Leadership matters that was the message that researchers from the Iowa School Boards Foundation and the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) told a roomful of board members and superintendents at an early-bird workshop today.
Iowa’s Mary Delagardelle and Anne Lundquist of McREL presented research findings from both groups on how the leadership practices of board members and superintendents can contribute to higher achievement for their students.
The Iowa Lighthouse Project, according to Delagardelle, found five qualities of school boards in high-achieving districts: They set clear expectations, hold the system accountable, create conditions so the work can succeed, create the public will to succeed, and learn together as a board.
Some leadership practices, said Lundquist, are associated with a 10 percentile increase in student achievement. These practices include:
# Collaborative goal setting process with board members, superintendent, and school staff.
# Non-negotiable goals for achievement and instruction.
# Board alignment with and support of district goals
# Use of resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction.
# Monitoring goals for achievement and instruction.
“Once you’ve decided what your goals, you must keep those goals and targets front and center,” said Delagardelle. “Expect success. Don’t make it OK in the system not to succeed. Say, We are partners in this, and we aren’t going to stop asking the questions and adjusting that support.’”
Participants in the workshop received tools and techniques they could bring home to their boards and districts so they can put practices to work with their colleagues.
Where can we find links to these tools and techniques?
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