One thing that caught my eye in the reading and that we discussed briefly today was the important and sometimes ill-defined role of a principal in the school. It seems that one of the primary differences between the successful systems and the unsuccessful systems was the support and attention paid to administration at the school level. Principals who were properly trained where empowered to make big decisions and to effectively run the school. Principals who were untrained or neglected seemed to make rash decisions and move here to there with their ideas of how a school should operate. Leaders (both administrative and teacher leaders) need to feel empowered, educated and supported to make tough and controversial but informed decisions in the school community.
An administrator is a person who manages resources. Specifically in the school setting, this means managing the people in the school and the school system itself. Administrators need to be able to affect change, but they must also be properly trained and held accountable for their role in the education system. One of the worst things a principal can do as a leader is be quick to blame someone else (the teachers) for a lack of performance. They must take it upon themselves to manage and improve the resources that they are given. This means that they must be willing to support and attempt to improve struggling teachers and they must be willing to “let go” of teachers who are dragging the system down. They must answer the tough question of can this teacher be improved or do they need to move on from the profession.
Once administrators are held accountable and properly trained, the focus can then move to holding teachers accountable and providing them with resources that will make them better while also weeding out teachers who do not belong in the profession. It seems counterproductive to focus on teacher improvement without focusing on administrative improvement. It is similar to focusing on student improvement without focusing on teacher improvement.
Shawn,
ReplyDeleteI was really glad you brought the issue/role of administration up in class today. It seems the union takes the heat for "inadequate" teachers within the classroom, but I believe this is a misperception within society; it's not necessarily the union protecting poor teachers but rather the result of poor administration. Partially I believe this is related to the work load administrators have to contend with and partially I believe it is due to the lack of time many are required to spend within the classroom. How can an administrator effectively pinpoint and help correct instructional/pedagogical/classroom management/etc. issues if they have a limited base of knowledge/experience to draw from? And, do they have the "coaching" or mentoring skills to help the teacher understand and work on an area(s) of weakness?
I firmly believe for the craft of teaching and the performance of students to develop then there must be a clearly stated vision and support from administration. And oh yes, that accountability factor too!
Very well said. As a leader the principal needs to be the one to have the overall vision of the school and inspire the teachers to be on board too -to buy into that vision for the overall goals of the team and if the teacher isn't being a team player for the group as a whole and can't buy into the vision of the principal then maybe the principal needs to lead them to another school.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Angie that they do not always have the time or may not take the time to spend in the classroom ...and they need to be able to make the final decision this person isn't cut out for teaching or isn't the best person for our school.
Principals need to be more effective leaders in some cases.
There are also some great principals out there too.
I guess not understanding exactly what it is a Principal does, I shouldn't comment, but I will anyway. If they are being burdened with too many tasks, there presents yet another problem with the system. What Principals are technically supposed to do, versus what they end up having to do, are two separate beasts. I think they have too much on their plate and don't mean to become ineffective leaders, its just part and parcel with the responsibilities that are layed on thick. I still see an issue with the leadership preparation though. Doing an internship alongside an outgoing Principal could better equip someone to deal with the multitude of responsibilities that come with the job.
ReplyDeleteShawn,
ReplyDeleteI was also glad that you brought up the principal’s role in the classroom. Did we get a chance to talk about those principals who have never taught?
I do believe that principals have many hats to wear every day, as we teachers. But I think sometimes those roles, as you said, are not defined clearly enough for teachers, principals or superintendents. If we take a closer look at those roles we may realize that we want to spend time changing the allocation of responsibilities and redefine the roles. Some of the current responsibilities may be in better hands as equitable shared leadership roles appear.
What is the old saying? Something about you’re only as good as your leader? I believe in strong professional development for teachers and administration. Principals need to keep up to date with training with their teachers. Some of these weak administrators need to be empowered as strong leaders and professional development is one way to do it.
Strong principals = Strong teachers