ROLE OF A PRINCIPAL By Abdul Samad Samo

ROLE OF A PRINCIPAL By: Abdul Samad Samo M. Phil(Education) ID-9348(IUGC-Karachi)

DEFINITION OF A PRINCIPAL WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A SCHOOL -A person who has controlling authority or is in a leading position: as a : a chief or head man or woman b: The chief executive officer of an educational institution.

Setting Goals The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Has a more child-centered vision Has a more adult-centered vision Sets manageable, realistic goals Favors broad goals Sees student performance as central Likes to see things run smoothly Expresses goals in measurable terms Expresses goals vaguely Uses goals for planning Refers rarely to goals Asks parents & staff to help set goals Limits goal setting input

Communicating Goals The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Periodically reviews & discusses Infrequently discusses goals Actively clarifies goals Rarely clarifies goals Has teachers who know goals Has teachers unfamiliar with goals Has teachers who see themselves as good instructors Has teachers who see themselves as good managers & colleagues

Promoting Quality Instruction The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Insists on certain teaching strategies Has less focus on methods Favors interactive teaching Is content with less interaction Assigns teachers on the basis of improving achievement Assigns teachers bureaucratically

Supervising Instruction The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Relies little on formal observations Values informal visits and meetings Rarely makes informal visits Often reads about instruction Seldom reads about instruction Often provides specific feedback Seldom provides specific feedback Counsels and assists poor teachers Less likely to confront poor teachers

Allocating Instructional Time The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Carefully sets time allocations Less likely to set time allocations Coordinates time allocations across teachers Less likely to have uniform schedule Schedules more instructional and fewer non-instructional activities Less likely to favor instructional over non-instructional activities Insists on time for basics Less likely to ensure their coverage

Coordinating the Curriculum The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is highly involved in curriculum alignment Is less involved in curriculum alignment Is concerned with the continuity of curriculum from grade to grade Tends not to focus on continuity of curriculum from grade to grade

Monitoring Student Progress The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Supports testing programs Views testing as a necessary evil Provides test results to teachers In a timely manner Is less timely in reporting results to teachers Discusses results with groups and individual teachers Is less likely to discuss results Encourages teachers to use test results to plan instruction Does not emphasize the connection between testing and teaching

Setting Expectations The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Holds adults accountable for student learning outcomes Does not hold others accountable Requires mastery of grade-level skills for promotion to next grade Is more likely to socially promote students

Being Visible The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is often out of the office Spends large amounts of time in the office Makes an effort to move about the campus and in and out of classrooms Is less mobile

Providing Incentives The More-Effective Principal Recognizes teachers with rewards such as Ø distributing leadership The Less-Effective Principal Seldom acknowledges teachers Ø showing personal interest Ø making public acknowledgements Ø giving private praise Ensures that student rewards are frequent and they go to a large percentage of students Is less concerned about student rewards Focuses rewards on achievement Is less likely to reward achievement

Promoting PD The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is more likely to be directly involved in PD activities Often avoids PD sessions Follows up by ensuring that PD methods are implemented Is unlikely to follow up PD Cobbles temporary coalitions of teachers to help implement Is not adept at working with teacher groups to implement Encourages professional dialogue Is indifferent to dialogue Helps teachers attend conferences Resists conference attendance

Creating a Safe & Orderly Learning Environment The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Works with teachers to develop classroom management skills Is less focused on management skills Establishes a clear and consistent disciplinary policy Fails to set up a clear policy Enforces discipline fairly and consistently May be inconsistent in enforcing discipline Involves teachers and students In setting rules Sets rules independently

Creating a Safe & Orderly Learning Environment The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Confronts problems quickly and forcefully Is tentative and indecisive Supports teachers with discipline problems Is unsympathetic to teachers with discipline problems

Promoting Collaboration The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Encourages teamwork and collaborative efforts Allows teachers to function independently Gives faculty a formal role in decision making Excludes teachers from decision making Informally seeks teachers’ ideas and opinions Is indifferent to the ideas and opinions of teachers

Securing Outside Resources The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is skilled at influencing district decision making about resources Reacts to district decisions Actively seeks resources Is passive about finding resources Assertively recruits the best teachers (even from other schools) Follows standard hiring procedures Allocates money based on goals Makes allocations based on other factors

Linking Home and School The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Communicates with parents on a regular basis Infrequently communicates with parents Involves parents in school activities Is more likely to ignore parent participation Establishes programs that promote parent-teacher interaction Fails to facilitate parent-teacher interaction Promotes the school to community groups Does not participate in community groups Provides ways parents can learn about school and help their children Doesn’t

You don’t have to change everything to change anything.

• THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT