ERIC ED614018: Balanced Leadership for Student Learning: A 2021 Update of McREL's Research-Based School Leadership Development Program

2021·1.2 MB·English

by  ERIC

Balanced Leadership for Student
Learning
A 2021 update of McREL’s research-based school
leadership development program
By Kristin Rouleau
About the Author
Kristin Rouleau, Ed.D., is the executive director of learning services and innovation
at McREL International. She partners with schools, districts, and state departments
of education as they navigate change and implement practices and structures to
reduce variability and increase student achievement. Through consulting, coaching,
and facilitation of professional learning, she offers services, strategies, and technical
assistance to support change efforts. Kristin earned administrative credentials at the
University of Washington, and she holds an Ed.D. in leadership for educational equity
from University of Colorado Denver, an M.A. in curriculum and teaching from Michigan State University,
and a B.A. in elementary education from Western Michigan University.
About McREL
McREL International is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to improving education
outcomes for all students through applied research, product development, and professional services
to teachers and education leaders. We collaborate with schools and school systems across the U.S. and
worldwide, helping educators think differently about their challenges and providing research-based
solutions and guidance that help students flourish.
© 2021, McREL International. All rights reserved. To use a portion of this document for noncommercial
purposes, please cite as follows:
Rouleau, K. (2021). Balanced Leadership for Student Learning: A 2021 update of McREL’s research-based
school leadership development program. McREL International.

20210623
Balanced Leadership for Student Learning:
A 2021 update of McREL’s research-based school
leadership development program
By Kristin Rouleau
In more than a decade of working with school specific actions and behaviors that support each
leaders across the globe in a variety of schools— of them, were articulated from the research
small, large, rural, urban, and suburban—we and analysis that serve as the cornerstone of
are more convinced than ever that effective McREL’s Balanced Leadership® professional
principal leadership has a positive effect on learning program for current and aspiring
student learning. principals, school leadership team members,
and central office administrators who supervise
Research has demonstrated, as long ago as
schools.
McREL’s original research, first reported
in the ASCD publication School Leadership In the years since School Leadership That
That Works (Marzano et al., 2005) and as Works was published and the first participants
recently as in the 2021 Wallace Foundation engaged in Balanced Leadership professional
report, How Principals Affect Students and learning, the demands on school-level leaders
Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two and schools themselves have continued to
Decades of Research (Grissom et al., 2021), that increase. What hasn’t changed, however, is the
effective school-level leaders impact student relevance of the Balanced Leadership findings
achievement. and accompanying professional learning
that supports principals in carrying out their
At McREL, we maintain that all principals can
responsibilities as instructional leaders.
learn and implement the actions and behaviors
that have the biggest effect on student learning Recently, we asked some longtime advocates
outcomes, namely: of Balanced Leadership to describe how their
learning from the program specifically applied
• to establish a clear schoolwide focus
to the very real challenges schools faced in
on delivering quality instructional
2020. We anticipated hearing responses like,
experiences for all students;
“Balanced Leadership helped our school
• to initiate, lead, and manage change in
address the challenges of virtual learning,”
school processes, programs, personnel,
or “Balanced Leadership helped us to create
professional learning, and other operations
a communication plan for keeping families
necessary to create better learning
informed about school changes.” What we
conditions and outcomes; and
heard, however, was not specific problems of
• to cultivate a purposeful school community practice, but rather that Balanced Leadership
that shares a united vision for what they informed everything about the way school
want to be and a shared belief that, working leaders went about their work, regardless of
together, they have what it takes to make the challenge. We heard about focusing on the
that vision come true. right work—the importance of maintaining
These three overarching imperatives of an emphasis on teaching and learning in the
effective school leaders—establishing a clear midst of everything else that was going on.
focus, leading and managing change, and There was extended discussion centered on
cultivating a purposeful community—and the leading and managing change, since change
June 2021 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning 1
was the single constant everyone experienced leaders were to be more than managers or
during the pandemic. Lessons learned from administrators; they were expected to be
Balanced Leadership helped these leaders instructional leaders. Yet a clear definition of
support their students, staff, and families as instructional leadership was lacking in the
they all experienced school in a different way literature and in the field.
than they had before. One leader described
At that time, some scholars suggested that
Balanced Leadership as the “operating system”
research on school leadership provided
that guides it all, explaining that once you’ve
few clues—or conflicting guidance—about
learned and implemented Balanced Leadership,
what school leaders should actually do to
it’s simply embedded in how you lead.
have an impact on student learning. McREL
Drawing on new educational leadership
researchers took a different approach,
research and on insights we’ve gathered over
asserting that the research from the previous
the last few years while working with hundreds
three decades actually provided a good deal
of principals, superintendents, and other
of remarkably consistent guidance—if it were
leaders across the United States, McREL has
viewed through the lens of a different research
recently updated the Balanced Leadership
methodology. McREL had recently completed
professional learning program. Those who
a meta-analysis identifying nine categories
are familiar with the long-standing program
of instructional strategies with the greatest
will find it is far more integrated and focused
effect sizes on student learning—research later
on applying Balanced Leadership concepts,
translated into the book Classroom Instruction
responsibilities, and practices to real-life
That Works (Marzano et al., 2001).
problems of practice and high-leverage needs
identified by participants. And it is ever-more
What did the research teach
centered on student learning as the focus
of leadership. The program, now renamed us?
Balanced Leadership for Student Learning™,
The original Balanced Leadership research
has been reconfigured as four one-day sessions,
resulted in several conclusions that are still at
with self-paced reflection and application
the core of our professional learning for school
activities before and after each session.
leaders.
Participants are encouraged to attend together
as school-level leadership teams when possible, We learned that school leadership matters.
to emphasize the power of shared leadership With almost identical results reported in a
in a school, and we recommend that principal recent Wallace Foundation study of principal
supervisors attend the sessions with their leadership (Grissom et al., 2021), McREL’s
principals. original research confirmed an empirical
relationship between leadership and student
But before we share all you can expect from the
achievement. In schools with principals
new and improved Balanced Leadership for
perceived by stakeholders as being highly
Student Learning, let’s step back and review
effective, students tend to achieve at higher
how Balanced Leadership got its start.
levels—an average of almost 10 percentage
points higher—than in schools with principals
A retrospective on Balanced
perceived as being average.
Leadership research
We identified 21 specific leadership
In the early 2000s “instructional leadership” responsibilities, each with its own positive,
was the buzzword for school principals. School empirical relationship to learning. In
2 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning June 2021
addition, we detailed 66 practices that fulfill the other findings of the study. To investigate this
responsibilities. While the 21 responsibilities phenomenon, the team conducted a second
were not necessarily new findings, the research study. A factor analysis was conducted using
provided new insights into school leadership. responses to a questionnaire designed to
The responsibilities included things like a measure principal behavior in terms of the
principal’s knowledge of and involvement in 21 responsibilities. From the factor analysis
teaching and learning, their visibility in the findings were generated related to principal
school, and their purposeful actions to develop leadership and change.
capacity and knowledge of staff related to
The key finding from the factor analysis
evidence-based teaching practices. Table 1 on
was that how you lead change depends on
page 4 summarizes the 21 responsibilities.
how people experience the change itself.
We were able to predict that “95% of the We learned that two factors underlie the 21
time, when these responsibilities are fulfilled responsibilities: first-order and second-order
effectively by strong leaders, we will find higher implications of change. There are a lot of
average levels of student achievement than ways to talk about change, so for those not
we would in comparable schools where these familiar with this particular terminology,
responsibilities are not fulfilled effectively” change with first-order implications tends to
(Goodwin et al., 2015, p. 6). Thus, while the be change requiring little new learning—or if
relationship between principal leadership new learning is necessary, it is straightforward
and student achievement is usually positive, and relatively easy to implement. Conversely,
it’s not always positive. This led the research change with second-order implications tends
team to want to learn more, ultimately resulting to be complicated enough that you have to think
in a finding that we call the “differential about it in order to implement (Achor, 2010); it
impact of leadership,” which is observed when may require an entirely new skill set or a shift in
principals are rated as effective leaders by their mindset about the work to be completed. A key
staff and supervisors, but student achievement difference in how McREL thinks about change
is not at the level we would expect, given the as compared to how others may present it is
June 2021 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning 3
Table 1. The 21 Leadership Responsibilities
Areas of Responsibility
Description of the Areas of Responsibility:
(Note: Some responsibility names have been Avg. r
The extent to which the principal . . .
updated; original names in parentheses)
Recognizes and celebrates school accomplishments and
Acknowledgement (Affirmation) .19
acknowledges failures
Adapts his or her leadership behavior to the needs of the current
Adaptability (Flexibility) .28
situation and is comfortable with dissent
Advocacy (Outreach) .27 Is an advocate and spokesperson for the school to all stakeholders
Celebrates (Contingent Rewards) .24 Recognizes and honors individual accomplishments
Change agent .25 Is willing to and actively challenges the status quo
Establishes strong lines of communication with teachers and
Communication .23
among students
Community (Culture) .25 Fosters shared beliefs and a sense of community and cooperation
Establishes clear goals and keeps those goals in the forefront of
Focus .24
the school’s attention
Communicates and operates from strong ideals and beliefs about
Ideals/Beliefs .22
schooling
Involves teachers in the design and implementation of important
Input .25
decisions
Inspire (Optimize) .20 Inspires and leads new and challenging innovations
Ensures that the faculty and staff are aware of the most current
Intellectual Stimulation .24 theories and practices and makes the discussion of these a regular
aspect of the school culture
Involvement in Teaching & Learning
Is directly involved in the design and implementation of curriculum,
(Curriculum, Instruction .20
instruction, and assessment practices
& Assessment)
Knowledge of Teaching &
Is knowledgeable about current pedagogies, curriculum, instruction,
Learning (Curriculum, Instruction & .25
and assessment practices
Assessment)
Monitors the effectiveness of school teaching and learning practices
Monitor/Evaluate .27
and their impact on student learning
Protects teachers from issues and influences that would detract
Protects (Discipline) .27
from their teaching time or focus
Demonstrates awareness of the personal aspects of teachers
Relationships .18
and staff
Provides teachers with materials and professional development
Resources .25
necessary for the successful execution of their jobs
Is aware of the details and the undercurrents in the running of the
Situational Awareness .33 school and uses this information to address current and potential
problems
Structures & Routines (Order) .25 Establishes a set of standard operating procedures and routines
Visibility .20 Has quality contacts and interactions with teachers and students
4 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning June 2021
that it’s not about the change itself, but about how in these areas; rather it meant that the principal
it’s experienced by those who are affected by the was perceived as being less effective with these
change or charged with implementing it. responsibilities when people experienced a
change as having second-order implications.
McREL’s perspective on change is grounded
In other words, a school leader “might pay
in findings from the factor analysis. The
a certain price” (Marzano et al., 2005, p. 74)
study indicated that all 21 responsibilities
for implementing an innovation perceived as
are positively correlated with first-order
second order. This included the perception by
change. This means that when staff at a
staff that the change being experienced with
school experience a change with first-order
second-order implications lacked input from
implications, they tend to perceive that their
them, and that it was causing deterioration of
principal uses all 21 responsibilities effectively.
team spirit, cooperation, communication, and
That said, not all 21 responsibilities were found structure and routines.
to be equally important in relation to changes
These findings inform not only how McREL
perceived with first-order implications. For
conceptualizes change but how we support
example, the responsibility of monitoring and
principals in leading (not merely managing)
evaluating was identified as most important
change.
for leading first-order implications, followed
The findings from both the meta-analysis
by responsibilities focused on how a leader
and the factor analysis provided new insights
develops and maintains community and focus
about the relationship between principal
on ideals and beliefs. Also strongly related to
responsibilities and student learning, and the
leading a change with first-order implications
need to execute different courses of action
is a leader’s knowledge of and involvement in
when leading changes with first- or second-
teaching and learning.
order implications. However, a critical aspect
When considering second-order change, the of leadership that neither study surfaced was
factor analysis identified a different pattern. the focus of school leadership—and the research
Seven of the 21 leadership responsibilities team knew that had to be a factor, somehow.
were positively correlated with second-order Their hunch was that effective leaders focused
change implications. In other words, when on different levers for change than ineffective
school staff were experiencing change with leaders. Recognizing this, the researchers
second-order implications, they tended to turned to the literature, where they confirmed
perceive their principal as most effective with that the need to focus on the right work was
seven responsibilities, largely focused on evident, as was the importance of developing a
how the leader developed capacity of staff for healthy, productive school culture.
teaching and learning, how they monitored and
The report of McREL’s leadership findings
evaluated the change, and the ways in which
was widely read. It was the first study of
the leader was adaptable and maintained strong
its kind, validating for principals that their
beliefs about the school and learning.
jobs mattered, and bringing clarity and
One of the most revealing findings from the focus to school leader actions. The Balanced
factor analysis was that four responsibilities Leadership findings were met with tremendous
were negatively correlated with second-order enthusiasm, with more than 1,500 people
change implications. This finding did not mean packing a room when they were introduced at
that the school leader was not actively working the annual ASCD conference in 2005.
June 2021 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning 5
From research to professional changes that improve teaching, leading,
and learning. We have observed leaders
learning
implementing concepts, responsibilities, and
tools from Balanced Leadership across the
The research base describing the impact of
U.S. and in such diverse locations as the Pacific
principal leadership, the 21 responsibilities and
island nations, Australia, northern Quebec,
66 associated practices of effective leaders, the
and Bermuda. In the process, we’ve learned
findings about leading changes with first- and
a lot of lessons that have reinforced how we
second-order implications, and the importance
think about leadership and have prompted the
of focusing on the right work and developing
revisions we’ve made to the program. Here are
a healthy, productive school culture provided
a few of the lessons we’ve learned and some
the foundation for the Balanced Leadership
stories of successes from our partners.
professional learning program. To date, more
than 20,000 school leaders have participated in Effective school and district leaders are
Balanced Leadership. intentional about leadership based on the
Figure 1. The Balanced Leadership Framework
The framework grouped leadership
Purposeful Community
responsibilities into this structure:
Leadership, Focus of Leadership,
School-Level Leadership
Magnitude of Change, and
Purposeful Community. This
Focus Magnitude framework has served as the
of of foundation for our Balanced
Leadership Change Leadership professional learning
sessions, organizing the critical
responsibilities for leaders and
School-Level Leadership supporting leaders to connect their
vision for their schools and districts
Purposeful Community
with a plan of action.
Early in the life cycle of Balanced Leadership, needs of their organization. When Bryan
the McREL team recognized the complexity Johnson became superintendent of Tennessee’s
of implementing the 21 responsibilities and Hamilton County Public Schools in 2017, he
66 practices. To make the complexity of the made the community a promise: to become the
findings manageable and useful for daily state’s fastest improving district. The district
leadership, the research was arranged into a was facing some serious issues, including state
conceptual organizer for guiding professional intervention in some of its schools. When
learning. Johnson arrived in this district and assessed
its strengths and needs, he recognized that the
What have we learned from lack of a districtwide leadership development
program was one of its challenges. After
Balanced Leadership?
implementing Balanced Leadership as a
school and system leader in his former district,
Over the years McREL has partnered with
Johnson made an intentional decision to bring
schools, school districts, and education
the program to Hamilton County.
agencies around the globe to support system
6 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning June 2021
Before Balanced Leadership, in 2017, the what their school needs in the moment from
Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System their leadership and apply the leadership
gave Hamilton County a score of 1 for overall responsibilities in ways that help advance the
student academic growth. In 2018, that climbed work of teaching and learning.
to 3. And in 2019, after developing a shared School leadership is strengthened through
vocabulary, consistent practices for leadership, shared leadership and system support.
and districtwide focus on instructional In 2016, McREL engaged with the Sioux
improvements, the district scored straight 5’s City, Iowa, school district for Balanced
out of 5. “You can’t overstate the importance of Leadership—for the second time. McREL
consistency, and Balanced Leadership showed had been to Sioux City 10 years earlier to
us that we’re so much stronger if every leader in deliver a Balanced Leadership workshop to
every school aims for the same goals,” Johnson district administrators. However, according to
said. “Bringing the same focus to instructional superintendent Paul Gausman and associate
design in the classroom means extending superintendent Kim Buryanek, follow-through
that message of consistency to teachers and that first time wasn’t sufficient. In 2016, with
students so that everybody’s on the same team.” three of their schools in the lowest of three state
achievement tiers, the two leaders thought a
Just as Dr. Johnson was intentional in leading
renewed focus on Balanced Leadership—with a
the charge to develop leadership capacity for
purposeful system of ongoing support—was an
change in Hamilton County Public Schools,
appropriate next step.
school-level leaders need to be intentional
in their leadership, identifying the strengths Leaders from the district’s 20 schools and
of the organization, data points in need of district-level leaders participated in Balanced
improvement, and the most likely reasons the Leadership professional learning in 2016 and
school is in need of change—and then, their followed with intensive school-level coaching
leadership needs to match. Sometimes, leaders and technical assistance the following year.
need to lead from the top down if changes are The focus was on a renewed commitment to
needed quickly; at other times, the same leaders understanding and implementing leadership
invite consensus for decision-making because responsibilities and developing shared
they have time and require staff ownership leadership with each school’s leadership team.
for next steps. Neither approach works in According to Buryanek, it took time for leaders
all situations and leaders must determine to embrace the concept of shared leadership.
June 2021 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning 7
“But once they do and leverage the power of of addressing the needs of all students—while
other leaders on the building leadership team, simultaneously implementing more rigorous
they move farther, faster. They’re alive and standards and assessments—the Clarksville-
excited and sharing their ideas and successes. Montgomery County School System (CMCSS),
It’s pretty amazing, just how they’re enjoying in Tennessee, looked for systemic ways to
the job more.” improve achievement for all learners and
narrow gaps among subgroups of students.
In a recent conversation, Buryanek explained
As the district began to research and analyze
that the district keeps Balanced Leadership
the root causes of test score variance within
at the forefront of their work. In monthly
and among its schools, it realized there were
leadership meetings they discuss how
inconsistencies in the quality of instruction
principals implement what they’ve learned
and curriculum access. With a background
from the program; she stressed the value
in McREL’s Balanced Leadership framework
of keeping the 21 responsibilities and the
dating to 2007, district leaders knew that the
Balanced Leadership framework components in
best way to address these inconsistencies was
the conversation all the time because it’s simply
to build on school-level leaders’ knowledge
the way they work in the district.
of Balanced Leadership and equip them with
Superintendent Gausman agrees. “All
proven strategies to reduce this variability.
successful groups, in whatever industry, they
perform the best when they focus on a common The district partnered with McREL to
goal to work toward and a common challenge to strengthen instructional quality and
work against. That’s what Balanced Leadership consistency across all classrooms; develop
has done for us,” Gausman said. “It helped us a robust leadership pipeline; promote
define what our common challenge is. It’s not structures and systems for shared leadership,
the individual students, it’s not the parents—our collaboration, and coaching; apply high-
challenge is that our literacy scores are where reliability organization principles across the
they are and need to increase. When you bring district in order to improve systematically; and
everyone together around a common challenge implement short-cycle innovation practices
like that it’s energizing, it’s refreshing.” to accelerate improvement. The partnership
included Balanced Leadership professional
Two of Sioux City’s keys to success have been
learning and coaching for nearly 200
the emphasis on shared leadership and system
instructional supervisors, principals, assistant
support for implementing Balanced Leadership.
principals, and teacher leaders. The result was
One of our observations is that in districts
that CMCSS led the state in student academic
where Balanced Leadership has become a
growth two years in a row and received four
“way of doing business,” school leadership
“Powerful Practices” designations from the
teams share responsibility for leading
AdvanceED Accreditation Commission.
school improvement and district leaders
actively support implementation of Balanced CMCSS superintendent B. J. Worthington
Leadership across schools. championed principals as instructional leaders
Effective school leadership is focused on and the necessity of focusing on teaching and
student learning as well as developing learning to change outcomes for students.
and supporting staff in order to achieve There are no quick fixes in education, but
equitable outcomes for learners. With when leaders think systemically and act
high rates of student mobility, administrator systematically to improve learning, real change
turnover, and the ever-increasing complexities happens.
8 Balanced Leadership for Student Learning June 2021