Leadership Vol. 43, No. 3 • January/February 2014 Features


8 Continuous improvement in instruction: Essentials for principals The answers to four essential questions will help principals determine whether the results they are getting indicate their instructional practices are working as intended. By Dennis Fox


Columns


7 To our readers Putting your best intentions into practice, and energizing your vision for students. By Marc Ecker


17 VIEWPoint The literature has been consistent: Strong leadership is the key to high performing schools and districts. By Chris Adams


25 Leading for ‘now’ Will the focus on the end cause us to lose track of what’s most important right now for students? By George Manthey


12 Surviving challenges in the blogosphere Online dialogues through blogs can take on a life of their own. If you become a focus of discussion that makes you out to be a villain, take heart. You are not alone and you will survive. By Lisa Gonzales, Charles Young and Gretchen Shipley


18 Sustained courage under pressure Displaying constant, unwavering courage over the years and during protracted challenges requires a deeper, more refined set of skills, attributes and strategies. By Brett W. McFadden


22 Supporting principals to create shared leadership By developing non-traditional teacher leader teams that work with administrators to ex- amine student work and classroom practices and plan more effective instruction, this district is making students its focus. By Maureen E. Latham and Terry Wilhelm


28 Exiting PI: How 10 principals turned around their schools A study examining the strategies used by 10 California principals who turned around underperforming schools found three key areas of focus: school culture, instructional leadership and state standards. By Aaron Haughton and Sandra J. Balli


32 Mindsets for mentoring 21st century leaders Building and nurturing a leader-based organization starts with embracing the correct mindsets, and executing purposeful leadership actions. By Kathrine Morillo-Shone


January/February 2014


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