about the project

High-quality leadership makes higher-performing schools.

For students to thrive, they need skillful teachers; for schools to thrive, they need skillful leaders. But in this era of reform and high-risk accountability, it is becoming increasingly difficult for administrators and teachers to meet — let alone exceed — school, district, and state standards.

WestEd’s Leadership Initiative helps administrators and teachers rise to this challenge. Formerly the California School Leadership Academy, the Leadership Initiative offers seminars, materials, consulting, and other services that create and strengthen leadership skills.

Our services include:

• large-scale professional development for administrators and teacher leaders;
  
• seminars in which participants engage in case studies and debate activities;
  
• Support for district leadership teams working on principal support and evaluation;
  
• tools to assess quality school leadership;
  
• a full range of resources such as training guides, briefings, activity guides, and modules on instructional leadership; and
  
• individual consulting, technical assistance, and mentoring.

Not only does the Leadership Initiative enrich the skills of administrators and teacher leaders, it has proven success in student performance. For example, in a two-year project for the Riverside (California) Unified School District, the administrators who participated in the Leadership Initiative’s programs reduced the number of low-performing schools in their district from 19 to 2.

Read the article, Guiding Improvements In Principal Performance, by Karen Kearney.

For more information, please contact Leadership Initiative Director Karen Kearney at 415.615.3185.