The Importance of School Principals

Each day more than 53.6 million students walk into more than 94,000 K-12 schools in the hopes that the 13 years of schooling they will experience will dramatically enhance their chances of success in modern world. Indeed, evidence of income in 2001 supports these hopes. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the earning potential of a student who graduates from high school is $19,900 compared with $11,864 for a student who does not. If the high school graduate completes college, that earning potential increases to $37,203. A master's degree increases the figure to $49,324. A doctorate or professional licensure reaches $71,606. School, then can be the door to advancement--at least financial advancement--in our complex society. For a particular school to be a launchpad to the levels of success sought by students, however, it must operate effectively.

Whether a school operates effectively or not will increase or decrease a student's chances of academic success. Marzano (2003) has shown that students in effective schools as opposed to ineffective schools have a 44% difference in their expected passing rate on a test that has a typical passing rate of 50 percent. To illustrate, consider two schools--School A and School B. Assume that the schools have a typical population of students--some with advantages in their home environment and background experiences, some with few if any advantages, most somewhere in the middle. If students in both schools take a test that has a typical passing rate of 50%, we would expect 72% of the students in the effective school to pass the test and only 28% in the ineffective school to pass. A difference of 44%.

To what extent does leadership play a role in whether a school is effective or ineffective? That is, how much of a school's impact on student achievement is due to the leadership displayed in that school? To answer this question, it is valuable to look at the results of a meta-analysis conducted by Marzano and associates (2003).

After examining 69 studies that involved 2,802 schools, they computed the correlation between the leadership behavior of the principal in the school and the average academic achievement of students in the school to be .25. To interpret this correlation, assume that the principal is hired into a district and assigned to a school that is at the 50th percentile in the average achievement of its students. Also assume that the principal is at the 50th percentile in his or her leadership ability.

Assuming the principal stays in the school for an extended period of time, the .25 correlation implies that over time, it would be expected that the average achievement of the school would remain at the 50th percentile. Interestingly, if you increase the principal's leadership behaviors by one standard deviation--from the 50th to the 84th percentile--you would expect to see the average achievement of the students in the school to rise to the 60th percentile. Increasing leadership behavior by two standard deviations--the 99th percentile--would allow us to predict student achievement to rise to 72nd percentile. Taken at face value, these findings are compelling. A highly effective school level leader can have a dramatic influence on the overall academic achievement of students. So what makes for an effective school level leader?

Examining 69 studies, looking for specific behaviors related to principal leadership has lead to the identification of 21 core responsibilities. These responsibilities and a description are:

Affirmation - Recognizes and celebrates accomplishments and acknowledges failures.
Change Agent - Willing to challenge and actively challenges the status quo.
Contingent Reward - Recognizes and rewards individual accomplishments.
Communication - Establishes strong lines of communication with and among teachers and students.
Culture - Fosters shared believes and a sense of community and cooperation.
Discipline - Protects teachers from issues and influences that would detract from their teaching time or focus.
Flexibility - Adapts his or her leadership behavior to the needs of the current situation and is comfortable with dissent.
Focus - Establishes clear goals and keeps these goals at the forefront of the school's attention.
Ideals/Beliefs - Communicates and operates from strong ideals and beliefs about schooling.
Input - Involves teachers in the design and implementation of important decisions.
Intellectual Stimulation - Ensures faculty and staff are aware of the most current theories and practices.
Involvement in Curriculum and Instruction - Is directly involved in the design and implementation of curriculum, instruction and assessment practices.
Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment - Is knowledgeable about current curriculum, instruction and assessment practices.
Monitoring/Evaluating - Monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning.
Optimizer - Inspires and leads new and challenging innovations.
Order - Establishes a set of standard operating procedures and routines.
Outreach - Is an advocate and spokesperson for the school to all stakeholders.
Relationships - Demonstrates an awareness of the personal aspects of teachers and staff.
Resources - Provides teachers with materials and professional development necessary for the successful execution of their jobs.
Situational Awareness - Is aware of the details and undercurrents in the running of the school.
Visibility - Has quality contact and interactions with teachers and students.

How does one person manage to demonstrate all of these behaviors? I am not sure they can. In my personal and professional life I have known many fine principals, and none of them could demonstrate all 21 of these characteristics. The best ones I have known were honest with themselves about their strengths and weaknesses and then used this information to delegate, compensate or improve.

Having only been a principal for a short period of time, I can tell you that I found it the most rewarding, yet most challenging job I have ever held. The rewards came from being able to make a direct impact on the lives of teachers and students. It is a job you could never understand unless you have done it yourself.

On a final note, I would like to address anonymous comments. While I certainly support and will continue to post the statements of those that disagree with my actions or decisions, I will no longer post anything that criticizes anyone else. I also wish that those who need to post a comment would consider contacting me directly. I cannot work through an issue or discuss a problem with someone when they provide feedback anonymously. It is hard to accept the validity of a comment if the person is unwilling to put their name to the statement. We are all trying to do the best we can for our students. If we keep that in mind, we can work constructively and even agree to disagree when necessary.