Education Leadership Policy Toolkit

Instruction is a constant concern and focus of every district or school. It is at the core of decisions to be made by teachers, principals and district leaders, namely, "How does this decision affect or improve instruction for our students?" Taking an active leadership role in instruction and curriculum means that school and district leaders understand the importance of developing instructional foci and curriculum consistencies. School and district leaders are able to recognize excellent instruction and coach educators to use improved instructional techniques. Exemplary leaders make sure high-quality support systems are in place - such as diagnostic data and information for classroom leaders, leadership teams on instructional planning and implementation, and professional development - to support and improve instructional processes.

The State tab allows you to see some key policies and practices statewide which support the development of quality instruction in districts and schools.

The District tab allows you to see the key leadership factors at the district level that promote quality instruction. These characteristics have a direct impact on the principals, teachers and students at the school level.

The School tab allows you to see the key leadership factors at the school level.

The Resources tab provides links to additional information.

The Interviews on the right provide some insight into what teachers, staff and leaders think and feel in a system that cultivates this kind of instruction. The interviews are saved as mp3 files and will open in whatever media player you have installed on your system.

State policies and practices that support a district leaders' ability to implement first-rate instruction in their district and schools:

State policies promote high-quality learning standards for the public school system.
State policies on standards, curriculum and assessment are aligned.
High-quality state assessments provide timely diagnostic information for educators to improve instructional decisionmaking.
State policies promote rigorous and high-quality university teacher- and administrator-preparation programs, where teacher and leader candidates learn about statewide standards, curriculum, assessment and data-driven decisionmaking.

At the district level, leaders create both policies and practices that support high-quality instruction when:

There is a persistent focus on principals as instructional leaders. Principals observe classroom teaching every day and initiate and foster efforts to help teachers improve instructional techniques.
Districts provide or encourage common planning time and standards-based instructional systems where teachers can collaborate on lesson plans, curriculum and instructional goals for the school.
Professional development opportunities that are linked to the instructional goals of the school are available.
The focus is on literacy.
District interventions and program implementation are aligned with the instructional vision of the district and students' needs.
Program implementation and evaluation are consistent across all schools in the district.
The emphasis is on instructional depth rather then breadth.

School Board

The school board's leadership role in improving instructional performance is to provide policy guidance for the district and collaborate with the superintendent to support the focus, vision alignment and resources toward developing instructional capacity.

The Key Work of School Boards is a framework of eight essential key action areas from the National School Board Association (NSBA) that focus and guide schools boards in their efforts to improve student achievement. The eight areas include: Vision, Standards, Assessment, Accountability, Alignment, Climate, Collaborative Relationships, and Continuous Improvement.

Carol Johnson
Memphis City Schools, Superintendent (0:56)

Mira Whitney
Memphis City Schools, Elementary Superintendent (1:54)

Sid Smith
Boston Public Schools, Director of Curriculum and Instruction (1:33)

Chris Oram
National City School District, Director of Student Assessment and Technology (4:28)

At the school level, principals are the driving force in cultivating and rewarding instructional rigor:

Teachers know what is expected of them through curriculum standards and the consistent vision of the superintendent.
Schools use common planning time and standards-based instructional systems where teachers collaborate on lesson plans, curriculum and instructional goals for the school.
Teachers use their own subject matter to help meet the goals of all teachers through common planning and goal setting.
Principals observe teaching every day and provide rich feedback to teachers and other educators on ways to improve.
Teachers work with each other as mentors, master teachers or peers to help each other improve and reflect on instructional practices.
Educators in the school continuously analyze student data to determine where instructional weaknesses may exist - and then find ways to improve practices.
Teachers and principals work together to improve instruction through collaboration on instructional leadership teams.

Lorrain Theroux
Boston Public Schools, Teacher, Manning Elementary (2:07)

Jim Long
Memphis City Schools, Principal, Cragmont High School (1:00)

Instructional Focus in First Grade
(U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, NCES 2006-056 Issue Brief, March 2006)

First grade is generally the first year of mandatory full-day schooling in the United States and is thus, for many students, the first time that they will be attending school in a full-day setting. This issue brief details how often per week and how much time per day 1st graders were instructed in subjects such as reading, mathematics, science and the arts during the 1999-2000 academic year.

In Pursuit of Quality Teaching: Five Key Strategies for Policymakers
(Education Commission of the States, 2000)

This report provides a digest of useful information for policymakers who are dealing with what is generally agreed as the most urgent and critical issues involving the improvement of teaching in the nation's schools: preparation and induction; recruitment and retention; professional development; licensure, evaluation and accountability; and school and district leadership. The report offers strategies for improving the quality of teaching, along with specific options available to policymakers in each of the five areas.

Qualifications, Instructional Practices, and Reaching and Mathematics Gains of Kindergartners
(Cassandra M. Guarino, Laura S. Hamilton, J.R. Lockwood, Amy H. Rathbun and Elvira Germino Hausken, National Center for Education Statistics, March 2006)

This study fills a gap in the current research base on the relationship among teacher characteristics, instructional practices, and the achievement of young children through an analysis of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99. The study addresses the following: (1) the extent that kindergarten teachers' qualifications and instructional practices are associated with gains in reading and mathematics of their students over the course of the kindergarten, and (2) how the instructional practices of kindergarten teachers are related to their qualifications.

Creating A Teacher Mentoring Program
(NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education, February 1999)

This paper outlines many of the issues and questions that school districts, teacher associations and universities should consider when developing new or improving existing mentor programs. These questions reflect the experiences and observations of teachers (both mentors and protégés, active and retired), district administrators, higher education faculty and teacher association leaders who possess firsthand knowledge about what to seek and what to avoid when creating a mentor program.