Chapter 8: How Three Principals Successfully Implemented Researchbased Instructional Initiatives in Their Schools

Collectively, we the authors of this chapter have worked as evaluators and researchers for several educational organizations. Many of the educational initiatives we have evaluated have addressed fidelity of implementation—that is, whether participants implemented an initiative as designed and strictly followed implementation guidelines. We have always been curious about the influence of school leaders on the success of these initiatives. What actions did they take that contributed to implementation success? How did they approach implementation? What were their concerns? How did others perceive their efforts to implement the initiative?

In this chapter, we highlight the actions of three principals who successfully implemented schoolwide literacy and math instructional initiatives at their respective schools, Adams Middle School, Buchanan Middle School, and Coolidge Middle School.1 The three principals were part of an impact evaluation we conducted in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 in nine middle schools and three high schools in one state. Teachers in these schools received targeted, content-focused professional development designed to help them align their instruction and assessments with college-and careerreadiness standards and improve student achievement in literacy and math.