Jun 21, 2021 12:00:00 AM
School principals must feel a lot like circus performers. Just as a performer is expected to juggle multiple balls, bowling pins, or torches while dangling from a high wire with ease, principals must also juggle a seemingly endless series of responsibilities. Finances, operations, safety, and legal issues are some of the most well-known “tricks” that a principal must possess in their repertoire. But there is one important responsibility that too often gets overlooked: instructional leadership.
Expertise in curriculum and pedagogy may not be a formal part of a school leader’s job description, but there is no denying its necessity. Efforts like modeling effective instructional strategies, providing teachers with a strong, standards-aligned curriculum, and freeing up resources to provide staff with meaningful professional development are critical for successful teaching and learning. Not only do great principals get this, but among all the many balls they have to juggle, they make instructional leadership a priority.
The era of school accountability—first ushered in by No Child Left Behind and later transformed by the Every Student Succeeds Act—has forced principals to adapt to new roles as curriculum and instructional leaders. No longer can administrators just be overseers of school budgets and staffing. They must be the foundation of instructional excellence in their buildings.
Among numerous others, successful school leaders must ask themselves these questions:
[pullquote]To be true agents of change within their school communities, school leaders must not be afraid to answer these questions honestly.[/pullquote] A little reflection can go a long way in the “balancing act” of making a school work for all students.
Instructional leadership means putting in some hard, hard work to see students succeed. As leaders, being visible in classrooms every day is no easy task, especially when you have bus schedules and student discipline to manage. Establishing high expectations and demanding academic excellence from all students is time-consuming, serious business.
It’s the kind of work that simply can’t be faked. You may be able to talk the proverbial talk, but if you fail to walk the walk, you’re going to be found out sooner or later.
Whether it be a first-year teacher struggling with classroom management, a veteran educator exploring innovative new strategies, or simply a staff member needing feedback for their annual evaluation, strong principals are relied upon for sage wisdom about best practices in the classroom. There is a reason why the best educators often make the best school leaders—[pullquote position="right"]it has everything to do with maintaining the heart of a teacher no matter what role they are in.[/pullquote]
To quote my friend Zach Wright, strong school leaders serve as a visible reminder of our larger purpose. To truly propel students toward academic excellence, principals have to embody the mission they represent within their schools. Demonstrating great instructional leadership is not an easy ball to juggle, but it may well be the most important.
Garris Stroud is an award-winning educator and writer from Greenville, Kentucky whose advocacy and scholarship have been recognized by USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, Education Post, The Louisville Courier-Journal, and The Lexington Herald-Leader. He served as a Hope Street Group Kentucky State Teacher Fellow from 2017-2019 and became chair of the organization's editorial board in 2018. Stroud received bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Murray State University and is currently a doctoral student in educational leadership at the University of the Cumberlands, located in the heart of Kentucky's Appalachian region. Read more about his work on the Kentucky School Talk and Rural Ed Voices blogs.
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