Program content focused on instruction, collegial organizations, and data use is associated with positive school outcomes¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Research shows a positive link between instructional leadership practices and student achievement, and high-quality programs focus curricula on instruction and school improvement. → Sutcher 2017 q2 i? Schools with collaborative learning environments are associated with improved student achievement and reduced teacher turnover, and programs prepare principals to foster collaboration. → Sutcher 2017 (2) q2 i? High-quality programs train educators to use data and collective inquiry to identify problems and address needs in collaboration with staff, parents, and community organizations. → Sutcher 2017 (3)

Evidence¶

Sutcher 2017¶

Sutcher, L., Podolsky, A., & Espinoza, D. (2017). Supporting principals' learning: Key features of effective programs. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/supporting-principals-learning

q2 · i? · review · r2

The report's review section on learning opportunities focused on what matters cites research linking instructional leadership practices to student achievement and describes curricula emphasizing principals' complex instructional role, citing the McREL Balanced Leadership program's case-study goals.

"Research has shown a positive link between instructional leadership—monitoring instruction, influencing curricula, assessing student learning, and other similar practices—and student achievement."

Sutcher 2017 (2)¶

Sutcher, L., Podolsky, A., & Espinoza, D. (2017). Supporting principals' learning: Key features of effective programs. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/supporting-principals-learning

q2 · i? · review · r2

The report states collaborative school environments are associated with improved achievement and reduced teacher turnover, and describes programs such as Bank Street's Principals Institute and the University of Connecticut's program teaching principals to organize time, share decision making, and practice collaborative leadership tasks.

"A culture of collaboration does not spontaneously occur within schools. Principals need to learn to support the structures that foster collaboration"

Sutcher 2017 (3)¶

Sutcher, L., Podolsky, A., & Espinoza, D. (2017). Supporting principals' learning: Key features of effective programs. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/supporting-principals-learning

q2 · i? · review · r2

The report describes UIC's cycle of inquiry and the University of Connecticut's data-based planning cycles, and cites qualitative interviews in five STSP schools in Ohio where principals and teachers said the biggest contributing factor to success was increased use of student data to inform instruction.

"High-quality programs train educators to use data and collective inquiry to identify problems and address needs, in collaboration with staff, parents, and community organizations."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• High-quality principal preparation and professional development programs are associated with positive principal, teacher, and student outcomes — a broader claim this one bears on
• Within schools, principal leadership relates to individual teachers' instruction through multiple pathways, with the strongest via program quality (professional development and coherence) — related
• High schools improving instruction and teacher collaboration also showed the largest improvements in parent communication — related
• Principals' instructional leadership practices are linked to improved student outcomes, largely through their support for teachers — related
• Linked Learning benefits occurred only in pathways independently certified as high-quality on seven implementation dimensions — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Principal effects on student achievement are largely indirect, mediated through school organizational processes — related
• States collected and used data to track participation, evaluate quality, improve programs, and advocate for funding — related
• Teachers' effectiveness increases at a greater rate in supportive, collegial working environments and when they accumulate experience in the same grade level, subject, or district — related