Principals Matter!

There has never been a more critical time for experienced and successful educators to speak out. Too many public school systems are being led by people without the credentials or understanding necessary to create and nurture high quality learning institutions. All too often, principals are being burdened by mandates from leaders without the critical knowledge necessary to improve schools in significant ways. This new brand of leadership continues to tinker with management systems and accountability systems disregarding the purpose and challenge of public schooling except in the most superficial ways.

Twenty-two years as a school and district leader provided me with many occasions to reflect on the purpose of public schools and the challenges they face. It seems obvious but worth stating that the core mission of public schools is to educate all students to high levels. Schools need to be held accountable to that goal and need to be organized to meet that goal above every other interest and competing mission. The skills and knowledge students learn each year must be explicit, measurable and buffeted from outside political pressure.

The only acceptable evidence of school success is the students’ ability to demonstrate the skills and knowledge learned on each grade. It is a simple contract between the school and the community. Parents should be involved enough to hold the schools accountable for fulfilling the contract each month and each year.

Through my years of experience, it is also clear that another obvious but simple fact is that the principal matters most. It is the principal who can best create and nurture a continuously improving learning organization. The principal is the keeper of the culture and commitment. The conditions and constraints established by the district can inhibit or assist the principal in being successful. Yet, essentially, it is the principal who creates the school culture and advocates for the mission. It is the principal who must embody the mission of the school through words and deeds every day.

In my experience as a principal, a principal mentor and supervisor the most common trait of a successful school leader is that the person has a moral and ethical code grounded in knowledge and beliefs about how human beings learn. The principal must believe and clearly express the belief that all human beings have worth, the capacity to learn, and deserve the attention necessary for success. The eight points summarized below reflect my years of working with principals in a wide variety of circumstances. The most successful principal in every setting:

• Owns a clear vision for the school. It is held in private and expressed in words and actions publicly. The vision is driven by student achievement and continuous learning.
• Articulates the school mission in learning goals for students and adults. The mission drives the decisions made by the school community.
• Expresses school values through concrete actions and school structures.
• Communicates a plan to put structures that support the school mission in place.
• Knows about and continues to learn publicly about the best instructional practices and curriculum that promote student achievement.
• Establishes the rituals, routines and supports which promote learning and achievement.
• Demonstrates the endurance needed to institutionalize new rituals, routines and supports that promote learning and achievement.
• Recognizes and addresses the needs of all students at all achievement levels through advocacy and program design.

Doing what is morally and ethically correct is not necessarily expedient. The principal must find the time to reflect on one’s own beliefs and check in on one’s own moral compass regularly. (I suggest principals engage in ethics courses on a yearly basis.). Educational institutions must recognize that these eight characteristics of successful principals are developed over time and are unique to the social organization of schooling. In no other business is the leader so close to the client or the success of the organization so dependent on the daily actions of the leader. School leadership is a lot more that common sense and drive. It is highly practical, yet intellectually reflective work. Only through acknowledging the complexity of the position, can we support the present school leadership and prepare tomorrow’s leaders to meet the challenges of today’s public schools. -Frank DeStefano

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