Download the full version of the ebook at

https://ebookultra.com

The Principal s Companion Strategies to Lead

Schools for Student and Teacher Success Pam
Robbins

https://ebookultra.com/download/the-principal-s-
companion-strategies-to-lead-schools-for-student-
and-teacher-success-pam-robbins/

Explore and download more ebook at https://ebookultra.com

 Recommended digital products (PDF, EPUB, MOBI) that
you can download immediately if you are interested.

How Schools Counter Bullying Policies and Procedures in

Selected Australian Schools School Principal s Handbook
Ken Rigby
https://ebookultra.com/download/how-schools-counter-bullying-policies-
and-procedures-in-selected-australian-schools-school-principal-s-
handbook-ken-rigby/
ebookultra.com

The Student s Companion to Geography 2nd Edition Alisdair

Rogers

https://ebookultra.com/download/the-student-s-companion-to-
geography-2nd-edition-alisdair-rogers/

ebookultra.com

The Art Teacher s Survival Guide for Elementary and Middle

Schools 3rd Edition Helen D. Hume

https://ebookultra.com/download/the-art-teacher-s-survival-guide-for-
elementary-and-middle-schools-3rd-edition-helen-d-hume/

ebookultra.com

The Adult Student s Guide to Survival Success 6th Edition

Al Siebert Phd

https://ebookultra.com/download/the-adult-student-s-guide-to-survival-
success-6th-edition-al-siebert-phd/

ebookultra.com
La Salle in Texas A Teacher s Guide for the Age of
Discovery and Exploration 1st Edition Pam Wheat-Stranahan

https://ebookultra.com/download/la-salle-in-texas-a-teacher-s-guide-
for-the-age-of-discovery-and-exploration-1st-edition-pam-wheat-
stranahan/
ebookultra.com

Developing Successful K 8 Schools A Principal prime s

Guide 1st Edition Jon W. Wiles

https://ebookultra.com/download/developing-successful-k-8-schools-a-
principal-prime-s-guide-1st-edition-jon-w-wiles/

ebookultra.com

Success as an Online Student Strategies for Effective

Learning 1st Edition Kevin J. Fandl And Jamie D. Smith
(Auth.)
https://ebookultra.com/download/success-as-an-online-student-
strategies-for-effective-learning-1st-edition-kevin-j-fandl-and-jamie-
d-smith-auth/
ebookultra.com

Managing the profitable construction business the

contractor s guide to success and survival strategies 2nd
Edition Murdough
https://ebookultra.com/download/managing-the-profitable-construction-
business-the-contractor-s-guide-to-success-and-survival-
strategies-2nd-edition-murdough/
ebookultra.com

The Disciplined Investor Essential Strategies for Success

2nd Edition Andrew Horowitz

https://ebookultra.com/download/the-disciplined-investor-essential-
strategies-for-success-2nd-edition-andrew-horowitz/

ebookultra.com
The Principal s Companion Strategies to Lead Schools for
Student and Teacher Success Pam Robbins Digital
Instant Download
Author(s): Pam Robbins; Harvey B. Alvy
ISBN(s): 9781452287591, 1452287597
Edition: Paperback
File Details: PDF, 3.70 MB
Year: 2014
Language: english
2
To Bonnie, with love you’ve made it all possible
And to Rebecca, our role model

To David J. Robbins, a teacher

and leader whose message about
the power of relationships continues
to influence who we are and our work
To Muriel Robbins, a teacher,
counselor, and musician who inspires us with
her wisdom, commitment to serving others,
spirit, and personal example
To Ray, your love and encouragement
remind us of the important things in life
and to
Lydia and Alex, your dedication
to make a difference in the world matters

3
4
Copyright © 2014 by Corwin

All rights reserved. When forms and sample documents are included, their use is authorized only by educators, local school
sites, and/or noncommercial or nonprofit entities that have purchased the book. Except for that usage, no part of this book
may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

A catalog record of this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4522-8759-1

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

14 15 16 17 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

5
FOR INFORMATION:

Corwin
A SAGE Company
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320
(800) 233-9936
www.corwin.com

SAGE Publications Ltd.

1 Oliver’s Yard
55 City Road
London EC1Y 1SP
United Kingdom

SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.

B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area
Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044
India

SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.

3 Church Street
#10-04 Samsung Hub
Singapore 049483

Acquisitions Editor: Arnis Burvikovs

Associate Editor: Desirée A. Bartlett
Editorial Assistant: Ariel Price
Production Editor: Amy Joy Schroller
Copy Editor: Amy Rosenstein
Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Proofreader: Dennis W. Webb
Indexer: Rick Hurd
Cover Designer: Karine Hovsepian

6
 Contents

Foreword

By Kent D. Peterson

Preface
Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Part I: The Principal’s Many Roles

1. Leader as Learner
Principal as Lifelong Learner
Learning in Many Contexts
The Expanding Role of the Principal
A Global Perspective
When Old and New Ideas Converge
Reflections

2. Leader as Manager
Instructional Leadership Requires Effective Management
Management Responsibilities and Strategies
Crisis Management Planning
A Final Observation Regarding School Management
Reflections

3. Leader as Shaper of School Culture

Defining Culture
Core Values and Beliefs Are the Heart of Culture
The Physical Environment Reflects Core Values: Portraits of Practice
Rituals Display Core Values and Call Attention to What Is Important
Celebrations Call Attention to What Is Important

7
 How People Spend Time Reflects Core Values
Norms Are the Unwritten Rules of Culture
Powerful Stories Communicate and Reinforce Cultural Values
Reading, Transforming, or Shaping a Culture
Final Thoughts on Culture
Reflections

Part II: Critical Skills for Effective Leadership

4. The Art of Human Relations: Getting the Job Done

Task and Relationship Behaviors
Differentiated Support
Personality Styles
Recommendations for Skillful Human Relations
The Role of Emotions in the Organization: Remembering the Heart
Reflections

5. Managing Time: Leading With Purpose

Brevity, Fragmentation, and Variety
Techniques for Time Management
Managing Bifocally
Multitasking: A Modern-Day Solution or Hazard?
Final Thoughts on Using Time
Reflections

6. Effectively Working With the Central Office: Coordinating Teaching, Learning, and
Professional Development
Caught in the Middle
How Is the School District Governed?
Communication Between the Schools and the Central Office
The District Office as a Teaching and Learning Center
The District Office and Principal Evaluations: Partnering for Success
Management Tips for Working With the Central Office
Maintaining a Strong Relationship Between the Central Office and the School

8
 Forging a School and Central Office Partnership: Putting Staff and Student
Learning First
Reflections

Part III: Honoring the School’s Mission

7. Understanding, Planning, and Implementing Change

Guiding the Change Journey: Three Questions
Understanding Change
Change Brings Loss and Resistance
Change Influences Individuals and the Organization
Failure, Risk-Taking, and Conflict: Ingredients for Change
Strategies to Promote Trust

With Konni deGoeij

Classical Insights Regarding Change and Continuous Improvement

Three Phases of Change
A Look at Change From the Individual’s Perspective
Stages of Concern
Some Final Thoughts on Change
Reflections

8. Building a Vision and a Mission Together

Reflecting on Vision and Mission
Why Have a Shared School Vision and Mission?
School Activities That Highlight the Mission
Mission-Building Activity
Developing Yearly School Improvement Goals to Accomplish the Mission
Reflections

Part IV: Working Together to Build a Learning Community

9. Enhancing Teacher Growth Through Supervision and Evaluation Practices Designed

to Promote Student Learning
Issues and Dilemmas

9
 Essential Ingredients for Successful Supervision
Effective Instructional Strategies
Brain-Compatible Teaching Practices
Guidelines to Successfully Navigate Through Required State and District Teacher
Evaluations Frameworks
Increasing Teacher and Administrative Understanding Through Reflective Clinical
Supervision
Tips for Conferencing and Observing
Walk-Throughs, Instructional Rounds, Snapshots, or Drive-Bys
Guidelines Related to Evaluation and Legal Concerns
Final Thoughts on Supervision and Evaluation
Reflections

10. Maximizing Feedback About Teaching: Differentiated Professional Growth Options

Reflections on Feedback
Creating the Environment for Maximizing Feedback
Building a Foundation: Getting Started
Moving Toward Collaborative Feedback
Differentiated Professional Growth Options: How the System Works
Sources of Feedback: Categories and Approaches
Self-Assessment: Establishing Benchmarks of Progress
Individual Reflection and Institutional Renewal
Reflections

11. Building a Collaborative School: The Power of Teacher Leadership and Community
Portrait of a Collaborative School: A Professional Learning Community
An Image of Reality: Obstacles to Collaboration
The Case for Collaboration
Moving Toward Collaboration
Necessary Conditions for a Collaborative School
Teacher Leadership and the Collaborative School
The Principal and Collaboration
Some Final Thoughts on Collaboration

10
 Reflections

12. Fueling the Learning Organization Through Professional Development

Why Professional Development?
Professional Development Defined
Standards for Professional Learning
Creating a Context Where Professional Learning Thrives: Some Guidelines
Leadership Teams and Professional Learning
Optimizing the Individual’s Professional Learning Experience
Central Office Support for Professional Learning

With Elsie Rodriguez

Final Thoughts on Professional Learning

Reflections

13. Faculty Meetings: A Tool for Capacity Building

Faculty Meetings as Learning Opportunities—Getting Started
The School Mission and Faculty Meetings
Increasing Teachers’ Roles in Faculty Meetings
Successful Faculty Meetings: Stories of Practice
Faculty Meeting Strategies That Work!
A Final Thought
Reflections

14. Asking the Right Questions About Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Getting
to Know the C.I.A.
We Live in Interesting Times
Asking the Right Questions
Continuing the Curriculum Discussion
Reflections

Part V: Starting Effectively and Staying the Course

15. First Days of School

Logistical Concerns

11
 Beginning-of-the-Year Faculty Meetings Set a Tone
Departmental and Grade-Level Meetings
Orienting Teachers Who Are New to the School
Teacher Time in the Classroom
Welcoming Students and Parents
Be Visible on the First Days of School
Reflections

16. Tips: Ideas That Work and Align With the School’s Mission
Organizing Your Time
Additional Helpful Ideas to Stay on Task
Tips From a Superintendent: What Makes a Successful 21st Century Principal?

By Dr. Deb Clemens

The School Budget: Commonsense Efficiency Tips Based on the Mission

Providing Experiences to Celebrate the School’s Culture
Tips on Opening a New School

By Dr. Becky Berg

Tips on Using Technology to Enhance a Principal’s Performance

By Brent Howard and Scott Friedman

Using Tips in Your Setting

Reflections

Part VI: Embracing Your Constituencies

17. Working With Parents and Partnering With the Greater Community
Effectively Communicating With Parents
Building Bridges With the Parent Community
Additional Ways to Bring Parents and Community Members Into School
Broadening School Support and Partnerships
Community-Based Organizations
Seeking School Support Through Educational Grants
Reaching Out and Working With the Media
A Reflection on Partnering With Parents and the Community

12
 Reflections

18. Making a Difference for Students: The Heart of the School

The Challenge of Excellence and Equality, Social Justice, and School Leadership
“Those Kids” and Their Stories
The Right to Be a Child and to Make Mistakes
Maximizing Opportunities for Students With Disabilities
Response to Intervention
School Discipline: The Principal’s Role, the Discipline Gap, and Promising
Options
Broad Disciplinary Guidelines
Reducing Bullying Behavior
Cyberbullying and Social Responsibility
Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth
Graduating America’s Youth: Making Progress on a Long Road
Principal Lori Wyborney: Making a Difference at Rogers High School
Student and Teacher Resiliency
Final Thoughts on “Those Kids”
Reflections

Part VII: The Principal’s Professional and Personal Worlds

19. The Newcomer to the Principalship

Problems That Challenge New Principals
A Profile of the New Principal
Helping Prospective and New Principals Make the Grade
Practical Suggestions for Newcomers
Final Thoughts on the Newcomer Experience
Reflections

20. Taking Care of Yourself

Achieving Success Over Stress
Taking Control of Time
Towards Realizing the Vision: A Personal Mission Statement

13
 Gaining Perspective by Spending Time With Students
Body and Mind: Healthy and Ill Together
Reflections

21. Keeping the Professional Candle Lit

Institutionalizing Professional Learning
Reflection as a Tool
A Principal’s Portfolio
Other Growth Opportunities
Reflections

22. Reflections on the Principalship

Serving the School Community
Where Do We Go From Here?
The Good School
Take Time to Smell the Roses
Reflections

References and Additional Readings

Index

14
 Foreword

Kent D. Peterson

Professor Emeritus
University of Wisconsin–Madison

T heusefulness
fourth edition of The Principal’s Companion maintains the relevance, quality, and
of the earlier editions. Continuing the clear and cogent writing and thinking of
the first three editions, this volume provides an enormous wealth of ideas, information, and
conceptual models that will be important to aspiring principals, new principals, and
experienced principals as well.

In addition to updating new knowledge about leadership, curriculum and instruction, the
change process, working with the community, and many other topics, this edition adds
considerably to our understanding and concerns about bullying, the use of data for decision
making, and student differences. Both the updating and the new topics make this a very
contemporary look at how to be an excellent principal in the 21st century.

While the number of chapters may seem a little daunting, all work well together. The
organization of the ideas makes the book highly useful whether read through or delved into
topically. The chapters cover all the major tasks, responsibilities, and roles of school
principals. These can be read as stand-alone sections, when the reader wishes to dig deeply
into that topic such as working with parents or faculty meetings. Or they can be read as a
well-sequenced look at the principalship overall.

The Contents section offers an excellent overview of the broad and well thought out set of
ideas found in this book. The set of topics and the organization of sections, chapter titles, and
section headings are themselves a useful tool for an aspiring or new principal. The ideas and
issues addressed and described in the Contents provide a useful organizer for thinking about
the principalship. But to gain the full benefit of the book, a close read of the chapters is
needed.

Some chapters attend to specific aspects of the school year, the roles one takes, the nature

15
of a principal’s relationships, and the personal side of leading. Some focus on particular
aspects of the principal’s year—such as the first days of school—and provide thoughtful and
useful ideas on that time period. Other chapters look at various roles of the principal—
shaping the school’s culture, developing the vision and mission of the school, or engaging
parents—and detail concrete and specific ways of taking on these roles effectively. Several
chapters speak to the nature of a principal’s relationships with teachers, parents, and central
office. These are definitely a must-read, for these relationships often make or break a school.
A set of chapters address the importance of attending to the emotional and personal needs of
a leader, which, if ignored, will affect the quality of relationships and even one’s health. These
chapters are rich with insight.

The fourth edition comes to us from two highly reflective practitioners and thinkers who
have brought a wealth of useful ideas and knowledge from a wide array of sources. The book
is conceptual and practical, readable and complex, as well as useful and applicable.

Books for principals and aspiring principals should foster careful thinking and relevant
skills in an easily accessible format. The Principal’s Companion, fourth edition, accomplishes
these things in a highly usable format. The richness of ideas, breadth of examples, and
thoughtful questioning make this book applicable for the development of more successful
leaders as well.

Effective principals should not be a luxury that schools only occasionally enjoy. Rather,
effective leadership is needed and required in all schools. This fourth edition provides an
enhanced array of the most current ideas and research for achieving this important end.

16
 Preface

A lone, the principal often wonders, “Am I doing the right thing? Have I demonstrated a
commitment to the success of each teacher and student? Have I taken a moral stand to
represent the voiceless?” Although she is surrounded by hundreds of individuals on a daily
basis, the school principal ironically often feels isolated when key decisions need to be made,
for there is no colleague on-site with the same role. For example, alone in her office, a high
school principal wonders about the subtle and not-so-subtle remarks students are making
about ethnicity. Having 54 nationalities represented in the school could make it a potential
tinderbox or an incredible context for teaching tolerance, social justice, valuing diversity, and
building understanding. Her leadership actions will have a profound affect in determining
which of these possibilities becomes reality.

Many principals reflect on the nature of their work and describe it as characterized by
paradox. Some say that they feel like they are alone and in the spotlight at the same time.
Alone, in the privacy of his office, a middle school principal, having heard from teachers
about several students being bullied, wonders why the school’s commitment to address this
issue has not succeeded. The secretary then informs the principal that several concerned
parents have called asking to see him and an assistant principal concerning the issue. A local
reporter has also called to ask for an interview with the principal on cyberbullying in the
school.

Principals feel alone when asked to lead an effort in an area in which they have received
little formal training. One district sent out an August memo to all principals indicating that
they will be using the new teacher evaluation system this school year. The principals have
received two days of training on the new system and instruments. Upon reading this memo,
an elementary principal reflects, “I’m pleased that we are taking evaluation seriously, but I do
not have enough training. Shouldn’t we first pilot the instrument? How am I going to build
trust with the faculty? This is a big part of my job, yet I have never really had any guidance on
how to do this.”

Creating a learning environment that promotes college and career readiness, teacher
accountability, raising student achievement, 21st century skills, diversity, tolerance, and social

17
justice, as well as academics, school safety, environmental guidelines that protect the health
and general welfare of staff and students, developing and maintaining a green focus, social
and emotional learning, and with diminished resources . . . never before has the principal’s
role as a public figure been so demanding. What’s more, there is pressure to perform in a
context where others frequently offer “expert” advice. After all, everyone’s been to school! But
what is the best decision? How can the principal ensure what is in the best interest of
students and staff? Because of questions like these, we wrote The Principal’s Companion.

WHY A FOURTH EDITION?

Although some educational issues remain constant, practitioners, researchers, the daily news,
and the Internet remind us that much of the educational landscape has changed since the
2009 third edition of The Principal’s Companion. In response to these changes, the fourth
edition includes more than 200 new references and examines the principal’s role in relation to
various topics, including the following:

• Shifts in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development

• Federal legislation that affects practice—from No Child Left Behind to Race to the
Top
• Principal standards and expectations for the 21st century
• Common Core State Standards
• Moral leadership, social justice, and committing to students without privilege
• Addressing the achievement, opportunity, and discipline gaps
• Supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students
• Accountability and state testing
• Assessment and data-driven decisions
• Teacher supervision and evaluation process that enhances the quality of student work
and achievement
• Updated instructional implications of brain research
• Walk-through supervisory approaches and instructional rounds guided by the concept
of visible learning and feedback from students
• Strategies to enhance teacher conferencing and observations
• Approaches to improve graduation rates

18
 • Crisis management after Sandy Hook Elementary School
• Trust and leadership
• Classroom management strategies that address system inequities
• Bullying, cyberbullying, and social and community responsibility
• Strategies to work with all parent communities
• Teacher leadership and leadership teams
• A model to promote student learning (a revised graphic: the student learning nexus)
reflecting current trends to support supervisors and teacher leaders
• Structures for professional development that build individual and schoolwide capacity
to address differentiated staff and student needs in ways that leave their mark on policy
and practice
• Faculty meetings and a faculty meeting planning template
• Shaping school cultures to promote professional learning communities and the
expanded role of teacher leadership teams
• Storytelling as a powerful culture-shaping leadership tool
• Social and emotional learning
• The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and Response
to Intervention
• Technology as a leadership, teaching, and professional development resource
• Tips on budgeting during tough times
• Superintendent expectations for principals
• Websites on leadership topics

Some of these issues have historically been part of the administrator’s work life, but many
are new or are being spotlighted more emphatically now than in the past. As authors, we
continue to feel compelled to explore both research and practice to support principals in their
quest to effectively address important issues. However, we are quite cautious about taking on
topics simply because they are in vogue. Our focus in The Principal’s Companion is steered by
a continuing commitment to promoting those actions that best serve all students and a belief
that relationship building and communication skills represent critical leadership abilities. For
example, high test scores on challenging state and national performance measures are
certainly important. But equally important is developing within students a reverence for

19
learning and those social and emotional skills that enable them to become contributing
citizens in a democratic society. Although these attitudes and skills often are not measured
formally, research shows that they are essential to leading a satisfying life and fostering a
healthy 21st century society.

ENDURING FEATURES OF THE BOOK

The Principal’s Companion seeks to explore both classical and current leadership issues that are
likely to impact student learning for many years to come. The primary purposes of this book
remain the same—to provide ideas, approaches, strategies, resources, tools, techniques, and
reflective opportunities for practicing and aspiring principals and to facilitate educational
improvement when and where it counts, in every classroom and school, each and every day.

There are countless theories and ideas about leadership, but there is no one secret formula
for success. Effective leaders invent creative solutions as they face challenges associated with
new demands on their role or new situations and examine the consequences of their actions,
often making midcourse corrections. As one principal put it, “I try to make thoughtful
decisions. Operating by the seat of one’s pants is not the best way ‘to do’ the principalship.
Yet the work demands that one address issues as they emerge. The bottom line is you try to
do what is best for students and staff.” Although principals cannot succeed without a
fundamental understanding of theory, because of the immediacy of workplace demands, they
often hunger for tried-and-true practices. Both theory and practice are essential for effective
leadership.

Experience tells us that many principals have discovered strategies to tackle problems
similar to those faced by their colleagues. However, because of the isolation that characterizes
the principalship, there are seldom avenues to tap this tremendous potential treasure. The
Principal’s Companion mines multiple sources to provide practical strategies for principals who
often operate alone. School principals need to know that they are part of a learning
community of educational companions working together to help colleagues be the best they
can be. This combined collegial effort will help principals create the kind of teaching and
learning environment that supports teachers’ efforts to bring about successful student
performance. The interactive nature of the book, with reflective questions at the end of each
chapter, is intended to help principals feel as if there is a colleague out there with whom to
interact. The reader also will “hear” the voices of many practitioners who are quoted
throughout the text. This will give current and aspiring principals a perspective of what it is

20
like in the field and different contexts to help them connect with others. Ultimately,
newcomers and seasoned principals will learn that all of us make mistakes, meet challenges,
and succeed.

Although this book is written primarily for current and aspiring principals, it will also be of
interest to principal mentors, central office leaders, professional developers, university
professors, school board members, directors of national and international principals’ centers
and associations, and leadership consultants.

Recognizing that principals are quite busy and have little time to waste, the chapters in this
book have been kept short and to the point. Each one reflects a topic that principals have
indicated is important. The ideas, experiences, strategies, and techniques described in each
chapter are grounded in research and practice. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions
so that the reader can write reflections inspired by the chapter or note strategies that he or she
wants to try. This is an invitation to write between the lines, to add to one’s collective
knowledge base, thus enhancing the value of the book for the reader. Each chapter is
designed to stand on its own and can be read in one sitting.

Success in the principalship depends on many factors. This book addresses these factors in
seven parts, with chapters included under umbrella themes:

Part I: The Principal’s Many Roles describes the roles of learner, manager, communicator, and
leader during a crisis, co-creator of the learning organization, and shaper of school culture.
This section makes a strong case for recognizing that effective principals and assistant
principals play a variety of roles—all of which are necessary for instructional leadership and
the essential role of teacher leadership teams. Fulfilling the roles that create a climate for
growth, making sure schedules work, and setting a personal example of learning from
successes and mistakes are some of the issues we address in this section.

Part II: Critical Skills for Effective Leadership examines and makes many suggestions
regarding effective human relations strategies characterized by emotional intelligence and the
vitally important function of time management and working effectively with the central
office. We emphasize that these are critical areas because one cannot get the job done without
succeeding in cultivating, practicing, and maintaining collegial relationships at the school site
and central office and without taking control of one’s time.

21
Part III: Honoring the School’s Mission concentrates on the importance and process of mission
building as a guiding force in the organization. We examine how to implement change in a
way that provides meaning and constant renewal of the school’s mission and generates
commitment to the change among organizational members with an emphasis on the critical
role of trust and how school leaders cultivate and sustain trust.

Part IV: Working Together to Build a Learning Community links a variety of components that
must interact synergistically if a school is to truly be a learning community. These
components include building a collaborative environment; promoting teacher leadership;
addressing critical issues in instruction, curriculum, and assessment that relate to classroom
decisions that enhance student work; effectively using faculty meetings as a tool for capacity
building; and meeting a variety of professional growth needs focused on building teachers’
collective capacity to promote student learning. Additional components include supervision
and evaluation of teachers to promote quality teacher decision making based on student
learning and strategies to maximize feedback to teachers regarding their performance in
meeting professional goals and student needs.

Part V: Starting Effectively and Staying the Course looks at the importance of providing
meaning to traditional events such as the first days of school or the opening of a new school.
Often principals miss opportunities to see how these events can serve as key tools for shaping
the school’s culture and providing a foundation for continuous growth. We also include an
expanded section on tips to enhance a principal’s effectiveness. Here, the reader will find
ideas about organizing time, budgeting when resources are scarce, planning for a new school,
using technology efficiently, and incorporating helpful strategies to stay on task.

Part VI: Embracing Your Constituencies provides strategies to enhance one’s interactions with
students, parents, and the greater community, including businesses, emergency service
personnel, social services, senior citizens, politicians, and the media. This section takes a
holistic approach, viewing parents and the greater community as an integral part of the
school, and examines social justice issues and efforts to improve graduation rates.

Part VII: The Principal’s Professional and Personal Worlds looks at the individual principal.
The focus here is to examine ways for the principal to grow, personally and professionally,
and to remain vibrant, healthy, and continuously engaged in the pursuit of best practice

22
regarding teaching, learning, and ethical school leadership.

The individual chapters serve as a menu of options from which the reader can select to
meet pressing needs, assist in planning, or use as a resource. Many readers of the earlier
editions commented that The Principal’s Companion validated their existing practices,
foreshadowed situations that needed to be addressed, and raised the bar for professional
practice. In lonely moments of reflection, it also served as a companion. As professional
colleagues, we welcome you in joining a continuous conversation about the principalship and
wish you much success in what we believe is a sacred profession.

Pam Robbins
Staunton, VA, and Napa, CA

Harvey B. Alvy
Cheney, WA

23
 Acknowledgments

H arvey Alvy’s first principal while teaching at the Frederick Douglass School in Harlem,
the late Lionel McMurren, will always be remembered as an ethical leader whose
support for new teachers inspired them to reach great heights. Harvey is especially indebted
to other administrators, mentors, teachers, school secretaries, and friends who have shared
ideas, provided constructive criticism, and supported him as a teacher, elementary and
secondary principal, and Professor of Educational Administration at Eastern Washington
University. These include Ted Coladarci, Forrest Broman, David Chojnacki, Bob Gibson,
Richard Shustrin, Alan Siegel, Drew Alexander, Steve Kapner, Elaine Levy, Jane Liu, Don
Bergman, Rob Beck, Betty Bicksler, Nelson and Lisa File, Casey and Chris Tuckerman, Ken
Karcinell, Bob Connor, Bob Stockton, Paul Schmidt, Konni deGoeij, Uma Maholtra, Abby
Chill, Nili Sadovnik, Sandy Bensky, Les Portner, Joan Dickerson, Alan Coelho, Lynn
Briggs, Chris Valeo, Chris Steward, Ted Otto, Kathy Clayton, Mike Dunn, Deb Clemens,
Becky Berg, Sean Dotson, Josh Garcia, Troy Heuett, Billie Gehres, Sharon Jayne, Steve
Smedley, Tammy Campbell, Jim Howard, Larry Keller, Leonie Brickman, and the late Boni
Rahaman, Tom Overholt, Phil Snowdon, William C. Shreeve, and Len Foster. In addition, I
would like to acknowledge the wonderful administrators, teachers, and support staff of the
American Embassy School in New Delhi, India, the American International School in Israel,
the Singapore American School, and Eastern Washington University. To Norman Alvy and
Vicki Alvy, as mom said, and dad believed, “You’re the best.” Harvey’s wife, Bonnie, and
daughter Rebecca, as always, deserve a degree of recognition that cannot be measured; their
love is sustaining.

Pam Robbins would like to acknowledge Percy Haugen and Ernie Moretti, principals who
provided inspiring induction experiences for her as a teacher, modeled the role of learning
leaders, and created a sense of meaning and enthusiasm for her work as well as a commitment
to helping every student achieve. Pam would like to express deep appreciation and gratitude
to the many educators who continue to influence her work, offering guidance, valuable
insights, feedback, and professional learning. Special thanks are due to Margaret Arbuckle,
Roland Barth, Ginni Bauguess, Cindy Bevevino, Mike Bossi, Debbie Brown, Ginny
Connelly, Lee and Debbie Cooke, Ann Cunningham Morris, D. D. Dawson, Terry Deal,

24
Betsy Dunnenberger, Karen Dyer, Dot Earle, Maurice Elias, Carl Glickman, Gayle Gregory,
Tom Guskey, Doug Guynn, Leah Hanger Roadcap, Mark Hansen, Allen Haymon, DeWitt
House, Stephanie Hirsh, Tara Kidwell, Karen Steinbrink Koch, Lou Martin, George
Manthey, Kathleen McElroy, Ray McNulty, Jay McTighe, Patrice Newnam, Kent Peterson,
Leslie and Mike Rowland, Jane Scott, Dennis Sparks, Judith Warren Little, and Pat Wolfe.
The late Claudia Gallant, Gene Broderson, Jane Bailey, Gracia Alkema, Judy Arin Krupp,
Susan Loucks-Horsley, Frank Gomez, and Pat Schettini are gratefully remembered for their
professional colleagueship, wisdom, and the profound difference they made in my life and in
the field of education.

Heartfelt thanks are due to Ray Cubbage for his love, sage advice, companionship,
patience, and inspiration.

Finally, special thanks are due to Kim Gray for the countless hours she spent processing
this manuscript, for her perseverance, friendship, and her positive spirit.

PUBLISHER’S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Corwin would like to thank the following individuals for taking the time to provide their
editorial insight and guidance:

Dr. Phillip F. Diller, Associate Professor Educational Leadership

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, PA

Dr. Maria C. Guilott, Consultant

Retired in 2011 from the University of Southern Mississippi
Retired in 2007 from St. Tammany Parish Schools, LA

Dr. Roseanne Lopez, Executive Director of Elementary Education

Amphitheater Public Schools
Tucson, AZ

25
 About the Authors

Pam Robbins is an independent educational consultant who serves school

districts, educational service centers, professional associations, state
departments of education, leadership academies, universities, and
corporations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Great Britain,
the Far East, and South America. Pam’s professional interests include
leadership, supervision and evaluation, the leadership practices of Abraham Lincoln,
developing learning communities, brain research and effective teaching, instructional
strategies for the block schedule, peer coaching, mentoring, and presentation skills.

Pam began her teaching career in special education. Later, she taught in the intermediate
grades and coached high school basketball. As an administrator, she served as Director of
Special Projects and Research for the Napa (CA) County Office of Education, and Director
of Training for the North Bay California School Leadership Academy. Pam also provides
national and international professional learning sessions for the Department of Defense
Education Equity Division, the Ministry of Education in Singapore, Ford Motor Company,
the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the American
Society for Training and Development (ASTD), Learning Forward, Phi Delta Kappa
(PDK), the National Association of Elementary Principals (NAESP), National Association
of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and the National School Boards Association.

Pam earned her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. Her doctoral studies
focused on the leadership and development of learning communities. She was awarded the
Best Dissertation Award by the National Staff Development Council.

Pam can be contacted at [email protected].

Harvey B. Alvy served as a practicing principal for 14 years in both

elementary and secondary schools. His teaching career began at the
Frederick Douglass School in New York City, and he later taught in middle
and high schools in the United States and abroad. Overseas experiences
included the American School in Kinshasa, Zaire; the American
International School in Israel; the American Embassy School in New Delhi,

26
India; and Singapore American School. Harvey is a founding board member of the Principals’
Training Center for International Schools and was selected as a National Distinguished
Principal for American Overseas Schools by the National Association of Elementary School
Principals. In 2004 he received the Eastern Washington University (EWU) CenturyTel
Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence.

Harvey earned his doctorate in educational administration from the University of

Montana, focusing on the problems of new principals. He has conducted seminars,
workshops, and presentations both nationally and internationally on the newcomer to the
principalship, moral leadership, instructional leadership, effective supervision of teachers,
characteristics of great teachers, educational change, and the leadership of Abraham Lincoln.

Harvey held the William C. Shreeve Endowed Professorship in Educational

Administration until 2012 when he became Professor Emeritus at EWU. He can be reached
at [email protected].

27
 PART I
The Principal’s Many Roles

28
 1
Leader as Learner

It’s a new experience every day.

—A principal’s voice1

PRINCIPAL AS LIFELONG LEARNER

There is no setting in which the concept of the lifelong learner is more important than a
school. In fact, many professionals now conceptualize the school as a professional learning
community (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008) that nurtures a culture of learning not only
for students but also for administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents. This is a
powerful notion that can impact student success. As Barth (2001b) notes, “More than
anything else, it is the culture of the school that determines the achievement of teacher and
student alike” (p. 33).

Bennis and Nanus (1985) remind us that successful leaders take responsibility for their own
development and are perpetual learners. Schlechty (2001) stresses, “If the principal is to help
teachers improve what they do, the principal must continuously be learning to improve what
he or she is doing” (p. 145). Senge (1990) suggests that a characteristic of the successful leader
is the ability to instill in others the desire to learn what is necessary to help the organization
reach its mission. And George (2007) reflects, “Authentic leadership is empowering others on
their journeys. This shift is the transformation from ‘I’ to ‘We.’ It is the most important
process learners go through in becoming authentic” (p. 44). Applying this notion to the
principal of a school, the leader can model for everyone in the workplace what lifelong
learning means. For modeling to be effective, though, it should be sincere, consistent,
purposeful, and empowering. Thus modeling authentic and empowering leadership begins
with the character of the leader—and character is destiny. Zenger and Folkman, in their
research based on ratings of 25,000 leaders, remind us, “Everything about great leadership
radiates from character” (2002, p. ix). It is no surprise that the 2013 National Association of
Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP) report, Leadership Matters, notes, “Great schools do not exist apart from

29
great leaders” (NAESP & NASSP, 2013, p. 1). There are several ways to model effectively.

LEARNING IN MANY CONTEXTS

One way the principal can model lifelong learning is by continuing to participate in the
development and demonstration of effective teaching practices. For example, a principal
collaborating with teacher leaders can help create faculty meetings in which conversations
about teaching, learning, and assessment become institutionalized through various activities.
During these conversations, principals should purposefully support the remarks of both new
and veteran teachers to model a high regard for the contributions of all faculty. Another
context in which the principal can function as learner is during the supervision process. The
following scenario demonstrates how the leader-as-learner theme is played out in two ways:
learning about behaviors and activities that facilitate student and teacher learning, and also
behaviors and strategies that enhance the principal’s effectiveness in the supervisory process.

An effective and common supervisory technique includes a preobservation conference in

which the principal and a teacher, through a questioning process, work together to “unpack”
the teacher’s thinking about the lesson to be taught. Together they discuss learning
objectives, planned teaching behaviors, student activities, evidence of student learning, and
data the principal will be collecting. They discuss potential problems and fine-tune the lesson
plan. During the observation, the principal, steered primarily by the teacher’s request for
information, collects data. Collectively, teacher and principal learn about curricular,
instructional, and assessment practices that produce desired student outcomes. In the
postobservation conference, the principal and the teacher often examine student work and ask
questions that foster reflection on and analysis of the lesson. Together they discuss what
worked to facilitate student learning. At the conclusion of these reflections, they analyze what
would be done the same and what would be done differently if the lesson were to be taught
again.

Additionally, the principal asks, “Thinking about this conferencing process, what strategies
and techniques did I use that facilitated your thinking as a teacher?” The principal might also
ask, “What might I have done differently?” Thus the principal and the teacher collaboratively
analyze the conferencing practices that enhance or hinder teacher thinking and learning about
curriculum and instruction. Together they find ways to make the conferencing experience
worthwhile for both.

30
 Principal-as-student experiences can be an innovative way to provide a new perspective and
important insights about a school. The principal can spend time in classrooms taking on the
student role as a participant in a discussion, a team member in a cooperative group, or a
reader or teacher. A particularly successful principal-as-student strategy is “Principal for the
Day.” One high school principal holds an essay contest each year that results in a student
exchanging roles with the principal for one day. The principal takes on the class schedule of
the student selected as principal and completes the student’s homework assignments, attends
classes, and takes examinations. This is a wonderful way to celebrate learning, remain visible,
attend classes, and build relationships with students. It also increases the principal’s awareness
of the quality of classroom learning. These experiences can be shared on a schoolwide basis,
in faculty meetings, or with the school’s parent-teacher organization. Students and teachers
appreciate the interest in them and enjoy the novelty of the situation. If a principal has not
functioned in these roles before, it is critical to let teachers know ahead of time “what you’re
up to.”

The principal can teach demonstration lessons; possibly on critical thinking skills stressed
with the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and record
the lessons to use at a faculty meeting. This provides an opportunity to apply new ideas and
practices. Then the principal can talk with staff about experiences in teaching and learning
associated with presenting lessons. If the principal’s lesson is only fair, and the “rough edges
are showing,” this can be comforting to staff. It is nice to know that leaders are not flawless.
This builds trust because teachers realize that the principal has walked in their shoes, is
willing to accept feedback from the faculty, and has an understanding of classroom
conditions.

The principal can also function as a learner by reading and sharing research with teachers
and parents. By writing or speaking about new learnings, the principal can pass on knowledge
of recent research while modeling a love of learning.

Still another way that the principal functions in the learner role is by participating in
professional development sessions. Too often principals introduce speakers and run off to
another meeting. Principal participation emphasizes the importance of these professional
development opportunities and validates the teachers’ time spent in these sessions.

When the principal attends a conference, there are frequently opportunities to purchase
DVDs, podcasts, or download sessions. Teachers should be encouraged to do the same,

31
possibly even watching a live streaming video during the conference or on demand at a later
date. Try picking out the best sessions and starting a digital collection in the staff room,
teachers’ center, or library. These resources should be available for staff or parents. The
principal can also send a follow-up report on the conference to staff or sponsor a volunteer
brown-bag lunch on key conference ideas. If there is sufficient interest in a topic, wikis or
blogs can be initiated to engage in a discussion forum on the school district Web site.

Principals can help encourage Action Research projects by individuals or groups of teachers
on educational ideas of interest to the staff. To illustrate, in one school district several
elementary and high school teachers engaged in an Action Research project exploring the use
of student portfolios. The teachers met periodically to discuss their experiences and student
reactions, and the principal facilitated the process by helping to gather articles on portfolios,
keeping a record of the project, and helping to develop an Action Research report with the
staff. Staff who were planning to pursue the project during the following school year used
several recommendations from this report:

• Continuing the project on a voluntary basis

• Developing portfolio partners among the faculty to compare notes every couple of
weeks during the year
• Having students in one class share portfolios with other classes
• Collecting more nuts-and-bolts ideas on portfolios
• Recording oral readings or presentations of student work
• Refining ways to help students reflect on and evaluate their progress through self-
assessment and use of rubrics
• Helping teachers fine-tune their conferencing skills with students
• Providing strategies to help teachers structure classes to engage in frequent
conversations with individual or cooperative groups of students promoting higher level
questions based on close reading of nonfictional texts
• Considering strategies to present portfolios to parents during an evening or afternoon
of student-led conferences

These suggestions by teachers assisted both the principal and the teachers in their quest to
continually learn. By encouraging teachers to network and use the resources of a principal’s
office, including secretarial services, and maintaining a database on portfolio progress,

32
principals send a clear message of support for professional development and can be a great
help to teachers engaged in learning activities designed to enhance students’ classroom
experiences.

Another strategy to support learning includes organizing book study groups or clubs
among teachers and parents. When principals are involved in these groups as facilitators or
participants, the learning leader role is strengthened and modeled. In one high school a
successful book study group read Focus, by Mike Schmoker (2011b), and Drive, by Daniel
Pink (2009).

Principals who solicit comments about their job performance from staff members at the
end of the year send a strong message that they seek and appreciate staff input as another
resource to promote learning. Furthermore, asking for staff feedback models trust building, a
stance of openness, and a commitment to ongoing learning. The following form was used for
several years by one of the authors to gain faculty input on a principal’s performance:

Dear Faculty,

Over the years I have asked each faculty member with whom I have worked to give me
helpful hints to improve my job performance. I know that you are all very busy, but I
would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to answer the questions below and
help me evaluate my performance so I can do a better job next year. Obviously, your
comments will remain confidential. If you would like to remain anonymous, please word
process your comments. Please put your comments in the “Harvey” envelope on Prema’s
desk. I would appreciate your comments by the last faculty day, May 27.
Thanks, Harvey

1. What are some of the things that I am currently doing that you would like to see
me continue?

2. What am I currently doing that you would like to see me discontinue next year?

3. What suggestions do you have to help me improve my job performance (e.g., Is

there a particular area that I should pursue for additional training? Is there a book
or article that you suggest I read?)?

4. Do you have any additional comments?

33
 This procedure is simple to execute and often yields constructive feedback and helpful
ideas. It also provides an opportunity for the principal to assess the perceptions of staff in
relation to his or her self-perception. Feedback can be enhanced when the perspectives of
students, classified staff, parents, assistant principals, and community members are solicited.
This type of feedback, often referred to as 360-degree feedback, can offer multiple perspectives
for consideration.

Principals who keep reflective journals often share insights derived from this activity with
staff, which sometimes encourages staff members to become reflective about their own craft
experiences and practices. Supporting the notion of leader as learner, Barth (1990)
emphasizes principals’ tremendous capacity to release energy in a school by becoming
sustained, visible learners. Barth also describes the phenomenon of an “at-risk” principal as
any educator who leaves school at the end of the day with little possibility of continuing
learning about the work that he or she does (cited in Sparks, 1993, p. 19). Rolf P. Lynton of
the World Health Organization has also offered some powerful insights about reflection by
noting that we all go through events on a daily basis. What distinguishes an event from an
experience is that an event only becomes an experience after you have time to reflect.2 Each
experience offers an opportunity to learn. When teachers, students, and parents see a
principal’s desire to learn and share ideas, norms and expectations that celebrate learning can
develop within a school. Moreover, the learning leader model transfers to the classroom,
where teachers demonstrate for students that they, too, are both leaders and learners.

THE EXPANDING ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL

Researchers with The Wallace Foundation (2013), after conducting several studies on student
achievement and school leadership, reflected, “Ten years ago, school leadership was
noticeably absent from most school reform agendas, and even the people who saw leadership
as important to turning around failing schools expressed uncertainty about how to proceed.
What a difference a decade makes” (p. 5). With the advent of President Bush’s initiative, No
Child Left Behind in 2001, and President Obama’s Race to the Top grant program,
operating since 2009, researchers and school leaders have been looking for a formula to
achieve student success. Not surprisingly, the research consensus is that teachers have the
greatest impact on students, while the principal’s impact is indirect. “Principal’s work through
other leaders in schools to influence what goes on inside of classrooms” (Supovitz, Sirinides,
& May, 2010, p. 47) and, through their leadership work, “have the potential to unleash latent

34
capacities in organizations” (Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010, p. 6).

How can principals influence others? The fundamental leadership responsibilities are as
important as ever and remain the same: principals are expected to help create and strengthen
the mission and vision, shape the culture, take responsibility for instructional leadership, keep
the school safe and orderly, work with faculty and the community, act with integrity, and
respond to contextual influences outside of the school (Educational Leadership Policy
Standards, 2008). But the principalship has expanded.

Today principals are expected to

• advocate for all students advantaged and disadvantaged, including those facing
challenges because of racial, ethnic, religious, economic, exceptionality, gender, LGBT,
or homeless issues (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Johnson, 2013);
• facilitate the use of data-based decision making schoolwide and in individual
classrooms;
• support small nested and schoolwide professional learning communities to expand and
celebrate teacher leadership (NAESP, 2008);
• lead the effort to implement the CCSS aligned with coherent and specific curriculum
plans, instructional strategies, assessment measures, and focused staff development
initiatives (Jenkins & Pfeifer, 2012);
• recognize that workplace factors, such as building trust, are critical to new and veteran
teacher success and desire to stay at a specific school (Johnson, 2012);
• seize the advantages of communicating through advanced social networking
technologies, yet respecting the importance of traditional personal interaction with
students, teachers, families, and the community (Smith, 2013); and
• recognize that success as an instructional leader depends on management skills to
coordinate human and material resources focused on the school mission. Management
skills are particularly vital during this tough fiscal period with limited resources (The
Wallace Foundation, 2013).

A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

A leader’s commitment to promoting lifelong learning throughout an organization is simply a

smart strategy and an ethically wise decision when contemplating the world from a global

35
perspective. In his influential book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman (2005) discusses the
fact that successful corporations are cross-training their workers to develop multiple skills
because future employment will depend on a worker’s ability to be flexible and mobile: “The
whole mind-set of a flat world is one in which the individual worker is going to become more
and more responsible for managing his or her own career, risks, and economic security” (p.
284). Based on his observations of India and China as well as the instrumental role that
technology and initiative play, Friedman stresses that, in recent years, “the global competitive
playing field was being leveled. The world was being flattened” (p. 8). Not surprisingly, he
supports emphasizing math and science education as well as technology and critical thinking
for both women and men. Yet at the same time, Friedman stresses the importance of
generalists, those who specialize in integrating subject areas and have “a renaissance view of
the world” (Friedman, 2008, p. 2). Friedman, interviewed by Daniel Pink, maintains that
school leaders need to recognize “why the liberal arts are more important than ever. It’s not
that I don’t think math and science are important. They still are. But more than ever our
secret sauce comes from our ability to integrate art, science, music and literature with the
hard sciences. That’s what produces an iPod revolution or a Google” (pp. 1–2).

School leaders who seek to understand the demographic changes in their own schools gain
a greater perspective on the changes, and engage in lifelong learning, by recognizing the
world as a dynamic, interdependent global community in which the “distance” between
cultures and world issues is shrinking. In the United States today, there are more and more
students who are nonnative English speakers from multicultural, immigrant, or migrant
backgrounds. These students and their families have left their native countries to be a part of
the U.S. historical narrative, the story of a nation of immigrants that has succeeded because of
the ingenuity and hard work of its people.

School principals, as active and influential citizens, have a moral obligation to promote the
success of each child in the school, regardless of race, class, ethnicity, gender, or country of
origin. At the local school level, this commitment to the success of each child can be realized
through the promotion of heterogeneous classes from prekindergarten through Grade 12.
That local act sends a powerful message with global implications.

WHEN OLD AND NEW IDEAS CONVERGE

The Value of Repertoire and Celebrating the “Genius of the AND”

36
 As principals’ knowledge and experience increase, they are often faced with new ideas that
appear to conflict with previous learning. Educators are expected to make either/or decisions
regarding innovations that affect instructional practices and, consequently, students. To
illustrate, in some quarters the CCSS are perceived as a total break from previous educational
initiatives. However, an examination of the standards reveals goals that effective teachers and
curriculum specialists have always considered when developing outcomes. To illustrate,
McTighe and Wiggins (2012) connect their contemporary concept of backward design and
framed curriculum “in terms of worthy outputs” (p. 7) to the classical work of Ralph Tyler in
Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction (1949) and today’s Mathematical Standards
(National Governors Association, 2010). The first question that Tyler suggested more than
60 years ago was, “What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?” (p. 1). Most
discussions of today’s CCSS begin with a similar output question: What curriculum and
instructional practices should be implemented so students are college and career ready?
McTighe and Wiggins also note that Tyler emphasized the importance of content and skills,
just as the Mathematics Standards stress “the need to connect the mathematical practices to
mathematical content” (p. 8 in the Standards as cited in McTighe & Wiggins, 2012).

The mandate to teach content and skills is an important issue for learning leaders working
to support both curriculum goals with faculty and students. Some educators lean toward the
“more content camp,” suggesting that teachers often ignore facts for frills, while “21st century
proponents” maintain that students can quickly get their facts from the Internet while
learning and leveraging their skills. Andrew Rotherham (2008) squarely addresses the issue:

Schools, the 21st century skills argument goes, focus too much on teaching content at the expense of essential new skills
such as communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, and concepts like media literacy and
global awareness. . . . This view threatens to reopen a debate in American education that is not new either: content
pitted against critical thinking rather than the two complementing each other. (pp. 1–2)

An effective strategy to manage this issue and countless other either/or challenges is to
embrace the vision of Collins and Porras (2002) to celebrate the “Genius of the AND” while
rejecting the limited “Tyranny of the OR” vision.

Instead of being oppressed by the “Tyranny of the OR,” highly visionary companies liberate themselves with the
“Genius of the AND”—the ability to embrace both extremes of a number of dimensions at the same time. Instead of
choosing between A OR B, they figure out a way to have both A AND B. (p. 44)

As school leaders, we can easily fall into the either/or trap when working on contentious
issues related to teaching, learning, and assessment. Often we are encouraged to discard one

37
idea for another. The “Genius of the AND” reminds us to compromise, seek, and celebrate
good ideas—and good people—across the spectrum. We will return to this strategy
throughout the book.

From the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to the No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) Act to Race to the Top (RTTT): Slow but Steady Progress
When studying the history of education in the United States, it is clear that the federal
government initially had little intent of playing a major role in statewide education decisions.
Remember, education is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. However, by the middle of
the 20th century, the federal position had permanently changed because of three major acts.
First, President Eisenhower decided to use National Guard troops in Little Rock, Arkansas,
to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Second, in response
to the Russian launch of Sputnik in 1957, U.S. leaders decided that this country was falling
behind in math and science education, so in 1958 they passed the National Defense
Education Act to upgrade schooling in the scientific fields. Third, passage of ESEA in 1965,
as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty, directly involved the federal government in
compensatory programs, from Title I to Head Start, to lift up the poor and help them
succeed in schools. It is helpful to conceive of President Reagan’s A Nation At Risk initiative
(1983), President Bush’s NCLB Act (2002), and President Obama’s RTTT Program (2009)
of competitive federal grants as part of the government’s continued intervention in schools.
Although many educators expected President Obama to replace NCLB with a new law, the
gridlock in Washington has narrowed the President’s action to RTTT grants and waivers
related to aspects of NCLB.

NCLB and RTTT have both critics and supporters. Both initiatives have helped keep
education a front-burner issue, not only for educators, students, and their parents or
guardians, but for all stakeholders who believe that the future success of the United States
depends on the quality of its schools. Educators will need to address the following
components to meet legislative and public expectations (Alvy & Robbins, 2008; Boykin &
Noguera, 2011; Darling-Hammond, 2010; National Governors Association, 2010; Noguera,
2011, 2012; Zhao, 2009):

• Each student, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender,

sexual orientation, homeless status or exceptionality, is entitled to a high-quality
education. This commitment includes meeting the needs of traditionally voiceless

38
 underserved populations.
• Schools and teachers must be accountable for student learning.
• The achievement and opportunity gaps among different groups must be closed.
• As the CCSS are implemented, school principals must advocate for alignment of
curriculum, instructional plans, teacher professional development, and individual state
or consortium assessments (e.g., Smarter Balance and Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers).
• High averages on statewide or CCSS consortium assessment tests will no longer be
acceptable if students from minority, impoverished, or other underserved groups
perform below standard. Disaggregating test scores will remain a critical first step to
ensure that the needs of each group are addressed.
• Regardless of statewide or consortium assessments, school leaders will continue to fight
for multiple measures of student progress (e.g., teacher observations and both
traditional and alternative assessments, including portfolios, culminating projects, and
formative tests) to gain a more accurate portrait of student success. Value-added data,
although controversial, will likely be a component of the testing equation to assess
student progress over time.
• School leaders will continue to struggle with the public’s desire for testing
accountability and transparency, with the educators’ desire to personalize learning and
address individual student needs, student voice, and authentic assessments.
• Although the pressure for successful assessment scores is considerable, it is obviously
unethical to alter test results to comply with expectations. Principals must stand strong
and set a personal example for district leaders and teachers to ensure this does not
occur under their leadership.
• The commitment to students must include the teaching of both 21st century skills
(e.g., problem solving, media literacy, global awareness, collaborative work) and
meaningful content. This commitment must hold for traditionally disadvantaged
students and schools where higher-level thinking skills are often neglected in lieu of
“teaching to the test” and learning the “facts.”
• Decisions related to curriculum, instruction, assessment, classroom management, and
professional development should be grounded in evidence-based and Best Practice
research.
• Hiring highly qualified teachers in each core subject area regardless of the economic

39
 base of the local school district will remain an important social justice objective.
Statistically, less qualified teachers, based on certification status and college majors,
have been hired disproportionally in schools with greater poverty.
• Supervisors charged with implementing the teacher and principal evaluation systems
will need to confront the challenge of fairly weighing student test scores as part of the
evaluation process (required by RTTT) with other performance expectations and
professional growth goals so talented individuals are retained and ineffective individuals
are not.
• States, districts, and individual schools must provide transparent data to parents and
the community, a “report card” that indicates how schools are doing in several
categories, including test scores. Schools that do not achieve adequate progress will be
expected to take corrective action. Parents will play a greater role in determining their
children’s educational setting within the realm of school choice.
• Districts and schools will continue to struggle with determining the best ways to assess
exceptional students, including English language learners, students with disabilities,
and all students with special talents. Response to Intervention (RTI) will be
implemented as an important schoolwide early intervention strategy to help all students
succeed and reduce the number recommended for special education.
• The alarming number of high school dropouts and underprepared graduates, especially
in disadvantaged poor and urban areas, must remain a national focus. The combination
of academic rigor and social support, especially related to personalization and trusting
teacher student relationships (Boykin & Noguera, 2011, p. 70), is a promising strategy
that should be pursued.
• Although the standards and assessment movement is presently emphasizing success in
ELA and mathematics with increased interest in STEM subjects, the neglect of other
core academic areas, and the visual and performing arts, social and emotional learning,
physical education, and health-related schooling responsibilities is of great concern if
we are committed to the needs of the whole child.
• Maintaining safe schools continues to be the top priority of all educators and interested
stakeholders. Horrific school shootings; tragic weather-related incidents; and bullying,
harassment, and intimidation events demand vigilance, better crisis management, and
prevention strategies.

40
 A final but important note: Learning leaders armed with essential understanding of how
the old and new converge will find themselves equipped with the wisdom to effectively and
confidently guide the school into the future.

NOTES

1. Authentic principal voices from interviews, workshops, writings, and informal conversations will be heard throughout
the book.

2. We thank Dr. Steve Atwood of UNICEF for introducing us to Dr. Lynton’s ideas.

REFLECTIONS

This space provides a place for you to write down ideas that have been generated by this
chapter, things you want to try, or adaptations of ideas presented here.

1. What are some things you might do to model leader as learner?

2. What might be some observable indicators or artifacts of a school that is

functioning as a professional learning community?

3. How can principals facilitate a learning environment for adults within a school?

4. What questions should principals or assistant principals ask to gain helpful

feedback on their performance?

5. How do you think the CCSS and RTTT teacher and principal evaluation
mandates will impact your role?

6. Why did you become a school principal, or why would you like to become a
principal?

7. What insights or new questions do you have as a result of reflecting on the ideas
presented in this chapter?

41
 2
Leader as Manager

To facilitate learning, the instructional leader also makes sure that the classroom lights are working.

—A principal’s voice

A s practitioners, we need to ensure that schedules work, Smart Boards, and document
cameras are in classrooms, and transition times run smoothly. Instructional leadership
behaviors will have a greater impact on student success and often reflect effective long-range
leadership planning, but teachers, students, parents, and the community are more likely to
notice immediate problems due to management glitches (R. Grant, personal communication,
October 2007). These problems include the less-than-glamorous flooding toilet, school bus
breakdown, schoolwide computer server or Internet problem, scheduling error, and leaking
ceiling. The long-range vision may make you a great leader tomorrow, but today the public
notices the poorly lit hallway (which is interpreted by some as displaying minimal regard for
safety and security). However, we should not be fooled into thinking that success as an
educational leader ends with neat bookshelves, quiet hallways, or the latest software for
student records. We must not forget that students should be the ultimate beneficiaries of all
management actions. Yet much of the leadership literature contains a subtle disdain for
management.

Although the concept of the principal has shifted from gatekeeper (Deal & Peterson,
1994) to instructional leader, collaborative decision maker, leader of leaders, and results-
oriented instructional leader (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2010), any discussion of
leadership can become a romantic abstraction if leadership is not discussed hand in hand with
management. One has to secure and coordinate human and material resources to manage
leadership. Part of management is paying attention to a school’s physical environment; it is
difficult to focus on learning if the physical environment does not promote it. For example,
changing the contents of a display case outside of a high school office each month can send a
strong message about student learning. If the display case includes work from various subjects
and extracurricular activities, the school is honoring each discipline.

42
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP REQUIRES EFFECTIVE
MANAGEMENT

Effective principals are effective managers. They must communicate, develop relationships,
and coordinate the efforts of teachers, assistant principals, custodians, secretaries, counselors,
librarians, students, cafeteria workers, parents, transportation workers, central office, security
personnel, social workers, and community partners. Although we have previously stressed the
importance of leadership and management (Alvy & Robbins, 1998), the abundance of
contemporary research supporting both elements is a significant shift in the literature. In a
study sponsored by Stanford University, Grissom and Loeb (2009) concluded,

Effective instructional leadership combines an understanding of the instructional needs of the school with an ability to
target resources where they are needed, hire the best available teachers, provide teachers with the opportunities they
need to improve, and keep the school running smoothly. (p. 23)

Grissom and Loeb identify “Organizational Management” as the complementary element

to instructional leadership. This is similar to a key practice of effective principals identified by
The Wallace Foundation (2013), “Managing people, data and processes to foster school
improvement” (pp. 4–6). Chenoweth and Theokas (2013), drawing conclusions from eight
years of research on how high-poverty schools turn around, state that effective principals, “put
instruction at the center of their managerial duties. . . . Where once the job was primarily
defined as a managerial one, principals are now expected not just to run a smooth operation,
but also to be change leaders and improve achievement” (p. 58).

As instructional leaders and managers, it is critical to display respect for every individual
who serves the school. When considering the primary purpose of schooling, principals should
always remember that, although some employees may appear to be on the periphery, everyone
contributes in his or her own way to a school’s success. Principals must model in all their
relationships the behavior that they expect throughout the school and the community. To
illustrate, principals or assistant principals should work closely with classified staff, such as
bus drivers, who appear on the fringe of the classroom experience because they can offer a
valuable perspective. Principals, assistant principals, or district personnel should share with
classified staff the school goals and advocate important programs (e.g., antibullying efforts).
Because of their unusual schedule, bus drivers are in the community, the diners, the
barbershops, hair salons, and other public places during part of the school day. What
individuals say about the school in these venues can go a long way toward influencing how
the school is perceived in the community.

43
 Honoring these workers can have a very positive affect on them. To illustrate, Johnston
(2001) relates the story of Ramon Curiel, who recruits and hires the 6,000 bus drivers,
teacher aides, custodians, and other classified staff in Long Beach, California. Curiel gave
credit to and celebrated their contribution to the overall improved grades of the students in
the district because of the role they played in developing school climate. To the classified staff
he said, “Look, you had something to do with this” (p. 18). As a bus driver in Harrisonburg,
Virginia, reflected, “I am the first point of contact kids have with the school. A friendly
greeting from me when they step on the bus brings a smile to their faces. My positive attitude
influences what teachers experience on a daily basis.”

A principal’s work produces many additional management challenges involving policies,

resources, behaviors, procedures, and data. These challenges can be classified into four
categories that reflect the various arenas in which the leader must function as manager:
classroom, school site, community, and support services.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND STRATEGIES

Classroom
Principals must help to maximize the availability of sufficient and high-quality classroom
supplies and instructional resources to enable teachers to focus on student learning. Principals
need to be on top of the classroom supply inventory so that key items are available during the
year for teachers and students. Some principals delegate this job to a responsible individual or
secretary. In small schools, principals retain this function for themselves. Although it is
important to know how to delegate, one can never give up the responsibility for the task.
When you delegate, you need to check for clear understanding, provide support, and follow
up regularly. If the person to whom you have delegated comes up with an innovation, assure
the person that you have confidence in him or her and encourage the resourcefulness.

The availability of classroom supplies and instructional resources for staff is heavily reliant
on data relating to curricular needs. One must ask teachers whether the resources are serving
their purposes. Does a particular instructional resource improve the quality of the educational
program? Are the resources helpful for gathering assessment data to measure student
progress? Is there enough money in the budget for a year’s supply of computer paper? What
classroom supplies were consumed completely last year? What instructional resources are in
great demand at the start of the school year? What are some of the new resources available to

44
make life easier for the staff (e.g., tablet devices)? How can the resources be distributed more
efficiently? Is waste taking place, and if so, why?

Staff members’ perceptions of resource availability are another important consideration.

The policies for allocating classroom supplies and instructional resources reveal much about
the values and beliefs of the organization. For example, is the supply room locked and
materials strictly allocated? Are the veteran teachers in possession of the best resources; do
they keep “a rainy day stash of supplies” (Marrs-Morford & Marshall, 2012, p. 38)? With
your own school in mind, reflect on how “the system” works. Does it match the mission of
the school? If your school promotes enrichment for all students, then you must have
enrichment material and classroom options available for various instructional disciplines (e.g.,
novels, technology resources, online subscriptions, science kits, challenging math
manipulatives) that can be used by all classroom teachers. A teachers’ resource center in a
school or district office can serve as a central area in which to keep instructional material to be
used by all teachers, which may diminish greatly the desire to hoard the best instructional
material.

With regard to the environment, is your school ecologically conscientious? Do the school
office and each classroom collect paper to be reused or sent to a recycling plant? Are plastic
containers, cans, and bottles collected for recycling? Helpful ideas about being more
environmentally conscious can come from a variety of sources. One high school ecology club
convinced the superintendent to purchase copier paper for the district that was ecologically
superior to paper purchased previously. To save paper, handbooks and weekly newsletters can
be posted online on school and district websites. Although papers savings will be substantial,
copies need to be available for those who do not have Internet access (Marrs-Morford &
Marshall, 2012, p. 38).

Some principals encourage staff input on the creation of policies and procedures related to
resource requisition and allocation, which expands the leadership function of many staff
members. These new roles build ownership of school-level practices and policies. If greater
teacher involvement in resource allocation follows expanded teacher involvement in curricular
and instructional decisions, then the resources will surely be used more efficiently and with
greater meaning.

Although Web-based student information systems software enables schools to keep data
for almost every important category (e.g., attendance, student demographics, schedules,

45
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these
efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium
on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as,
but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data,
transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property
infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be
read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except

for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in
paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark,
and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic
work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for
damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE
THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT
EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE
THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY
DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE
TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL,
PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE
NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you

discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of
receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you
paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you
received the work from. If you received the work on a physical
medium, you must return the medium with your written
explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the
defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu
of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.
If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund
in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set

forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’,
WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied

warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this
agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this
agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the
maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable
state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of
this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the

Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the
Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any
volunteers associated with the production, promotion and
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless
from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that
arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you
do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project
Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or
deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect
you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission

of Project Gutenberg™
Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new
computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of
volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the

assistance they need are critical to reaching Project
Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™
collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In
2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was
created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project
Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your
efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the
Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project

Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-
profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the
laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status
by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or
federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions
to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax
deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and
your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500

West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact
links and up to date contact information can be found at the
Foundation’s website and official page at
www.gutenberg.org/contact
 Section 4. Information about Donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without
widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission
of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works
that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form
accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated
equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly
important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws

regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of
the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform
and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many
fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not
solicit donations in locations where we have not received written
confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine
the status of compliance for any particular state visit
www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states

where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know
of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from
donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot

make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations
received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp
our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current

donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a
number of other ways including checks, online payments and
credit card donations. To donate, please visit:
www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About

Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could
be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose
network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several

printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by
copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus,
we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any
particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,

including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new
eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear
about new eBooks.