Principals Matter a Lot...Now What?

PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT MATTERS to the effectiveness and quality of our teacher. That's becoming common sense, right?

So, given that we know that principal leadership matters, what do school districts do to make sure we have excellent leaders in place to support our teachers?

Announced a while ago, Knox County Schools and UT-Knoxville launched a Center for Educational Leadership. Think of it as "principals in training." This has gotten a lot of attention because of the training of these new folks, but what I think has been left out is what else is included in this principal leadership initiative.

- New principal cohorts run by a principal-in-residence: NOT JUST FOR KNOX COUNTY
THIS COULD BE A REGIONAL EFFORT.
If there would be 25 new administrators from school districts around the region, the contact person (Betty Sue Sparks, bsparks6@utk.edu).

- Based on research of what makes a good principal, Knox County is providing training and support for principals.

- If there is an issue that a principal s/he feels overwhelmed by, the Center for Educational Leadership and Knox County Schools has people ready to help.

- Leadership Resource Center: Building a bank of information and people able to help school administrative leaders.

- Are you a retired school administrator? They might be able to use your help! E-mail bsparks6@utk.edu for information.

There's an increasing amount of responsibilties placed on the backs of principals, but the most important thing is that they SERVE AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER for the school. However, as I understand it, there's an increasing amount of pressure for principals to prove the effectiveness of their work through test scores of their schools. This is a real issue, since some principals may only focus on getting only good scores.

As one of the focus groups of teachers told me earlier this week, THE PRINCIPAL NEEDS TO GET OUT, BE SEEN, and PROVIDE MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK on their classroom strategies. From what I heard in this focus group, rincipals can't just sit behind desks, answer e-mails, and hide behind paperwork.

AN EMERGING ISSUE, especially with a new evaluation system coming down the pike, there is a difference between a NEW EVALUATION TOOL and a NEW EVALUATION PROCESS. A tool is only a tool. A process is a way of doing things differently. Some school system principals may feel that they don't have the time to do a more targeted, constant, on-going evaluation process for EVERY TEACHER EVERY YEAR. However, there's a lot riding on Tennessee's ability to make this happen, which means that principals need more support than ever. Any ideas how to make this happen? I think everyone's listening to any new ideas out there...

In The News
Knoxville's School Board is busy, from surplusing Oakwood School to potentially letting go a teacher to the State's involvement in Austin East HS.

Kingsport City Schools get bigger.

Sullivan County Director of School Jubal wants the community to be involved.

The Niswonger Foundation gets high marks from the federal government in their plan to help more Northeast Tennessee students get ready for a career and college.

Can numbers tell a teacher's value?