Instructional Leadership - An Essential Ingredient for Improving Student Learning

Oct 15, 2026

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Student achievement is presented as the school’s core purpose, yet research indicates that leaders’ behavior is often ineffective in delivering four curriculum development outcomes: clear, well-written documents using a common framework; curriculum alignment with state and national standards; teachers’ understanding and instruction of the curriculum; and all students successfully learning it. The article argues that effective leadership specifically in developing and monitoring curriculum implementation is a missing ingredient. It then describes nationwide curriculum development work, reports a follow-up study on implementation quality and extent, and proposes leadership-improvement recommendations, including training for future and current leaders.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

The Purpose of Schools

Desired Outcomes/Results of Curriculum Development

The School Improvement Model (SIM) Center

Follow-up Study and Selected School Organizations

Study Purpose and Implementation Focus

Instructional Leadership: An Essential Ingredient for Improving Student Learning by Charles E. Ruebling, Shirley B. Stow, Frances A. Kayona, and Nancy A. Clarke Abstract Student achievement of the curriculum is the school’s reason for being. This research, however, suggests that the behavior of school leaders is not effectivein accomplishing four critical outcomes of curriculum development: (1) the creation of well-written documents that use a common framework; (2) curriculum that is aligned with state and national standards; (3) an understanding and teaching of the curriculum by teachers; and (4) all students successfully learning the curriculum. Leaders must orchestrate multiple changes that provide opportunities for teachers to work in teams, focus resources effectively on implementing the curriculum, and establish accountability for results. Many schools continue tobe challenged with the task of achieving satisfactory learning results. Passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act increases the pressure for enhanced performance by schools and students. This article suggests that a necessary, but missing, ingredient for satisfactorily achieving learning results, is effective leadership behavior related specifically to developing and monitoring the implementation of curriculum. After a more detailed statement of this problem, the curriculum development work that was done with a number of school organizations nationwide is described. Then, the methodology and results of a follow-up study to determine the quality and extent to which the newly developed curriculum was actually being implemented is discussed. Finally, recommendations for needed improvements in school leadership behavior are proposed, including the training of future leaders as well as those already in the field. The Educational Forum • Volume 68 • Spring 2004 • 243 Ruebling, Stow, Kayona, and Clarke The Purpose of Schools The purpose of a school organization is to achieve learning results with its students. Hoy and Hoy (2002, 1) phrased it this way: “The centrality of student learning in the school is irrefutable.” The curriculum establishes the primary goals, as well as the specific objectives, for learning. As Danielson (2002, 77) stated,“The curriculum is the defining characteristic of the school’s program.” The fact that many students continue tobe “left behind” with respect to important learning goals requires that educators work to improve learning results. To do this, Fiore (2004) suggested that school leaders place greater emphasis on nurturing the instructional environment—in essence, becoming curriculum leaders. Desired Outcomes/Results of Curriculum Development Research increasingly affirms that the key to school improvement and student achievement is for school leaders to focus on the academic program (namely the written curriculum), the use of assessment data, and professional development (Hoy and Hoy 2002; Cawelti 1999; DuFour 2002; English and Larson 1996; Hoyle, English, and Steffy 1998; Fiore 2004) . Schmidt, McKnight, and Raizen (1997) stated that reform initiatives that do not address curriculum, instruction, and professional preparedness will have no impact on results. Through processes of curriculum development, the curriculum is kept up-to-date and relevant to changing times. When curriculum is revised or rewritten, four outcomes/results are expected: 1. Curriculum documents follow a framework and are well written. 2. The contentsofthe curriculum documents align with state and national standards and with the needs of students for successful work and personal/social lives. 3. Teachers understand and implement (teach) the new curriculum. 4. Students successfully learn to use the skills and concepts ofthe new curriculum. Unfortunately, these expectations are not being adequately met. In many school organizations, curriculum documents do not exist. Where they do, they don’t follow a specified framework, are poo

FAQs

What four critical outcomes of curriculum development does the research focus on?

It emphasizes producing well-written curriculum documents using a common framework, aligning curriculum content with state and national standards, ensuring teachers understand and teach the curriculum, and enabling all students to successfully learn the curriculum.

Why do many schools struggle to achieve satisfactory learning results?

Many schools face persistent challenges in translating curriculum development into effective implementation. The text links rising performance pressure (e.g., the No Child Left Behind Act) with the need for leadership behavior tied to developing and monitoring curriculum implementation.

What did the follow-up study investigate, and which schools were selected?

The follow-up study examined how extensively the newly developed curriculum was being used and the quality of that implementation. It focused on nine school organizations across multiple states that had completed SIM curriculum development for mathematics and language arts between 1996 and 1998.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by moss~