RESEARCH
Investing in principals offers big returns for students and schools
By Elizabeth Foster
Categories: Career pathways, Leadership, Learning systems/planning, Research, School leadership, Standards for Professional LearningApril 2021
The school principal has long been recognized as a critical driver for school improvement and student success, but new research supported by The Wallace Foundation has found that principals have an even greater impact than previously stated. A synthesis of two decades of studies builds on previous research about how principals impact student outcomes and what characteristics and conditions lead to the greatest impact. The report, How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research, updates the evidence base about school leadership, responds to changing policy contexts, and leverages recent improvements in research methodology. This report is a major contribution to the field as well as a critical resource for the revision of Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning. Methodology
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References
Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning: A review of research for the Learning from Leadership Project. The Wallace Foundation.
Elizabeth Foster is the senior vice president of research and strategy at Learning Forward. She leads the organization’s research efforts for partnerships, programs, and fundraising. Elizabeth co-wrote the Standards for Professional Learning (2022) with Tracy Crow and now facilitates learning sessions about the standards and develops resources that support their use and implementation.
Categories: Career pathways, Leadership, Learning systems/planning, Research, School leadership, Standards for Professional Learning
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