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THE 7 QUALITIES OF LEARNING-

CENTERED LEADERSHIP
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A revolution is taking place in school leadership. New policies call for higher academic standards and
accountability. So-called “accountability systems” include more methods to develop and monitor school change.
Researchers have joined the fray, adding their opinions about the reinvention of instructional leadership in
schools.

More focus on student results leads to local changes aligned with the performance goals of the educational
system. The general presumption is that these changes will come automatically, since public reporting of school
outcomes creates pressure for reform. The development of direct incentives that yield innovation, e ciency,
and solutions to performance problems will also be a source of change.

Accountability systems force the development of standards required for improved instructional and
assessment practices. They also act as incentives for participation in the process. This simple logic of an
accountability system is compelling, providing an irresistible rationale for educational reform.

The recent debate in the U.S. on the legitimacy of using standardized tests to gauge student learning has led to
new leadership e orts and spending to help schools achieve better test scores. These e orts have pressured
new instructional leadership, characterized by school analysts, researchers, and school leaders focusing on
data in their decision-making. This new instructional paradigm was envisioned earlier in research.

This new instructional style has also been called “learning-centered” leadership. It began with a push by state
education leaders to process student data from available achievement tests. Private companies enjoyed
nancial bene ts, selling data reporting systems to schools to help them sort the data. State education
leaders hired consultants, who created data analysis workshops and data retreats to instruct school leaders on
e ective data use. School leaders adopted new school reform plans and curricula coordinated with state
learning standards, resulting in far-reaching changes in student learning. Positive results only happened when
practitioners were willing to change their ways and conform to the new standards.

The biggest problem in data-driven decision-making is the implementation of new accountability practices.
Most schools already had active, working internal accountability systems. Schools already made decisions
based on data, such as class attendance, test scores, student discipline, available budgets, and teacher
reputations. Administrative reliance on these old internal accountability systems has caused the
most resistance to reforms in school instructional practice.

To use data to improve student performance, leaders need to factor in external accountability instead of
traditional methods. This new model improves on traditional practices such as teacher evaluation, professional
development, curriculum design, and building new cultures of learning. Older techniques will have to be
changed to address the challenges of contemporary schools.

Practical systems rely on two-way information ow, connecting classroom practice with external accountability
measures. This requires stronger links between teaching and leadership, teacher collaboration, learning
matched with current instructional goals, and close monitoring of instructional outcomes. To succeed here, the
leader must assist students in taking tests, avoid favoring test preparation over learning, and justify
instructional practices changes to the community.

Here are seven factors to consider when doing this:

1. Data Acquisition: Data acquisition refers to the processes of seeking, collecting, and preparing useful
information for teaching and learning activities. The data gathered and processed at this stage comes
from student test scores. However, other elds of information are needed to inform teaching and
learning. Data storage is a vital element of data acquisition. There is a need to use local data systems,
since the NCLB Act, when it was active, required certain information on student performance. Schools
have created a retail demand for data storage and data analysis products.

2. Data Re ection: Data re ection is the manipulation of student learning data toward improved teaching
and learning practices. DDIS data re ection is a structured opportunity for both teachers and leaders to
make useful sense of data, rather than guessing “what works.”Data re ection can be done at a school-
wide level, grade level, or even in subject-area meetings. Problem framing is a vital element of data
re ection. This involves active thought on how data can improve outcomes, leading to a plan of action.
3. Program Alignment: This involves matching the school’s instructional program to the content and
performance standards in classrooms. Program alignment is an essential part of planning for
instructional leadership, probably the most sensitive part of DDIS, in order to in uence the outcome of
the new policies.


 4. Program Design: It is through program design that the school’s policies, plans, and procedures are de ned
in such a manner that reported problems are addressed. Curricula, student service programs, and
instructional strategies are modi ed to improve student learning. Program design also involves the
inspection of the school’s access to budgets and grants, for starting and maintaining a new program.
5. Formative Feedback: Feedback is always a crucial in the adoption of new strategies. The DDIS model
creates a continuous and timely ow of information, designed to improve student outcomes. This
feedback is di erent from data acquisition and re ection. It applies to information gathered to measure
the school’s progress measured in terms of student performance.
6. Test Preparation: This last part of the DDIS model consists of activities designed to assess, motivate, and
develop student academic abilities, as well as strategies to improve performance on state and district
assessment tests. Test preparation covers a wide range of issues, such as test formats, testing skills, and
addressing weak areas, as well as test preparation.“Teaching to the test” refers to study content, called
“formulaic instruction.” It is teaching students topics that are tested, without regard to holistic learning.
Leaders in schools across the U.S. have changed multiple aspects of school life to gear their instructional
programs toward test content. Schools where the DDIS mode was put into action didn’t narrow their
curriculum to the test content. The researchers noticed instead that, in schools with DDIS systems, there
were rich instructional systems designed to help students meet state exam standards.

A DDIS system of instructional leadership is insightful, innovative, and results-oriented. It increases precision in
predicting student outcomes and developing key areas of study relevant to academic improvement.

Improvements and changes in instructional leadership have kept it relevant, even in the face of other
leadership styles. It is accepted that schools must practice some level of instructional leadership. Instructional
leadership remains a crucial aspect of the school setting.

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