Linking Leadership to Student Learning

Kenneth Leithwood is professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Karen Seashore Louis is Regents Professor of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, and Robert H. Beck Chair in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

Figures and Tables ix Acknowledgments xiii About the Authors xv About the Contributors xvii Foreword xix Michael S. Knapp Preface xxiii 1 Leadership and Learning: The Critical Connection 1 PART ONE: SCHOOL LEADERSHIP THAT MATTERS FOR STUDENTS 9 2 Collective Leadership: The Reality of Leadership Distribution Within the School Community 11 Kenneth Leithwood and Doris Jantzi 3 Shared and Instructional Leadership: When Principals and Teachers Successfully Lead Together 25 Karen Seashore Louis and Kyla Wahlstrom 4 Distributed Leadership in Action: A Complex Pattern of People, Tasks, and Goals 42 Stephen E. Anderson 5 Core Practices: The Four Essential Components of the Leader s Repertoire 57 Kenneth Leithwood 6 An Up-Close View of Instructional Leadership: A Grounded Analysis 68 Kyla Wahlstrom PART TWO: THE BROAD AND UNIQUE ROLE OF DISTRICTS IN THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT BUSINESS 87 7 How to Harness Family and Community Energy: The District s Role 89 Molly F. Gordon and Karen Seashore Louis 8 Confidence for School Improvement: A Priority for Principals 107 Kenneth Leithwood, Blair Mascall, and Doris Jantzi 9 Principal Effi cacy: District-Led Professional Development 119 Kenneth Leithwood, Stephen E. Anderson, and Karen Seashore Louis 10 Succession: A Coordinated Approach to Leadership Distribution 142 Blair Mascall and Kenneth Leithwood 11 Data Use: An Exploration from the District to the School 158 Stephen E. Anderson, Kenneth Leithwood, and Karen Seashore Louis 12 The District Difference : A New Perspective on the Local Challenges for Improvement 181 Stephen E. Anderson and Karen Seashore Louis 13 Case Studies: District Responses to State Leadership 203 Karen Seashore Louis, Stephen E. Anderson, and Emanda Thomas Conclusion 227 Appendix A: Scale Reliability for Variables 237 Appendix B: Additional Evidence Related to Chapter Seven 241 Notes 247 References 257 Index 275 FIGURES AND TABLES Figures P.1 Leadership Infl uences on Student Learning xxvii 2.1 The Indirect Effects of Collective Leadership on Student Achievement 16 2.2 Relationships Between Sources of Collective Leadership Influence and Student Achievement 22 3.1 Race/Ethnicity, Poverty, Focused Instruction, and Achievement in 138 Schools 29 3.2 Leadership and Focused Instruction in 138 Schools 32 3.3 Professional Community, Focused Instruction, and Student Learning in 138 Schools 34 3.4 Effects of Principals Leadership Behavior on Teachers and Student Achievement 36 7.1 Relationship Between District Support for Community Involvement and School-Level Engagement, as Measured by Principal s Perceptions of Parent Influence 101 7.2 Shared Leadership and Student Achievement 103 9.1 Principals Views of District Actions to Support Professional Growth 137 10.1 Testing the Mediated Effects of Principal Turnover on Student Achievement 151 11.1 How District Approaches to Data Use Influence Student Achievement 164 12.1 Principal Perceptions of District Actions Related to Improved Teaching and Learning 188 C.1 Source of Ideas About Integrative Leadership in Education 234 Tables 2.1 Sources of Infl uence on School Decisions Ranked from Weakest to Strongest 18 2.2 Correlations Between Sources of Leadership, Mediating Variables, and Achievement 19 3.1 Relationship Between Survey Variables and Student Achievement: Correlation Coefficients 35 4.1 Sample School Characteristics 45 5.1 Core Leadership Practices and Practices Deemed Helpful by Teachers and Principals 65 6.1 Top vs. Bottom 20% Mean Teacher Ratings per Building on Factor 1 71 6.2 Top vs. Bottom 20% Mean Teacher Ratings per Building on Factor 2 73 6.3 Teachers Ratings of Principals in the Top 20% vs. Bottom 20% by Building Level 79 6.4 Relationships Between Instructional Leadership, School Level, an