Lead Collectively: From Belief to Action to Impact

About the Book

A new way to think together, work together, and impact students… together.

Despite regular meetings and planning sessions, collective leader efficacy often remains an untapped resource, leaving leadership teams working in silos and increasing the challenge of creating environments where every student and adult can thrive. Lead Collectively bridges this gap by providing a comprehensive framework for shared understanding, joint work, and evidence-based decision-making to strengthen leadership teams and amplify their impact on teaching and learning.

Drawing on decades of leadership experience and research, authors Peter M. DeWitt and Michael Nelson offer actionable tools, protocols, and insights to help educational leaders foster trust, coherence, and accountability. Additional features include: 

• A step-by-step Collaborative Inquiry Cycle to guide leadership teams from identifying problems of practice to tracking measurable results
• Guidance on integrating AI tools to analyze data, assess impact, and enhance collaboration
• Case studies and real-world stories illustrating how schools and districts have transformed their leadership practices through collective efficacy

More than a guide, Lead Collectively is an invitation for leaders to foster collaboration to achieve meaningful, lasting change. Whether you’re leading at the school or district level, this book equips you with the tools to grow as a leader and drive measurable improvement for your students and educators.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Acknowledgments About the Authors INTRODUCTION WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WHAT IS COLLECTIVE LEADER EFFICACY? OUR EXPERIENCE INTRODUCTORY SURVEY Part I: LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION Chapter 1: HOW ARE YOUR PRIORITIES FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES? DOOR #1: DEVELOPING YOUR BELIEFS, VALUES, AND VISION DOOR #2: DEVELOPING YOUR OWN SET OF LEADERSHIP LESSONS DOOR #3: KEEPING STUDENTS AT THE CORE CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Chapter 2: UNDERSTANDING COLLECTIVE LEADER EFFICACY LEADING PROACTIVELY COLLECTIVE LEADER EFFICACY KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLLECTIVE TEACHER EFFICACY AND COLLECTIVE LEADER EFFICACY EXPERIENCES THAT IMPACT EFFICACY WHY AFFECTIVE STATES MATTER CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Part II: SHARED UNDERSTANDING Chapter 3: BUILDING SHARED UNDERSTANDING MISSED OPPORTUNITIES SHARED UNDERSTANDING, NOT JUST SHARED LANGUAGE DEVELOPING A SHARED UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Chapter 4: SHARED UNDERSTANDING IN ACTION BUILDING SHARED UNDERSTANDING: A LEADERSHIP STORY FROM THE FIELD THE COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY CYCLE PLACEMAT BEGINNING WITH STUDENT OUTCOMES EXPLAINING STUDENT OUTCOMES USING EXAMPLES AND NONEXAMPLES TO DEVELOP TRUST, CLARITY, AND COHERENCE CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Part III: JOINT WORK Chapter 5: UNDERSTANDING JOINT WORK PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL CLIMATE AND CULTURE DEVELOPING JOINT WORK COMPONENTS OF JOINT WORK CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Chapter 6: JOINT WORK IN ACTION ESTABLISHING THE CULTURE FOR JOINT WORK ESTABLISHING A NETWORK OF LEADERS FOR JOINT WORK WHAT DOES JOINT WORK LOOK LIKE? ESTABLISHING SYSTEMS TO INVOLVE ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN JOINT WORK REVISITING THE COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY CYCLE PLACEMAT THEORY OF ACTION CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Part IV: EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Chapter 7: WHAT IS EVIDENCE OF IMPACT? ONE PRIORITY, MULTIPLE MEASURES DATA AND EVIDENCE: ONE CAN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT THE OTHER HOW TEAMS TALK ABOUT EVIDENCE LEADERSHIP TEAM MATRIX PROTOCOL: “LEADING WITH PURPOSE” COMPONENTS OF EVIDENCE OF IMPACT CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Chapter 8: LINKING THEORY OF ACTION AND DATA TO CREATE AN EVIDENCE MINDSET A JARRING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MOMENT LEADS TO IMPROVEMENT REVISITING THE COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY CYCLE PLACEMAT EVIDENCE OF IMPACT THE IMPORTANCE OF STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION EQUITY THE QUESTION BECOMES: WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS INFORMATION? INTEGRATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE CHAPTER SUMMARY TEAM ACTIVITIES Part V: CCOLLECTIVE LEADER EFFICACY INTERSECTION Chapter 9: BRINGING IT TOGETHER: REFLECTION TO IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP PRACTICE LEARNING FROM JIMMY’S STORY A PRINCIPAL’S VISION FOR TRUE PARTNERSHIPS THE POWER OF LISTENING AND PARTNERSHIP Afterword Appendix A.1 RUBRIC FOR SHARED UNDERSTANDING: TRUST A.2 RUBRIC FOR SHARED UNDERSTANDING: CLARITY A.3 RUBRIC FOR SHARED UNDERSTANDING: COHERENCE A.4 SHARED UNDERSTANDING: EXAMPLES AND NONEXAMPLES OF THREE-COMPONENT QUESTIONS A.5 RUBRIC FOR JOINT WORK: CULTURE A.6 RUBRIC FOR JOINT WORK: NETWORK A.7 RUBRIC FOR JOINT WORK: SYSTEMS A.8 JOINT WORK: EXAMPLES AND NONEXAMPLES OF THREE-COMPONENT QUESTIONS A.9 RUBRIC FOR EVIDENCE OF IMPACT: STUDENT LEARNING A.10 RUBRIC FOR EVIDENCE OF IMPACT: LEADERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING A.11 RUBRIC FOR EVIDENCE OF IMPACT: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND GROWTH A.12 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT: EXAMPLES AND NONEXAMPLES OF THREE-COMPONENT QUESTIONS A.13 FRAYER MODEL PART I: COLLECTIVE LEADER EFFICACY A.14 FRAYER MODEL PART II: SHARED UNDERSTANDING A.15 FRAYER MODEL PART III: JOINT WORK A.16 FRAYER MODEL PART IV: EVIDENCE OF IMPACT References Cited Index

About the Author :
Peter DeWitt (Ed.D) is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective, and approaches everything with a learner′s mindset. He was a K-5 teacher for 11 years and a principal for 8 years. For over 12 years, he has been facilitating professional learning nationally, and internationally, based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books.  DeWitt′s professional learning relationships are a monthly hybrid approach that includes both coaching and the facilitating workshops on instructional leadership and collective efficacy. His work has been adopted at the state level, university level, and he works with numerous school districts, school boards, regional networks, ministries of education around North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the U.K. Peter writes the Finding Common Ground column for Education Week with Michael Nelson and they host Corwin’s Leaders Coaching Leaders podcast. In 2020 DeWitt co-created Education Week′s A Seat At the Table where he moderates conversations with experts around the topics of race, gender, research, trauma and many other educational topics. Peter is the author, co-author or contributor of numerous books and his articles have appeared in educational research journals at the state, national and international level. His books have been translated into numerous languages.  There is no more noble profession than that of an educator was what Michael Nelson’s mom said almost every day while he was growing up. For almost 40 years, Michael has been an educator. His mom would be pleased.   Even though Michael still considers “teacher” as his  primary title, he has served in roles of principal, district instructional leader, superintendent, assistant executive director developing professional development for the state of Washington, and currently as the Thought Partner for the Instructional Leadership Collective. Michael has received many state and national awards during his time as a principal and superintendent. As principal, his school received the National Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education. As a superintendent, he was named Washington state’s 2019 Superintendent of the Year. During his tenure as superintendent, Michael was elected President of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) by his peers.  Michael Nelson co-facilitates coaching, keynotes, and workshops with Peter DeWitt. Their first book “Leading with Intention” was released in May 2024.

Review :
We all have our own ‘Jimmys’—students whose stories stay with us. DeWitt and Nelson blend heartfelt storytelling, practical tools, and
research-backed strategies to help school and district teams evaluate and amplify their collective impact. This is a book you’ll not only learn from— you’ll enjoy reading it too. It doesn’t just talk about leadership; it lives it. This book offers a candid look at the systemic barriers that persist in education and models the kind of courageous, principle-centered
leadership our schools need. It is essential reading for aspiring school leaders committed to centering humanity, context, and hope in all they do. Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson once again provide educational leaders with a must-read resource. The thoughtful blend of theory, case studies,
and reflective opportunities throughout the book provides change makers with a strong foundation to create lasting impact on student outcomes. This book is a great resource for school leaders striving to create a shared vision, engage in purposeful collaboration, and stay focused on what truly
matters. Peter and Michael break down big ideas into clear steps that teams can put into action right away. This is a must-read for any leadership team dedicated to professional growth, improving its collective impact, and driving lasting change. In Lead Collectively, the authors make a case for collective leader efficacy through this collection of protocols and activities to support leader and
team reflections focused on school improvement planning. Each chapter could be a stand-alone workshop. In Lead Collectively, Peter and Michael reframe education as a world health issue, urging leadership teams to engage in joint work and shared
understanding. Using the Collaborative Inquiry Cycle Placemat, they guide teams from identifying problems of practice to analyzing impact. This
book offers a powerful roadmap for transforming practice through data-informed decisions. Lead Collectively is the perfect blend of theory, playbook, and reflective activities for educational leaders passionate about collaboration as the
vehicle to improve student learning. The authors create a compelling vision for leaders to emulate with each chapter’s style and cadence.
Readers dive into theory and current leadership examples, and engage in meaningful post-activities designed to encourage readers to take the next
step in fostering collective leader efficacy. As school leaders, we often wonder if our daily decisions truly impact our school community. After reading Lead Collectively and working with Peter
DeWitt and Michael Nelson, I now have clarity. By engaging in joint work, building shared understanding, and using tools like the Frayer Model, our
school has a clear focus. We are united in the belief that we can make a meaningful difference in student outcomes. There’s no shortage of books on values-driven, mission- and vision-oriented leadership—but few deliver practical, actionable strategies the
way this one does. Whether you’re leading a campus or an entire district, this book provides a clear roadmap for turning leadership ideals into impactful results across every department. Lead Collectively is a powerful and practical guide for leadership teams committed to keeping students at the center of their work. Peter and Mike
bring authenticity and humility to every chapter, grounding their insights into personal stories and lived experiences from their time as teachers
and leaders. What sets this book apart is its practical focus on building an ‘evidence mindset,’ especially in the final chapter, where leaders are
guided to create their own theory of action. This book is more than a professional read—it’s an invitation to grow, lead with integrity, and bring
about meaningful change in our schools. Peter and Michael’s work has helped Arkansas Leadership Academy participants unify the hard data sets that often inform decisions with
the intangibles of a classroom and school to create mission- and vision-guided work. Building momentum through collective action and informed
leadership with these tools has helped us identify gaps in educator understanding and improve outcomes for students across our state. Peter and Michael have crafted a compelling literary experience that immerses readers in a rich tapestry of stories, thought-provoking
questions, and meaningful reflections, all firmly rooted in research. It’s a must-read for anyone passionate about empowering students and staff
in K–12 education, offering practical strategies, innovative tools, and powerful insights to help every learner thrive. Peter and Mike clearly articulate and unpack the values, skills, and culture that underpins high-quality, impactful student-centered leadership in
education. This book is a must-read for all educators. Lead Collectively is a timely and useful resource for leadership teams seeking to transform their impact. By emphasizing collective responsibility,
continuous learning, and evidence-informed action, it provides a much needed bridge between theory and practice. Educators and school leaders
will find in it not just a call to action, but a map for how to walk the talk—together.