In schools, we often talk about “what works” for students—high-quality instruction, strong relationships, and timely interventions. Yet there is another lever that consistently shapes whether those practices take hold and endure: leadership. Research summarized by Andrew Neufeld (2014) reinforces a point many of us have experienced firsthand: school administrators have the second greatest impact on student learning, after classroom instruction. Importantly, that impact is usually indirect—leaders shape the conditions that allow educators and related service providers to do their best work.
As a Special Education Director, I see this daily in IEP meetings, problem-solving teams, and staffing conversations. When leaders focus on the right actions, staff engagement improves, student engagement rises, and achievement follows. When leaders are pulled into competing demands without a clear framework, even well-intended initiatives can become fragmented, inconsistent, and exhausting for teams.
Neufeld’s review highlights a practical, research-aligned framework from Leithwood and colleagues (2008) that organizes leadership into four actions known to improve student outcomes:
- Build vision and set direction
- Develop staff capacity
- Redesign the organization to match the vision
- Manage the teaching and learning program
Below, I’ll translate these four actions into “what it looks like” in real schools—especially through a special education lens—and share how online therapy partners like TinyEYE can support leaders as they work through staffing shortages, service delivery compliance, and equitable access for students.
1) Build Vision and Set Direction: Make the “Why” Shared and Specific
A strong vision is not a slogan on a poster. It is a shared understanding of where the school is going and how adults will work together to get there. Neufeld emphasizes that effective leaders build a sustainable “continuity of direction”—something that can outlast any one administrator. That matters deeply in special education, where consistency of systems is essential for students who rely on predictable routines, structured supports, and coordinated services.
In practice, building vision and direction includes:
- Co-creating goals with staff early in the year and revisiting them often, not just during opening meetings.
- Making the vision visible for stakeholders, including families—especially those navigating special education processes for the first time.
- Clarifying what success looks like using measurable outcomes (student progress, service access timelines, IEP implementation fidelity, attendance, behavior indicators, etc.).
From a related services perspective (speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, mental health supports), leaders strengthen direction when they explicitly connect therapy services to broader instructional priorities. Therapy should not feel like an “add-on” that happens in isolation; it should feel like a coordinated strategy that helps students access curriculum and participate meaningfully.
Where TinyEYE fits: when a district’s vision includes equitable access to services and timely IEP implementation, online therapy can be a concrete mechanism to make that vision real—particularly when local hiring is difficult.
2) Develop Staff Capacity: Trust, Presence, and Efficacy Drive Outcomes
Neufeld highlights a key idea: leaders improve outcomes by influencing staff motivation, commitment, and working conditions. In special education, staff capacity is not only about professional development; it is also about confidence—educator efficacy—and the trust that allows teams to take risks, collaborate, and problem-solve without fear.
One concept that stands out is “presence,” described as leaders investing in trusting and supportive relationships that increase individual agency. In my experience, staff are more willing to implement new instructional strategies, collect progress monitoring data, and engage in collaborative planning when they believe leadership is both supportive and consistent.
Capacity-building actions leaders can take include:
- Strengthening teacher and therapist efficacy through coaching, modeling, and feedback that feels growth-oriented rather than punitive.
- Valuing staff voice in decisions that affect workload, schedules, and service delivery models.
- Providing targeted learning on high-need areas (AAC, autism supports, executive functioning, literacy interventions, trauma-informed practices, compliance documentation).
Where TinyEYE fits: online therapy is not just a staffing solution; it can be a capacity strategy when paired with consultation, collaboration, and shared planning. When therapists can join team meetings virtually, provide teacher strategies, and coordinate with families, the impact extends beyond direct minutes to broader staff skill-building.
3) Redesign the Organization: Collaboration Must Be Protected, Not Just Encouraged
Leithwood’s framework calls leaders to redesign the organization to match the vision. Neufeld points to two major structures that support this: shared leadership and professional learning communities (PLCs). This is especially relevant in special education, where siloed work is one of the biggest barriers to student progress. If general education, special education, and related services operate as separate systems, students experience fragmented support.
Redesigning the organization can look like:
- Distributed leadership that empowers specialists, team leads, and teacher leaders to drive improvement (rather than expecting the principal to be the “educational superhero”).
- Protected PLC time within the schedule—time that is not routinely taken over by urgent logistics.
- Clear structures for collaboration such as standing problem-solving meetings, co-planning routines, and shared documentation norms.
From a compliance and service delivery standpoint, organizational redesign is also where districts can reduce risk. When schedules, caseload expectations, and meeting calendars are coherent, teams are more likely to deliver services as written and document appropriately.
Where TinyEYE fits: online therapy can support organizational redesign by increasing flexibility. Virtual service delivery can reduce travel time, expand provider options, and make it easier to align therapy sessions with instructional blocks. It can also help districts maintain services during vacancies, leaves, or mid-year enrollment changes.
4) Manage the Teaching and Learning Program: Improve Working Conditions to Improve Learning
Neufeld’s review underscores an uncomfortable truth: many educators are disengaged, and disengagement affects student engagement. Leaders cannot control every external factor, but they can control key conditions that shape whether staff can do quality work.
In special education, “working conditions” often include:
- Manageable caseloads and schedules that allow providers to deliver services, consult with teachers, and complete documentation.
- Protection from initiative overload, especially when multiple new programs are launched without time, training, or alignment.
- Efficient meetings and timely communication so staff time is spent on instruction and student support rather than avoidable administrative confusion.
- Data-informed program decisions—keeping interventions that work and replacing those that do not.
This is also where leaders can unintentionally undermine outcomes if the primary emphasis becomes compliance-driven observation and evaluation without adequate support. Neufeld cites research indicating that when principals focus heavily on observation and performance evaluation, student achievement can decrease—likely due to pressure and reduced trust. The goal is not to avoid accountability; it is to pair accountability with the conditions and supports that make success possible.
Where TinyEYE fits: when districts face therapist shortages, the “teaching and learning program” is impacted immediately—missed minutes, delayed evaluations, and reduced consultation. Online therapy can stabilize services so that educators can focus on instruction and student progress rather than constant triage. It can also help leaders meet their obligation to provide appropriate supports in a timely manner.
Putting the Framework Into Action: A Practical Leadership Checklist
If you are a principal, special education administrator, or district leader looking for a starting point, here are practical questions aligned to the four actions:
- Vision and direction: Can staff and families clearly describe our top priorities for student learning and support this year?
- Developing people: Do educators and related service providers feel trusted, supported, and capable of implementing our key initiatives?
- Redesigning the organization: Do we have protected collaboration time and shared leadership structures that reduce silos?
- Managing teaching and learning: Are working conditions (schedules, caseloads, materials, communication) enabling quality instruction and service delivery?
When leaders answer “not yet,” that is not failure—it is information. The power of a framework is that it turns scattered challenges into actionable next steps.
Why This Matters Now: Leadership, Equity, and Access
Across districts, we are navigating real constraints: staffing shortages, rising student needs, complex compliance requirements, and community expectations that schools will do more with less. In that environment, leadership is not about doing everything; it is about focusing attention on the actions most likely to improve outcomes.
For districts partnering with TinyEYE, the goal is alignment: online therapy should connect to the school’s vision, build staff capacity through collaboration, fit into redesigned schedules and team structures, and strengthen the teaching and learning program by improving access and consistency. When that alignment happens, students benefit—and teams feel the difference.
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