This paper aims first to shed light on one element of leadership: the characteristics--or "competencies"--of turnaround leaders who succeed in driving rapid, dramatic change. Second, it recounts the elements of support that districts must provide these leaders to enable and sustain a portfolio of successful school turnarounds. Fortunately, decades of experience in other sectors and in education systems of other nations reveal tools and techniques for understanding and using turnaround leader competencies, and for governing turnaround leaders successfully. U.S. educators must act on this knowledge. Today, few districts have an explicit strategy to select and empower school turnaround leaders using the best available techniques. Few provide the autonomy, support, and accountability for rapid, dramatic change that will attract, keep, and enable turnarounds by capable leaders. Here the authors explain what states, districts, and others with an interest in school turnarounds need to know. They describe the role of leadership in organizational turnarounds and how using competencies can allow better selection, development, and support of these leaders. Appended are: (1) Identifying Distinguishing Competencies: Building a Valid Model; (2) Hiring Effective School Turnaround Principals; and (3) Developing School Turnaround Principals. (Contains 1 figure and 70 notes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by the University of Virginia's Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education.].

This study aimed to contribute to the growing field of research on the effectiveness of efforts to improve chronically underperforming schools grouped under a turnaround model. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the characteristics ascribed to principals who have been effective in raising student performance at low-performing schools that fall under this model. The study looked to identify and understand the competencies and characteristics that principals, teachers and district leaders believed were essential for turnaround principals to be effective turnaround leaders. The researcher probed the lived experiences of principals, teachers, and district leaders associated with three types of public turnaround schools: (a) schools that have shown clear and steady improvement under the turnaround model, (b) schools that have remained stagnant under the model and (c) schools that have regressed under the model. Qualitative methods were used to collect, analyze and interpret data. Data were collected from interviews with turnaround school staff and from archival documents such as principal performance reviews and staff-provided performance surveys of school principals. A study of these data sources may contribute to the growing body of research centered on turnaround schools and potentially support districts in their protocols for hiring and retention decisions related to turnaround principals. This study may also serve as a resource for districts to increase the likelihood of success of turnaround principals in similar school settings.

Research over the past 30 years has found that effective principals can significantly improve various components of student achievement and learning. In addition, there are few examples of improving student achievement that were not led by an effective principal. Research has also identified the need for the change to be systemic or comprehensive in the school turnaround process to ensure sustainability. Along with a systemic improvement process, Duke (2006), identifies 10 "essential" school components for the turnaround principal's focus and action as keys to sustained success for the benefit of all students. This briefing paper addresses the essential competencies and actions of the turnaround principal. Identifying competencies and actions exhibited by the turnaround principal is crucial to guiding development of effective future leaders. It may help districts to improve their capacity to identify and select the best leaders for their schools. Competencies and actions of existing leaders could be compared to those identified in research, allowing methods for developing, supporting, and evaluating turnaround principals to be refined. These topics are discussed following descriptions of the procedure by which resources were selected for this paper and the limitations of this paper.

The real reform agenda -- Turning schools around -- Change -- Turning a whole system around.

Turnaround principals of chronically inadequately performing schools faced myriad challenges and required the requisite skills to derive positive transformational change (Duke, 2015). Challenges include identification of the root causes, development of a cohesive turnaround plan, successful implementation, and progress monitoring (Duke, 2015). The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore best practices of principals leading turnaround reform efforts. Four cases whereby turnaround principals who have successfully derived rapid school-improvement results provided information that can be used to understand the best practices inherent to a successful turnaround. The research was conducted at each school, and data was gathered from interviews, field observations, and artifacts. Rapid school improvement is nebulous; however, precise methods are limited. Deming's insistence on the leader's role as a predominant factor in improving productivity complements the turnaround principal's role in the improvement process. His work and scholarship influenced the conceptual framework created for this study. The conceptual framework included identification, development, implementation, and assessment and provided a sequential route to understanding nuances inherent in a school turnaround effort. A convergence of evidence model was used to identify common themes and synthesize conclusions. A comprehensive approach is required to understand the enormity of a successful turnaround effort. Similarly, instructional leadership, communication, tenacity, and recognition are essential practices that are evident in a successful turnaround effort. Findings can be used to scale turnaround efforts and build expertise. Questions for future research include understanding the varying contexts, leading schools with different demographic profiles, and expanding similar facets using other approaches.

LEADING SCHOOL TURNAROUND Leading School Turnaround offers new perspectives and concrete, evidence-based guidelines for the educational leaders and administrators faced with the challenge of turning our low-performing schools around. Using the tools outlined in this groundbreaking book, school leaders can guide their schools to higher levels of achievement and sustained academic success. Based on research conducted in the United States, Canada, and England, Leading School Turnaround addresses in three parts the dynamic context of the turnaround environment, what turnaround leaders do, and the incredible challenges of moving from turnaround to "stay around." Filled with illustrative examples, the book outlines the best practices and behaviors successful turnaround leaders exercise. The authors include detailed information for applying the four main categories of turnaround leadership: direction setting, developing people, redesigning the school, and managing the instructional program. This important resource can help any school leader get their school back on the track to academic success.

The book offers a progressive perspective of turnaround principals and adds to the current turnaround school literature. It includes stories of the lived experiences of three critically conscious principals’ journey to school transformation. The turnaround principals in this book disrupted cultures of oppression in predominantly African American schools. Through the power of transformative leadership these school leaders improved the academic outcomes for students as well as the working conditions of teachers and staff.