Schools today are constantly asked to perform at a high level to improve the achievement level of their students. The school's teachers are on the front line and considered responsible for the majority of reasons why students perform well in school. However, we should not forget the importance of effective leadership when it comes to student achievement and effective teachers. When we look at the big picture, the principal is the person most likely to be responsible for the over-all performance of the school. That's why it's so important to understand the qualities an effective principal should have.
One of the most important steps an effective principal should make, is to surround himself or herself with a quality staff. That staff must include teachers, administrators, and support staff. Principals should realize that they are only as good as their staff. A principal should live by the philosophy that says "two heads are better than one", and no single individual can know everything about everything..
The next step to being an effective principal is to make sure that students perform at a high level. This goal can be accomplished by making sure the climate of the building is always conducive to successful learning. Some of the steps that can be utilized to accomplish this goal include: making sure there are very few distractions throughout the school day, having a clear discipline plan that everyone is aware of, making sure the entire staff is aware of the school mission, developing a strong school improvement plan, maintaining a bright and clean building, displaying student work or/and accomplishments, keeping students informed about the mission of the school, making students responsible for their education and the educational environment in the building, providing effective tutoring services, being a visible principal, and having a positive and courteous staff willing to assist everyone.
Another important step is to make sure the entire staff is involved in the decision-making for the building, and include students whenever possible in that process. Every staff member must believe he or she is important, even vital, to the over- all success of the school and its students. Try and get the entire staff to be a part of ongoing activities in the building, and encourage them to take on leadership roles in different programs and activities. It is the task of an effective principal to empower the staff to make decisions and become leaders throughout the building,
It is also important to have the school and its students be part of the ongoing evaluation process. This will help identify strengths and weaknesses in the school and curriculum. Diagnostic testing, as well as other evaluative procedures should be a part of this process. All data collected from these evaluative procedures should be given to the school improvement team, this will help the team to be better prepared to develop an effective school- wide improvement plan to govern the school. Whatever plan is decided upon should have input from the entire staff. This will give the staff clear ownership of the plan and ensure its success. Effective leadership should utilize the strengths of the entire staff by always including them in the process ( as individuals and cooperatively as a team).
An effective principal works constantly to improve the school each day. This can be accomplished by having some kind of assessment of students and the staff throughout the school year. Utilizing different assessment tools are helpful with evaluating the overall picture of what is happening in the school. Standardized testing of the students is one form of assessment, and teacher grades, school projects, special activities, and programs developed specifically for everyone school are others. In addition to evaluating students, the staff should be evaluated throughout the school year. The principal can use classroom observation and walk-throughs as tools. Another powerful tool is to have the staff conduct self- evaluations of themselves and the school. This is a good way to encourage the staff to be honest about themselves and their school and what they expect the actual educational outcomes should be. The data collected from these varied evaluation procedures can be utilized to develop professional development opportunities for the staff and to develop the full school improvement plan for the school.
The effective principal must be organized and have a clear mission for the school. They must be clear about what he or she wants to accomplish each school year. The principal must prioritize what he/she believes are the most important attributes of a high achieving school. He should always try to educate students at the highest levels, as well as providing a clean and orderly school. The atmosphere must be positive and conducive to learning. Principals who incorporate the qualities discussed in this article will have made a major start toward being successful. This can lead to having a successful school and having students who are learning at a high level.
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Ronnie Phillips, a very experienced educator and parent.
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