The paper is an exploration of dual-role school district leadership in a small rural state. Dual-role leaders are individuals who fulfill all the roles of both the school superintendent and principal. Smaller rural school districts are the districts that often utilize a dual-role superintendent and principal model. The position of principal and…

This paper presents a conceptual model which explains the challenges of providing high quality sustainable, teacher professional development at scale. It provides a framework to support holistic thinking at a systemic level, applicable across different systems. It draws on sociocultural theories of learning and encourages the user to think about…

Reciprocal trust among leaders in education improves the learning outcomes for students, which is the primary goal for educators. Researchers studying administrative teams have found the degree and level of reciprocal trust that exists in a learning organization between district-level leaders and principals can aid or impede the implementation of…

This qualitative case study looks at school improvement through the on-the-ground experiences of principal supervisors. Beginning with a review of literature on how systems are organized for success, the role of district central offices, and the impact of leadership on improvement, I investigate the work of principal supervisors as they develop…

In "From Tinkering to Transformation," Meredith Honig and Lydia Rainey call on superintendents and other district leaders to rethink the very premises that underlie the long-standing ways of working in their central offices. Based on the results of nearly two decades of research from districts of 2,000 to 200,000 students, Honig and…

The purpose of this Delphi study was to explore the potential for district leaders to leverage Liberatory Design to interrupt systemic inequities and redress bias in K-12 school systems. A purposeful, heterogeneous sampling of twelve experts, who were identified as effective practitioners of transformative leadership or as academic scholars…

The action-research study explores a district leader's experience implementing district-wide individualized learning plans (ILPs) and individualized instruction to enhance student outcomes in reading. The study utilizes collective leadership practices by collaborating with reading interventionists throughout. In addition, this study provides an…

District central offices are increasingly partnering with external organizations, such as professional development providers, to facilitate instructional improvement. Given the highly interdependent nature of partnership work, partners often need to coordinate their work together. We define coordination as how partners align different actions so…

Effective school-level leaders impact student achievement. McREL's analysis of research found that effective leadership is not about leader personality or style; rather, it's about a set of 21 specific actions and behaviors that are significantly associated with higher levels of student achievement. This report translates the 21 actions into a…

This mixed-methods study investigated how school districts in Missouri allocate funds to schools and the extent to which current practices promote equitable distribution of resources to meet student needs, especially for historically under-resourced populations. The study surveyed a sample of school district superintendents and chief financial…

This was a case study of the principal succession planning practices of a large school district in Oregon. For the study, the researcher interviewed nine principals and nine central office administrators and surveyed 17, K-12 assistant principals within the studied school district. The findings from this study reveal many strengths and weaknesses…

Purpose: This study examines the sources and intensity of moral distress among school district leaders during the first full school year of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates their coping mechanisms for addressing issues that create moral dilemmas for them. Design and Evidence: We draw on semi-structured interviews with 26 school district…

This descriptive qualitative study explored the perceptions of central office administrators regarding the benefits and challenges experienced supporting teacher professional learning since the COVID-19 pandemic. Through semi-structured interviews with eight administrators, the study uncovered two themes regarding benefits and three themes…

To influence student achievement and improve learning outcomes, building leaders are expected to exercise key elements of instructional leadership. School leaders experience barriers to engaging in efforts to increase teacher effectiveness and guide instructional improvement, due to the demands on their time as they balance the operational,…

In spring 2024, the authors surveyed 156 American School District Panel member districts about principal pipeline activities across seven domains -- leader standards, principal preparation, selective hiring and placement, on-the-job support and evaluation, principal supervision, leader tracking systems, and systems of support -- to estimate the…