared vision, collaboration, research-based instructional practices, data-driven decision making, and positive relationships.  A crucial component for implementing systemic educational reform that results in highly effective schools, effective school leadership makes a profound difference for students by laying the foundation for student success in school and in life.  Leadership establishes the vision, policies, and procedures and provides resources for effective and efficient implementation.  It also ensures teachers receive needed professional development, coaching, and consultation, while providing adequate staff, perhaps through redefining educator roles, to guarantee effective execution.  Leadership also develops and implements evaluations that ensure fidelity of implementation and use of data-based decision making and reviews the effectiveness of instruction, interventions, and extensions.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

District Leadership Team

* Include administrative and teacher leaders, parents, and community representatives
* Lead efforts to create an infrastructure for implementing a tiered instructional framework based on district-wide evidence-based core curriculum and supplemental instructional strategies
* Provide necessary technology, materials, and resources to support effective implementation
* Design and implement policies and procedures for assessing the impact of implementation on student learning and staff effectiveness
* Provide initial and continuing professional development/coaching opportunities for all staff
* Provide support as needed to principals and other leadership staff

Building Leadership Team

*  Include administrators, teacher leaders, student service personnel, and other members as needed to address student needs
* Establish a school vision that embraces change, collaboration, high expectations for all students, and a culture of using data to make educational decisions
*  Use data-based decision making strategies to identify instructional needs of students and to evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction
*  Develop a school schedule that allows for supplemental instruction and professional collaboration
* Allocate staff to meet the instructional needs of students
* Use data to determine the professional development/support needs of staff members and resources to meet those needs
* Assess fidelity of implementation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at all levels of the tiered framework


Related Resources

Electronic:

 Batsche, G. Building Support
www.rtinetwork.org/GetStarted/BuildSupport/ar/BuildingSupport

 Batsche, G. Developing a Plan
www.rtinetwork.org/GetStarted/Develop/ar/DevelopingPlan

 Batsche, G. Evaluating and Refining Implementation
 www.rtinetwork.org/GetStarted/Evaluate/ar/RefiningImplementation

 Deschler, D. Implementing RTI in Secondary Schools
 www.signetwork.org/Docs/CallNotes/2008/oct/DeshlerRTIHighSchoolv3.pdf

Indiana Department of Education. (2008). Indiana’s Vision of Response to Intervention
 www.doe.in.gov/rti

 IRIS Module RTI: Considerations for School Leaders
iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/rti_leaders/chalcycle.htm

 Kukic, S.J. RTI Leadership That Works
www.rtinetwork.org/Get-Started/Build-Support/RtI-Leadership-That-Works

 National Association of State Directors of Special Education. (2006).
NASDSE explains Response to Intervention: Part II - Professional Development
www.cenmi.org/Documents/FocusonResults/FocusonResultsDetails/tabid/79/
articleType/ArticleView/articleId/62/NASDSE-Explains-Response-to-Intervention-Part-II--Professional-Development.aspx.

 Phi Delta Kappan
 www.pdkintl.org/kappan/index.htm

Realigning Our Schools: Building Professional Learning Communities
 eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED427478&ERICExtSearch
_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED427478

Printed:

Downey, C.J., Steffy, B.E., English, F.W., Frase, L.E., & Poston, W.K., Jr. (2004). The three-minute classroom walk-through: Changing school supervisory practice one teacher at a time. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S.P. & Ross-Gordon, L.M. (2006). Supervision and instructional leadership: A developmental approach (7th ed.). Columbus, OH: Allyn and Bacon.

 Hoy, A. W. & Hoy, W. K. (2003). Instructional Leadership: A learning-centered guide.

 Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

 Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. (2005). School leadership that works: From research to results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

 Schmoker, M.J. (2006). Results now: How we can achieve unprecedented improvements in teaching and learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

 Taulbert, C. (2006). Eight habits of the heart for educators: Building strong school communities through timeless values. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 Waters, T. (2003). School leadership that works: What we can learn from 25 years of research. Paper presented at the CCSSO Fall Policy Conference, Indianapolis, IN.