Our Work: Leadership Development
Services for District Leaders
McREL’s new research on effective district leaders
concludes that the key to effective district leadership is to develop clear, shared goals for using research to improve teaching and learning and to ensure that everyone—from the school board to classroom teachers and parents— works together to meet those goals. Through our workshops and consulting services, McREL helps get everyone in the district on the same page so that you can use rigorous research to develop (and stick to) a focused plan for improving student achievement.
Consulting services
Where are you now? Where do you need to be? McREL experts conduct analyses,
provide written reports, and advise districts on the viability of their
strategic plans. We can
- Interview stakeholders to determine their level of understanding of district goals.
- Identify possible impediments to achieving district goals.
- Review related district documents prior to our visit.
- Review student achievement data for a district-wide longitudinal view.
- Summarize findings and observations with answers to your district’s critical questions.
- Recommend actions to help you optimize your resources to meet your goals, help close achievement gaps or reduce dropout rates.
Creating a High-Performing
District: Intensive Leadership Retreat
McREL can customize an intensive professional learning opportunity for
district leadership teams and policymakers based on our research on high-performing
districts, schools, and classrooms. These interactive sessions are tailored
to your district’s challenges and needs. You and your district leadership
team will benefit from proven, practical guidance on how your school board
and district staff can work together to optimize school and student performance.
You will leave with the knowledge, tools, and
agreements you need to support higher levels of student learning across
your district.
Learning from the Best: 1-Day Session
Workshop Sessions
This session describes the findings from McREL’s study, School
District Leadership that Works. Participants, including superintendents,
district office leaders, and school board members, learn how highly
effective superintendents raise student achievement by working with
their school boards to
■ Engage in collaborative goal setting.
■ Establish non-negotiable goals for
achievement and instruction.
■ Ensure board alignment and support of district goals.
■ Closely monitor and evaluate progress toward district goals.
■ Commit resources to support district goals.
■ Provide school leaders with “defined
autonomy.”
You’ll gain an understanding of the research and begin writing an improvement plan to sharpen and sustain the “right” focus in your district.
Making Connections, Getting
Focus: 2-Day Session
This session expands upon the one-day
session. You’ll examine the critical connections among
school boards, superintendents, and central office staff members
and how these stakeholders must work together to create a high-performing
district.
Through facilitated dialogue and consultation, McREL experts bring district leadership teams together to
■ Share ideas and brainstorm solutions.
■ Receive tools and resources for putting
district-wide plans into action.
■ Learn specific contributions that each member of the
leadership team can make to improve student achievement.