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Publications and Reports

CTAC’s reports focus on cutting edge issues in education and community development. Our research and evaluation studies inform practice and guide policy decision-making at local, state and national levels.

Preparing Leaders for Expanded Impact: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

Considered one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the primary purpose of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) is to develop and support effective school leaders.

CTAC, through the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, employed a mixed-methods design for this evaluation by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to address overarching research questions. The evaluation examined areas such as educators’ overall perceptions of MLDS, the extent to which MLDS supports principals to address leadership challenges, and how principals’ perceptions of MLDS differ by school CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) status, community type (city, suburban, or rural), race/ethnicity, years of experience with MLDS, and RPDC (Regional Professional Development Center) region.

From 2018–19 to 2023–24, principals and superintendents believed MLDS effectively facilitates the professional growth of school leaders in Missouri. Mentors and teachers also indicated MLDS contributes to improvement in classroom instruction and student learning.

Findings from this study help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to continue to deepen its support to an increasingly larger number of school leaders.

Marked Impact, Anticipated Refinements: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

Considered one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the primary purpose of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) is to develop and support effective school leaders.

Through the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, CTAC employed a mixed-methods design for this evaluation by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to address overarching research questions. The evaluation examined areas such as educators’ overall perceptions of MLDS, the extent to which MLDS supports principals to address leadership challenges, and teacher leaders’ perceptions of their principals’ participation in MLDS.

From 2018–19 to 2022–23, principals and superintendents indicated MLDS effectively develops and supports school leaders. Teacher leaders also believed their principals’ participation in MLDS positively contributes to improvement in classroom instruction and student learning.

Findings from this study support the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to further strengthen the program by making evidence-based refinements.

Pathway to Advanced Performance: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

Lauded as one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) offers professional development to every principal in the state.

This report presents learnings from the perspectives of educators across the state about the implementation of MLDS. CTAC, through the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, utilized a mixed-methods approach by collecting multiple sources of data, including surveys and interviews, and conducting artifact reviews. The analyses of the survey responses include four years of survey data (i.e., 2018–19 to 2021–22) to gauge changes in perceptions over time.

Across the four years, principals and superintendents indicated MLDS effectively develops school leaders. They also believed the program successfully addresses challenges arising from COVID-19. Classroom teachers also indicated their principals’ participation in MLDS positively affected the school and their classroom instruction.

The report presents key issues and provides recommendations to help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education make evidence-based refinements to the program which is already reaching more than 1,200 principals.

Implementing with Fidelity and Impact: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted an evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to support the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in learning from educators about the implementation of MLDS across the state.

For this evaluation, R12CC used a mixed-methods approach by collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, including (a) statewide surveys of MLDS principals, superintendents, and specialists; (b) survey of classroom teachers at ten schools in four districts; (c) interviews with MLDS principals, superintendents, and specialists; (d) fall 2020 participant satisfaction survey administered by DESE; and (e) a review of MLDS documents.

The evaluation focuses on MLDS implementation during the 2020–21 school year and, building on the 2019 and 2020 formative reports, gauges changes in perceptions over time. Data show that from 2018–19 to 2020–21, principals and superintendents continuously believe the program is being implemented with fidelity and effectively develops and supports school leaders. They also see a connection, through MLDS, between leadership development and student learning. The report presents key issues and provides recommendations to assist DESE in making evidence-based refinements to MLDS.

Principal Leadership at a Challenging Time: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted an evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to examine the perceptions of participants and help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education learn from educators across the state about the implementation of the program, both preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary purpose of MLDS is to develop and nurture effective school leaders throughout the state. MLDS supports principals at four levels, from Aspiring (pre-certificated), to Emerging (initial career entry), to Developing (practicing), and ultimately to the Transformational Principal.

The report indicates that dominant recommendation by principals, superintendents, and specialists is to build on current program strengths and extend customized services that address emerging, pandemic-related needs. Data from both interviews and survey responses show clearly that the first year of full implementation of the program was well-received by the field, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report identifies key issues and provides recommendations for making targeted refinements to MLDS.

Preparing Tomorrow’s Principals Today: A Formative Review of the Missouri Leadership Development System

CTAC conducted an independent, formative review of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to learn from educators regarding the implementation of MLDS and to support the state in making evidence-based refinements to the program. The primary goal of MLDS is to develop and support effective school leaders throughout the state at each level of experience in their career—from Aspiring (pre-certificated), to Emerging (initial career entry), through Developing (practicing), and ultimately to the Transformational Principal. The report examines and presents perceptions of program participants of the MLDS competencies, learning experiences, and treatments in strengthening their practice and improving student learning, factors enhancing or impeding the progress of implementation, and benefits and value. It also identifies key issues and provides recommendations for making targeted refinements to the program. This report was made possible by the support of the Central Comprehensive Center.

Next Steps Forward: Teacher and School-Based Administrator Evaluation System

Prepared for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), the Howard County Education Association, and the Howard County Administrators Association, this report examines the fidelity of implementation of the teacher and school-based administrator evaluation system in Howard County, Maryland. It presents overall perceptions of the evaluation system; the quality, consistency, and manageability of implementation; and capacity building needs. Recommendations provide HCPSS with an actionable pathway for making continuing improvements to reinforce the instructional emphasis of educator evaluation.

Getting the Pieces Right: Professional Development, Compensation, and School-Wide Performance

Getting the Pieces Right is the study of the Teacher Incentive Performance Award (TIPA) initiative in Virginia’s Prince William County Public Schools. A $10.9 million, five-year program supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Incentive Fund, TIPA sought to increase student achievement in PWCS’s 30 lowest performing schools by focusing intensively on instructional improvement.

Findings show that TIPA led to statistically significant increases in student achievement in all four core subjects analyzed as measured by Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) test results. TIPA’s processes greatly increased collaboration and instructional dialogue among principals and teachers and strengthened the use of data to inform instruction.

This five-year study describes how TIPA provided incentives that fostered collaborative school-wide improvement efforts. The initiative provided “real time,” tailored professional development to teachers and customized leadership development to the 30 TIPA principals. It implemented a performance-based compensation system combining student growth and achievement measures with 23 measures of school effectiveness, such as positive school culture, effective parent engagement, and teacher leadership. And it awarded school-based compensation bonuses, with administrators/teachers in core subjects eligible for the largest awards.

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