Prioritizing Leadership - Supporting Strong Local Implementation of ESSA Opportunities

Oct 15, 2026

A resource for state policymakers and local stakeholders to strengthen school leadership under ESSA. It guides LEA plan development by prompting districts and charter management organizations to describe visions for identifying, preparing, and supporting leaders, including teacher leaders, principal supervisors, and pipelines for underserved schools. It emphasizes evidence-based strategies tied to student achievement, greater leadership diversity, equitable distribution of effective leaders, and clear measurement for continuous improvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Leadership Question

Vision for Identifying, Preparing, and Supporting School Leaders

Rubric for Leadership Investments

Stage 1: Underdeveloped Leadership Strategies

Stage 2: Research-Based Leadership Strategies

Stage 3: Effective Leadership Strategies & Continuous Improvement

Prioritizing Leadership: Supporting Strong Local Implementation of ESSA Opportunities As officials and advocates across the country work together to ensure that all students get the outstanding education they need for success in school and life, many states are investing in school leadership as a cost-efficient, scalable strategy to strengthen teaching, accelerate learning, transform schools, and advance educational equity. In their plans to carry out the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), every single state has committed to directing some portion of its federal funding into investments in leadership—from teacher leaders to principalsand superintendents.1 This resource can help state policymakers use an important vehicle—the local educational agency (LEA) plan requirement under Section 1112 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by ESSA—to encourage and support districts, charter management organizations (CMOs), and other local practitioners and stakeholders to strategically prioritize and invest in effective, locally-tailored leadership strategies, programs, or partnerships to advance student success. The question and rubric below are intended to be incorporated or adapted by states in alignment with their overarching vision for outstanding, equitable leadership and their specific plans for getting a well-prepared, well-supported leader in every school—especially those serving the children and communities with the greatest need. Note: While state approval and monitoring of LEA plans is one vehicle for advancing strong school leadership at the local level, this resource is designed to facilitate productive conversations between state officials, district and CMO leaders, and other practitioners and stakeholders in the many contextsin which they work together toward shared goals for student success. 1 New Leaders. (2018) . Prioritizing Leadership: An Analysis of State ESSA Plans. New York, NY: New Leaders. Retrieved from [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[newleaders.org/research-policy/prioritizing-leadership-opportunities-es](newleaders.org/research-policy/prioritizing-leadership-opportunities-es)sa-chief-state-school-officers/ LEADERSHIP QUESTION To support strong, consistent implementation of a coherent, statewide leadership agenda, we encourage states to gather crucial information from districts and CMOs on their leadership strategies, programs, or partnerships. States can use this information to understand how local partners are addressing local leadership needs, identify strengths, uncover gaps, and use information gleaned to inform state-wide leadership investments. Describe your vision for identifying, preparing, and supporting school leaders in your district or network. In your description, please address how strategies, programs, or partnerships: 1) Reflect a comprehensive approach to leadership development, includingthe entire principal effectiveness continuum and the development of teacher leaders, school leaders, and principal supervisors, especially for under-served schools; Leadership Cycle Pipeline Development Selection and School Match Shared Vision of Leadership Support 2) Are supported by evidence of effectiveness—defined in ESEA section 8101(21)—to improve student achievement and other measures of student success; 3) Contribute to greater diversity of leadership talent throughout the district, including attracting, developing, and retaining more outstanding leaders of color and others underrepresented in the school leadership ranks; 4) Enable a more equitable distribution of outstanding leaders who support your goals related to ensuring equitable access to effective teachers—consistent with ESEA section 1111(g)(1)(B); and 5) Will be measured to determine whether school leadership efforts are improving teaching and student outcomes and to plan for how you will continuously improve leadership investments via implementation in the months and years ah

FAQs

What does the resource ask states and local partners to do in the leadership question?

Gather and use information from districts and CMOs about leadership strategies, programs, or partnerships, and describe a vision for identifying, preparing, and supporting school leaders in a district or network.

Which five aspects must strategies, programs, or partnerships address?

They must reflect a comprehensive leadership development approach, be supported by evidence of effectiveness, increase leadership diversity, enable a more equitable distribution of outstanding leaders, and include measurement to drive continuous improvement.

How does the rubric evaluate leadership investments across stages?

It compares leadership strategies along an improvement trajectory in five key areas, moving from underdeveloped approaches in Stage 1 to research-based strategies in Stage 2 and effective, continuously improving strategies in Stage 3.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair