What makes a 撸友看片? Strong leadership is a key factor. A that looked at data from more than 22,000 school principals in four states concluded that replacing a below-average elementary school principal with an above-average one results in students making an additional 2.9 months of progress in math and 2.7 months of progress in reading, on average.
A great principal takes responsibility for school success, leads teaching and learning, hires and retains excellent teachers, and builds a strong school community. But not all principals provide the kind of leadership it takes to make a 撸友看片. Here鈥檚 how to tell whether your child鈥檚 school has problems at the leadership level, and how to take action.
There is no overall vision for the school
A school principal should know — and be able to articulate — what kind of school community they are working to establish and what values the school should uphold. In their book, , authors James H. Stronge and XIanxuan XU, say an effective principal facilitates the 鈥渄evelopment, communication, implementation, and evaluation of a shared vision of learning that reflects excellence.鈥�
There is no plan to address declining academic achievement
Although principals can鈥檛 take all the blame for declining test scores, they should have clear goals for school-wide academic improvement that they communicate to staff and students, and ways to measure improvement against the goals. They should include staff and parents in the goal-setting process.
The principal is absent
If the principal delegates discipline decisions and dealing with parents to the school secretary and you never see them in classrooms or on the playground, or if they are often in meetings or away at conferences, that can be a sign they aren鈥檛 effectively leading the school. The principal should interact regularly with students and parents, and know them by name.
The principal doesn鈥檛 return phone calls or emails
If you have tried to contact the principal several times without getting a response, that鈥檚 cause for concern. And if you do make contact, the principal should address your issue and make an effort to implelement possible solutions.
The principal shows favoritism
It may seem that some teachers, students, or parents have access to the principal while others do not. A 2020 study titled lists 鈥榙isplays of favoritism鈥� as one of the six categories of irresponsible leadership. Even the perception of preferential treatment can sow discord in a school community. If you feel that you or your child are being unfairly dismissed, let the principal know your concerns and be sure to document your experiences.
When to contact the principal
It is always better to try to work out problems with your child鈥檚 teacher first. If you have a concern about your child鈥檚 academic achievement or behavior within their classroom, start by reaching out to the teacher. But if you are not satisfied with the teacher鈥檚 response, or if you have a concern about a school-wide discipline problem or the school鈥檚 philosophy, then it鈥檚 time to contact the principal.
When to contact the superintendent
If the principal does not return your phone calls or if you are dissatisfied with their response, then you should contact the superintendent. If you have concerns about the principal鈥檚 leadership that you can clearly document, you should contact the superintendent. If several parents share the same concern, it may help to make an appointment as a group.
The superintendent is in charge of supervising principals. Likewise, superintendents are supervised by the school district鈥檚 Board of Education. If your concerns aren鈥檛 being addressed, take them to people higher up the chain of command.
