The Principal as Professional Development Leader

`At last we have a book that realistically, empathically, and interestingly describes leadership and the professional development work that needs to accompany it—for principals. It is all here: readings, web sites, theory, practice, helpful forms to use, vignettes of principals. Lindstrom and Speck are both 'insiders' and 'outsiders' teaching us in the best of ways how to both think about and act on our new knowledge!' - Ann Lieberman, Senior Scholar Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Research shows conclusively that teacher variability is the most important factor in determining student achievement. And headteachers are the educators who are in the best position to provide teachers with the professional development tools they need to improve their skills and raise student achievement.

The book is organized around the four roles that a headteacher must fulfill in order to cultivate quality: builder, designer, implementer, and reflective leader. Aligned with the National Staff Development Council's Standards for Staff Development, this book is full of user-friendly, practical tools, including rubrics, worksheets, professional development planners, sample forms for classroom visits and observations, calendars of professional development activities, surveys, evaluation plans, recommended readings and websites, and reflective questions. Vignettes, examples, and other illustrative material grounds the work in the high-stakes accountability world that principals find themselves in.

This book will take headteachers through a step-by-step process to develop, implement, and evaluate individual and school professional development plans. The authors show headteachers how to analyze student achievement data and how to develop and evaluate professional development plans based on the data.