James H. Stronge

Profile

James H. Stronge is the Heritage Professor of Education, a distinguished professorship, in the School of Education at William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Va. He teaches doctoral courses within the Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership Department, with a particular focus on teacher and leader effectiveness, human resource leadership, legal issues in education, and research design. Externally funded projects at William & Mary for which he has served as primary investigator or co-primary investigator have generated approximately $50 million in funding support.

Stronge’s research interests include policy and practice related to teacher quality and effectiveness, teacher and administrator evaluation, and teacher selection. He has worked with numerous state departments of education, school districts, and national and international educational organizations to design and implement evaluation and hiring systems for teachers, administrators and support personnel. He has developed teacher and principal evaluation systems for American international schools in conjunction with the Association of American Schools in South America and supported by the U.S. Department of State. Recently, he and his colleagues at Stronge and Associates worked with the Virginia Department of Education in developing the new teacher, principal and superintendent Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria.

Stronge has made more than 400 presentations at regional, national and international conferences and conducted workshops for educational organizations extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally. Among his work is developing teacher and principal evaluation systems for American international schools in conjunction with the Association of American Schools in South America and supported by the U.S. Department of State. Among his current research projects are: 1) international comparative studies of effective teachers in the United States, China and independent international schools; and 2) factors that relate to world-class schools.

Stronge has authored, co-authored or edited 35 books and more than 200 articles, chapters and technical reports. His most recent books include "What Makes a World-Class School and How We Can Get There" (ASCD, 2017), "Qualities of Effective Teachers," 3rd Ed. (ASCD, 2018), "Qualities of Effective Principals," 2nd Ed. (ASCD, 2021), "International Beliefs and Practices that Characterize Teacher Effectiveness" (co-editor) (IGI Global, 2021), and "Smart from the Start: 150 Tools for Teaching with Confidence" (ASCD, 2023). He was a founding member of the board of directors for the Consortium for Research on Educational Assessment and Teacher Effectiveness and was selected as the 2012 national recipient of the Millman Award from CREATE in recognition of his work in the field of teacher and leader evaluation.

Education

Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Planning, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 1983 

M.A. in Guidance and Counseling, University of Alabama, Birmingham, 1976
B.S. in Secondary Education (History and English), University of Alabama, Birmingham, 1974 

Activities and Honors

Heritage Professor (Distinguished Professorship supported by the Virginia Eminent Scholars Program), appointed by the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors, 1996-2001; reappointed 2002, 2008, and 2014-present

Jason Millman Scholar, Consortium for Research on Educational Assessment and Teacher Effectiveness, 2012

Frank E. Floral Lamp of Knowledge Award, Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, 2011

Named Honorary Faculty, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, 2009

Finalist, Carnegie Corporation Scholars Program Fellowship, 2001

Selected Publications

Selected Books and Chapters:
Stronge J. H., Straessle, J., & Xu, X. (2023). Smart from the start: 150 tools for teaching with confidence. ASCD.

Stronge, J. H., & Xu, X. (2021). Qualities of effective principals (2nd ed.). ASCD.

Stronge, J. H. (2018). Qualities of effective teachers (3rd ed.). ASCD.

Stronge, J. H., & Xu, X. (2017). World-class schools: What are they and can we get there? ASCD.

Stronge, J. H., Grant, L., & Xu, X. (2017). Designing effective assessments. Solution Tree.

Stronge, J. H., & Xu, X. (2015). Instructional strategies for effective teaching. Solution Tree.

Journal Special Issue:
Grant, L.W., Stronge, J. H. & Xu, X. (2022). Beliefs, practices, and impact of effective teachers in China working with ethnic minority students. [Special issue editors]. Chinese Education and Society.

Selected Journal Articles:
Grant, L.W., Stronge, J.H., & Menon, S. (in development). Beliefs and practices of effective teachers in East Asian International Schools. Teaching and Teacher Education.

Grant, L. W., Stronge, J. H., & Xu, X. (in development). Teaching is like … A metaphorical analysis of teachers’ perceptions of teaching in the United States and China. 

Yi, H., Stronge, J. H., Grant, L. W., & Ward, T. J. (resubmitted for 2nd review 2025 Jan 28). How do teachers perceive performance pay in China? A mixed-methods study. Asia Pacific Journal of Education.

Grant, L. W., Stronge, J. H., Mendizabal, P., Smucker, A., & Mo, Y. (2024). Characteristics of effective international school teachers: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Research in International Education, 23(2), 111–129. doi: 10.1177/14752409241271067

Stronge, J. H., Grant, L. W., Menon, S., & Khosa, A. (2024, Fall). Effective teachers in international schools: What about the students? The EARCOS Triannual Journal, 22-23. https://www.earcos.org/et_journal.php

Grant, L.W., & Stronge, J. H., & Xu, X. (2022). Effective teachers in China: Making a difference with ethnic minority children. Chinese Education and Society, 55(3), 119-122.

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