School/District Administrators

Administrators talking

District and school administrators are responsible for providing instructional leadership and developing, implementing, and evaluating district and school systems and policies. District administrators include superintendents and central administration staff responsible for finances, assessment, special education, and the like under the direction of a school board. School administrators mainly include principals and assistant principals.

District and school administrators play a critical role in improving the learning environment and overall academic progress of their students. Without their leadership, creating meaningful learning environment improvements is difficult.

District and school administrators, with support from the school board, introduce and promote learning environment improvements.

Administrators are critical in facilitating the school climate improvement process.

The manner in which principals lead affects learning environment improvements.

References

Featured Resources

U.S. Department of Education School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS)

Provides surveys for middle and high school students, their parents, teachers, instructional staff, non-instructional staff and administrators on a web-based platform. The surveys can be downloaded free of charge and provide user-friendly school climate reports back to users. Local education agencies administering the survey will be able to store the data locally on their own data systems.

Trauma-Sensitive Schools Training Package

Offers school and district administrators and staff a framework and roadmap for adopting a trauma-sensitive approach school- or districtwide. The Training Package includes a variety of resources for educating school staff about trauma and trauma-sensitive practices and for providing school leaders with a step-by-step process for implementing a universal, trauma-informed approach using package materials.

Strengthening Assessments of School Climate: Lessons from the NYC School Survey

Summarizes a variety of lessons of administering the New York City School Survey and presents both the Research Alliance’s and the NYC DOE’s reflections about the process of improving the School Survey.

Mitigating Hazards in School Facilities

Guides school facilities staff and administration through the process of assessing the safety and security of school buildings (and surroundings), creating a hazard mitigation plan, and then implementing that plan. This tool also contains links to additional information about safe school facilities.

Leveraging National Service in Your Schools

Presents a toolkit for superintendents, principals, and other education stakeholders to determine the best ways for them to leverage national service resources in schools. This toolkit helps stakeholders identify how national service resources can help meet schools' needs, match schools' needs to an AmeriCorps and/or Senior Corps program, and apply for Corporation for National and Community Service resources or partner with nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, city agencies or mayors' offices.

Fostering School Connectedness: Improving Student Health and Academic Achievement cover page

Fostering School Connectedness: Improving Student Health and Academic Achievement (Information for School Districts and School Administrators)

Answers questions about school connectedness and identifies strategies school districts and administrators can use to foster it among their students. Describes factors that support school connectedness, strategies that administrators and schools can use, and additional resources.

Enhancing Cultural Competence in Social Service Agencies: A Promising Approach to Serving Diverse Children and Families

Summarizes the state of the field on cultural competence in social services and provides service providers and administrators with concrete strategies for ongoing self-reflection and development. The brief also includes links and references for additional relevant resources, tools, and information.

Community and Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works

Shares the lessons and advice of principals who have been able to successfully address the discrepancy between what educators believe is necessary to improve student outcomes and what they feel prepared and able to do. The report discusses how principals have been able to effectively address these gaps through working with community partners, families and other key stakeholders. Challenges and methods for overcoming them to improve student outcomes are explored through different examples and general tips.

Building Technology Infrastructure for Learning

Provides practical, actionable information to help school and district leaders (including superintendents, principals, and senior technology staff) navigate the many decisions required to build a technology infrastructure that supports digital learning. The guide presents a range of options for school and district leaders to consider when making technology infrastructure decisions.

A Training Guide for Administrators and Educators on Addressing Adult Sexual Misconduct in the School Setting

Helps schools and school districts understand adult sexual misconduct (ASM), develop related policies and procedures, train on ASM awareness and prevention, and recognize the role of social media and technology in ASM. This training guide, which is available free of charge and based on the most recent research and trends on ASM, supports education agencies in updating their emergency operations plans (EOPs) and/or related ASM policies and procedures to be in alignment with national, state, and local recommendations.