ED466023 - Developing Instructional Leaders. ERIC Digest - ERIC-ED466023 | Content Details

ED466023 - Developing Instructional Leaders. ERIC Digest

Source Institution: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, Eugene, OR

Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC

Subject: Administrator Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Instructional Leadership, Leadership Training, Principals, Professional Development, Program Descriptions, Superintendents

Abstract: Although instructional leadership is acknowledged to be a critical skill in educational administration, few principals and superintendents have had in-depth training for that role, especially in a standards-based environment. Current definitions of instructional leadership include much deeper involvement in the "core technologyt1of teaching and learning, carry more sophisticated views of professional development, and emphasize the use of data to make decisions, in comparison to the definitions of the 1980s. Leadership is also distributed across the school community, with principals, superintendents, teachers, and policymakers having complementary responsibilities. Leadership preparation programs include cohort programs, case studies, problem-based learning, and internships. School districts can build instructional leadership by expecting all employees to be both teachers and learners. A key strategy in New York City's District Two is the "WalkThrough" program. It begins with a meeting to review goals and objectives, analyze test data (including discussions of individual children), and discuss teacher performance. The meeting is followed by a visit to every classroom, which involves interaction with teachers and students, and concludes with an evaluation meeting. The WalkThroughs are both supervisory, underscoring the principal's accountability, and supportive, providing the occasion for dialogue and coaching. (Contains 13 references.).