A new brief from NCEE explores how, in the wake of the pandemic, education systems both in the U.S. and abroad are harnessing innovation and digital technologies to deepen and accelerate learning for all students.

What Matters for School Leadership Learning?

Strong school leadership is critical to shaping learning environments, supporting high-quality teachers and teaching, and improved student outcomes. A new report from the Learning Policy Institute explores what makes a high-quality school leadership professional learning program.

The Learning Policy Institute report Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters? adds to an extensive body of research indicating that high-quality principal preparation and professional development programs lead to positive school, principal, teacher, and student outcomes.

Based on a review of peer-reviewed research and survey data, the LPI report identified characteristics of exemplary principal learning programs that support principals’ leadership knowledge and skills. These include:

  • the use of authentic learning opportunities;
  • critical content on developing instruction, people, and the organization;
  • managing change; and
  • collegial supports.

These characteristics are present throughout the NISL curriculum with the use of action learning as a disciplined approach to improvement in school sites and rich content on strategic thinking, instructional leadership and distributed leadership, all delivered in a collegial cohort with facilitator coaching.

A number of previously published studies on NISL/ EDP were included in the LPI analysis:

Corcoran, R. P. (2017). Preparing principals to improve student achievement. Child & Youth Care Forum, 46(5), 769–781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9399-9

Master, B. K., Schwartz, H. L., Unlu, F., Schweig, J., Mariano, L. T., & Wang, E. L. (2020). Effects of the Executive Development Program and aligned coaching for school principals in three U.S. states: Investing in Innovation study final report. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA259-1.html

Nunnery, J. A., Ross, S. M., Chappell, S., Pribesh, S., & Hoag-Carhart, E. (2011). The impact of the NISL Executive Development Program on school performance in Massachusetts: Cohort 2 results. The Center for Educational Partnerships at Old Dominion University. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED531042.pdf

Nunnery, J. A., Ross, S. M., & Yen, C. (2010). The effect of the National Institute for School Leadership’s Executive Development Program on school performance trends in Pennsylvania. The Center for Educational Partnerships at Old Dominion University. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED531041.pdf

Nunnery, J. A., Yen, C., & Ross, S. M. (2011). Effects of the National Institute for School Leadership’s Executive Development Program on school performance in Pennsylvania: 2006–2010 pilot cohort results. The Center for Educational Partnerships at Old Dominion University. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED531043.pdf

Steinberg, M. P., & Yang, H. (2020). Does principal professional development improve schooling outcomes? Evidence from Pennsylvania’s Inspired Leadership induction program [EdWorkingPaper 19-190]. https://www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai19-190_0.pdf

 

School Principal in Hallway with students, happy