Effective School Leadership Promotes Success: School Leaders Determine the Outcomes of Educational Goals

When a school lacks effective leadership, minimal learning takes places. School leaders, beginning with the principal or headmaster, must provide strong leadership that sets a tone for the daily operations of the school community. In the absence of such leadership, discipline breaks down, academics falter, and a sense of organized chaos reigns. School leadership is not just about walking the halls and telling students to “tuck in their shirts.” Rather, it is about dynamic modeling that encourages collegiality and promotes excellence in every aspect of the school community.

School Leadership and the Classroom Teacher

Effective school leaders hire teachers that are impassioned, organized, and that know their subject area well. The leader is as much a manager as educational administrator. Good managers hire “go getters” and “self starters” that will rise to every challenge and commit to success and excellence. These types of teachers represent a significant threat to poor administration because they will rapidly see through the “path of least resistance” and oppose it.

Dynamic school leaders enter a classroom not to find problems but to offer solutions, share recommendations, and encourage and affirm good performance. Excellent leaders encourage excellence while promoting a community spirit of collaboration. Such school leaders are able to identify emerging issues and problems and swiftly deal with them in a positive way. Superlative leaders welcome criticism and address it positively.

Good leaders are respected by the entire educational community. Working in an environment of transparent openness, their doors are always open and they take all telephone calls, willing to address even the most difficult situations or, in some cases, the most difficult parents. They “go to bat” for their teachers when the situation warrants it but are not afraid to personally discuss problems with affected teachers or staff.

Unlike poor administrators whose every action revolves around personal professional survival, effective principals put the good of the community first, foster policies that promote the highest academic standards, and provide the staff training necessary to meet those goals. They are not afraid to say “no” to potential hindrances that might affect the attainment of community based objectives and outcomes.

Strong, effective school leaders don’t base decisions on image and public relations. They rely upon the maxim that the best possible PR constitutes the fostering of a superlative academic program by professional faculty, even if aspects of that program, such as individual student scores, incur the wrath and criticism of pocket groups of parents or community stakeholders. Perhaps the most important characteristic of a strong leader is to have a “backbone,” the wherewithal to stand up for what is right in the face of adversity.

Strong leaders may not always be loved, but they are respected by every member of the school community. Respect breeds an atmosphere of professionalism. Professionalism doesn’t tolerate mediocrity, but seeks to turn the very hint of mediocrity into successful alternatives leading toward community excellence.

Teachers working under poor school leaders tend to become very content. Expectations are low, lesson plans become stale, and the old adages that “if you can’t beat them, join them” sinks into the collective mentalities. Afraid to “rock the boat,” the faculty finds strength not in a vibrant academic community, but in individual classrooms that become personal fiefdoms.

Rescuing Academics from Poor Leadership

Non-effective school leadership should be confronted by teachers, parents, and concerned citizens. Documenting bad leadership may help identify serious problems and lead to either behavioral changes in the leadership or the call for replacement leadership. Additionally, school leaders must take stock of themselves and determine to reform daily behavior and decision making. Ineffective leadership may be a chief reason the American educational system is in a state of malaise.

Apr 29, 2009 8:15 AM

Guest :

This is an important article and I wish there were more like it.
My son has been in student council for 2 years and is one of few at his school who actually qualifies to run for student body president. The majority of the student body are behind him and he is favored to win. However, there has been much personal drama and voting by the current student council that have become a great distraction to the students.
When he signed up to run for president, there was never any mention of a GPA requirement and in fact he has maintained mostly a 3.0 gpa for the 2 years he has been Sophomore and Junior class rep. It is one week before the election and they are telling him his GPA MUST be at least 3.5. There is no mention of this in the student handbook or on their school website. The school does however clearly define the minimum gpa for sports to be a 2.0.
I have asked that the school administration step in and demonstrate a fair policy by allowing him to at least run. He followed procedure and proposed an amendment but was voted against by the current student council. The school has not provided me with prooif that each previous president/vice president have all held 3.5 gpa's in the past and they also cannot explain why the students were not notified of this rule prior to one week before the election! He has no time to try and raise his grades.
Effective leadership could stop the students from getting angry at the unfair events by over-ruling the student council. The students are preoccupied, passionate and angry. My son is simply crushed. He has planned for over a year to run and no one ever told him about the 3.5 gpa. So much for a rewarding last year of high school. Let's hope college does a better job!