Building a positive school culture using continuous improvement: leadership development in a research–practice partnership

Purpose School leaders face increasing challenges to improve student learning outcomes. Though leaders can influence the school-level conditions contributing to these challenges, they often have few opportunities to receive the support they need to successfully lead continuous improvement efforts. Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) between universities and school districts can help provide such support. In this article, we illustrate how a high school principal participating in an RPP used improvement science to build a positive culture in her school with the support of a coach within a leadership coaching community (LCC). Design/methodology/approach We collected and analyzed data from field notes, artifacts, participant observations and interviews with the principal and her coach to address the following research question: How does a principal participating in an RPP use improvement science to lead change in their school with the support of a coach within an LCC? Findings We identified three findings. First, the leader learned to use the concepts and tools of improvement science to define a problem of practice. Second, the leader learned to identify and select high-leverage change ideas to improve the problem. Third, the leader applied what she learned to lead systemic change in her school. Originality/value Our findings illustrate how leaders can be provided with the professional learning they need to lead systemic change through a personalized approach to leadership development that includes the support of a coach and membership in a professional community embedded within an RPP.