A sample of 311 principals from a
large metropolitan area in the southwest region of the U. S. responded
to a cognitive interview that asked principals to identify the strategies they
successfully used to reduce the achievement gaps in their schools. Some of the successful strategies that the
principals reported were: (a) tutoring during school, after-school, and on
Saturday, (b) implementing specific remedial, pull-out programs or
interventions, (c) using effective instructional strategies such as
differentiated instruction, individualized instruction, and small group
instruction, and (d) focusing on students’ achievement data and identifying
specific areas of weaknesses for students.
