Research Brief
Building Cohesive Leadership Systems to Improve School Leadership
Dec 22, 2009
The Promise of Cohesive Leadership Systems
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 0.8 MB | Best for desktop computers. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
ePub file | 6.5 MB | Best for mobile devices. On desktop computers and some mobile devices, you may need to download an eBook reader to view ePub files. Calibre is an example of a free and open source e-book library management application. |
mobi file | 2.9 MB | Best for Kindle 1-3. On desktop computers and some mobile devices, you may need to download an eBook reader to view mobi files. Amazon Kindle is the most popular reader for mobi files. |
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 0.2 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Format | List Price | Price | |
---|---|---|---|
Add to Cart | Paperback178 pages | $32.00 | $25.60 20% Web Discount |
Improving the nation's public schools is one of the highest priorities of federal, state, and local government in America. Recent research has shown that the quality of the principal is, among school-based factors, second only to the quality of the teacher in contributing to what students learn in the classroom. New programs to develop school leaders who can exercise vigilance over instruction and support effective teaching practices are not likely to succeed, however, if they are inconsistent with other state and district policies affecting school leadership. The Wallace Foundation, which focuses its grantmaking in education primarily on school leadership, has posited that well-coordinated policies and initiatives to develop leadership standards, provide high-quality training, and improve the conditions that affect principals' work will increase their ability to improve instruction in their schools. This study documents the actions taken by the Foundation's grantees to create a more cohesive set of policies and initiatives to improve instructional leadership in schools; describes how states and districts have worked together to forge such policies and initiatives around school leadership; and examines the hypothesis that more-cohesive systems do in fact improve school leadership. The study found that it is possible to build more-cohesive leadership systems and that such efforts appear to be a promising approach to developing school leaders engaged in improving instruction. Although the study did not find evidence that the full underlying theory behind this initiative is sound, it did find a correlation between improved conditions for principals and their engagement in instructional practices.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Data Sources and Analytic Approach
Chapter Three
Policies and Initiatives Taken to Improve Leadership
Chapter Four
Variations in State and District Roles in Improving School Leadership
Chapter Five
Building Cohesion Across Policies and Initiatives
Chapter Six
Effective Strategies for System-Building
Chapter Seven
Prospects for Sustainability
Chapter Eight
Support for the CLS Hypothesis
Chapter Nine
Recommendations
Appendix A
Background Information on Study States and Districts
Appendix B
Indicators of Leadership Policy Initiatives, Factors of Cohesion, Conditions, and Effective Leadership Practices
Appendix C
Principal Survey Technical Notes
Appendix D
Principal End-of-Day-Log Technical Notes
Appendix E
Index Construction for the Analyses in Chapter Eight
Appendix F
Methodology and Elaborated Results for Analyses in Chapter Eight
The research in this report was produced within RAND Education, a division of the RAND Corporation, and was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.