Be visible and approachable. Unpack necessary conversations with care. Build capacity based on strengths. Author Delia E. Racines offers these powerful protocols and more to support instructional leaders in building a community of trust in which positive change can occur. All current and aspiring instructional leaders ready to work collaboratively to improve teaching and learning will value this book. Instructional leaders will use this essential guide to: Understand the importance of fostering trust and competence across all relationships within their school Utilize a wide variety of reproducibles for both team building and personal reflection Dive into Educator Spotlights that provide unique perspectives on chapter tools Strategize for effective goal setting and achievement Become more intentionally present as leaders Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Be Visible and Approachable Chapter 2: Listen Closely to the Complaint for a Request Chapter 3: Invite All Voices Chapter 4: Use a Strengths-Based Approach Toward Building Instructional Leadership Capacity Chapter 5: Unpack Necessary Conversations With Care Conclusion References and Resources Index

Supercharge school improvement with instructional coaches! For instructional coaches, no two days are ever the same. This unique companion melds theory and practice to show how coaches can seamlessly integrate themselves into the fabric of the school and help teachers improve their practice from day one. Dean Spaulding and Gail Smith address common challenges of coaches and instructional leadership teams, including: Observing classrooms and providing formative feedback Reaching out to the hesitant or resistant teacher Adapting data and analysis into usable information for the team Recruiting, training, and supporting new instructional coaches Journal entries based on the real-life experiences give an inside look at the day-to-day work of an instructional coach and the power of coaching to improve teacher effectiveness. The book also includes field-tested activities, materials, and forms for collecting data, navigating busy days, and organizing information. Instructional Coaches and the Instructional Leadership Team is ideal for those wanting to learn best practices to engage educators and support teacher evaluation reform. "This book would have made my life SO much easier. I highly recommend it to new and experienced instructional coaches alike!" —Kathy Ferrell, Instructional Coach Excelsior Springs Middle School, MO "This is a wonderful resource. Even schools without instructional coaches will benefit from the strategies and suggestions included. It′s an excellent book even for those who shy away from data analysis!" —Ann Dargon, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Westport Community Schools, MA

Sharpen your instructional leadership skills and guide your school toward equity and excellence for all. Just think about how great schools could be if every instructional leader exercised their influence to create change—maximizing the efforts of others and mobilizing those efforts to work toward a shared goal. How Leadership Works: A Playbook for Instructional Leaders walks educators through the processes of clarifying, articulating, and actualizing instructional leadership goals with the aim of delivering on the promise of equity and excellence for all. Grounded in Visible Learning® research, the exercises in this easy-to-use playbook illuminate the essential mindframes necessary for effective instructional leadership and prompt veteran, new, and aspiring educators to identify challenges and determine next steps. It includes: Ten essential mindframes for leaders, together with the leadership practices that illustrate each mindframe in action Teaching practices, such as teacher clarity or student engagement in learning, that support teachers in delivering quality instruction, along with tools to document the impact of those practices on learning Strategies for leading learning, including establishing school culture, utilizing feedback, and supporting professional learning communities as a pathway to building collective teacher efficacy. Tools for applying the principles of change, conducting an initiative inventory, and implementing and de-implementing initiatives Exercise-by-exercise, educators and front office staff will deepen their knowledge, frame their priorities and practices, and gain new tools for supporting the instructional focus and initiatives designed to support learning at your school.

Not just another book on leadership teams For school teams to succeed, they need leadership, independence, meaningful collaboration, and a shared conviction that they have real power to enact actual change. Educators know this, but they often lack an inquiry process that creates a community of learning leaders that is capable of deep collective impact on student learning and wellbeing. In this research-based, hands-on guidebook, school leadership coach Peter DeWitt introduces eight key drivers to integrating teacher and leader efficacy (mindset, well-being, context beliefs, working conditions, professional learning, organizational commitment, skills, and confidence) and harnesses it with a process to help you focus on the nuances of instruction and teaming to develop powerful collective leader efficacy. Readers will find: Activities and strategies designed to build collective efficacy in instructional teams and foster leadership and interdependence among teachers Theories of action to focus team efforts and how to create your own Tools, reflection prompts, and guiding questions to help you define your desired outcomes and the steps necessary to get there With this book and the research within it, your instructional leadership team will develop a learner’s mindset, a collective commitment to improvement, and a shared process for inquiry and continual growth so you can nurture greater impact together.

Updated Edition of Best Seller! "You won′t find a more practical, detailed guide to improving school effectiveness than is contained between the covers of this book!" Leonard O. Pellicer, Dean School of Education University of La Verne La Verne, CA "Few books on school leadership have effectively brought together the best of educational theory and practice for school administrators as Elaine McEwan′s Seven Steps to Instructional Leadership." Michael Pladus 1999 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year Have the courage and the vision to lead your staff to achieve their highest instructional goals! Make a substantive impact on the lives of your students and your staff. This practical, hands-on guide can help you become a more effective instructional leader. Here are research-based activities to help you lead your staff though McEwans′s seven steps: Establish, implement, and achieve academic standards Be an instructional resource for your staff Create a learning-oriented school culture and climate Communicate your school′s vision and mission to staff and students Set high expectations for your staff and yourself Develop teacher leaders Develop and maintain positive relationships with students, staff, and parents Integrate these seven steps into your daily behavior. Chapters on each step include research data, discussion and advice from instructional leaders, and practical suggestions from dozens of leading principals that you can use right now in your own school. Use the Instructional Leadership Checklist to: Assess your current level of instructional leadership Find out how your staff thinks you′re doing Set goals for improving your instructional leadership practice Evaluate your progress toward your goals Attaining a new and higher level of instructional leadership will make a difference for each person in your school. Staff, students, and parents will get the message that all students matter. Everyone will start expecting that all students can learn, and your school will achieve its mission—improving education.

In a high-stakes and testing-focused school climate, principals strive to develop and refine the skills that will make them effective instructional leaders. This book discusses how a narrow focus on day-to-day operations and management can limit the potential for effective instructional leadership by drawing attention away from the behaviors and interpersonal skills that enable school administrators to succeed. Building on stories from experienced principals in school districts across the country, author Linda L. Carrier offers practical tips and strategies for restoring the human dynamic of instructional leadership. Keeping the Leadership in Instructional Leadership: Developing Your Practice is designed to facilitate personal reflection and conversation about leadership practice, and its advice will empower principals and administrators to transform their schools into highly engaged communities of learners.