eBook edition also available.

What does effective leadership look like, not just in theory but in action?

Moving Leadership Standards Into Everyday Work: Descriptions of Practice enhances the usefulness of the California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSEL) by illustrating key knowledge and actions reflected in leadership that supports all students to learn and thrive.

The recently updated descriptions of practice (DOP), derived from consensus-building among experts and practitioners, show what individual elements within each of the six CPSEL look like across a continuum of practice. Each continuum, ranging from practice directed toward the standard to practice exemplifying the standard, provides common concepts, language, and examples for a given leadership element.

The DOP, which are also useful with leadership standards in other states, can serve various and sometimes overlapping purposes, including as

  • A starting point for developing credentialing criteria or assessments
  • A guide for planning leadership preparation, induction, professional learning or coaching
  • A basis for clarifying performance expectations
  • A mirror for an administrator’s self-reflection and professional goal setting

Today’s school administrators must assume multiple roles, from catalyst to manager, from expert to facilitator. This resource, which includes a tri-fold version of the CPSEL, offers a realistic view of how those shifts translate into effective leadership.