Build Leadership Team

Schools that focus on excellence and equity in education have effective leadership. It’s critical that this work be done by a team. Looking at a system and action planning to make sustainable changes is not work that can be done by only one or two people.

Who is on a school-level leadership team?

A school-level leadership team may include:

• Administration (decision-makers)
• General education teachers
• Special education teachers
• School psychologist (pupil services)
• Representatives from multiple grade levels
• Family and community members

What’s most important is to make sure your team adequately represents all students in your school community.

What does the school-level leadership team do?

To put it simply, a school leadership team guides all of the work that is happening in the school. Do all students have equitable access to quality instruction? Are the systems and processes having the maximum positive impact on the students? Are staff and resources being used in the best possible way?

Here are some general responsibilities of the school leadership team:

• Create a multi-year action plan for the school and be sure it is aligned to the district’s plan
• Ensure that system assessments are taken each year
• Use effective meeting processes and clearly define operating procedures
• Analyze disaggregated data from system assessments and student assessments
• Match resources to needs based on the data
• Monitor implementation across the school
• Communicate progress with other stakeholders (for example, school board, families, community organization leaders, youth) and gather feedback

Schools may choose to spread leadership responsibilities over multiple teams. For example, some schools have a universal-level team and a specialized support (“tier 2”) team. The universal-level team focuses on the supports that all students receive, while the specialized support team is responsible for the targeted supports needed for a smaller number of students. Just make sure there is open communication between the teams so students can access supports fluidly.