A Cultural Shift toward Distributed Leadership

Abstract

The story of Bryon Elementary School's 10-year transformation is a story of school improvement. Moreover, it's a story of a cultural change that altered roles, responsibilities, and expectations and led to significant gains in student achievement. A principal, faculty, and staff who were driven by a common vision, who spoke a common language, and who produced work and opportunities based on a common instructional framework were at the foundation of this shift. This case study offers an analysis of leadership activity that was distributed in nature, one that practitioners can examine and interpret as they consider their own leadership practice.