School Principal Development

Theoretical and Experiential Approaches for Educational Leaders

Susan Simon

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781032025407
• eBook ISBN: 9781000505368
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Who would be a school principal these days? Alarming school issues appear daily in the media and there are reports of ever-increasing workloads impacting stress levels of principals, resulting in high attrition rates. As the role complexity increases and demands surge, would-be applicants must consider deeply their ambitions, their capacity and their knowledge about what it means to become a school principal.

Fortunately, some teachers still consider becoming one, as, more than ever, our schools, our teachers and our students need great leaders. Theory, research-informed guidance and practical advice based on experience is gathered here for aspiring principals by a former school principal, now researcher in educational leadership. Topics of leadership skills development, self-care and wellbeing, the role of a mentor, effective career planning, and practical application advice are interrogated through reflective activities to probe motivations, aspirations and leadership career goals. The book can be used independently, as part of postgraduate study or during conversations with a mentor.

Uniquely, this book also provides insights and pertinent advice from other current and former principals, and senior education executives predominantly in the Australian context. These rich personal narratives provide practical advice and, in their own individual ways, portray the realities, including the joys, of the job. What is experienced by principals in Australian schools, however, has significant alignment with what is facing school leaders in countries around the world. The maintenance of leadership pipelines must continue to be a focus worldwide to ensure that students are in schools led by great leaders.

1 Introduction

DOI: 10.4324/9781003183815-1

Abstract

This chapter sets the scene for those aspiring to take on the role of principal. Despite the well-documented challenges of the role, it is still a career opportunity like no other in the way that it inspires through its altruistic purpose of nurturing rich learning environments for children and young people, its potential for success and its ultimate crucial role in today’s society. But what is fake news and what is the reality of the role and why are some people attracted to take on its responsibilities and its challenges?

Fake news versus reality TV

The global snapshot

There is consensus around the world that the role of a principal is central to students’ learning success and their schools’ effectiveness. Davis, Gooden and Bowers (2017) assert that ‘[a]s the key visionary and instructional leader of a school, a principal is one of the largest school-level factors affecting student achievement’ (p. 208). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2019 and 2021) highlights a broad range of skills and adaptability as crucial elements to the effectiveness of the work of school leaders and how important this is in today’s complex, rapidly evolving new learning landscape:

OECD countries are facing challenges with the rising expectations for schools and schooling in a century characterized by technological innovation, migration and globalization. As countries aim to transform their educational systems to prepare all young people with the knowledge and skills needed in this changing world, the roles and expectations for school leaders have changed radically. They are no longer expected to be merely good managers. Effective school leadership is increasingly viewed as key to large-scale education reform and to improved educational outcomes.

OECD (2021)

However, the effects of the high-stakes nature of the principals’ work are reflected in the findings of annual surveys which tell tales of increased stress levels for those in the job (Riley, See, Marsh and Dicke, 2021) and it is often the case that aspiring principals are dissuaded from applying for positions due to the perceived challenges (Doneley, Jervis-Tracey and Sim, 2018; Doyle and Locke, 2014; Gronn and Rawlings-Sanaei, 2003; Winter and Morgenthal, 2002). Our daily news feeds are full of significant and sometimes dramatic school issues and incidents which the principal must handle. Attrition rates are high, reflecting the associated burn-out rates for those in the top job (Walker and Qian, 2006). Parents’ BBQ conversations revolve around the latest misdemeanour that the principal of their kids’ school has committed, whilst dinner party conversations conclude with everyone agreeing that they wouldn’t do a principal’s job for quids.

Notwithstanding the challenges of the role, it remains the case that school leaders themselves share common altruistic motivations to undertake a job which is seen as having the potential to make a real difference to their schools, their staff and, most importantly, their students (Fullan, 2018; Li, Hallinger and Ko, 2016; Liebowitz and Porter, 2019). However, the need to ensure that school leaders are effectively prepared to take on this important and complex role is expounded by many researchers in the field, including Bush (2018), Ng and Szeto (2016) and Slater, Garcia Garduno and Mentz (2018). Thus, governments and education authorities the world over, endeavour to reflect the realities of the current educational context and the complexities that this brings for the person in charge, whilst appealing to the altruism and sense of mission required by school leaders to remain committed to making a difference to the students of tomorrow.

In Australia, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) (2014), through its Australian Professional Standard for Principals (APSP), emphasises how important the following attributes are: Vision and values; Knowledge and understanding; and Personal qualities, social and interpersonal. AITSL (2014, p. 6) emphasises:

The role of the principal of a school in the twenty-first century is one of the most exciting and significant undertaken by any person in our society. Principals help to create the future. Principals are responsible and accountable for the development of children and young people so that they can become ‘successful learners, confident creative individuals and active informed citizens’ (the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, 2008). They embody the power of education to make a difference to the lives of individuals and to society, now and in the future.

Furthermore, the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Declaration (Education Council, 2019) describes the critical role of the principal as one of ‘instilling a culture of high expectations, collaboration and professional growth’; principals must be supported to ‘continually develop their own skills, in order to teach young Australians the essential skills and core knowledge needed for a modern society and economy’ (p. 11).

Your country needs you!

So, do you want to answer the call to be of service to education in this way, notwithstanding the rapid changes and the ever-mounting pressures? Do you want to contribute something special? What is your motivation? Perhaps it is the right time for you to consider taking on such a role. Perhaps you have been inspired by someone you have worked with – a leader perhaps who practises just the sort of leadership that you aspire to. Perhaps they have encouraged you to become one yourself. Maybe you are motivated by the aspirational goals of the national education agenda, the ethos statement of the system in which you have been a teacher or by some postgraduate study you have undertaken which has ignited your interest in taking on more leadership responsibilities.

The chances are that your innate inclinations have been the main source of encouragement to aspire to be a principal (Simon, 2015). Gurr and Drysdale (2015) claim that ‘Australian educators have relied mostly on a self-identification and self-managed system in which individuals decide that they want to pursue leadership opportunities and then seek out the support and experiences to help them’ (p. 377). Interestingly, it appears that self-motivation from a young age means that ‘adults with a greater enjoyment of leadership per se, and who are motivated to lead without regard to external consequences, [are] significantly more intrinsically motivated from childhood through adolescence’ (Gottfried, Gottfried, Reichard, Guerin, Oliver and Riggio, 2011, p. 510). Having such an outlook is useful in the career path you are considering, as there are not always the tangible rewards that you might like to receive for succeeding in what can seem, at times, an arduous journey. If you do enjoy learning for its own sake, then the many lessons to be found on the way will provide nourishment for the soul. Does this resonate with you? As a child or young person do you remember what motivated you? And then, through your years of teaching, is this what has defined your ability to persevere and gain a sense of achievement through intrinsic motivation?

If this is not totally you, do not lose heart. The purest form of this would require a saintly disposition and an unrealistic denial of the oftentimes confronting realities of working in complex and challenging situations. We are all human after all, and there is much work we can all do to strengthen and improve on our leadership skills throughout the journey and develop even stronger commitment to the role, no matter what besets us. Day and Gurr (2013) present examples of how high-performing schools have emerged and how their outstanding leaders have had to strengthen their skills in diverse ways in order to bring about change and improvement. It can be useful to reflect on such examples for inspiration, whilst the narratives and activities in this book are designed to assist with the essential self-reflection that will inform your way forward.

It is an obvious but unfortunate fact that not all applicants can be successful for each post available, and it may take a few attempts to get there. Keeping your pecker up in the face of disappointment is another aspirational saintly reaction hard to muster initially on receipt of disappointing news. Finding ways to turn the undesirable outcome of an application for a principal’s job into a lesson from which you can learn is a skill which this book is geared to help you develop. Your future school and its students need committed and passionate leaders to work alongside them in the future. It will be important to find ways to continue with your quest.

Twenty tales of reality

Many researchers into principal preparation and development programs have pointed to successes experienced by aspiring and beginning principals who have been guided into the role by an experienced other (Simon, Dole and Farragher, 2019). In fact, this book offers you insights through twenty tales from current and former principals and other leading educationalists with the aim of providing you with the chance to reflect in ways that otherwise may have been elusive. Rich personal narratives from people who have done the job themselves can add colour, inspiration and practical insights to guide you on your own potential career direction. Good news reality TV episodes, if you like, which portray the realities, including the joys, of the job.

The contributors come from all sectors in education and have varying lengths of service in the roles they have or have had. All are cognisant of the high-stakes nature of the process on which you are embarking, the enthusiasm and the motivations that you must possess to go through it, and the dreams that you are nurturing in order to get there. Many remember this stage well and have articulately shared their anxieties and their trepidations – as well as their commitment and passion for the job they have chosen to do. It is hoped that you will get a sense of the fraternity and collective spirit of support that is associated with being a school leader.

These contributors are giving back to a profession in which they, too, have been supported to get where they are today. In sharing their experiences with aspiring principals, they are nurturing future generations of school leaders and upholding one of the major tenets of a profession, which is to provide guidance and wisdom to the next wave entering the profession. The Australian Council of Professions states that it is the responsibility of professionals (in this case experienced school principals) to be ‘prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others’ (Australian Council of Professions, 2021). One day you will perhaps be doing the same for the next generation of school principals.

One person’s reality, of course, is not necessarily another’s, and whilst we can gain understanding from another’s experience and perspective, our own experience, based on contextual characteristics and agendas which impact on culture, coupled with the way we personally view the world, will be truly unique (Gurr and Day, 2013). This relates to the experiences we already have which help to form our beliefs about effective leadership but also it refers to the context in which we are aiming to lead. Many of the reflective exercises in this book will guide you to think carefully about these aspects and to plan your career direction accordingly.

Narrative is a powerful source of both inspiration and learning (Marzano, 2007) and it is envisaged that these contributors’ tales will augment the personal and contextual reflective work that you must do for yourself. I have learned much already...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• List of tales
• Acknowledgements
• List of contributors
• 1. Introduction
• 2. It’s who – and what – you know
• 3. Planning the way ahead
• 4. Taking first steps
• 5. A foot in the door
• 6. Hoops to jump through
• 7. Under scrutiny
• 8. The chosen one
• 9. Meeting and greeting
• 10. Now you’re a principal!
• Appendix
• Index