Can (or do) School Leaders Really Influence Student Achievement?
School has begun. Where do we focus first? Student achievement? Sure. But how do we get there? This week, Lisa highlights the influence of principals on student achievement and how school systems can refocus their work to create more equitable learning environments for all students. How have you created an equitable learning environment for all students? Leave us a comment below!
Can (or do) school leaders influence student achievement?
We all would like to say yes. If school leaders do not influence student achievement, what does contribute to increased student outcomes? In schools across the country, there is a common notion that principals have a direct effect on increases in student achievement, particularly when measured by test scores. Principals’ careers, especially in lower performing schools, are made or broken based on these test scores. However, research has shown us that principals do not have a direct influence on student achievement scores. . I am not saying principals and the work they do is not important. On the contrary, the work of principals and other school leaders is very important (I did write an entire blog series this summer about it!). What I am suggesting is that we maximize the influence principals can and do have on student achievement.
How should principals focus their work?
In March 2018, researchers from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research published a study which found that principals had the largest impact on student achievement when they focused on improving school climate (even for schools with higher levels of prior achievement). They defined school climate as “a safe, supportive environments with high, consistent, and clear expectations for students.” Within this study, the researchers identified specific indicators of a strong school climate, including: all staff members are held accountable to the success of all students, all staff members consistently examine a variety of student data, and student support is consistent and available to all students. To develop and enhance this type of school climate, the schools who had the largest gains in achievement had principals who supported teacher leadership. In fact, teacher leadership became a “critical mechanism” (Allensworth and Hart, 2018, p. 3) for principals to establish a strong school climate conducive to student success. By establishing strong teacher leaders and teacher teams, teachers could solve problems together and achieve success towards a common goal. The principal’s role, in the highest performing schools from this study, was to “support teacher teams” and “make sure that solutions are shared and applied school-wide” (p. 3).
Why does gender disparity matter for school climate?
We know that strong school climate ensures a safe and supportive environment for all students. Gender disparities in schools are one of the ways in which school climates can be weakened for students and by which students are the most harmed. School climates plagued by significant gender disparities (whether these disparities include access to certain programs, quality of experience in certain programs, or the outcomes those programs have for student of different genders) can have negative impact on student success.In her August blog post, Amy discussed the importance of thinking about gender disparity at the beginning of the school year. Although it may seem like there is a mountain of things to do at the beginning of the year, which there is, Amy reminds us that “the time for making sure that kids see themselves and learn to value their own voices is now.” How do expectations in your school change based on issues of gender? Do students interact with school and discipline policies in equitable ways based on their gender? Do students have equitable access to systems of support? Are a diverse range of voices included in your curriculum? The answers to these questions might give you a glimpse into how your school climate is doing from a gendered lens and as the University of Chicago reminds us: having a strong school climate is one of the first steps to increasing student achievement. Let’s focus on that this year.
-Lisa
If you want to know more about teacher leadership, check out this blog for more information!
If you want to learn more about how AEC can help your leadership team focus on strengthening your school’s climate, contact us here!
References:
Allensworth, E.M., & Hart, H. (2018). How do principals influence student achievement? Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.