Aligned Standards Keep Students, Teachers, and Leaders Moving in the Same Direction
This article describes how principals prepared in a standards-aligned program who work in a school system where their performance evaluation, pro essional learning, and support are aligned to professional school leadership standards and who apply professional learning standards to improve educator effectiveness and results for all students have a great probability of success in leading school improvement.
Author: Jacquelyn Wilson
Publication Date: June 2022
Publisher: Learning Forward
Arizona Principal Supervisor Professional Standards
The standards are intended to provide Arizona Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with guidance in establishing the role and responsibilities of a principal supervisor, as well as guidance in their development and professional learning. The standards are written in ideal language meant to provide a target. It is expected that the interpretation and enactment of these standards will vary to accommodate the needs and capacity of each school system.
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education
Arizona Teacher Leader Professional Standards
These standards are intended to provide Arizona Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with guidance in establishing the role and responsibilities of a teacher leader, as well as provide guidance in their development and professional learning. The standards introduced here are presented as Domains, or realms of knowledge, action, and leadership. They are written in ideal language meant to provide a target to work in alignment with other educator development guidance provided by the state including teacher induction standards, professional standards, and instructional leader standards.
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education
Core Competencies for Special Education Paraeducators
These core competencies address the corresponding role of paraeducators in the four aspects (collaboration, assessment, social/emotional/behavioral, and instruction) of the High Leverage Practices for special educators developed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in collaboration with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center.
Publication Date: March 2022
Publisher: Council for Exceptional Children
Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters?
This report reviews research literature to understand the elements of high-quality programs and learning experiences that have been associated with positive outcomes, including principals’ sense of preparedness, efficacy, and reported practices, staff perceptions of school climate, teacher retention, and student achievement.
Authors: Linda Darling-Hammond, Marjorie E. Wechsler, Stephanie Levin, Melanie Leung-Gagné, and Steve Tozer
Publication Date: May 2022
Publisher: Learning Policy Institute
Encircle Families
Collaboration between families and professionals results in the best possible outcomes for children with disabilities. Encircle Families is an Arizona nonprofit organization that provides free training and information to parents to help them understand their rights, roles, and responsibilities in their child’s health care and education. Training for pre-service and in-service professionals in education is available to improve collaboration between families and providers and achieve better results for children.
Publication Date: 2025
Publisher: Encircle Families
Framework for Teaching
The Framework for Teaching has proven to accelerate teacher growth, improve student outcomes, and create a more rewarding and sustaining professional environment. Explore the 2022 updates in the Framework for Teaching with this interactive, digital resource that transforms the guide into a hands-on online tool to gain a deeper understanding of the domains, components, elements of success, and more.
Publication Date: 2022
Publisher: The Danielson Group
How Principals Affect Students and Schools A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research
This report addresses three main questions. Who are public school principals, and how have their characteristics changed over the past two decades? How much do principals contribute to student achievement and other school outcomes? and What are effective principals’ characteristics, skills, and behaviors?
Authors: Jason A. Grissom, Anna J. Egalite, and Constance A. Lindsay
Publication Date: February 2021
Publisher: Wallace Foundation
How the Science of Learning and Development Can Transform Education
This brief summarizes several initial lessons from contemporary research that have significant implications for those working to advance opportunity, learning, and youth development.
Authors: Pamela Cantor, Linda Darling-Hammond, Bethany Little, Scott Palmer, David Osher, Karen Pittman, and Todd
Rose
Publication Date: May 2020
Publisher: Science of Learning and Development Alliance
Introducing High-Leverage Practices in Special Education: A Professional Development Guide for School Leaders
This downloadable online guide provides school leaders, including administrators, principals, mentors and coaches, with practical tools for engaging their staff members in learning about how high-leverage practices in special education can enhance student learning in the school and district.
Publication Date: 2019
Publisher: Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center
Paraeducator's Roles in Supporting Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in PreK-12 Settings
This study used data from a survey and follow-up interviews to explore the self-reported knowledge and skills of paraeducators. The study demonstrates the value of training and experience as ways to promote paraeducators’ development of practices that align with CEC standards.
Authors: M Murray and Mel Seals
Publication Date: May 2022
Publisher: University of Minnesota TIES Center
Professional Standards for Educational Leaders
The 2015 Standards (formerly known as ISLLC Standards) have been recast with a stronger, clearer emphasis on students and student learning, outlining foundational principles of leadership to help ensure that each child is well-educated and prepared for the 21st century. They elevate areas of educational leader work that were once not well understood or deemed less relevant but have since been shown to contribute to student learning.
Publication Date: Updated November 2017
Publisher: National Policy Board for Educational Administration
School Climate and Shared Leadership
This brief explains shared leadership and offers five strategies that lead to and sustain shared leadership in schools and addresses some of the challenges school leaders, teachers, students, and school community members may experience while co-creating positive school climates.
Authors: William Hughes and Terry Pickeral
Publication Date: February 2013
Publishers: National School Climate Center
School Practices and Accountability for Students With Disabilities
This report illustrates the findings of a study comparing school practices and accountability for students with disabilities. Among the findings, always accountable schools favored co-teaching, tiered instructional intervention, PBIS, and adopting reading across the curriculum.
Authors: Jenifer Harr-Robins, Mengli Song, Michael Garet, and Louis Danielson
Publication Date: February 2015
Publisher: Institute of Education Sciences
Supporting Integrated English Learner Student Instruction: A Guide to Assess Professional Learning Needs Based on the Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School Practice Guide
This guide is designed to help district and school site leaders assess the professional learning needs of elementary school teachers to implement research-based recommendations for the instruction of English learner students. It includes two tools and outlines a 10-step process to align professional learning decisions with data collected from the tools.
Authors: Lori Van Houten, Lenay Dunn, Molly Faulkner Bond, Jennifer Blitz, Reino Makkonen, and Kim Austin
Publication Date: December 2021
Publishers: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and
Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West.