The Superintendent of Education: Data Based Instructional Leadership.

This paper proposes "data driven educational leadership" as a key to meeting the challenges that face public education. Section I discusses the role of the educational leader, particularly the superintendent, in assessing the state of the school district, developing district goals, and fostering an instructional focus among school personnel. Section II, constituting the bulk of the paper, describes three educational improvement programs initiated by the author in his capacity as the superintendent of the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public Schools. (1) Monitoring Achievement in Pittsburgh (MAP)--intended to improve basic skills achievement--includes explicit learning objectives, frequent testing, and individual and class achievement profiles. (2) Pittsburgh's Research-based Instructional Supervisory Model (PRISM) incorporates personnel evaluation, leadership training, and a "model" secondary school used as a teacher improvement center. (3) The School Improvement Project (SIP) is intended to improve education in selected low-achieving schools and to develop a model for districtwide school improvement. Based on effective schools research, the program addresses instructional, administrative, and discriplinary problems. The booklet presents 10 considerations viewed as essential to effective leadership by the superintendent. A bibliography is appended. (MCG)