What action should a school leader take first when developing a continuous improvement process?

The first action a school leader should take when developing a continuous improvement process is to select a low-performing area to address. Identifying specific areas in need of improvement provides a focused starting point for the entire continuous improvement process. This step is crucial because it establishes a clear target for the improvement efforts, enabling the leader and the staff to channel their resources, training, and strategies toward achieving measurable goals.

Once a low-performing area is identified, the leader can then proceed to develop evaluation procedures and set checkpoints to monitor progress, train the staff about the continuous improvement process, and identify appropriate strategies for addressing the selected area. However, without first pinpointing a specific issue to tackle, subsequent steps may lack direction and relevance to the school's actual needs.