What the Data Says About Your School's Weakest Link (And It's Probably Not Your Leadership)

I came across a research report this week that stopped me in my tracks. Jenni Donohoo shared it on LinkedIn, and if you haven't seen it yet, it's worth your time. Her team analyzed seven years of data from 248 schools and over 8,000 educators, all focused on the enabling conditions for collective teacher efficacy. The findings were clear, and honestly, a little uncomfortable.

Read Jenni's post and the full report here.

In 83% of schools, the weakest condition was either cohesive teacher knowledge or empowered teachers.

Not leadership support. Not reflective practices. Those actually ranked highest.

Let that sit for a minute.

The conditions most principals invest in, being visible, building a culture of reflection, supporting their staff, are exactly the conditions schools tend to have. The conditions schools most often lack are the ones that are harder to see and harder to fix.

Cohesive teacher knowledge means teachers actually know what their colleagues are doing in the classroom. Not just in theory. Not just from a shared curriculum doc. They're aware of each other's practices in a real, ongoing way.

Empowered teachers means teachers have genuine decision-making power on things that matter. Not just input. Not a committee that advises. Real voice, real authority.

Those two things are hard to build. They require trust, time, and a willingness to share control. I know from my own years as a principal that it's much easier to invest in what's already working than to dig into what isn't.

But here's what the data is really telling us. Leadership support is the condition your school already has. It is not the lever that will move your results.

This is where the SCALE framework becomes practical. The "A" in SCALE, Act and communicate with purpose, and the "L", linger long enough to listen, are directly tied to what this research is calling out. You can't build cohesive teacher knowledge without deliberate structures for teachers to learn from each other. You can't build empowered teachers without leaders who stay in the work long enough to actually hear what teachers need and then act on it.

Donohoo ends her post with the right question. If your staff completed a survey tomorrow, which of the five enabling conditions would be your strongest, and which would be your weakest?

I'd add this. If you already know the answer, what's one step you could take this month to shift it?

That's where coaching comes in. Not to add another program. To help you see clearly and move with intention.

If you're ready to take a closer look at where your school is strong and where the real gaps are, I'd love to talk. Book a free call and let's dig in.