Retaining Strong Leaders
Advice for Teachers, Superintendents, and Policymakers
As expectations of schools and school leaders change, districts have found themselves with a shortage of skilled administrators prepared to lead school improvement efforts and address achievement gaps in traditionally underperforming student groups. According to NWREL's 2004 Regional Needs Assessment, schools' ability to support and retain effective leaders continues to be a major factor in the school improvement process, particularly in Northwest schools facing the greatest obstacles to achieving AYP (Barnett & Greenough, 2004, p. 12). High-poverty schools across the Northwest cite the greatest needs, with 59 percent of teachers and 70 percent of principals reporting that "developing instructional leadership throughout [their] district and schools to facilitate improved school performance" demands more or much more attention (p. 13). At the secondary level, the numbers are even higher, with 89 percent of high school principals in low-income schools reporting a need to devote more of their time and attention to instructional matters.
In this critical area, teachers, school board members, superintendents, fellow administrators, and policymakers all have important roles to play. Research offers the following suggestions:
Help new principals make meaningful connections to the school and the community. This is something all members of a school community can do. Introduce principals to fellow teachers, parents, administrators, and community leaders, and invite them to participate in local organizations and events. Even long-time principals benefit from developing new or stronger connections with a range of community members (Alvy & Robbins, 2005).
Promote networking among area principals. Bring principals together to discuss school improvement efforts, facilitate "non-evaluative principal 'walk-throughs' of other high schools," and encourage mentoring programs for new and ongoing principals (Joftus, 2004, p. 5; Petzko, 2002). Make it clear to all principals that school and district leaders place value on time spent consulting with and learning from others.
Emphasize training on leadership issues specific to special education, English language learners, and other "subgroups" of the student population. "Administrators who clearly understand the needs of students with disabilities, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the instructional challenges that educators who work with students with disabilities face," stress DiPaola and Walther-Thomas (2003), "are better prepared to provide appropriate support" (p. 9). Likewise, principals who have made a point of learning more about second language acquisition and about the diverse cultural and linguistic experiences students contribute to the school are far better able to create a meaningful plan for serving all students, foster a climate of respect, and ensure relevant and ongoing training for the entire staff (Wrigley, 2000, pp. 2-3).
Encourage and provide support for distributive leadership efforts. Distributive leadership not only helps build leadership capacity across the school building, but can ease new principals' transition into a school. Barnett and Greenough (2004) add that "creating a school leadership team made up of staff members who are committed to and heavily invested in the success of the school can buffer the negative impact of staff and administrator turnover, providing team members stay involved over the long term (p. 12)." A principal's willingness to share decisionmaking power also communicates his or her trust in fellow staff members, an essential step toward building the rich, respectful relationships fundamental to lasting school change (Bryk & Schneider, 2002).
Consider redistributing principals' job duties. Management and instructional leadership responsibilities need not be performed by one individual, especially with the multiple roles principals are expected to play. "While both of these roles are important for well-run schools, they do not require the same skills, abilities, or interests, and they may not often exist in one individual," according to Fouts, Stuen, Anderson, and Parnell (2000, p. 28). If possible, avoid simply transferring all managerial duties to an assistant principal. As Petzko (2002) points out, the assistant principalship is better utilized as a critical training ground for aspiring principals rather than as a discipline and attendance manager.
Align principal job descriptions and evaluation criteria with school improvement plans. "By focusing professional development on instructional issues and basing principal evaluation on instructional improvement, superintendents can create powerful learning communities within their districts," suggests Lashway. "Without attempting to micromanage classrooms, district leaders can be firm in asserting the instructional agenda and aligning the organization to support it" (Lashway, 2002, p. 5).
Support new teacher induction programs and the "equitable distribution of highly qualified teachers throughout the district" (Joftus, 2004, p. 8). Support for such efforts not only makes principals' work training new teachers easier, but reinforces school and district commitments to closing the achievement gap between traditionally advantaged and disadvantaged schools. Along the same lines, state and district leaders can ensure "that schools with high proportions of at-risk youth receive sufficient resources to address their academic needs" (Joftus, p. 9).
Support principals in gathering and making effective use of data. District leaders in particular can provide valuable assistance in helping principals collect, disaggregate, and interpret data, and developing effective means of sharing it with teachers, parents, and the public (Cotton, 2003; Joftus, 2004).
Provide incentives for effective principals to remain in struggling schools. Financial incentives, from tuition waivers to pay increases, are certainly one way to do this. Improving working conditions by affording principals greater flexibility, offering more control over personnel and curriculum decisions, and increasing administrative support, also send a powerful message that principals' contributions are valued by the school and the district.
Encourage greater attention to instructional issuesin principal development programs, as well as more training time in school settings. "Program content should incorporate knowledge of instruction, organizational development, and change management, as well as leadership skills," argue Davis, Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, and Meyerson (2005). A growing movement in leadership circles also supports a two-tiered certification program for new principals, the second part of which is based on hands-on training and performance on the job.
Support quality, ongoing training for principals (Petzko, 2002). Principal professional development, often overlooked in today's busy, cash-strapped districts, has become increasingly important as school leaders attempt to adjust to new sets of demands and expectations (Davis et al., 2005). For detailed information on principal development resources in the Northwest, see NWREL's June 2005 publication Principal Leadership for Accountability: Optimizing the Use of Title II Resources, available online at www.nwrel.org/planning/reports/accountability
