Principal Leadership - January 2015 - (Page 40)

BUILDING A BETTER PRINCIPALSHIP Supporting principals as instructional leaders Stephen Fink and June Rimmer Allocation of resources School leaders allocate resources strategically so that instructional practice and student learning continue to improve. Vision, mission, and culture‑building School leaders committed to collective leadership create a reflective, equity‑driven, achievement‑based culture of learning focused upon academic success for every student. Improvement of instructional practice Based upon a shared vision of effective teaching and learning, school leaders establish a focus on learning; nurture a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and public practice; and monitor, evaluate, and develop teacher performance to improve instruction. Management of people and processes School leaders engage in strategic personnel management and develop working environments in which teachers have full access to supports that help improve instruction. The 4 Dimensions of Instructional Leadership™ framework I 2015 NASSP Conference Speaker 40 Principal Leadership | January 2015 ncreased federal and state expectations, angry parents, discipline issues, bus problems, lockdown drills, and daily challenges are just some of the issues principals face on a daily basis. Clearly, their responsibilities have multiplied since many generations ago when they served as the "principal" teacher. But what about the responsibility of instructional leadership? We know that principal leadership is second only to teaching quality when it comes to improving student achievement. Yet the most recent research shows that principals spend an average of 8 to 17 percent of their time (Jerald, 2012), or three to five hours per week (Supovitz & May, 2011), in instructional leadership activities. This same research suggests that some of the work principals are spending in instructional leadership lacks the focus needed to improve instruction. Much of the challenge lies in figuring out why this occurs and how we can address it. Over the past few years, through the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership has been working with 15 school districts and charter management organizations (CMOs)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Principal Leadership - January 2015

From the Editor
Bulletin Board
Cases in Point
Healthy Schools, Healthy Students
2015 NASSP National Principal of the Year
Tagging Along: U.S. Department of Education Officials Shadow School Principals
Making Space for New Leaders
Hitting the Learning Target
How to Support Grieving Students
Partnering With Millennial Parents
Building a Better Principalship
Creating Opportunity for Struggling Students
What Connected Educators Do Differently
Promoting Excellence
Instructional Leader
Breaking Ranks in Practice
Discussion Guide

Principal Leadership - January 2015