Leading for Excellence: A Twelve Step Program to Student Achievement

In this review of Leading for Excellence: A Twelve Step Program to Student Achievement, the book proves to be a practical guide for school leaders who want a clear, stepwise approach to raising student performance. The authors distill leadership, vision, expectations and professional development into a usable framework that ends with a diagnostic tool, the High Expectations Environmental Scale. For principals, assistant principals and district leaders seeking concrete steps to build a culture of high expectations, this book offers a focused playbook rather than abstract theory.

Key Features

• Twelve-step structure: Presents a clear sequence of actions that leaders can follow to create a high-achieving school environment.
• Leadership and vision focus: Emphasizes how strong leadership and articulated values drive consistent expectations across a school community.
• High expectations framework: Provides guidance on setting and maintaining high expectations for students and staff to support achievement.
• Embedded professional development: Recommends ongoing staff learning as an integral part of school improvement rather than an occasional add-on.
• Flexibility and resilience: Advises leaders on adapting plans and sustaining momentum when challenges arise during implementation.
• Diagnostic questionnaire: Concludes with the High Expectations Environmental Scale (HEES) so readers can assess their organization and target areas for growth.

Who It's For

Leading for Excellence is best suited to current and aspiring school administrators, instructional coaches and district staff who need a practical, step-driven approach to improve school culture and student outcomes. The book is useful for those who prefer actionable recommendations and a tool they can apply directly to their organization, especially when planning professional development and setting shared expectations.

Readers seeking deep empirical research, classroom-level teaching strategies, or a hands-on student curriculum may find the focus here too leadership-centered; classroom teachers looking for daily lesson guidance should look elsewhere.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers a straightforward, replicable twelve-step plan that leaders can implement across different school settings.
• Links leadership, vision and professional development into one coherent model that supports sustainable change.
• Includes the HEES questionnaire so organizations can gauge their current level of high expectations and plan improvements.

Cons

• Strong emphasis on administrative strategy means the book is light on classroom-level instructional detail for teachers.

Specifications

Title	Leading for Excellence: A Twelve Step Program to Student Achievement
Authors	Thomas R. Harvey, Bonita M. Drolet, Douglas P. DeVore
Primary focus	Leadership and school improvement steps
Includes	High Expectations Environmental Scale (HEES) questionnaire
Audience	School leaders, administrators, district staff
Topics covered	Vision, values, expectations, professional development, resilience

Our Verdict

Leading for Excellence is a practical, well-organized resource for educational leaders who need a clear roadmap to raise expectations and guide staff development. Its twelve-step layout and the HEES questionnaire give administrators concrete actions and a way to measure progress, making it good value for those responsible for school culture and system-level improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the book include practical tools for assessment?
Yes. It concludes with the High Expectations Environmental Scale (HEES), a questionnaire intended for organizational self-assessment.

Who authored the book?
The book is written by Thomas R. Harvey, Bonita M. Drolet and Douglas P. DeVore, who focus on leadership and school improvement.

Is this useful for classroom teachers?
It is primarily aimed at school leaders; classroom teachers may find the leadership strategies informative but should not expect lesson-level instructional guidance.