Teaching

Elementary Principals’ Group Calls For Focus on Leading Instruction

By Mark Stricherz — November 07, 2001 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Principals should primarily be instructional leaders, a booklet released last week says, and delegate administrative tasks to others.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals bills the 96-page publication as redefining the role of principals. Leading Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do recommends that school leaders’ top goal should be to raise student achievement.

A read-only (nonprintable) copy of Leading Learning Communities is available from the NAESP. (Requires Adobe’s Acrobat Reader.) The publication may be purchased for $19.95 by ordering online or by calling (800) 386-2377.

“Effective principals lead schools in a way that places student and adult learning at the center,” it says.

Traditionally, principals have managed schools and overseen budgets, buildings, staff members, and students. At a press conference here, NAESP officials emphasized that principals must be school managers as well, but noted that those tasks can often be delegated to others.

The publication represents a shift in emphasis from two earlier books published by the organization, which focused much more on managing a school. For example, while the 1997 version of Proficiencies of Principals notes that principals should be instructional leaders, it also devotes one chapter to a school’s operations. Standards for Quality Elementary & Middle Schools, published in 1996, also included a heavier emphasis on management.

“The words ‘delegation’ and ‘collaboration’ leap to mind,” Darrell Rud, the president of the Alexandria, Va.-based association, said when asked who would oversee a school’s operations. Mr. Rud said he knows of schools with 1,100 students that “have no vice principals, and at that point instructional leadership becomes impossible.”

While Mr. Rud called on school districts to spend money on extra assistant principals and more professional development for school leaders, one observer said the organization should have amplified that theme in the book.

“They defined the role to change, but we need to get supports for principals,” said Robert C. Rice, the chief operating officer of the Council for Basic Education, a Washington group that advocates a strong academic curriculum.

Education groups and schools must understand that, if principals are to become instructional leaders, cities, counties, and states must also spend money to hire aides to help them, he said.

Six Steps

In justifying its redefinition of the principalship, the NAESP booklet cites the achievement gap between poor and some minority students and white students, swift technological change, and the movement for higher educational standards.

But the booklet cautions that the call for greater accountability in schools “is potentially a serious weapon against public schools that fail to help their students reach the standards.”

It outlines six steps principals should take to improve test scores, including balancing management and leadership roles; setting high expectations and standards; demanding rigorous content and instruction; fostering a culture of adult learning; using data; and engaging parents and civic groups in schools.

The booklet will be distributed to the association’s 28,500 members, local and state school boards, and other policymakers, said Vincent L. Ferrandino, the organization’s executive director.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the November 07, 2001 edition of Education Week as Elementary Principals’ Group Calls For Focus on Leading Instruction

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching How Playing Chess Can Boost Academic Learning
Experts argue that by playing chess, students can learn valuable skills that can benefit them in the classroom.
3 min read
Students from the Chess Club rearrange pieces on the board as they play friendly games against each other at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich., on April 24, 2023.
Students from the Chess Club rearrange pieces on the board as they play friendly games against each other at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich., on April 24, 2023. Chess can teach students important skills used in academia, experts said.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Correlation? Causation? Effect Sizes? What Should a Teacher Trust?
Understanding research implications for the classroom is key to determining student outcomes.
5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Advice for Beginning—and Veteran—Teachers
Larry Ferlazzo offers advice for new teachers gleaned from his many years of experience in the classroom.
3 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Students Can Easily Fall for Dangerous Messaging. What Teachers Can Do
Bad feelings and alienation can plague young people. You can address those emotions in the classroom.
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week