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Leadership in Smart Systems: VUE Number 25, Fall 2009
An effort in Connecticut is aimed at developing cadres of school leaders for urban districts who are prepared to lead instructional improvement.
Leadership is not about control. It is about guiding people to think
and act differently.
— A participant in the Urban School Leaders Fellowship
School leadership matters. Recent research demonstrates that second only to the quality of teachers, effective principals are the most important schoolhouse variable linked to the improvement of student learning, achievement, and attainment (Leithwood et al. 2004). School leadership matters even more in the persistently low-performing schools that Education Secretary Arne Duncan has targeted for improvement. In their review of the research on leadership effects on student learning, Kenneth Leithwood and his colleagues found that “there are virtually no instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader” (p. 3).
For urban districts, the principal leadership crisis is more than just a human resources issue; it is a vexing systemic problem impeding large-scale improvement. Given the essential role of effective leaders in urban school improvement, districts must put in place a comprehensive leadership development strategy. They need to figure out how to identify and develop a viable pool of aspirants; make sure that as these aspirants become applicants for leadership positions they are prepared for the context-specific realities of urban schools; and foster the organizational conditions that can support and retain these leaders once hired. This multi-dimensional problem requires a systemic solution.
A Need for Strategic Partnerships
Traditionally, districts have relied upon universities to produce and certify – in conjunction with state departments of education – principal candidates. More recently, several districts have created their own leadership academies and principal induction and mentoring programs in order to ensure a pipeline of quality applicants. In addition, organizations such as New Leaders for New Schools and charter management companies have challenged the university cartels and entered the marketplace with alternative routes to principal preparation programs. But while large urban districts are able to launch and take advantage of such programs, smaller urban school districts are often poorly positioned to identify, develop, and retain leaders because they lack economies of scale and access to leadership development expertise (Campbell, DeArmond & Schumwinger 2004).
Ultimately, solving the urban leadership problem may be beyond the capacity of any one institution, especially for small districts. One solution may be for districts to work collaboratively and in concert with partners who can bring the necessary leadership development expertise, professional learning experience, and financial support to the enterprise. The Urban School Leaders Fellowship (USLF) is such a partnership – one that engages multiple organizations in a strategic effort to support school improvement through leadership development.
USLF is a collaborative partnership founded and funded by the Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF). Faced with low-achieving schools in four urban communities and demographic data that indicated that 40 percent to 50 percent of the principals in those districts would be retiring over the next ten years, the foundation formed the fellowship to identify and develop the next generation of instructional leaders. The partners, including the foundation, the four urban districts, an educational improvement organization, and three institutions of higher education, designed and operate USLF.
From its inception, USLF was structured to accomplish more than simply prepare principals; it was also conceived as a tool to foster systemic instructional improvement within the districts. This article describes the inter-organizational partnership that created USLF, the program design, and the lessons learned that may inform the work of other districts and organizations committed to the development of instructional leadership.
