A Randomized Control Trial to Assess the Efficacy of the Balanced Leadership Program

The study is rigorously testing the impact of the McREL (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning) Balanced Leadership Program for School Leaders by randomly assigning 100 principals in Michigan’s rural schools to receive the Balanced Leadership training or to a “business as usual” control group that will follow standard district approaches to school improvement. The Balanced Leadership program is designed to help school leaders translate vision and aspirations into action, teach them how to effectively fulfill leadership responsibilities, and improve achievement for all students by building purposeful communities and appropriately focusing leadership to generate and sustain change of the desired magnitude. The study will assess the impact of the program on principal leadership skills and student achievement