PRINCIPAL AS HEAD TEACHER: LEADING TEACHERS TOWARDS IMPROVING LEARNING
No-one is in any doubt that being a school principal is not getting any easier. Demands on school principals from their school communities, government, and assessment and accreditation authorities, as well as from the sheer day-to-day busyness of running an effective school, mean that for many principals, giving priority to serving as the instructional leader in their school is extremely difficult.
Yet principals recognise and understand that their role as Head Teacher – as their school’s instructional leader – is of paramount importance. Their role in securing the best possible teaching of which their teachers are capable is fundamental to the quality of learning that occurs in their classrooms.
At this time of the year, significant numbers of senior teachers have just been informed of their first appointment as a principal, commencing early next year.
Amid their excitement and keen sense of anticipation, most of them know that the key to securing and nurturing high quality teaching is the quality of the relationship that principals create with each of their teachers.
Madeline Will draws on advice from veteran teachers to offer these new principals especially, and indeed all principals, ways in which principals can develop and nurture positive and productive relationships with those whom they lead (4 Things Principals Can Do (and 4 Things They Shouldn't) to Build Relationships With Teachers, in EdWeek, 15 Oct 2019).
The first thing Will’s veterans said to new principals was:
Don’t come to a new school and immediately make changes. "I think the wrong way to get commitment early on is to just stand up in front of the staff and say, 'This is what we're going to do," Laura Bradley, a 26-year English teacher at Kenilworth Junior High in Petaluma, told Will. David Bosso, a 23-year social studies teacher at Berlin High School in Berlin, explained to Will that in many cases, teachers tend to be somewhat suspicious of new initiatives. A new initiative, according to Bosso, “is sometimes perceived as being critical of what teachers have been doing for years, and what has worked for them. Fairly or unfairly, it calls into question what they know and who they are — it gets right into their own perception of professional identity, he adds.
Laura Bradley agreed, noting that a new principal should not just ignore what already exists and just plough forward as if change needs to happen. When her first principal started at a new school, Will was told, the only changes she made in the first year were to the landscaping. Bradley really appreciated that the new principal spent the whole first year listening to teachers and observing the school's culture.
Jeff Baxter, a 30-year English teacher at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park strongly felt that new principals shouldn't try to implement something that worked at their old school and expect it to go perfectly. "Schools have their own cultures, both with their students and with their teachers," he said. "It's important to have a good sense of that: The same thing doesn't fit every place."
Instead, Will’s vets advised new principals:
Do take time to recognise what’s already working well. "Everything isn't broken," said Monica Washington, an instructional coach at BetterLesson, an online lesson-sharing site, who had previously taught for 19 years in Tennessee and Texas. "Administrators have to start with that and find out - what do you like about what your new school is already doing?" “Even if the teachers can't keep doing what they're already doing,” Washington told Will, “principals can still pull out successful elements of an established program and incorporate them into a new initiative.”
That approach is also useful when the new principal is being forced to make immediate changes under a district or state mandate, Laura Bradley pointed out.
"One of the best things I've seen a principal do is to say, 'This is what we're being told we need to do, but first, let's identify what we're already doing that matches this initiative,' " she said. "It's recognising that your teachers are probably doing a really good job, and they don't need to start all over again."
The second thing Will’s veterans suggested she tell principals was:
Don’t ignore your veteran teachers. Conventional wisdom wrongly suggests that long-serving teachers on the staff of any school are most likely to be resistant of any change when a new principal arrives. Admittedly, sometimes veteran teachers can be a bit cynical and slow to get on board with new programs, as Monica Washington concedes, but those are the very teachers whom principals should reach out to for advice and to hear their insights, she added.
Indeed, Will observes that the long-timers in the school can often help the principal to get the rest of the staff on board with new programs. Will cites Laura Bradley again: “The worst thing principals can do is ignore the fact that some teachers have been there from the beginning. They know how the school works, and a lot of them have established some pretty powerful programs and good reputations," Bradley said. "A good principal would seek to understand and honour that."
"It's easier to get a newer, fresh teacher who just came in the building a year ago on board with something - they don't have the experience to know how it might affect students or how it might affect them," Washington told Will. "Those veteran teachers have a lot of wisdom and discernment and even sometimes have been there longer than the principal. ... They've been there for all the school’s changes, and that's a level of experience that shouldn't be pushed aside."
Instead of pushing them aside, Will’s vets recommended that new principals:
Do prioritize building relationships with teachers. "If teachers are going to be asked to do new things and take risks and be innovative, there has to be a level of trust, and that trust can only be developed in a culture where relationships are nurtured," 23-year veteran Social Studies teacher David Bosso told Will. “Principals can build strong relationships with their staff by being respectful and supportive, and by trusting teachers as professionals,” he continued.
Jeff Baxter noted that one of the best principals he had encouraged an open dialogue among teachers and students at the school. Everyone felt valued, and it set a positive tone for the school year, Baxter added. On the other hand, he once worked for a principal who abruptly began demanding teachers hand in all their lesson plans at the start of every week, which left teachers feeling micromanaged.
"It changed the whole tone of the school," he said. "Teaching is difficult enough without feeling like you're not respected."
Will’s third thing suggested to new principals by her veterans was:
Don’t get too cocky. According to David Boss, teachers respect and get on board with a principal who is authentic, rather than someone who is overly ambitious and looking to please the people who are above him or her. "There's a fine line between being a leader and being a boss," Bosso added. The principal shouldn't issue mandates from his or her office, veteran teachers told Will. Instead, a principal should be doing the hard work alongside their staff. "In my opinion, the principal and assistant principal—their time is no more important than say, a teacher's time," Bosso said. "They shouldn't ask the teachers to do something they themselves wouldn't do."
Laura Bradley agreed, pointing out that when her current principal first came to her school as an assistant principal, he noticed that teachers didn't have a convenient place to store their bags with emergency supplies. He personally installed a hook by the door in every classroom for teachers to hang their bags. "It seems like a little thing, but teachers can lose their minds over the little things that are not functioning well," Bradley said. "I can see the bigger picture—that's a way for him to get into every classroom, to chat with the teachers, to find out what else they need."
And that leads to the vets’ alternative suggestion:
Do get out of your office as often as you can. Principals have a lot of demands on their time and attention that aren't central to teaching and learning - but Will's veteran teachers say the more time principals spend outside of their office and interacting with teachers and students, the easier it is to create an atmosphere of trust, and for them to live out their role as Head Teacher/instructional leader. The best kind of management in a school is management by walking around, leading by being visible and present for students and teachers. Bradley said the most effective principals she has had were always giving ‘high fives’ to students and chatting with them during breaks and lunch.
After all, building relationships with students "is what we're supposed to be doing," she told Will. "If there's a principal who doesn't do that, yet knows that teachers should be doing it, it doesn't feel like we're honouring the same thing. It makes such a difference for our work in the classroom if we know that administrators know the students, and when we talk to them about a student, for them to say, 'Yep, I know that kid, I've seen him in the yard, and I know the kind of support that he needs.' "
Jeff Baxter strongly agreed, telling Will that principals should be on the ground, working alongside their staff. "If they are making decisions in the best interest of students as they should, they will be working as a team with their teachers," he said.
The veteran teachers’ final suggestion to Will was:
Don’t ignore teachers’ suggestions and input. Creating a space for an honest, respectful conversation where both sides can voice concerns and share their opinions is key, Jeff Baxter told Will. Seeking teachers’ opinions, insights, ideas and innovative suggestions lets teachers feel valued and trusted colleagues. "Once teachers know that's important to an administrator, that they are listening and are willing to follow up and follow through, even if that new thing is not something that teachers would have picked or chosen for themselves, they're more likely to buy into it because the effort was there," she said. "You just feel mute when you don't feel heard."
"Principals need to be open to what the teachers can share," Baxter summarising for Will. "They need to be really good listeners." And even if principals can't implement every suggestion, Monica Washington added, it's still important for principals to take teachers into their confidence and to "give teachers the why",explaining to them the reasons behind certain decisions.
So, what did the veteran teachers suggest?
Do tap teacher-leaders to pilot a new initiative before rolling it out to the rest of the staff. Teachers may be sceptical of a company representative or an education department expert touting a new program or initiative that hasn't been tested in their school, Will says, but when a trusted colleague can vouch for the change, it makes it more likely to be adopted.
Monica Washington explains: "When you have someone who's your peer actually try something, pilot something, and then they can give you feedback on what the hiccups were, how it helped their students, what the time commitment is if you want to fully implement—there's that trust that's there ... that may not be with the company that's trying to bring about the new initiative or program."
The truth is, Will says, that change in schools is hard. Yet seemingly every year, principals have a new initiative that they ask (or tell) teachers to get on board with. Poorly managed change has the potential to sour teachers' relationships with their principal if new programs and initiatives are not well thought out, and especially if staff implementing the change are not fully briefed nor consulted. Principals simply have to realise that the success of new school programs and initiatives hinges on teachers' willing participation and buy-in.
If teachers are not on board, some might close their doors and stick to business as usual, which could sink a new initiative, according to Christopher Redding, an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Florida. Will notes that Redding has studied teacher participation in school improvement and found that when teachers are involved in the design process of a new school program, there is more commitment among the entire staff to its successful implementation.
As you begin your preparation for the new school year in a few weeks’ time, pause to consider how you might initiate change in your school - whether you are new to principalship or not. As principal – as Head Teacher – you have the privilege of leading a team of fellow professionals – learners like you, teachers like you, many of them experienced like you, and dedicated like you to providing the best possible teaching and learning in your school’s classrooms. Whether they are first-year-outs or multi-year veterans, they are your team – the best team you have – and they have a contribution to make to your decision making about future directions for your school. Bring them with you – into your confidence as you share your plans and new initiatives, and into your process as trusted and highly competent contributors.