A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

What Are the Implications for Research?

Research can contribute greatly to reforming educational leadership, particularly research n school sites involving partnerships of researchers and practitioners. Many of the professional development and preparation models described in this report are also models of field-based research. They are helping to expand our knowledge of effective approaches, distill common themes from successful sites, and identify strategies for putting good models into wider practice. But those who have studied successful sites suggest that it is not enough to hand practitioners a list of research-validated models. It is equally important that practitioners work through the process themselves, in their own context. The ultimate goal is to make inquiry a regular part of the practice of leadership.

The Forum identified several key questions for additional research in educational leadership:

• How effective is the current credentialing system for leaders? Why do some people who are certified for principals' jobs not pursue those jobs?

• To what extent are hiring decisions based on competent performance?

• What are the main characteristics of administrative practice in high-perfuming school systems? What mechanisms do good leaders use to influence instruction from the system level?

• How do successful districts make the difficult choices necessary to channel more funding into leadership development?

• Which administrative structures work best in large or geographically dispersed districts, where it is harder to sustain collegial relations among principals, teachers, and superintendents?

• How can we develop a broader repertoire of effective strategies, including some less expensive ones, for providing professional development for leaders?

• Which kinds of evidence of student performance (such as test scores, performance-based assessment, and samples of student work) are the best indicators of the quality of instructional leadership? Which are the least telling?

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