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SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
Term Paper ID:23086
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Essay Subject:
Assesses a successful principal's skills, training, wisdom, decision making, adaptability, leadership, motivation, as role model, strategic planning.... More...
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6 Pages / 1350 Words
6 sources, 20 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Assesses a successful principal's skills, training, wisdom, decision making, adaptability, leadership, motivation, as role model, strategic planning.
Paper Introduction:
The presence of a strong principal is a prerequisite for the success of any educational institution. A principal must have a clear vision of the future direction of his or her school and the leadership ability to bring the dream to fruition. Because schools reflect the increasing complexity of society as a whole, modern principals find themselves faced with unprecedented challenges in maintaining quality educational environments.
Webster (1994) conducted a three-year study of high school principals, which examined the various roles they play in today's high schools. The study involved visits and interviews in more than 150 high schools in 23 states and 7 countries. The study encompassed each geographic area of the United States (New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, Rocky Mountains, Far West, and Alaska) as well as schools in Indonesia,
Text of the Paper:
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Because school administration effectiveness is largely based onpersonalized systems of trial and error, one of the most critical skillsfor principals is flexibility. Nor are principals afforded adequate inductionprograms once they assume positions of leadership: "A new principal gets atitle, an office, a set of keys, many responsibilities and obligations, andis expected to be fully accountable from day one" (Elsberry and Bishop,1996, p. The study encompassed eachgeographic area of the United States (New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast,Southwest, Midwest, Rocky Mountains, Far West, and Alaska) as well asschools in Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Brazil, Canada,and Scotland. 12-15. and Rogus, J. Because human nature is such an important factor in successful teambuilding, principals must possess a basic understanding of group dynamics.All employees have basic psychological and emotional needs. 67). A new deal for newprincipals. Because schools reflect the increasingcomplexity of society as a whole, modern principals find themselves facedwith unprecedented challenges in maintaining quality educationalenvironments. The wise principal understands that there isstrength in diversity. (1995, November). Raisch, C.D. 27-29. Workshops, trainingseminars, books, and audiotapes are all methods useful in stimulating thistype of visualization. Principal, pp. "(Raisch and Rogus, 1995, p. 24).Principals establish the ground rules for the participation of other schoolstaff in the decision making process. Boyer (1995) contends that a principal's obligation to students goesbeyond ensuring the indoctrination of basic literary and critical thinkingskills; today's schools must also make a commitment to building character.In a survey of junior high school students, over one-third expressedconcern about cheating and stealing at their schools and over two-thirdswere bothered by noisy and disruptive students during class (Boyer, 1995,p. The largest percentage of principals reported that the mostfrustrating aspect of their jobs related to apathetic teachers and parentswho fostered environments that contributed to the underperformance ofstudents (Webster, 1994, p. and Bishop, H. Elsberry, C. Lopez, M. Few of today's principals receive the management training necessaryto formulate the sophisticated solutions necessitated by the complexproblems of the 199 s. The social agencies thatprincipals work most closely with are police and sheriff's departments andsocial agencies that serve juvenile clients. At-risk principals: Strategies forsurvival. 1 ). Only principals who assert strongeducational leadership can meet the challenges of tomorrow's schools. Becausecurricula is usually established at the state and district levels,principals have the least amount of authority in this particular area. 6 ). Faced with shrinking school budgets, manyadministrators are severely hindered in their efforts to ensure that thepotential of each student is developed. Efforts to improve the quality of education throughinstituting innovative programs are too often met with staff resistance tochange, particularly where major restructuring efforts are involved. Strategicplans are only effective if they are implemented, however. Making a commitment to character.Principal, pp. The average school size was 1,12 students; some wereracially mixed, others were close to 1 percent minority or 1 percentwhite. 29). 8-11. Quality working relationships requiretime and nurturing. What is needed is activevisualization, training the mind's eye to see the dream as reality: "If wecan see it in great detail in our mind's eye, we take the first step towardachieving it in reality" (Clark, 1995, p. Unfortunately, the principal has little control overthe level of funding received by the schools; thus financial constraintsare a source of considerable frustration (Lopez, 1995, p. 6). An interesting observation of the study was that Webster (1994) wasunable to discern a "model" of the high school principal. The existence of such relationships is a prerequisiteto creating an environment that facilitates improvement and change. A critical role of the principal is the combined responsibility ofleader, motivator, and supporter of teachers. The presence of a strong principal is a prerequisite for the successof any educational institution. Principals mustbe willing to rethink past strategies and reinvent the basic structure oftheir school environments. Most principals expressed the desire for a similar strengtheningof ties with institutions of higher education. Webster (1994) conducted a three-year study of high schoolprincipals, which examined the various roles they play in today's highschools. The principal's role as manager of students is considered to be themost important function of the job and the source of the greatest jobsatisfaction. Clark (1995) contends that merely putting a school's missionstatement in writing is inadequate. Webster(1994) found that principals enjoy a higher degree of autonomy thanreflected in recent literature on the subject: "The movement toward site-based decision making, although in many cases in its beginning stages, isstarting to become a significant element in managing schools, with theprincipal now receiving greater freedom in making decisions" (p. Voices in the hall: High school principals atwork. . 11). Lopez (1995) confirms this assessment,particularly for principals who are faced with the challenges presented byinner-city schools, "Because we were dealing with non-traditional familiesand non-traditional students, we often found it necessary to discover orinvent new approaches to everything from building maintenance to parentinvolvement" (p. Principals reported that the business community is becoming increasinglyinvolved in school improvement efforts, most commonly by giving financialsupport for specific programs, serving as mentors, or conducting inservicetraining. 5 ). (1995, May). Principal, pp. References Boyer, E. (1995, September). The School Administrator, pp. 28-31. A principal must have a clear vision ofthe future direction of his or her school and the leadership ability tobring the dream to fruition. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.----------------------- 1 Clark, S. One of the roles that principals feel the least effective in is therole of change agent. The fast-paced, ever-changing school environment mandates thatprincipals discard the outdated model of omniscient patriarch. Principals also work withvarious business organizations such as Rotary Clubs, chambers of commerce,and trade groups. What leadership skills do principals reallyneed? (1994). Clearly, schools which take active roles in supporting educationbased on basic values like honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion,self-discipline, and perseverance are enriching the learning experience forthe majority of students. One of the key roles of the principal is decision maker. According to Clark (1995), the following are the leadershipskills that principals really need: team building, an understanding ofhuman nature, creative visualization, and the ability to develop andimplement strategic plans. (1996, January). Skills in strategic planning are necessary for principals to guidetheir teams in determining and meeting the needs of the future. Inaddition, most principals confessed that they simply did not have the timeto act as instructional leaders: "In most instances, the department chairwas the primary mover in instructional improvement" (Webster, 1994, p. Principals see it as their duty to encourage greaterparental involvement in the schools, particularly in jurisdictions withsignificant enrollments of minority students. Typically, principals believe that applying a program that hasworked at another school to their own situation is sufficient to getpersonnel involved in school reform: "Most change is thrust upon people atthe school site without regard for the human relationships that exist inthe building" (Clark, 1995, p. . Fostering a supportiveenvironment empowers and enables teachers to do their best work:"Effective principal behavior leads teachers to feel comfortable withthemselves [and] expands the limits of their teaching efforts . Principals are comfortable in their roles asleaders, but few identify or maintain a distinct leadership strategy:"Their styles could best be referred to as crisis management, rather than acoherent set of interrelated experiences" (Webster, 1994, p. 29). Most managedtheir schools based on their past experience as teacher or administrator,rarely citing theoretical foundations or studies as factors in theirdecision making processes (p. The principal has considerableauthority in personnel matters. (1995, May). 32). The wiseprincipal knows how to tap the resources of all in-house and community teammembers. 9). The School Administrator, pp. Given the violent nature of urban high school campuses, manyprincipals expressed the goal of making the school grounds a "safe haven"for students. Webster, W. Although acknowledging that teachersshould have a greater share in the decision making process, most principalspoint to their status as the final authority in their rationale forlimiting teacher involvement. 15). Principalsmust be prepared to capitalize on the strengths and compensate for theweaknesses of the combined school/student/community team: "They mustunderstand how each member learns, reacts to stress, and communicates"(Clark, 1995, p. Principals must possess skills in creating visions and dreaming aboutthe future. As one principal stated,"I'm involved in many community clubs and committees, and I work hard atbeing visible and accessible to everybody" (Webster, 1994, p. The most typicalcollege majors of these principals were social studies education andEnglish education. The principal also plays a key role indispensing funds allocated to the school for instructional supplies andclassroom materials. The median age of principals interviewed was 43, of which 27percent were women and 18 percent held doctorate degrees. The study involved visits and interviews in more than 15 highschools in 23 states and 7 countries. 32-35. In order to succeed, principals must becomeproactive instead of oriented toward crisis management. 37). Modern school administration mandates that principals increasinglyassume the role of community leader and activist. This role often takes ona political flavor, as principals formulate strategies of interaction withkey community groups, agencies, and institutions. 28). Helping the troubledprincipal.
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