LEADING SCHOOLS FORWARD
The Work Before the Work
Forty years of research establishes what makes schools improve. Most leaders — and the programs that prepared them — have never been taught how to collectively create it. Culture.
Heavily Invested in Leadership and Instruction. Underinvested in What Makes It Stick and Last.
THE MISSING PIECE OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
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Leadership matters. Instruction matters. But sustainable improvement depends on the organizational conditions that shape trust, relationships, shared responsibility, and collective action.
THE CULTURE-FIRST SCHOOL FRAMEWORK
Building Sustainable School Improvement
Is your school built for compliance or commitment?
THE CORE DISTINCTION
Culture-First
Shared purpose and responsibility endure
Trust, clarity, and support are strengthened
Meetings reinforce purpose and priorities
Systems strengthen alongside expectations
Continuous improvement becomes part of the culture
Compliance-Driven
Improvement rises and falls with individual leaders
Trust and coherence vary across teams
Meetings focus on logistics and mandates
Initiatives outpace organizational capacity
Improvement feels episodic or externally driven
PRACTITIONER RESOURCES
The Full Framework
Research-grounded tools for schools ready to make the shift. All documents are freely available.
About Rich Sinclair
ABOUT THE WORK
Rich is an educator, school leader, and doctoral researcher focused on the organizational conditions that help schools sustain improvement over time. In 2009, after leading the collaborative turnaround of three schools, K-12, he became increasingly interested in a question that followed him across schools and systems: Why did improvement efforts so often depend on changing leaders, programs, initiatives, and mandates rather than a coherent framework for continuous improvement? That question ultimately led to the development of Leading Schools Forward (LSF) in 2016. Since then, Rich has worked across classrooms, schools, districts, and states, continuing to refine the framework. Current research explores how principal preparation programs can more intentionally prepare leaders to build the organizational conditions that sustain improvement.
The Influences Behind the Work
PARTNERS & INFLUENCES
Gayle Watson
Co-founder of People Ink and organizational culture specialist. Her guidance during LSF's early development helped shape its emphasis on shared purpose, values, and organizational health.
Ann Rhoades
Founder of People Ink and internationally recognized culture strategist. Her pioneering work on values-based organizations significantly influenced the principles reflected throughout LSF.
Dr. Charles R. Coble
Internationally recognized authority on teacher preparation, educator development, and educational leadership. Through years of conversation and challenge, he has helped shape LSF's value proposition.
Christopher T. Cross
Nationally recognized education policy leader whose work has influenced American education for more than five decades. A strong advocate for LSF's distributed leadership approach.
Dr. Neil Hawkes
Oxford-educated educator and international consultant pioneering values-centered school culture. His encouragement and guidance have shaped the continued development of LSF.
Martin Terrell
Author and community leader who reflects the power of growth and contribution. As a longstanding influence in Rich's life, his values and beliefs are reflected throughout LSF.
Pam Andrews
One of Rich's early teachers, she is the primary reason he went into education. Her commitment to students and belief in the transformative power of teaching continue to shape the values and purpose of LSF.
Interested in how the framework developed and evolved over time? Explore Evidence & Learning →
SCHOLARSHIP
Research & Publications
2023
Built for Continuous Improvement: Professional Accountability in the Academic Setting
Journal of Values-Based Leadership
2025
2026
Educational Research: Theory and Practice
Compliance to Commitment: A Culture-First School Framework
2027
Colorado’s Alignment to Reduced Educator Turnover Based on the Work of It’s Teaching and Learning Conditions Initiative
Working Paper
Leadership Before the Leader: How Principal Preparation Program Heads Perceive and Conceptualize Fostering Internal Cohesion in Schools
DISSERTATION IN PROGRESS
CONNECT WITH US
Start the Conversation
We welcome conversations with educators, researchers, leadership preparation programs, and organizations interested in the conditions that sustain improvement over time.