When you’re in a leadership position, there is always something urgent to do. Administrative tasks take time and can seem never-ending! Finding time to cross items off your to-do list can be a struggle. Many years ago, I experienced that same struggle. I started using a time management system that changed the way I worked, and it was a game changer for me. The first step in effective instructional leadership is prioritizing time to make it happen, but there are many strategies to help become a better instructional leader. I hope this blog will help clarify understandings and provide some practical tools to be used by school leaders.
Instructional Leadership Definition
Instructional leadership can be defined as one’s intentional actions and processes to guide and support instructional planning, instructional delivery, and results analysis. Instructional leadership is an area in which many school leaders seek insight and practical ways to improve their skills.
What Is the Purpose of Instructional Leadership?
The purpose of instructional leadership is to improve learning outcomes for students . . . ALL students. But what exactly does that mean? Does that mean posting high scores on standardized tests? Does it mean having the skills to progress to the next grade level or phase of education? The importance goes far beyond showing mastery of content. The purpose of instructional leadership is ultimately about improving outcomes for students in their ability to collaborate with others, approach new situations by thinking at high levels, and solve problems by applying what they have learned. In other words, the purpose of instructional leadership is to help prepare students for their life journeys.
Why Is Instructional Leadership Important?
Most of my days are spent working alongside and coaching school and district administrators, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders. From my observations, educators are working tirelessly to improve outcomes for students. However, in recent years, education has experienced a growing number of teacher and administrator shortages, all while facing increasing public criticism.
Bottom line, education is more challenging than ever before. Effective instructional leaders are needed to:
- Guide with clarity of direction and purpose
- Create a culture that fosters professional growth and collaboration
- Be the encourager and cheerleader for teachers and students
What Are the Characteristics of Effective Instructional Leadership?
What do effective instructional leaders have in common? Regardless of location, demographics, or myriad other factors, successful instructional leaders do have characteristics in common:
Vision: Leading the school community in developing a vision and mission that is future-focused and clearly defined. This vision serves as the guiding direction for how time and resources are allocated. Developing a common vision requires leaders to build teams for collaboration. Common understandings about mindset will help teams work productively to make the vision come to life.
Common Understanding: Developing a common understanding of best instructional practices to yield positive outcomes for students in support of the school mission/vision. Research by John Hattie on the visible effects of learning is a widely used resource. It is important to build the capacity of research-based best practices prior to selecting professional learning. When teachers understand the why behind identified best instructional practices, they are more likely to engage in trying new ideas and strategies.
Vertical Alignment: Developing a vertical alignment of the most important content-related standards and skills. This is not to say that only these identified standards and skills are to be taught but rather that they will be given larger amounts of time. In addition, common tools for instruction and formative assessment can be created. Schools and districts are finding success with Rigorous Curriculum Design by Dr. Larry Ainsworth and Kyra Donovan.
Goal Setting and Action Planning: Guiding stakeholders in goal setting, action planning, and implementation. Using a format for goal setting is helpful. I have found success with the SMART goal format. Goal setting is most often related to measurable outcomes for students and supported by action steps to be implemented by adults. When goals and actions are planned, they must be regularly analyzed for effectiveness by the educators implementing them. Effective leaders ensure that educator teams have built-in, protected time for this step.
Communication and Feedback: Observing classrooms, analyzing instruction, providing effective feedback, and having reflective coaching conversations. Informal walk-through observations are key to effective instructional leadership for two reasons:
- They provide formative assessment data on the implementation of action plans. Is the classroom culture in support of the school’s vision? Are the team-determined action steps being implemented with fidelity and consistency? Are students engaged and demonstrating mastery or moving toward mastery of the identified learning content? Are teachers and students taking risks and collaborating? Effective instructional leaders analyze information gathered during walk-through observations to determine instructional trends and appropriate next steps accordingly.
- They are the vehicle in which the instructional leader provides non-evaluative feedback to teachers, which is often accompanied by a coaching conversation. Reflective questioning is critical to this conversation, as it shifts feedback from an evaluative lens to a coaching lens. Effective instructional leaders are effective coaches. In my opinion, this is the skill that solidifies being viewed as a trusted leader.
What Are Some Effective Instructional Leadership Strategies?
Your job description requires you to supervise events, complete a significant amount of paperwork, respond to student behaviors, and address parents and concerns, to name a few responsibilities. Many school and district leaders find it difficult to allocate an appropriate amount of time for instructional leadership. Instructional leadership actions are sometimes wedged into the school day as time allows. When this is the practice, leaders can feel defeated and frustrated, and the goal of positive student outcomes may not be met. Effective instructional leaders proactively plan and use their time to guide and support individuals and teams in ensuring student learning.
In addition to managing your own time, consider developing structures and safety nets by building capacity in the people on your team. Many tasks currently holding space in your day could be effectively managed by other team members. Having effective processes and procedures for team members handling emails, written correspondences, and other communications can give you back time that you need to dedicate to instructional leadership.
One final tool I use regularly with clients is The Instructional Change Agent: 48 Ways to Be the Leader Your School Needs by Dr. Adam Drummond. This book is packed full of tools and strategies to help you become an effective instructional leader.
Effective instructional leadership is not easy. You will not develop all the skills in a short amount of time. Determine where you are in your journey and start from there. Don’t forget to take pride in your willingness to be a learning leader and celebrate your wins along the way!
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
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