Leadership Teams in
America's Best Schools
The Gears That Drive Success for All Students
In schools that achieve remarkable learning results for all student groups, we find six interlocking elements functioning as gears that drive success for all students. Gears are wheels with teeth. When properly aligned, the teeth of one gear mesh with the teeth of another in a way that transfers energy and facilitates predictable movement. In compound gear systems, multiple gears are attached to the same shaft and rotate smoothly when the gear teeth are carefully aligned. The gears interact to transfer torque and rotational speed and maximize outcomes by efficiently transferring energy. Increased efficiency is especially important when the work to be accomplished is challenging (e.g., pedaling a heavy bicycle uphill or preparing middle school students to succeed in high school mathematics, even when they enter middle school without mastery of whole number operations). In other words, gears can help us work smarter, not just harder. This image portrays six gears found in schools that achieve outstanding learning results for all student groups. The structure of each gear, their alignment, and the way the gears work together to maximize the efficiency of everyone’s efforts can propel schools to impressive successes for students who historically have not been served well.
This gear represents the point where input force or torque is applied—it drives the entire system. In schools, that driving force is the leadership team. When leadership teams function effectively, stakeholders (teachers, support staff, parents, students, and administrators) are far more likely to see improvement efforts as coherent, purposeful, and aligned.
In less effective schools, strong leadership teams may be absent. Sometimes the principal operates as a “team of one,” attempting to shoulder the work of school improvement alone. In other cases, leadership teams exist but fail to focus on issues that directly influence student learning outcomes.
In contrast, leadership teams in NCUST award-winning schools operate in ways that inspire confidence and unity. They help stakeholders believe deeply that all student groups can and will achieve at high levels. These teams create a culture where every voice is heard, valued, and connected to the larger vision of success. They clarify roles so that teachers, staff, families, and students understand how their contributions move each gear that drives achievement.
Ultimately, great leadership teams cultivate both individual and collective efficacy. By monitoring progress, celebrating success, and accelerating momentum, they ensure that all six gears turn smoothly, propelling every student forward.
At the heart of highly effective schools is the gear that represents a positive, transformational culture. This gear is central to the success of all student groups, and especially critical for students who have historically been underserved. In America’s best schools, leadership teams accomplish two interwoven outcomes:
- A positive, transformational culture for all student groups
- A positive, transformational culture for all school personnel
Our observations affirm that educators are unlikely to create a culture for students— particularly for underserved students—that exceeds the culture leaders establish for the adults in the building. These two outcomes operate as coupled aspects of the same gear, grounded in the belief that both students and adults will grow, learn, and excel when immersed in a culture that values and celebrates their potential.
Without such a culture, the gears of school improvement struggle to turn. Energy may be present, but it dissipates rather than driving change. Educators may comply with directives, but without genuine commitment, initiatives stall. Likewise, students who feel disconnected may comply at a minimal level while remaining disengaged from the effort required for true success. A positive, transformational culture ensures the flow of energy that powers every other gear.
In NCUST award-winning schools, leadership teams supported educators in elevating the rigor of what they taught, transforming how students perceived themselves as scholars. Students from every group took pride in mastering challenging concepts and skills, which fueled their eagerness to learn even more. To set this vital gear in motion, educators committed to three school-wide shifts.
First, they identified a core set of concepts and skills that all stakeholders would recognize as academically rigorous and intellectually demanding. Second, they pledged to lead all students to mastery of these rigorous expectations. Instead of racing to “cover” material, teachers designed lessons that fostered deep understanding of critical concepts and skills. Third, educators collaborated vertically across grade levels in elementary schools and across courses in secondary schools to ensure a logical progression of learning. This alignment increased the likelihood that students would continue to succeed as they advanced from one grade or course to the next.
When the rigorous curricula gear turns smoothly, educators consistently think strategically about how to help every student group master challenging standards. This attention propels other gears (effective initial instruction, monitoring, confirming, and enhancing learning, and intervention and enrichment) ensuring that all students are supported in achieving at the highest levels.
Effective initial instruction enables students to master the rigorous concepts and skills they need to achieve their academic, civic, and career goals. When instruction does not lead all student groups to mastery, it cannot be considered effective for those students. Yet in many schools, this gear turns only weakly or in isolated classrooms. Too often, teachers rely on longstanding practices that have not yielded strong results for large numbers of students. In some schools, leaders respond by blaming teachers. In contrast, leaders in NCUST award-winning schools avoid blame and instead refine the systems and routines that perpetuate ineffective instruction or block more effective practices from taking hold.
Schools that raise the rigor of content without improving the quality of instruction risk compounding student frustration and failure. America’s best schools address both simultaneously. Leadership teams press toward more challenging standards while also strengthening the first instruction students receive, so learners build deep understanding from the outset. To improve instruction, teams focus on a small number of key practices, building shared clarity about how these practices look when done well, how they differ from common approaches, and why they matter for student learning. Leaders then celebrate progress, reinforcing growth. As a result, educators feel well supported and empowered to help every student achieve greater success.
One of the essential gears driving student success in NCUST award-winning schools is the ongoing effort to monitor, confirm, and enhance learning. In these schools, educators consistently seek and respond to evidence about whether students have truly understood the concepts and skills being taught. This stands in stark contrast to practices in some schools, where students complete assignments or take tests that are only loosely connected to the critical objectives they need to master.
In successful schools, teachers collaborate to determine the most effective ways to assess student understanding. When multiple teachers teach the same content, they typically use common assessment tools to ensure consistency and clarity. Students and parents are kept informed so they understand how progress is being measured and how mastery will be confirmed. Most importantly, educators use this evidence not merely to record performance but to refine instruction, guide interventions, and enhance learning opportunities.
In America’s best schools, assessment is not treated as an endpoint but as a guidepost. It provides teachers, students, and parents with clear signals about progress made and the steps still needed. This shared focus transforms assessment into a powerful driver of continuous improvement and enduring academic success.
In America’s best schools, even when teachers monitor, confirm, and enhance learning, they go further by intervening and enriching in ways that ensure all students develop deep understandings of essential academic concepts. Leadership teams help guarantee that intervention and enrichment are as focused and purposeful as high-quality initial instruction, with the added advantage of insights about what each student has mastered and what they still need to learn.
Effective intervention and enrichment are timely and impactful. They are provided by trained educators who know how to analyze student thinking, recognize strengths and misconceptions, and flexibly adjust instructional strategies. Often, teachers design these supports collaboratively, drawing upon their collective analysis of student work to craft responses that build on prior learning.
Importantly, intervention and enrichment are available to every student, not just those who struggle. These opportunities expand understanding, extend curiosity, and connect learning to real-world applications, increasing the likelihood that all students will not only succeed academically but also develop a genuine love of learning.
In sum, the effective leadership team serves as the input gear (teeth) and ensures that all other gears – positive transformational culture; rigorous curricula; effective initial instruction; monitoring, confirming, and enhancing learning; and intervention and enrichment – work in harmony to transmit motion and power, in ways that promote the success of all students. Without an effective leadership team, it is difficult to coordinate and sustain the elements.
