'Untie My Hands': A Principal's Plea

By Gerald N. Tirozzi

I am a school principal, and I’m proud of what I do—especially of my work’s continuing impact on teachers’ effectiveness and students’ learning. Because of this, I’m also committed to being held accountable for the myriad responsibilities principals assume, the most important being the improvement of student achievement.

But as you hold me accountable, I would ask that you give greater thought to a number of factors that affect my job. Here are a few simple requests:

Evaluate my performance comprehensively. My primary role is to be an instructional leader, focused on improving student learning outcomes. But, as everyone must know by now, that’s not a principal’s only role. As Congress’ recent resolution declaring October 2009 National Principals Month indicated, I’m an educational visionary, an assessment expert, a curriculum innovator, a professional-development leader, a community-builder, a public relations professional, a budget analyst, a facilities manager, a technology leader, a special-programs administrator, a restaurant manager, a safe- and drug-free-school administrator, a disciplinarian, a guardian of various legal, contractual, and policy mandates and initiatives, and a leader in improving programs for students with special...