Current Initiatives Leading for Learning

The purpose of Leading for Learning (L4L) is to build school and faculty capacity with a laser focus on leadership and instruction.  It is designed to serve a cluster of schools, so that schools share and develop lateral capacity building.  L4L revolves around five themes: establishing a culture of learning

• understanding change forces and dealing with resistance

• increasing quality of instruction and assessment

• building and sharing knowledge

• developing coherence through planning

Key outcomes are:

• increased student achievement for all students

• more united, cohesive system of schools

• increased pool of new leaders to sustain forward movement

Target Group
L4L brings together school leadership teams, each team comprised of the principal and 4 - 6 key teacher leaders, to build their collective instructional leadership capacity.  L4L provides a forum for school teams to share, collaborate and develop lateral capacity and cohesion among participating schools.

Learning Objectives
L4L increases school capacity and student achievement by working with educators to:

• develop leadership, instructional and assessment expertise

• combine knowledge of change with instruction and leadership to create an environment focused on improving student learning

• solidify roles and responsibilities of school leadership teams

• develop new leaders within schools

Content & Activities
Leadership team members participate in facilitated examination of and conversation about:

• Planning and Coherence

• examining emotional intelligence

• building coherence

• Learning together

• building a professional learning community

• establishing trust

• establishing conditions for working together

• Instruction

• examining the role of instructional leaders

• using data to drive instruction

• identifying quality instruction

• building precision with mentoring, observing and constructive feedback

Topics include clarifying the role of the L4L team, building professional learning communities, developing shared beliefs, effective teacher and learning practices, effective assessment of student data, use of data to drive instruction and planning for improvement.

Initiative Specifics
School Leadership Teams begin by attending a 3-day summer institute.  The institute is followed by up to 5 full-day sessions spread throughout the school year.  Teams work on their individual job-embedded school assignments and report progress to the larger group at each meeting.  CDL specialists provide onsite coaching and mentoring to each participating school during the school year.

Initiative Staff
L4L is implemented by a cadre of specialists including international leadership experts and highly-qualified leadership experts from CDL’s professional staff.

Customize for Your School
CDL will customize this initiative to fit the unique needs of the participating cluster of schools.  Additionally, university graduate credit can be arranged through a local university.

For Pricing and More Information
Please contact the Center for Development and Learning:
One Galleria Blvd., Suite 903
Metairie, LA  70001

Phone:  (504) 840-9786
Email:  learn@cdl.org