Understanding Instructional

Leadership

A comprehensive overview of
instructional leadership and its impact
on teaching and learning
-Jaena L. Respicio
 Topics to be discussed:

What is instructional
01
leadership, its
02 What is the means
importance, and who
for school?
is responsible?
03

Practical strategies and

approaches
Instruction =?
The process or act of teaching: education
-Collins Dictionary

Leadership =?
A person who rules, guides, or inspires others
-Collins Dictionary
 What is Instructional
Leadership?

 It provides guidance and direction

for instructional improvement.

 Instructional leadership supports

effective teaching and learning.
Positive Influence on
Student Achievement
Principal instructional leadership affects
the learning environment in classrooms.

International research meta-analyses

show that instructional leadership has a
positive impact on student achievement.

Leadership typically has an indirect

effect on student achievement.
Indirect Impact on
Student Achievement
● Instructional leadership impacts what is
possible in classroom pedagogy.
● It establishes processes, tools, and a
learning culture for effective teaching.
● Examples of close-to-the-classroom
instructional leadership practices:
buffering teachers from distraction,
providing resources and support, and
promoting professional learning.
Instructional Leadership
Practice
– Viviane Robinson 2007
● Establishing goals and expectations
● Strategic resourcing
● Planning, coordinating, and evaluating
teaching and the curriculum
● Promoting and participating in teacher
learning and development
● Ensuring an orderly and supportive
environment
 Who is responsible for
instructional leadership?
 The Role of School
Principals
This 'heroic' view of principals
overlooked the distributed nature
of leadership in schools

Originally, instructional
leadership was seen as the sole
responsibility of the school
principal
Expanding the
Understanding
● Researchers started exploring leadership practices at
other levels in schools
● It became clear that instructional leadership can be
enacted by others besides principals and senior
leaders
● Middle leaders and teachers with teaching and
learning responsibilities also play a key role
Distributed and Shared
Leadership

Teachers who provide advice on curriculum issues are

examples of distributed leaders

Distributed leadership describes the network of formal and

informal sources of influence within a school

Not everyone is a leader, but leadership is situated through a

web of influence based on expertise
Teacher Leadership

● Teacher leaders are ideally positioned to provide

instructional leadership
● They contribute to the distributed network of
influence within and across schools
● Teacher leaders can lead collective work to improve
instruction
● You may be a Teacher leader if your actions inspire
others to dream more, learn more, do more, and
become more, you are a leader ( John Quincy
Adams)
 Range of scholars and researchers provide

Why is instructional leadership

important?
Instructional leadership practices of
leaders and teachers

• Is correlated with higher teacher efficacy

• Contributes to creating a strong learning culture
• Creates coherence
• Reduces teacher isolation
• Increases teacher collaboration
• Creates a shared focus on student learning goals
• Provides structures to support collaborative inquiry
What does this mean for schools? • Provide frameworks
• Inform possible changes
 • Establishing and supporting the ac
• Monitoring and responding to stud
Practical Strategies and • Supporting teacher and leader lea
Approaches •
•
Evaluating curriculum and pedago
Ensuring a supportive learning en

How to prioritize leadership time and tasks to improve

teaching and learning in our school
 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
AND APPROACHES
1. Establishing and Supporting
the Achievement of Goals

• Priorities a few key goals and create focus, resources, and support
• Create coherence
 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
AND APPROACHES
2. Monitoring and responding to
student progress

• Create systems, using data to track student achievement, and

support teachers in interpreting and using data
 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
AND APPROACHES
3. Supporting teacher and leader
learning
• Professional learning needs to be intentionally designed
 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
AND APPROACHES
4. Evaluating curriculum and
pedagogy
• Create systems that enable middle leaders and others with
expertise to engage in observations and feedback.
 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
AND APPROACHES
5. Ensuring a supportive learning
environment
• Creating systems so that students feel safe, providing a caring
environment and ensuring high expectations for social behavior.
Thank you ! 😄
Key Components of Instructional
Leadership
● A strong focus on learning
● Developing teaching and learning objectives
● Holding high expectations of students
● Creating and supporting student learning goals
● Monitoring learner progress
● Protecting instructional time
● Coordinating curriculum
● Providing instructional support
● Supporting teacher learning
Conclusion

● Recap of key points on instructional leadership

● Importance of continued focus on teaching and
learning
● Call to action for implementing instructional leadership
practices