Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute
Support Principals Need During Online Learning for Effective Instructional Leadership and Retention
Exceed School Improvement Goals and Close
COVID-19 Learning Gaps
View the 4 Days

Retain
Principals

Close COVID-19
Gaps

Build Future
Leaders
LSI’s Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute: helping districts support their principals and leaders.
Build Highly Effective Teams. Align District Goals. Overcome Student Equity Concerns All While Remote Learning.
The Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute is 4-days of customized professional development spread strategically across the school year.
Close to 50% of principals plan to leave the profession sooner due to the pandemic1 and one in four walks away yearly.2
School and district leadership teams engage in the Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute when they want to improve team effectiveness through distributed leadership practices.
Now more than ever, principals need context and support so they can create stronger leadership pipelines that improve their school outcomes.
See What School Leaders are Saying About the Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute
Join thousands of schools and districts who have partnered with LSI to implement tailored transformation approaches for student success. Only three industries have higher turnover than principals: mining and logging, retail trade, and leisure and hospitality.2 Your principals deserve better because your students deserve better.
Districts (or schools) use LSI’s Exclusive Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute to …
Prevent Burnout & Retain Good Leaders
Address Student ACCESS and EQUITY in Core Instruction
Create Distributed Leadership Systems to Share Burdens
Move from “Hero Leadership” to High-Performing Teams
Align Schools to the District Vision
Implement Reliable, Actionable Feedback
Increase Student Achievement Quickly and Effectively
Build a Meaningful Plan with a Data-Driven Partner
LSI’s Instructional Leadership Institute is also available for brick and mortar schools.
The Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute
The 4 Days of Instructional Leadership Institute PD are Spread Throughout the School Year at Your Convenience or Converted to In-Person PD
DAY 1 | Building Blocks of Leadership Teams
Teams utilize 6-condition survey data to drive improvements to structures and processes. Leadership teams engage in activities to support growth along the SIMM, specifically in becoming more confident and competent as they own outcomes through empowering others in the school. Teams identify data collection instruments and tools and monitoring plans, including the use of action boards to drive continuous, incremental improvement.
What is unique about the Instructional Leadership Institute
Instructional Leadership Institute provides a unique opportunity for leaders at every level to engage in professional development and continuous improvement together. Teams build capacity for change by bringing together instructional leaders from every level, from superintendents to teachers; anyone who will be responsible for leading implementation. A community of practice is built within and across teams participating together.
Organizations perform well when their people work effectively as a team – the combined effect of the team is greater than the sum of the individual efforts. Teams can apply individual perspectives, experiences, and skills to solve complex problems creating new solutions and ideas that are beyond the scope of any individual.
High performing schools come from the work of high performing teams. If a team is effective, then people learn from each other. They accomplish far more than would be possible alone. Strong teams within a school and/or district are essential to retaining and sustaining administrators and teachers. In schools with low staff turnover (even in challenging urban contexts), teachers feel connected to colleagues and supported. They feel they belong to a team whose members are fulfilling a mission together. The emotions activated in this context keep us engaged in a difficult endeavor for a long time.
DAY 2 | Leading Change in Team Culture
Teams build on Day 1 knowledge and take a deeper dive into enabling the team to complete the work and building their capacity to lead the implementation of instructional improvements. Teams review processes for completing tasks. Data collection plans and action boards are reviewed to inform needed shifts.
Intended Audience
Instructional Leadership Institute is intended for any school or district working to improve student achievement through the development of highly effective leadership teams. School-based leadership teams working together regularly to implement and sustain high-quality instruction should be comprised of teachers, coaches, and administrators. Districts may also choose to send leadership teams with a variety of district-based members based on the purpose of the team.
This visual represents the basic tenets of LSI’s Instructional Leadership Institute. The intent is to provide a schema that helps participants to understand how all aspects of the training weave together within and across the four days.
Leadership is the core of the work – developing effective leadership within teams and within organizations including increased capacity of existing leaders and leaders of the future. Leadership is the core of the work – developing effective leadership within teams and within organizations including increased capacity of existing leaders and leaders of the future.
Effective Teams – based on LSI’s exclusive partnership with Harvard, we use the Team Diagnostic Survey, a research validated metric of team effectiveness, with each team participating in ILI. We strive to enhance the performance of leadership teams through a focus on the conditions that must be in place for maximum team effectiveness.
Vision, Action, Influence – these are the heart of leadership
- Setting an ambitious vision and leading to that vision
- Prioritizing actions that align with and make progress to the vision
- Influencing others through leadership to work toward the vision
Data – through a continuous improvement cycle, data must inform all the work of leaders and leadership teams
DAY 3 | Leading for Collective Efficacy of Teams
Participants build on the knowledge provided during Days 1 & 2. This session focuses on supporting teams in coaching themselves and looking into the team’s learning systems. Teams develop plans to improve communications and explore their habits of learning and improvement. Data collection plans and actions boards will be reviewed to inform needed shifts.
Outcomes
- Increase team effectiveness as evidenced by the Team Diagnostic Survey
- Support improvements in core instruction as measured by implementation metrics
- Increase leadership capacity to lead and implement change through a focus on vision, action, and influence
DAY 4 | Leading Teams to Systems of Continuous Improvement
Participants build on the knowledge provided in Days 1-3. This session focuses on celebrating the teams. Teams utilize 6-condition survey results to drive improvements to structures and processes and to celebrate successes in teaming functions.
Data collection plans and actions boards will be reviewed to inform needed shifts and to action plan for the next school year.
Team Leader and Team Coaching
Coaching will be provided to expand the capacity of the participants. Coaching sessions are tailored to meet the unique needs of each team, building from where they are at the beginning of our partnership and expanding upon leadership practices and teaming processes that are already working. 4 – 9 members. (Larger teams can be accommodated. However, we would need to explicitly plan for this prior to the team launch.)
Instructional Leadership Institute vs Virtual Instructional Leadership Institute: What’s the Difference?
There is no difference in the content between ILI and VILI. What is different is how the teams will process the content and work together to develop their action plans.

Join thousands of leaders who have partnered with LSI to implement tailored transformation approaches for student success.
Our vision for education is to close the achievement gap. Equip all students with the social, emotional, and cognitive skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. Expand equity by giving every child access to rigorous core instruction that empowers learners to free themselves from generational poverty.
For more evidence-based teaching and learning solutions, click here.


What They’re Saying

PENNY SELL, M.Ed
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 30+
KEY ROLES: Executive Director, Leadership Development and Schools for Rigor and Equity, Teacher, School/District-level Administrator, Assistant Principal, Trainer, Leadership Coach, Consultant
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References
1National Association of Secondary School Principals (2020, August 21).
“Overwhelmed” and “unsupported,” 45 percent of principals say pandemic conditions are accelerating their plans to leave the principalship.
National Association of Secondary School Principals. https://www.nassp.org/2020/08/21/overwhelmed-and-unsupported-45-percent-of-principals-say-pandemic-conditions-are-accelerating-their-plans-to-leave-the-principalship/
2School Leaders Network (2014). Churn: The high cost of principal turnover. School Leaders Network.
http://iowaascd.org/files/7014/5978/0122/principal_turnover_cost.pdf