Every school ought to have a roster of great teachers. Having a great principal matters as much, however. What makes a great principal? Is it how he accomplish strong student learning growth even through hard circumstances? Is it forming and leading a team of dynamic and effective teachers? Is it having lots of school programs, projects, and activities done? Is it how he is able to stay connected to teachers and students while climbing up to the next level of his leadership?
There are four vital ingredients to provide more schools with excellent principals. First and foremost is commitment. The commitment of the district to reach all students with excellent teaching with teachers having effective leadership and a superb school staffing design with great design decisions are all essential.
Next are having multi-classroom leaders. In here, a teacher leads small teams in charge of one or more grades or subjects. The teams co-plan, co-teach, and coach teachers. They are responsible for the entire team’s student outcomes including academic and extra-curricular achievements and teacher development.
The third is having principals leading the multi-classroom leaders as a team developing instructions and implementing a culture of excellence in the whole school. Lastly is the multi-school leadership where great principals reach out to small numbers of schools to develop principals-in-training or are novice.
If every great principal led other smaller schools as a multi-school leader, eventually, every school will have the opportunity to have excellent principal as well. Same is true for the great teacher-leader who has more authority and accountability, and of course, more pay than usual for proper compensation.
How are these feasible? There is a model called Opportunity Culture model where the reach of excellent teachers and their teams is extended to more students for more pay within budget. The team and administrators meet and discuss on redoing schedules, reallocating money to fund projects and pay supplements permanently instead of grant-funded programs.
The school, in turn, makes available additional school day time for planning and collaboration. The outcomes indicate whether there is more high growth or less low growth among students in comparison with other schools and strong teacher satisfaction. This means a sustainable leadership machine with a bigger channel of great leaders for schools and teaching teams, established on the job from the start of their teaching careers, and earning more than usual within repetitive budgets.
References:
Kate Rousmaniere,the Principal’s Office: A Social History of the American School Principal(State University of New York Press; 2013)
Gregory Branch,Eric Hanushek, and Steven G. Rivkin, “School Leaders Matter: Measuring the impact of effective principals,” ‘’Education Next’’ 13(1), Winter 2013.
Ritchie, Shawna (January 2010).“Innovation in Action: An Examination of Charter Schools in Alberta”(PDF). The West in Canada Research Series. Canada West Foundation. p. 9. RetrievedMarch 14,2012.
By: Heidi N. Gatchula | Teacher III | New Alion Elementary School
