Distributed leadership model for school principals¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 4 studies (2 qualitative, 1 causal, 1 review), q1–q2 · 0 of 4 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The playbook describes distributed leadership as an approach Chicago Public Schools encourages, in which "principals, assistant principals, teachers, and other school staff share responsibilities to support students' experiences & achievement." The model "leverages the expertise, connections, and contributions of multiple people, rather than relying on the principal alone." The playbook links it to practices such as delegating meaningful leadership roles to teachers, ensuring common planning and collaboration time, and building cultures of collective responsibility and trust.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Principals must delegate meaningful leadership roles such as department chairs, instructional coaches, or team leaders, and ensure common planning and collaboration time during the school day.

Constraints¶

• The playbook presents this as a CPS-encouraged approach within Chicago's governance context, where principals report to both a Network Chief and an LSC.

Target Learners¶

• school principals and leadership teams
• teachers in shared leadership roles

Target Learning Objectives¶

• building school-wide culture and collective responsibility for student learning

Claims¶

• Foxglove Elementary distributes leadership across staff roles but has few mechanisms to coordinate the work [+W]
• Ivy's principal identifies building culture and relationships as his foremost leadership responsibility for student learning [+W]
• High-performing CHSRI schools shared four practices for guiding and sustaining instructional improvement: defining leadership responsibilities, creatively distributing them, institutionalizing routines, and focusing team work on school-wide goals [+M]
• Improving schools secured external resources aligned with a development agenda and employed them strategically, and cultivated strong distributive leadership with a make-or-break principal role [+M]
• The modern principal's job has expanded from administrative oversight to instructional leadership and staff collaboration [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Parents and LSC members partner with principals by learning the leadership team, reviewing the CIWP and school data, and fostering a welcoming school culture

Key Sources¶

• UChicago Consortium on School Research. (2025). Family playbook: Effective principal leadership. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/events-and-resources