Steven Farr 
Teaching As Leadership 
The Highly Effective Teacher’s Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap

A road map for teachers who strive to be highly effective
leaders in our nation’s classrooms

Teach For America has fought the daunting battle of educational
equity for the last twenty years. Based on evidence from classrooms
across the country, they’ve discovered much about effective
teaching practice, and distilled these findings into the six
principles presented in this book. The Teaching As
Leadership framework inspires teachers to: Set Big Goals;
Invest Students and Their Families; Plan Purposefully; Execute
Effectively; Continuously Increase Effectiveness; Work
Relentlessly. The results are better educational outcomes for our
nation’s children, particularly those who live in low-income
communities.

* Inspires educators to be leaders in their classrooms and
schools

* Demystifies what it means to be an effective teacher, describes
key elements of practice and provides a clear vision of
success

* Addresses the challenges every teacher, in every classroom,
faces on a daily basis

An accompanying website includes a wealth of tools, videos,
sample lessons, discussion boards, and case studies.

Table of Content

Foreword (Jason Kamras).

Introduction.

Chapter 1: Set Big Goals.

Foundations of Effective Goal Setting.

Inspiring Strong Results with Measurable Outcomes.

Inspiring High Performance with High Expectations.

Leading with Students’ Needs and Interests.

The Qualities of Effective Big Goals in Action.

What Measurable Academic Progress Should My Students Achieve?

What Traits and Mindsets Will Best Serve My Students?

What Pathways to Student Opportunity Should Inform My Big Goal?

What Student Interests and Motivations Could Shape the Big Goal?

Conclusion: Key Ideas and Next Questions.

Key Ideas.

Next Questions.

‘Why Do People Set Big Goals?’ from Ms. Lora’s Story.

Chapter 2: Invest Students and Their Families.

Key Elements of Investment.

Shaping Students’ Mindsets.

Collaborating with Students’ Families and Influencers.

Strategies for Investing Students.

Creating a Welcoming Environment to Increase Student Investment.

Developing a Culture of Achievement.

Investing Students Through Instruction and Learning.

Conclusion: Key Ideas and Next Questions.

Key Ideas.

Next Questions.

‘What If You’re Wrong?’ from Ms. Lora’s Story.

Chapter 3: Plan Purposefully.

Foundations of Purposeful Planning.

Developing Your Vision of Success.

Translating Your Vision into a Well-Designed Assessment.

Mapping Out a Vision-Aligned Plan by Imagining Yourself Implementing It.

Three Forms of Classroom Plans.

Long Term Plans.

Lesson Plans.

Classroom Management Plans.

Conclusion: Key Ideas and Next Questions.

Key Ideas.

Next Questions.

‘It Still Tastes Good.’ from Ms. Lora’s Story.

Chapter 4: Execute Effectively.

Key Elements of Effective Execution.

Doing Well What Must Be Done.

Insisting on Seeing Reality.

Adjusting Course as Circumstances Change.

What Effective Execution Looks Like in the Classroom.

Effectively Communicating Key Ideas.

Coordinating Student Practice.

Checking for Understanding.

Tracking Progress.

Maximizing Efficiency with Organization and Routine.

Asserting Authority.

Conclusion: Key Ideas and Next Questions.

Key Ideas.

Next Questions.

‘Light Monitor. Form Collector. Plant Manager.’ from Ms. Lora’s Story.

Chapter 5: Continuously Increase Effectiveness.

Foundations of Continuous Improvement.

Effective Teaching Is a Learnable Skill.

‘Data may not tell us the whole truth, but it certainly doesn’t lie’.

We Drive Our Own Improvement.

No Teacher Is an Island.

A Cycle of Reflection That Leads to Increased Effectiveness.

Phase One: Analyzing Outcomes.

Phase Two: Discerning Causes.

Phase Three: Identifying and Implementing Solutions.

Conclusion: Key Ideas and Next Questions.

Key Ideas.

Next Questions.

‘This Was My Summer School Seat.’ from Ms. Lora’s Story.

Chapter 6: Work Relentlessly.

We Control Our Students’ Success and Failure.

Key Elements of Working Relentlessly.

Persistence.

Maintaining High Expectations.

Expanding Time and Resources.

Expanding Your Influence.

Sustaining This Work Over Time.

Conclusion: Key Ideas and Next Questions.

Key Ideas.

Next Questions.

‘You Are Going to Be Totally Handsome in Them.’ from Ms. Lora’s Story.

Conclusion.

Afterword: T eaching As Leadership and the Movement for Educational Equity (Wendy Kopp).

Appendix A: Teaching As Leadership Rubric.

Appendix B: About Teach For America.

Appendix C: Our Approach to Teacher Development.

Appendix D: How We Learn from Our Teachers.

Teacher Biographies.

Notes.

About the Author.

Acknowledgments.

Index.

About the author

Steven Farr leads Teach For America’s efforts to discern what distinguishes teachers whose students in low-income communities achieve dramatic academic growth. Those findings inform the organization’s teacher selection, training, and support. Farr also works to build the organization’s knowledge by learning from and sharing with other organizations working toward educational equity.