Chapter 5: Leadership Practices and Processes That Impact Personnel, Professional Development, and Teacher Professionalism, and Influence School Improvement

Promoting learning in schools is a primary role of superintendents and principals (Matthews & Crow, 2003). Leaders establish conditions that can support continuous improvement through their actions (Bellamy, Fulmer, Murphy, & Muth, 2007). Leithwood and Riehl (2005) identified three major clusters of leadership actions instrumental to continuous improvement and school success: (a) setting direction, (b) developing people, and (c) redesigning the organization. Donaldson (2001) concluded that leadership actions influence whether reform efforts succeed or fail and thus impact overall school improvement over time. Personnel recruitment and selection, professional development opportunities, and actions leaders take to reinforce certain values within the culture of teacher professionalism represent key leadership leverage points. These leverage points are (a) set direction, (b) determine assignments of responsibilities, (c) identify needs for ongoing professional development, and (d) challenge existing values and beliefs that run counter to school improvement.