Evidence-Driven Instructional Leadership Roadmap

A free rubric to identify your next steps as an instructional leader and understand how instructional leaders impact student learning.

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Know exactly where to focus your energy

Most principals know that instructional leadership matters. Fewer know specifically what to do differently — or how to tell whether they’re improving over time.

The Instructional Leadership Roadmap is a research-grounded rubric that maps the specific practices, habits, and mindsets that define highly effective instructional leaders at four stages of development. Wherever you are, it shows you the next step.

What’s inside

The four stages of instructional leadership development — from reactive to evidence-driven

The specific indicators that distinguish each stage, across classroom presence, feedback quality, and instructional culture

How to use the rubric for honest self-assessment — and as a conversation tool with your supervisor or coach

The research behind the model — what the evidence actually says about how principals improve student learning

Who it’s for

Principals and APs who want an honest picture of where they are and a clear sense of what growth looks like

Aspiring administrators preparing for their first leadership role and wanting to understand what the job actually requires

District leaders and coaches supporting building-level principals and looking for a shared framework for growth conversations

Justin Baeder, PhD

Justin Baeder, PhD

Director, The Principal Center

“Instructional leadership isn’t a personality trait — it’s a set of specific, learnable practices. The Roadmap gives you an honest map of where those practices lead and what it actually looks like to develop them over time.”

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