Online conferences for educators and students, February - June 2008

Dr Dorothy M. Colclough
St Kevin ' s College
Toorak, Victoria, Australia

All schools require a principal who can organise and co-ordinate the work life of a school, as well as shape the school environment for the benefit of students. A positive and affirming attitude within a school improves student ' s levels of achievement and the attitudes they have towards that achievement.

It is impossible to isolate the skills or leadership style that best suits each school from the environment that empowers its teachers. Each principal ' s leadership style is unique and no one style appears to be totally effective. However, if we accept that the role of the principal is to lead the school, and the role of the school is to educate its students, then it may be said that the role of the principal is to lead that school into providing the best education for its students.

In the past it was often expected that the principal would have managerial expertise. However, the expectation today is that principals will be not just ' people developers ' but also successful teacher, and thus student, developers.

The role of the principal is multi-faceted, but a description of a good principal must include elements of the following:

• Excellent problem-solving skills;
• The ability to identify, analyse and solve problems;
• Outstanding communication skills, both oral and written, with parents, students, teachers, business people, boards, other principals;
• The ability to work in stressful surroundings while keeping calm
• The willingness to be a creative risk taker, who can reflect and act on a given situation;
• The ability to keep staff moving towards the school vision;
• The ability to maintain a clear, positive and consistent vision for the school, as well as a clear understanding of the process required to attain that vision;
• The ability to work directly with the staff;
• The ability to treat parents, students and teachers in a genuine and authentic manner;
• Be of high moral standing;
• Practise the social ethics of society;
• Show no favouritism;
• Behave respectfully towards parents, students, teachers and others;
• Command respect from others by their supportive and honest actions;
• Have the astuteness to employ ' good ' teachers;
• Work with others in a non-judgemental way;
• Have a broad understanding of the wider world and what is expected from the students who graduate from the school;
• Know how to encourage all interested parties to work for the benefit of the school;
• Know the strengths and weakness of themselves, the school and their staff;
• Encourage professional staff development through collegial activities, rather power control;
• Encourage change by continually challenging staff beliefs and values about teaching;
• Take the time to ensure the they have/learn the skills and processes within the environment which they work, so as to ensure that the expectations within a school are based on the culture or deliberate change of culture of that specific school, and not some generalisation of ideas;
• The ability to create a school climate in which learning is valued because, unless learning is valued, collegiality may be perceived as an intrusion rather than a support; and,
• Be aware of the expectations of the community for the graduating students.

In the future it will be essential that principals can not only advocate, but also implement, a win-win style of leadership, so that all parties are prepared to give their absolute best.

Principals must be involved in the design of curriculum and instruction. This way there is a consistency of approach by all teachers, not just in the curriculum but also in the social instruction of the students. Principals must also take an active role in assessing the teaching that occurs in the school and, where needed, provide opportunity for teachers to improve their standards. By developing this win-win style of leadership:

• Teachers/staff will become flexible, resilient and sufficiently secure in their own self and accomplishments to aim for self-actualised behaviour for the benefit of the students and school;
• Staff will develop behaviours that support mutual trust with each other and with students;
• Staff will feel empowered and confident to co-operate with colleagues, in both the curriculum and social development of the school; and,
• Personal accountability is based on competency, not authority.

This results in a shared vision for the school and staff working towards that mission by the setting of mutual goals and action.

Future principals will need to be able to lead in a less authoritarian style manner than the one being practised in many schools today. They will need to develop within their schools a profound sense of social interest within the teachers and, by implication, the students.

The following is a short point form review of the four main school leadership styles. By addressing the style, the purpose and the outcome of each, we may be able to glean an understanding of the qualities required for leading our schools into the future.

Traditional (authoritarian) leadership

Under traditional leadership, it is understood that principals will:

Style

• Expect teachers to expect their students to learn, rather than enthuse and encourage them to understand what they are learning;
• Expect learning to be based on training from a textbook, rather than learning to think, explore, and solve problems;
• Expect all teacher in-servicing to done outside the school, not encouraging teachers to share the knowledge gained at this professional development;
• Encourage teachers to maintain a ' closed door ' regime; and,
• Keep teachers very busy.

Purpose

• When teachers are too busy, they can only communicate on a superficial level and are less likely to challenge the authority of the principal;
• To ensure that teachers do not work collegially because discussion is perceived as gossip and gossip is seen as a challenge to authority; and,
• Out of school professional development is non-threatening to the principal and can be blamed for lack of change/ improvement in student standards.

Outcomes

• The parents approve because it is the system they know;
• A higher number of students pass external examinations;
• The administration ' team ' are either followers of same power style or are ineffective;
• Few graduating students pass university or are successful in business until much later in life, when they have acquired thinking, organisational and co-operative skills;
• Students develop poor sportsmanship tendencies;
• Students tend not to develop good organisational skills;
• Students tend to act in a spoilt manner and cannot stand up for themselves, except through violence; and,
• Bullying is a constant problem.

Conclusions

The traditional model worked when students were expected to learn by rote and where the outcome was training, rather than learning. However, with the complexity of learning and thinking that is required in today ' s educational system, a more inclusive approach is required.

Instructional leadership

Under instructional leadership, it is understood that:

• The principal will be the active force behind staff development;
• The principal will appear to be less authoritarian than under Traditional Leadership, although the hierarchical approach will be actively pursued;
• The principal will be totally responsible for the school culture;
• Teachers will encourage students to do what they are told, but not to think;
• The principal will be up-to-date with current professional development and will encourage teachers to participate, however, no sharing of in-service information occurs;
• The principal works on ' the need to know ' basis, thus they are the only ones with the whole school picture;
• The principal encourages teaching standards to be left up to the individual teacher '
• The principal insists that student assessment is based on examination results; and,
• Staff are kept busy with administration of information and extra curricula activities.

Purpose

• To ensure that all power is in the hands of the principal;
• To ensure that the administration ' team ' are of the same type/style as principal;
• To ensure that the school culture is the one within which the principal wants to work
• To keep students under tight control;
• allow teachers to flounder on their own or, alternatively, become dogmatic, in that their way is the only way;
• To keep teachers individualised and make them feel all powerful within the classroom;
• To give some semblance of cohesive teaching; and,
• To ensure that teachers have little time to compare notes or voice dissatisfaction.

  Outcomes

• Students are at the bottom of the hierarchy;
• The principal is all powerful;
• The school culture stifles those students who wish to develop their thinking skills;
• Parents understand the system and see the results of training;
• Students may become disciplinary problems because they do not have the venue to explore their thinking processes;
• Aggressive sports are often an outlet for frustration;
• Bullying is a regular problem;
• Few graduating students pass university or are successful in business until much later in life when they have acquired thinking, organisational and co-operative skills

Conclusion

Teachers and students are always having to ask permission, and thus their problem-solving skills are stifled.

Collaborative leadership

In collaborative schools, it is understood that the principal will:

• Work with the staff for the benefit of the students and the school;
• Encourage teachers to contribute their opinions and to develop their skills;
• Be a member of the changing community;
• Be responsible for the future vision for the school;
• Allow the staff to participate in all discussion but be responsible for all practical solutions; and,
• Ensure that student progress is valued and individual differences are catered for.

Purpose

• To stay in touch with the points of view of the staff;
• To provide a forum through which teachers feel they have some influence;
• To allow students some sense of involvement in their learning;
• To provide teachers/students and parents with a vision; and,
• To provide forums for principal-led change.

Outcomes

• Staff/parents feel they have some influence;
• The school community is basically open to change that is agreed to by the principal;
• When the principal changes schools, the vision is lost; and,
• The staff look to the principal to solve their problems, rather than becoming problem solvers.

Collegial leadership with a vision

In schools where collegial leadership with a vision is practised, it is understood that the principal will:

• Have a sound vision for the future direction for the school;
• Will be prepared to develop a clear understanding of the process required to attain that vision;
• Have the sensitivity and skill to include the total staff in the staff development programme;
• Encourage positive change for the benefit of the standard of learning;
• Be able to ensure that the negative emotions that often accompany change are dealt with at a professional level; and,
• Have the capacity to facilitate and empower teachers by providing an environment and the technology required to pursue a common ideal.

Purpose

• To ensure that students, teachers, staff and parents feel, and are supported within, the community;
• To improve the standard of teaching;
• To ensure that all in-servicing information is disseminated throughout the school, even if it challenges existing practice;
• To support those who feel threatened by change; and
• To increase the level of respectful behaviour.

Outcomes

• Students, teachers, parents and the principal work together for the benefit of the school, and thus each other;
• A board that includes representatives from students, teachers and parents has the power;
• Where student safety and welfare is concerned, the principal has the responsibility of ensuring that only the highest of ethical standards are followed;
• Sport becomes a venue for excellence and personal growth;
• Bullying is reduced;
• Teachers become mentor for a small number of individual students;
• Students become responsible for their actions, including learning
• Pastoral care is inclusive of all staff and students;
• Positive change is valued;
• Staff, students, parents and the principal become problem-solvers;
• A positive work ethic is established;
• More students pass external examinations and are successful post-school;
• Although common standards are set within the curriculum, individual needs are catered for;
• Teachers ' opinions and suggestions are respected and valued and, where practicable, implemented for the benefit of the school; and,
• Student progress is the responsibility of the whole community, and not just individual teachers.

It is essential that all members of a school community can express themselves without fear of retribution; that all students can learn from their mistakes in a supportive environment; and that the school climate is both challenging and respectful. Thus, if a principal is collegial, with a shared vision, yet still able to make the hard decisions, students and teachers will succeed and schools will become places of learning for all.

About the author

Dr Dorothy M. Colclough is a teacher at St Kevin ' s College, in Toorak, Victoria, Australia.

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