The mission of every school is to ensure that students are learning at high levels. The goal of effective teachers is to diagnose students’ individual learning needs based on evidence and to alter their instructional practices accordingly. The practice of successful school leaders is to support teachers as they respond to evidence of student learning with improved instruction while at the same time learning with the teachers about what is working to support improved student learning and what is not. School leaders  who welcome learning dialogues with teachers, who promote and participate in teacher professional learning, who engage in regular classroom visits accompanied by feedback, and who strategically provide resources to support priority teaching goals have moved into the realm of instructional leadership.

There are items on this Website designed to support stronger instructional leadership:

• Refer to the instructional practice tables on this website. Discuss these practices with teachers and ask them to monitor the effectiveness of the strategies they are using  by collecting evidence of student learning after the strategy has been implemented.
• Visit the information on shared leadership and collaborative teams on this website. Strong instructional leadership conversations are supported within effective teacher-based teams
• View the Viviane Robinson video clip below on this webpage. Dr. Robinson has done a masterful job of defining instructional leadership in her book Student Centered Leadership. Check the link to  her book on the Amazon connection under “Resources” on the Website.
• Review the information on building a positive, trusting culture on this Website.  In addition to a sharp focus on student learning and professional practices, instructional leaders also build a culture of safety and trust in their schools where educators feel valued as professionals and are confident in trying new approaches to support student learning.