This week, Education Dive took a look at six higher ed presidents to watch. In some cases, the attention is merited by their innovative leadership — and in others, it's the result of controversies they're facing. But all offer lessons for leaders at other institutions.

With snowstorms barreling down upon a significant portion of the U.S., we also took a look at the push in some states for e-days to replace the snow day.

Also in K-12 news, the Gates Foundation's $34.7 million investment in "teacher transformation centers" aims to rethink teacher prep, boosting student achievement by improving teacher quality — and they come at a pivotal time with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act poised to have implications for such programs. Additionally, a new study is casting doubt on the benefit of classroom observations.

Be sure to check out our look at higher ed's continuing shift away from tenure and more in this week's most-read Education Dive posts!

• 6 higher ed presidents to watch in 2016: For better or worse, a mix of success, protests, and scandals are garnering attention for these leaders.
• Have e-days gained enough traction to usurp the snow day?: Compensating for inclement weather with remote e-learning in traditional classrooms is gaining popularity in some states.
• Will 'teacher transformation centers' offset ESSA's new preparation guidelines?: In order to improve student outcomes by improving teacher quality, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $34.7 million dollars to create five 'teacher transformation centers.'
• Higher ed teaching force continues to shift away from tenure: Union organizing could usher in a new era in the history of tenure, which has seen both rises and falls.
• Study casts doubt on benefit of classroom observations: A new study published in the Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis says that teacher observation for the purpose of evaluation is flawed.

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