• Published March 7, 2019
  • 3 Minute Read
WHITE PAPER

Transforming K-12 Schools by Investing in Leadership Development

Transforming K-12 Schools by Investing in Leadership Development

Accelerating School Success

In-depth studies in the field of education confirm that investments in high-quality, research-based K-12 leadership development for school systems can directly impact student success — in the classroom and beyond.

And now more than ever, meeting the complex challenges of a rapidly changing world requires schools to equip young people with the skills they need to become productive workers, engaged citizens, entrepreneurs, and lifelong learners.

“The goal of our nation’s education system should be to prepare every young person to become an engaged and thriving participant in society,” notes the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. This results in the need to learn beyond content mastery and develop deeper learning skills. Students need to be able to adapt quickly, be continuous learners, and able to collaborate across many social boundaries. Success in the 21st Century depends on critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Building students’ capacity for this new era requires investments in teacher and administrator professional development to create the educational ecosystems that foster students’
mastery of these skills — it requires effective K-12 leadership training.

Investing in K-12 Leadership Training

These days, decision makers in K-12 education face myriad choices when deciding how to spend their limited capacity-building dollars. Many invest in technical resources such as literacy training, new curriculum, or the latest student assessment tools.

But does this approach yield the lasting improvements that schools want — and need — to achieve? Can these dollars be used in ways that leverage all the other investments instead of adding one more discrete investment that divides attention and overwhelms leaders rather than builds capacity.

Our research has found that investments in K-12 leadership development for school district superintendents, principals, teachers, staff, and students play an essential role in creating the transformational change needed in education today. That’s because leadership development focuses on the single most important part of any school system, public or private — its people.

Why You Should Invest

Infographic: 3 Reasons School Systems Should Invest in Leadership Development

3 Reasons to Invest in Leadership Development

An initial investment in leadership development can be the catalyst for a significant payoff over time. Our findings and research show that investments in training can do 3 things:

1. Improve performance of school leaders.

Research shows that effective leadership has a trickle effect throughout a school, instilling a culture of greater collaboration and trust, driving more effective instruction and, ultimately, impacting student learning. In fact, a key finding in a 2017 Learning Policy Institute report on this subject showed that any effort to improve schools — raising academic standards, adopting new curricula, attracting and retaining top-notch teachers, and the like — requires, first and foremost, a strong principal. Given this, it shows that investing in strong K-12 leadership is a must.

2. Create a culture of trust within school communities.

Climates with stronger teacher-principal trust provide for the proliferation of effective teaching practices. Among the key features of effective efforts are those that support a culture of collaboration. Our research has found that principal leadership plays an especially critical role in developing and sustaining a culture of trust. Principals who participate in K-12 leadership training are able to create more collegial environments that engender trust and professional teacher behavior.

3. Build student engagement in school and beyond.

For the next generation to thrive in the 21st century, schools also must equip students with the skills they need to become engaged citizens who can lead and effect change throughout their lives. Skills learned through K-12 leadership training — perseverance, conflict-management, and the ability to engage and mobilize others — can be as important as academic prowess in addressing the challenges of an uncertain, fast-changing global environment.

To learn more about the challenges education leaders face, and how to combat them through K-12 training, download the full white paper below.

Download White Paper

Download White Paper

Download the full white paper to learn how investments in leadership development for principals, teachers, staff, and students play an essential role in creating the transformational change needed in education today.

  • Published March 7, 2019
  • 3 Minute Read

Based on Research by

Michael DePass
Michael DePass
Vice President of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

As leader of our global EDI practice, Michael combines his extensive professional experience and passion for social change with his gifts for strategic leadership, innovative thinking, and business development. Previously, he served as director of our K–12 education portfolio, designing and delivering transformative educational leadership development. Prior to joining us, he worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and at several international development organizations.

Valerie Ehrlich
Valerie Ehrlich
Former Director, Insights & Impact

Valerie managed our Insights & Impact group, overseeing evaluation and applied research projects in the nonprofit, K-12, higher education, and population health sectors. With a research background is in social identity and human learning and development, she’s committed to data utilization and visualization and effectively leveraging research in service of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI).

Micela Leis
Micela Leis
Senior Research Scientist

With over a decade of experience in education, Micela provides internal research and evaluation support to build our capacity as a provider of evidence-based leadership solutions in the field of education. She is particularly interested in youth leadership development, using research and evaluation to help improve program implementation, and the role of trust as a critical ingredient for organizational change. She has also co-authored 2 books on youth leadership development: Social-Emotional Leadership: A Guide for Youth Development and Building Bridges: Leadership for You and Me.

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About CCL

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)® is a top-ranked, global, nonprofit provider of leadership development and a pioneer in the field of global leadership research. We know from experience how transformative remarkable leaders really can be.

Over the past 50 years, we’ve worked with organizations of all sizes from around the world, including more than 2/3 of the Fortune 1000. Our hands-on development solutions are evidence-based and steeped in our work with hundreds of thousands of leaders at all levels.