|
As Cubberly said in 1919, “. . .
as goes the principal so goes the school” (p. 351). |
|
School Culture |
Felner et al., (2007) found that
the “empowerment of teachers and administrators is important for
effective leadership and decision making and creating a climate of high
expectations and achievement” (p. 217). |
|
School culture is important to the
success of the school and it is the principal’s responsibility to
establish procedures that result in a collaborative environment with
principal-teacher interactions, supporting teacher-teacher interactions,
which will improve the teacher-student interactions (Letihwood,
Seashore, Anderson, and Wahlstrom, 2004). |
|
Teacher-Teacher Interactions |
Dufour & Marzano (1997) state that
“by promoting teacher learning collaborative teams, a principal is far
more likely to improve student achievement than by focusing on formal
teacher evaluation” (p. 63). |
|
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee
(2002), suggest that every person in every role at some point acts as a
leader. |
|
Teacher-Student Interactions |
High quality teacher-student
interactions are imperative for students to feel that teachers care and
are interested in their learning (Gurr, Drysdale, & Mulford, 2006;
Halawah, (2005); Hirsch, 2008; Liethwood, 2004; Wagner, 2006). |
|
Haycock (1998) found that
effective teachers show higher gains with low achieving students then
less effective teachers show with average students. |
|
A large number of studies (e.g.
Connors & Streams, 2000; Felner & Angela, 1988; Lezotte,2001; Price et
al., 1988; Raudenbush et al., 1992) indicated that students were more
motivated and learn more when teaching was relevant to their current or
future lives/careers /interest. |
|
Haycock’s study (1998) also found,
that students who have highly effective teacher for consecutive years
increase their performance on standardized test dramatically more each
year. |
|
Principal-Teacher Interactions |
Marshall (2008) and Toch & Rothman
(2008) agree that principals spend a large amount of time discussing
initiatives and directives, but teachers rarely benefit from these
discussions because there is no follow up on the initiatives and no real
expectation established. |
|
The principal needs to interact
with teachers in a curricularly meaningful way and be aware of what
students are learning (Hirsch, 1999; Leithwood & Mascall, 2008;
Marshall, 2006; Reeves, 2004; Wagner & Kegan, 2006; Whitaker, 2003;
Zepeda, 2003). |
|
Distributed Leadership (Leadership
Alignment) |
Principals need to envision the
culture they want and then enact steps to achieve that vision. The
cultural shift will follow (Marshall, 2003). |
|
A study by Liethwood (1987)
describes the “popularity of distributed leadership as a desirable
approach to leadership practice in schools. Justifications for the
optimistic consequences associated with this approach to leadership
invoke democratic values, shared expertise and the commitment that
arises from participation in decision making…” (p. 65). |
|
High Quality Principal-Teacher
Interactions |
Dufour & Marzano (1997) state that
“by promoting teacher learning collaborative teams, a principal is far
more likely to improve student achievement than by focusing on formal
teacher evaluation” (p. 63). |
|
Marshall (2008) claims that in
order to be a change agent in curricular areas in the building, a
principal must know what the teachers are teaching, as well as be
familiar with the content and the delivery system in order to suggest
improvements to the classroom. |
|
Hirsch (1999) found that
administrative roles do not inherently improve quality academic
teacher-principal interactions on a professional level. The principal
must intentionally become involved. |
|
Collaborating with Teachers (Summer
Meetings) |
Ginsberg (2001) claims that
knowing exactly what is being taught in the classroom will facilitate
conversation and self reflection in teachers, adding a new level of
professionalism that is often overlooked. |
|
Martinez, Firestone, Mangin, and
Polovsky (2005), found that teachers desired feedback on their work. |
|
It isn’t the data themselves that
helps change schools, it’s how the data are used that impact instruction
and ultimately student achievement (Downey et al., 2004). |
|
Principals in Classrooms (Origin of
snapshots) |
Frase and Hetzel (1990), believed
that “the principal would start to understand the strengths and
weaknesses of every teacher because of the frequent classroom visits
understanding of how all the parts are interrelated” (p. 18). |
|
Marshall (2008) states, “it’s
important for principals to get into classrooms and observe, and
teachers should be evaluated on how much their students learn” (p. 1). |
|
Downey et al. (2004) concluded,
“the frequent sampling of a teacher’s actions give greater validity to
what you observe and often lower teacher apprehension over time, making
formal observations more effective” (p. 6). |
|
Dufour and Marzano (2009) discuss
that for growth in instruction to occur, the principal needs to be in
the classroom alongside the teacher in order to validate learning. |
|
Marzano (2003) claims, “Rather
than prowling through classrooms with checklists of ‘correct’ practices,
administrators should be looking at interim results with their teachers,
identifying the most effective practices” (p. 167). |
|
Data Based Decisions (Data Reviews) |
Marzano (2003) claims, “Rather
than prowling through classrooms with checklists of ‘correct’ practices,
administrators should be looking at interim results with their teachers,
identifying the most effective practices” (p. 167). |
|
It isn’t the data themselves that
helps change schools, it’s how the data are used that impact instruction
and ultimately student achievement (Downey et al., 2004). |
|
According to Doyle (2003) “Only
when data become genuinely useful and common place in the classroom will
teachers and administrators welcome it. And only when it is useful will
data qualities improve” (p. 23). |
|
Rubric Based Evaluation (QIR) |
According to Marshall (2003):
A major source of inspiration has been Charlotte Danielson’s 1996 book,
Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching (ASCD). .
.First, rubrics are more ‘judgmental,’ giving teachers clearer feedback
on where they stand, usually on a 4-3-2-1 scale. Second, rubrics
explicitly lay out the characteristics of each level, giving mediocre
and unsatisfactory teachers a road map for improving their performance.
And third, rubrics are much less time-consuming for principals to
complete, since lengthy narratives and lesson descriptions are not
required. (p.12)
|
|
Danielson (1996), states that
“Educators have learned the value of a common vocabulary to describe
teaching” (p. 5). |
|
The QIR was developed by research
supports using a rubric based instrument to assess the quality of
instructional practices and establishes the correlation between good
teaching, classroom grades, and student discipline (Danielson, 1996;
Kelley & Kimball, 2004; Danielson & McGreal, 2000). |
|
Principal Evaluation of Teacher
Instructional Practices |
“When trained in quality
evaluation techniques and how to recognize quality teaching, most
principals can become effective evaluators of teachers.” (Jacobs &
Lefgren, p. 67, 2006). |
|
A study by Jacobs and Lefgren
(2006), found that principals did evaluate teachers effectively and
teachers were comfortable with principals evaluating them, but not for
merit pay. |
|
“Principals and curriculum
supervisors have long been recognized as appropriate evaluators of
teachers, despite problem of partiality in ratings or infrequent and
incomplete observations (Epstein, 1985, p. 4). |
|
Grades and Instructional Practices |
According to McMillan (2001)
“findings from other studies show that this practice (intertwining
grades and behavior) is still pervasive” (p. 30). Gathercoal (2004)
noted that “due to the excessive entanglement between achievement and
behavior, achievement grades are often misinterpreted” (p. 153). |
|
According to Guskey (1994), grades
are an indicator of how a particular student is learning at that time in
that subject area. |
|
According to Felner et al. (2007)
and Rowan et al. (1997), students are motivated and inspired by good
teaching. |
|
Discipline and Instructional Practices |
“Problem behavior presents another
distinct barrier to high school graduation because of school disruption
and increased use of exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and
expulsions” (McIntosh, et al., p. 244). |
|
According to Cotton (1999), for
quality instruction to take place, teachers need a supportive principal,
standards for student behavior, high expectations of students, student
input into discipline policies, consistent application of rules and
teachers have the authority to discipline. |
|
Research exists (e.g. Connors &
Streams, 2000; Felner & Angela, 1988; Haycock, 1998; Lezotte, 2001;
Price et al., 1988; Raudenbush et al., 1992) that concludes that good
teaching does make a difference in student performance, |
