Great principals are made, not born

THE school principal is the highestranking administrator in an elementary, middle or high school. We all may recall our principal from elementary or high school. They may be someone who seems to be just barging into a classroom and sit on one corner observing the flow of class while your homeroom teacher registers a vague, awkward smile because of the unexpected visit paid by your principal, or they could be someone who played a direct impact on your lives while you were under their supervision or extended right after you have stepped out of elementary or high school.

With academic institutions incessantly bombarded with ever-increasing pressure to enhance teaching and learning, the functions and obligations of school principals are magnified further to responsibilities designed to lead academic amendments requiring elevation of student achievement. But the success in implementing improvements to facilitate reform in student achievement often falls heavily on the shoulder of principal’s ability to create a school condition that fosters collective vision within the school community as much as the accomplishment in engaging teachers in shared decision- making. Whatever the principal does while leading the institution, it sets the tone for the working environment for the teachers, students and nonacademic employees under his/ her administration.

So, what exactly is the making of a great principal? In an article “The Making of a Great Principal” authored by Eva Chiang, Matthew Clifford and William McKenzie, published in 2016, they have looked at three places in the continental USA examining how school districts can develop strong leaders who in turn can improve student achievement across the country.

In the State of Washington, Katie Lundgren’s triumphant story proved how school districts can prime aspirant and prospected principals in their crucial functions. Her account demonstrated how a right support from the district can result in the creation of the right conditions for success. The district supports principals by assigning assistant superintendents to oversee a cluster of principals where they’re working on issues like instruction, hiring and budgeting, as well as reviewing data to track their progress. It may sound a bit obtrusive but the process helps in getting to know the principal’s strengths and weaknesses. This in turn resulted in a staggering increase in student achievement for that school year with four out of five goals met or exceeded as laid out by the state’s chancellor of education for her school.

The State of Denver, on the other hand, operates on a different approach taking into consideration that effective principals are instructional leaders that do not suddenly appear but instead made. They focused on hiring and building leaders who can keep up with the modern exigencies of being a principal –training and supporting them, and giving them the freedom to do their work. That is giving them more autonomy and authority while equally giving emphasis on retention of trained, effective principals by “making principal’s jobs more doable, more protected, and more supported so that the job appeals to the most talented professionals,” according to the article.

Lastly, In the State of New Mexico, the success of academic reforms is directly related to the district superintendent’s willingness to revise policies and practices to support principals and school leaders. Furthermore, the barriers that were identified stunting improvement and progress made in terms of academic initiatives were removed. As a result, overly complicated procedures were simplified.

They arrived at this conclusion when they have noticed the difference between school principals who went to the same programs and training. Principals who were successful were in districts with superintendents willing to adjust and execute what is necessary to support their principals.

The above success narratives perhaps are true, however, that will not be the case for every academic programs and policy in other places. The approach might have worked in some parts of the United States but it does not necessarily mean it would prove beneficial implementing the same set of strategies here. But the triumphant accounts are great guidelines for leaders in position if they wish to effect change in the educational system of the country. After all, the position of principal only works as well as the people who occupy it and the tools they have at their disposal./