Our Work: Leadership Development
Academies for Instructional Leaders
Principals know that to raise student achievement, they must act as more than building managers; they also must serve as instructional leaders, guiding ongoing improvements in teaching and learning. McREL’s Academies for Instructional Leaders are based on the notion that principals shouldn’t have to go it alone; they can share the responsibility with others in their buildings.
Our Academies bring together school leadership teams for a series of in-depth professional development sessions, typically during a 12- to 18-month period. These sessions provide practical, research-based guidance on effective instructional practices in key areas and help build leadership skills. Teams learn how to establish and maintain a purposeful community and help other staff manage the transitions that significant instructional changes bring.
McREL currently offers Academies for Instructional Leaders around these topics:
■ What Works with English-Language Learners. Based on McREL’s book, Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners (ASCD, 2006), this academy provides school leadership teams with a practical understanding of the stages of second-language acquisition and how teachers can support each stage with tried-and-true instruction strategies they may already be using.
■ Literacy Across the Content Areas. McREL’s popular Teaching Reading in the Content Areas series of ASCD manuals and the sister publication, Teaching Writing in the Content Areas, are the basis for this academy, which provides dozens of strategies that teachers in every classroom can use to improve students’ reading and writing.
■ What Works in Mathematics. This academy summarizes the latest research on effective mathematics curriculum and instruction, helps school leadership teams understand what high-quality mathematics standards really demand of students, and shows team members how to collect and analyze data to guide ongoing improvements to mathematics instruction.
■ What Works in Science. This academy provides a fresh approach to science teaching and learning that focuses on choosing the most appropriate content for science classrooms, teaching for a high level of understanding, and creating effective learning environments, where students are encouraged to think like scientists, not simply absorb information.
■ Using Technology to Improve Instruction. Drawn from McREL’s new publication, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (ASCD, 2007), the topics covered in this academy help leaders use educational technology to get the most out of their school’s investments. School leaders who want to maximize the use of educational technologies to support better teaching and learning in all classrooms should attend this workshop.