|
Major Roles of the 21st Century Principal
Reprinted with permission of the Association of Washington School Principals
Visit the Association of Washington School Principals website at
http://www.awsp.org
Major Roles of the 21st Century Principal
1) The principal is the instructional leader who works with staff and site-based councils on the improvement of student learning. In this role, ambiguity, diversity, and fairness are valued and many decisions rest upon consensus, compromise, and inclusion. Through collaborative leadership the entire site team builds effective communications in order to promote learning. Democratic leadership does not imply that a formal leader is unnecessary in effective schools.
2) The principal keeps the school "close to the customer." Flexibility and freedom are employed in achieving state and district general goals in a manner which is consistent with the clientele served. Implementation clearly rests with the school. The principal helps reconcile the professional research base with the opinions and understandings of our many publics.
3) The vision and political skills of the principal create new relationships with the central office (a provider of services), teachers' union, business partnerships, and various special interest groups. The school community truly asks the significant questions and becomes a problem-solving organization. In so doing, the local school unit takes greater initiative and accountability for results.
4) Through team building and recruiting, the principal builds a sincere commitment to staff diversity. We model and celebrate gender, ethnicity, and cultural strengths.
5) Schools become the focal point where community resources are coordinated and focused to meet particular student needs. Readiness to learn and early childhood education remain key.
6) Principals and schools become more entrepreneurial with choice as a major element of reform. Competing for the support and enrollment of students is a fact of life.
7) School principals are challenged to overcome perceived school violence. In working with community/legislators, principals provide alternative placement for students who exhibit behaviors outside the scale of decency and good order.
8) For reform to be successful, the role of technology needs to be understood and utilized where appropriate. Only through full utilization of information age systems will we be able to reach and prepare a higher percentage of students.
|
