SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Studies

What We Know About Successful School Leadership
American Education Research Association | Kenneth Leithwood and Caroline Riehl | January 2003
Successful school leadership is the second most important factor in student achievement. Leaders must be flexible and knowledgeable to meet the demands of today's schools.

Principal Leadership Training and School Reform: A Guide for School and District Leaders
Learning Point Associates
"Few school improvement initiatives succeed without support from the school principal … Establishing and taking part in effective leadership development programs is critical to increase the competencies and skills that today's school leaders require."

Balanced Leadership: What 30 years of research tells us about the effect of leadership on student achievement
Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning | Tim Waters, Ross Marzano and Brian McNulty | 2003
30 years of principal leadership research concludes with 21 principal responsibilities that result in student achievement. A "balanced leadership framework" synthesizes "knowledge, skills, strategies and tools leaders need to positively impact student achievement."

Leadership for School Improvement
Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning
"Effective leadership is a key component of lasting reform efforts … This paper synthesizes some of the most-current literature pertaining to leadership and offers ideas and suggestions that may serve as the basis for further study about the leadership strategies that help bring about meaningful and long-lasting reform."

The Role of School Leadership in Improving Student Achievement
National Conference of State Legislators Task Force on School Leadership
"Strong leadership is essential in order for school reform to be effective and sustained." But principals and superintendents have changing responsibilities and job dynamics.

Leading School Improvement: What Research Says
Southern Regional Education Board | Gary Hoachlander, Martha Alt and Renee Baltranena
"There is a surprising amount of consensus on the general requirements for effective leadership, but there is much less agreement on how best to cultivate these qualities."

Making Sense of Leading Schools: A Study of the School Principalship
University of Washington, Center on Reinventing Public Education | Bradley Portin
"Instead of examining what it takes to lead schools in the abstract, it looks at what school leaders actually do. It then asks what this implies for policy and leadership development."

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org