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A publication of the Association of California School Administrators
A publication of the Association of California School Administrators

Instructional leadership

Strategies for supporting principals’ efforts to improve student achievement

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September | October 2024

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Shifting our focus to the right work

By Lori Emmington

There is little convincing evidence that formal teacher evaluations impact student performance. Instead, principals may find that building the capacity of their teacher teams yields better results and requires less time and energy.
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Who is in the driver’s seat?

By Sharon Dunn

Reading proficiency is the ultimate equity outcome. But do principals know which students need help and precisely where to begin? The right assessment data can be your best guide to drive instructional practices that prevent reading failure at your school.

Closing gaps with instructional coherence

By Wil Greer, Agyei Green, Roxanne Williams and Francine Blacksher

Departments of equity can be a valuable resource to help site leaders identify and address achievement gaps among underserved students. A pilot program involving the department of equity in San Bernardino City Unified School District is giving teachers and principals a clearer awareness of the instructional practices that help African American students excel.

It was all broken, so we started over

By Matthew La Belle and Daniel Cook

Nearly half of all students at Adolfo Camarillo High School were getting D’s and F’s in their math classes. This wasn’t acceptable, so new leadership at the school formed an Instructional Leadership Team, analyzed the data and instituted multiple improvements, including a new math pathway.

Reseeding your culture to grow a new better

By Suzette Lovely

To drive instructional practices that put students in a better position to achieve, principals have to look beyond what’s quick or easy. Principals must go beyond the surface culture and examine the root system to see why people do things a particular way.

How the central office can support principals as learning leaders

By Jodi L. McClay

To maximize the impact principals have as learning leaders, central offices should deliberately and thoughtfully focus on five concepts.

The four majorities: Leading teachers through change

By Jessica Gomez and Josué Reyna

We lead people not projects, and because people are incredibly complex, change initiatives can quickly become unwieldy and ultimately, unfruitful. Leaders who know about the four majorities are better prepared to steer their teacher teams to success.
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