Purpose: The lateral feedback seeking literature has primarily examined lower-level employees' feedback seeking from peers. Thus, the authors still know very little about feedback seeking when the leader is the "seeker" and peers are the "targets" of such seeking. The purpose of this paper is to expand existing discussions on…

The authors have researched, designed, and engaged in leadership coaching for many years, from many angles and across many district contexts. They have been struck by how rare it is to see a leadership coaching model that clearly aligns with and supports district priorities. To help change that pattern, the authors have distilled the lessons they…

Many professions have long runways to leadership, with mentorship and increasing levels of responsibility. In contrast, the path to school leadership has historically not been well-defined. But that is changing. The role of assistant principals has become a major stepping stone to the principalship. Once thought of primarily as disciplinarians,…

Asking questions is essential for building empathy, understanding, and trust -- all of which are necessary for group success but are sorely lacking in today's divided political climate. In a time of immense stress among and unusual hostility toward educators, listening and learning are among leaders' most important responsibilities. Fortunately,…

An effective leader is a supportive person who values your thoughts, ideas, and opinions. Excellent leaders are available to all members of the team, willing to work hard, engaged no matter what the task, and are notably trustworthy. Leaders help focus the team through purposeful communication, vision, engagement, and inspiration to cause others…

"Bottling Fog" is the culmination of 50 years of work to capture the core ingredients of leadership. Joseph Murphy, a preeminent scholar of leadership, has compiled this book of short and thoughtful lessons designed for today's busy professional. The lessons come from reading, seeing, and hearing about leadership in various sectors of…

The many pressures facing school districts -- academic and social-emotional recovery from the pandemic, educator shortages, fragmented funding streams and programs, and more -- can easily overwhelm educators and distract from the core work of instruction and student learning. Locally elected school boards, the governing bodies responsible for…

In this article, Arnold Shober asserts that despite the special challenges of public governance, state boards can effectively serve as beacons of policy. An effective board is driven by effective members whatever its structure, and effective members are committed to a shared agenda and the larger project of providing direction for a state's…

Administrators who can create cultures that combine high levels of challenge and support are more likely to foster higher levels of educator success. Authors?Wendy Anderson and Kathy Schuh share effective leadership methods to support new teacher efficacy, including balancing autonomy with feedback, professionalism with self-care, and risk with…

Leadership is important for quality improvement in center-based early care and education (ECE) settings that serve children birth to five. However, little is known about who leaders are, what leaders do, and how leadership influences quality outcomes in center-based ECE settings. Leadership can be defined by the range of staff who participate in…

This case study involves a new school superintendent, unions, parent groups, and a school board. The case demonstrates how the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic impacted the relationships between a school board, teacher and administrator unions, parent organizations, and the school superintendent. It is the story of…

Purpose: The Women in Leadership Development (WLD) Initiative is a year-long, multifaceted co-curricular leadership development opportunity created to support the unique developmental needs of emerging women leaders. WLD was intentionally designed around the context of second-generation gender bias with a firm grounding of research and theory on…

Rural schools, especially smaller ones, offer enormous opportunities for teachers to get to know their students and to cultivate their academic talents. However, students with potential in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) face specific obstacles to having their talents fully realized in rural schools. Joni Lakin, Tamra…

The school years touched by the pandemic tested the mettle of school leaders in unprecedented ways. While many had weathered crises of varying magnitudes before it, COVID-19 was the longest, most widespread test of school principals and administrators' skills in managing schools in crisis conditions. When supported in gaining decision-making…

At all times, but especially in today's shifting contexts created by the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers benefit from differentiated professional learning support. One way school leaders can ensure such support is to nurture a culture of coaching. By embracing instructional coaching and establishing it as part of the school culture, leaders can help…