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How Leadership Works

A Playbook for Instructional Leaders

By: Cathy Lassiter, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Dominique Smith

Illustrations by Taryl Hansen

This easy-to-use playbook prompts educators to clarify, articulate, and actualize instructional leadership goals with the aim of delivering on the promise of equity and excellence for all.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781071871058
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2022
Page Count: 200
Publication date: April 20, 2022

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Description

Sharpen your instructional leadership skills and guide your school toward equity and excellence for all.

Just think about how great schools could be if every instructional leader exercised their influence to create change—maximizing the efforts of others and mobilizing those efforts to work toward a shared goal.

How Leadership Works: A Playbook for Instructional Leaders walks educators through the processes of clarifying, articulating, and actualizing instructional leadership goals with the aim of delivering on the promise of equity and excellence for all. Grounded in Visible Learning® research, the exercises in this easy-to-use playbook illuminate the essential mindframes necessary for effective instructional leadership and prompt veteran, new, and aspiring educators to identify challenges and determine next steps. It includes:

Ten essential mindframes for leaders, together with the leadership practices that illustrate each mindframe in action
Teaching practices, such as teacher clarity or student engagement in learning, that support teachers in delivering quality instruction, along with tools to document the impact of those practices on learning
Strategies for leading learning, including establishing school culture, utilizing feedback, and supporting professional learning communities as a pathway to building collective teacher efficacy.
Tools for applying the principles of change, conducting an initiative inventory, and implementing and de-implementing initiatives

Exercise-by-exercise, educators and front office staff will deepen their knowledge, frame their priorities and practices, and gain new tools for supporting the instructional focus and initiatives designed to support learning at your school.

Author(s)

Cathy Lassiter

Cathy Lassiter, Ed.D., is an international consultant with over 35 years of combined experience as a public school teacher, principal, central office administrator, and consultant. Her areas of expertise are in Visible Learning, Teacher Clarity, and all aspects of school leadership. Before this role, she held various positions including Executive Director of Middle Schools and Senior Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development. She also was a successful middle school principal and was named Virginia's Middle School Principal of the Year. Cathy has served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University, teaching graduate courses in educational leadership.

Douglas Fisher

Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. He is a credentialed teacher and leader in California. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as Welcome to Teaching, PLC+, Teaching Students to Drive their Learning, and Student Assessment: Better Evidence, Better Decisions, Better Learning.

Nancy Frey

Nancy Frey is professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Nancy was a teacher, academic coach, and central office resource coordinator in Florida. She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California. She is a member of the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Research Panel. She has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as The Artificial Intelligences Playbook, How Scaffolding Works, How Teams Work, and The Vocabulary Playbook.

Dominique Smith

Dominique Smith, EdD, is chief of educational services and teacher support at Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego, California. Smith is passionate about creating school environments that honor and empower students. His research and instruction focus
on restorative practices, classroom management, growth mindset, and the culture of achievement. Dominique also provides professional learning
to K-12 teachers in small and large groups that address classroom and school climate and organization. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from San Diego State University with an emphasis on equity as well as a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Dominique also holds credentials from San Diego State University in administrative services, child welfare, PPS, and attendance.
Smith has been recognized with the National School Safety Award from the School Safety Advocacy Council. In 2018, he delivered a TED Talk
on building relationships between students and teachers.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Module 1: Mindframes for Leaders

The Work Ahead - Part 1: Leading Teachers

Module 2: Demonstrate Instructional Leadership

Module 3: Support Teacher Clarity and Promote Student Engagement

Module 4: Investigate the Impact of Teaching

The Work Ahead - Part 2: Leading Learning

Module 5: Build a Learning-focused School Climate

Module 6: Empower Professional Learning Communities

Module 7: Ensure Growth-oriented Feedback

The Work Ahead - Part 3: Leading Change

Module 8: Manage and Lead Change

Module 9: Engage in De-Implementation

Module 10: Utilize Implementation Science

The Work Ahead

References

Reviews

You feel exhausted hearing all the roles of a leader: aspirers of high expectations and great ambitions, builders of collectives of learners and professional development, social influences among leaders and teachers, leaders of teaching and learning, those who apply principles of improvement, amplifiers of effective instruction, architects of productive and inviting climates, beacons of trust, supporters of clarity about purpose and instruction, chief engagement officers of teacher and student learners, evaluators of impact, accountability officers, leaders of improvement, implementation scientists, and great managers. The alternative is a school of independent contractors, where great teaching and leadership is by
chance. How Leadership Works makes a convincing case about how to bring all these roles to fruition and how to have time left over to enjoy the success of all in the school (as well as your own successes).

John Hattie

To enhance your skills as a teacher of teachers, How Leadership Works: A Playbook for Instructional Leaders invites you to be an engaged learner. If you are looking for a nightstand book to passively peruse before sleep, this is not the book for you. If you are ready to roll up your sleeves and invest in some serious reflection about your own leadership practices around a powerful set of ideas, then dig in! This book is organized around a set of modules that include learning intentions and success criteria, vignettes, research-based practices, and space for reflection on what you will keep, stop, or start doing with what you have learned. It includes a variety of learning tools that will not only support you in your learning but will become a valuable set of tools for you to use as you support the thinking and learning of the teachers you lead. In the end, the thinking and learning of your students will be blossom and grow.

Megan Tschannen-Moran

This publication is very timely. . . . As I read the book, I was able to visualize how I would use it to provide professional development for my leadership team. . . . The book called many of my actions into question, which has already reshaped my thinking as a leader. I would recommend this publication to school and district leaders.

Audrey White Gardner

I found tremendous value in the suggested exercises throughout. They felt relevant to help me work through a leadership challenge, and determine the next right step, without taking an overwhelming amount of effort or time. The exercises would be beneficial for both novice and veteran leaders. This playbook helps leaders break down complicated scenarios into manageable next steps.

Jennifer Douglas