Improving Instruction Together
Your instructional leadership can make the difference between isolated classroom success and systematic, collective achievement.
Strong instructional leadership is the cornerstone of student success. But what truly makes an instructional leader effective, and how can you foster a collaborative environment where teacher teams thrive? In Improving Instruction Together, Steve Ventura draws on years of experience and research-based strategies to demystify the often-challenging role of educational leadership. Through practical frameworks, field-tested protocols, and real-world examples, he equips you with the tools to build your collective: a unified community of educators aligned in their vision of success.
This powerful resource will show you how to:
- Cultivate a leadership mindset grounded in clarity, consistency, and accountability.
- Guide teacher teams and professional learning communities (PLCs) with purpose and precision.
- Balance people-centered practices with essential organizational structures.
- Maximize the indicators of effective collaboration to make your teams more successful.
- Foster a culture of reflection that drives continuous improvement.
Product No. 125034
ISBN978-1-4166-3376-1
Release Date August 2025
Page Count 145
Steve provides a sustainable road map for implementation that emphasizes specific leadership and coaching actions. Whether you’re a principal, assistant principal, instructional coach, or teacher leader, you’ll find practical guidance to elevate your impact and amplify student success. The path to academic excellence can be challenging, but with the right leadership approach, it’s paved with exciting opportunities for transformation.
Table of Contents
- The Collective Mindset
- Highly Effective Instructional Leadership
- The Leader's Role in Instructional Strategy Selection
- The Instructional Coach's Role in Teacher Teams and PLCs
- Indicators of Effective Collaboration
- Research-Driven Microteaching and Learning Labs
- Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Teacher Teams
- Putting It All Together
- References
- About the Author
- Related ASCD Resources: Instructional Leadership
- An ASCD Study Guide for Improving Instruction Together: Leading Achievement Teams and PLCs
About the Author
Steve Ventura
Steve Ventura is the president and lead consultant at Advanced Collaborative Solutions. He is a highly motivational and knowledgeable speaker who approaches high-stakes professional development armed with practical, research-based strategies. He is a former elementary and secondary teacher and has worked as both a school and a district-level administrator.
Other Contributions from Steve Ventura
Steve Ventura has had several opportunities to collaborate and co-author publications with thought leaders like Professor John Hattie, Dr. Douglas Reeves, and Larry Ainsworth. The selection of publications listed below feature Steve’s contributions about grading policies and practices, assessment, goal setting and strategic planning, teacher and leadership collaboration, Common Core implementation, and specific leadership and teaching behaviors that advance student growth and achievement.
