July 23, 2024
DENVER—McREL International is pleased to announce that the National Center for Education Research (NCER) has awarded McREL a $4 million research grant to support a 4-year impact study of the Balanced Leadership© professional learning and coaching program. McREL is partnering on the project with the Region 13 Education Service Center in Texas, researchers from Ohio State University, and Gibson Consulting Group.
A body of research suggests that building strong school leadership is crucial for turning the tables on declining student achievement and educator turnover. Led by McREL principal researcher Dr. Tedra Clark and co-principal investigators Dr. Roger Goddard and Dr. Minjung Kim from Ohio State University, the NCER-funded project will examine the impact of the Balanced Leadership program on principals’ instructional leadership behaviors, teachers’ instructional practices, student achievement, and staff retention.
First developed by McREL in the early 2000s, the Balanced Leadership program builds school leaders’ understanding of 21 evidence-based leadership actions and responsibilities that are associated with higher levels of student and teacher success. A prior IES-funded study of the original program found that it significantly reduced principal turnover.
The new study will analyze an updated version of the program, called Balanced Leadership for Student Learning™, which has an increased focus on instructional leadership and provides practical, contextualized application of the learning to each participant’s specific school situation.
Planning and participant recruitment will take place during the 2024–25 school year, with support from the Region 13 Education Service Center based in Austin, Texas. During the 2025–26 school year, approximately 100 school leaders in central Texas will receive in-person and online Balanced Leadership professional learning and coaching. Researchers will collect and analyze data from students, teachers, and leaders from 2025 to 2028 to understand whether and how the program impacts key outcomes of student achievement and educator turnover.
About McREL
McREL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education research, development, and service organization that helps schools, districts, and education agencies improve outcomes for all students by using evidence-based insights, practices, and resources. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, McREL serves schools and systems across the U.S., the Pacific region, and around the world.