The Leverage Leadership library captures the practices that drive exceptional results in some of the highest-performing schools worldwide.
What separates great schools from the rest is how leaders use their time. Based on the observation and training of over 100,000 school leaders worldwide, this updated framework provides a clear roadmap for improving teaching and learning through seven high-impact leadership levers.
New in this edition: An AI-powered companion app that generates data-meeting scripts, feedback plans, schedules, walkthrough tools, and professional development agendas—helping leaders spend less time on their laptop and more time on face-to-face coaching.
Trusted by hundreds of thousands of educators worldwide.
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The practical guide to coaching teachers for rapid growth.
Many teachers receive limited, inconsistent coaching. Get Better Faster 2.0 provides a practical 90-day roadmap to accelerate development through focused, high-impact feedback.
It breaks teaching into clear, actionable steps and gives leaders the tools to model and practice them, building teacher mastery—and improving student learning quickly.
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The practical guide to using student learning to drive instruction.
Data-driven instruction starts with two questions: How do you know if students are learning? And what do you do when they aren’t?
This book provides a proven framework to assess learning, identify gaps, and take targeted instructional action—helping schools build a culture where data drives results.
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How do district leaders coach principals to lead exceptional schools?
This guide provides a step-by-step approach to developing principals—using proven practices from the highest-performing systems and a clear framework: See It, Name It, Do It.
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Many students reach secondary school still struggling to understand complex texts.
This guide shows how exceptional teachers build strong readers—through knowledge acquisition, rigorous discussion, clear thinking, and high-quality curriculum.
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Strong readers are built through consistent, intentional habits. This guide shows how top teachers help K–4 students develop the habits that drive fluent, confident, critical reading—through clear routines, targeted practice, and real classroom strategies.
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Fortalece el liderazgo escolar liberando tiempo para lo que más importa: la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Este informe, elaborado junto con el Banco Mundial, presenta estrategias prácticas para reducir la carga administrativa, usar herramientas digitales y enfocar el trabajo directivo en mejorar la calidad educativa.
Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, Founder and Dean of LLI, is the author of eleven books, including Driven by Data 2.0, Leverage Leadership 3.0, and Get Better Faster 2.0, Paul has worked with over 100,000 leaders worldwide, leading to thousands of schools and multiple districts that have been the highest gaining or highest achieving in their cities, states and/or countries.
As a recognized thought leader in education reform, Paul’s work extends far beyond individual schools. His frameworks have shaped district-wide strategies, influenced national policy conversations, and inspired global networks of educators to adopt practices that drive measurable student success.
Paul’s reach has spanned continents, with schools and ministries of education worldwide adapting his methods to local contexts, proving that his vision for transformational leadership is both scalable and sustainable.
When Rick Romain became principal of PS 268 in New York City, the school was the lowest performing in the district and expectations were equally low. In just a few years, he led one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the city, culminating in the school becoming #1 in the district by 2025. His leadership is a powerful example of what focused, consistent coaching on culture and data can achieve.
Jasmine Woodward led Montgomery Elementary from turnaround status to one of the highest-performing schools in the UK. The school has sustained over 80% proficiency for seven consecutive years. By shifting professional development from talk to practice and modeling, she dramatically improved teaching quality and student achievement.
Candace Young transformed Northeast Elementary from an F-rated school into a National Blue Ribbon School that consistently outperforms the state. By focusing her team on whether students actually learned—and responding immediately when they didn’t—she created a system where gaps are closed in real time.
Jessica Mullins’s leadership reflects the impact of consistent instructional focus and team alignment. By ensuring that teaching practices remained tightly connected to student outcomes, she helped drive meaningful and sustained gains in achievement.
Amanda McDonald’s leadership highlights the power of staff culture as a driver of student achievement. By aligning and strengthening her team, she created the conditions for rapid and sustained improvement. Her work shows that when adults operate as a unified, high-performing team, student results follow.
LeVar Jenkins transformed Burroughs Elementary by building a strong, consistent student culture that set the foundation for academic success. As expectations became clear and practiced daily, student achievement surged. His work demonstrates that culture is not an add-on—it is a core driver of results.
Tiffany Johnson led Whittier Elementary to some of the fastest post-pandemic gains in Washington, DC, earning recognition for bold, sustained improvement. By focusing leadership team time on instruction and teacher development, she built a system that continuously strengthens teaching and accelerates student learning.
Stephanie Amaya led WH Adamson High School to an A rating—the only comprehensive high school in Dallas to achieve that distinction. Her leadership transformed a culture of low expectations into one of excellence, proving that strong community and clarity of purpose can drive extraordinary results.
Under Taro Shigenobu’s leadership, Henderson Collegiate High School rose to become one of the highest-performing schools in North Carolina, outperforming the state by 33%. The school earned recognition as a National Title I Distinguished School, proving that rigorous planning and aligned instruction can drive exceptional outcomes for all students.
Yanela Cruz demonstrated how strong student culture and data-driven instruction can drive transformation in even the most challenging contexts. By building consistent expectations and a sense of belonging, she helped create an environment where students could fully engage and succeed academically.
When Katie Harshman arrived at Minnequa Elementary, fewer than 10% of students were proficient. Through consistent observation and feedback, the school achieved 40-point gains across subjects, becoming one of the top-performing schools in the district. Her work shows how rapidly student outcomes can improve when teacher development is prioritized.
Marie Culihan led the Albany School of the Humanities to dramatic gains of over 30 points in ELA and 40 points in Math, earning national recognition as a Distinguished School. Her disciplined approach to time and preparation ensured consistent execution of high-impact leadership practices, translating directly into student success.
