Schools around the Country Turning to the Proven Leadership Performance Matrix to Assess Principals, Boost Leadership Performance


New York – The Leadership and Learning Center, a division of global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), today announced that its Leadership Performance Matrix has been approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to assess principal effectiveness and leadership performance.

As part of its Race to the Top initiative, NYSED, which sought assessment tools to align administrator and teacher effectiveness, approved The Leadership and Learning Center’s proven principal practice rubric. The news comes as schools around the country continue to focus on the need and demand for proven leadership.

Developed by Dr. Douglas B. Reeves, the Leadership Performance Matrix is an educational leadership assessment tool that facilitates growth and effectiveness in order to support teaching excellence and student learning. The tool is consistent with national and international research and standards, focusing on leadership performance, and it can work in conjunction with both the Marzano and Danielson systems, which are widely utilized by schools for teacher evaluation.

Dr. Reeves stated, “Every school leader must ask two essential questions.  First, which specific teaching practices are most related to improved student achievement in our district for our students?  Second, which specific leadership strategies are most related to improved teaching in our district with our teachers?  The Leadership Performance Matrix, supported by the Learning Sciences International System, is the best practice to address these questions.  Our ultimate goal is to provide local accountability systems that lead accountability as a learning system rather than merely an evaluation system.” 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, The Leadership and Learning Center, and Learning Sciences International recently embarked on an unprecedented holistic solution for the state of Florida. The partnership allows full access to Robert Marzano’s Art and Science of Teaching Causal Teacher Evaluation System, and Douglas B. Reeves’ Leadership Performance Matrix as they review, develop and implement new evaluation systems. This collaborative effort is developing a state-sponsored model, while working with each district on individual adaptations. The Leadership and Learning Center and Learning Sciences International have worked extensively to articulate the Marzano teacher evaluation model and Reeves’ principal evaluation model for aligned focus on raising student achievement and teacher effectiveness.


About The Leadership and Learning Center 
The Leadership and Learning Center provides world-class professional development services, cutting-edge research, and innovative solutions for educators and school leaders who serve students from pre-kindergarten through college. The Center has worked in all 50 states and every Canadian province, as well as Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. The Center works with public school systems, as well as religious and secular independent schools, charter schools, community colleges, technical schools, universities, state departments of education, national ministries of education, and international education associations. Center Professional Development Associates are experienced superintendents, principals, administrators, and educators who provide comprehensive practices for clients in the area of standards and assessment, instructional strategies, leadership and accountability, data analysis and collaboration. For more information, please visit www.leadandlearn.com.  

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
With education products and services used by 57 million students throughout all 50 U.S. states and 120 countries, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global education and learning company. The world's largest provider of materials for pre-K–12 learning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is leading the way with innovative solutions and approaches to the challenges facing education today. Through curricula excellence coupled with technology innovations and professional services, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt collaborates with school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and students, providing interactive, results-driven learning solutions. Its Educational Consulting Services group works to increase student achievement in underperforming schools by developing, implementing and supporting education transformation through sustained district partnerships.  With origins dating back to 1832, the Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.