School Improvement

Often schools overlook the greatest vehicle to positively transform school culture: student voice.

Heather Bell-Williams is principal of Milltown Elementary School in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. She has been in education since 1988 and has served as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, vice principal, district coordinator, and elementary principal.

Steve Gruenert, PhD, has been at Indiana State University since 2002 teaching educational leadership courses and doing research in the field of school culture and climate.

Ryan Donlan, EdD, is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the Bayh College of Education at Indiana State University and served for 20 years in traditional and charter schools in K–12 education.

Ann Delehant is an experienced facilitator, learning leader, and agent of systemwide change. Her work focuses on developing, supporting, and coaching leaders at all levels, building collaborative cultures, and facilitating systems change.

Joellen Killion serves as the senior advisor for Learning Forward. With more than 40 years’ experience, she leads, facilitates, and contributes to initiatives related to examining the link between professional learning and student learning.

James Rawls serves as a principal in a large metropolitan school district in Georgia. His passion for education is evident through his experience of more than 20 years in the field.

Dr. Daman Harris is an award-winning education leader focused on equity, instructional leadership, student advancement, and educator development.

As educators and leaders across the nation grapple with the challenge of changing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure high levels of learning for all students, the inability to effectively change the mindsets of colleagues, faculty, and staff is proving to be the biggest hurdle of all. Hence, in order for systems to change, outlooks will also need to change.

Kyle is the principal of Powell Middle School in Powell, Wyoming. Prior to administration, he was an elementary teacher where he developed the passion for professional learning communities and the power behind building a strong culture and teamwork in a school.