How Do Principals and Assistant Principals Differ in Their Beliefs Regarding the Characteristics and Culture of a Good School

How Do Principals and Assistant Principals Differ in Their Beliefs Regarding the Characteristics and Culture of a Good School PDF Author: Keith Jarrod Brooks
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Culture
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Culture plays a significant role in promoting student achievement in schools, and it has the ability to support or sabotage not only student success but also quality professional learning and is the basis for school improvement (Schein, 1996; Saphier & King, 1985; Landry, 2012). In order to establish and maintain the culture of a school, the principal and assistant principal must share core beliefs of an effective school and healthy school culture. When the principal of the school is absent or unavailable, the assistant principal assumes the leadership role for the campus. Misalignment between their beliefs of the mission and vision of the school can create dissonance, which can lead to a climate and culture of disarray. The perceptions of principals and assistant principals regarding what constitutes a good school and the culture that contributes to a good school are pivotal to sustain a healthy learning environment for teachers and students. This study compared the perceptions of 311 principals and 371 assistant principals regarding the characteristics and culture necessary for a good school to succeed. The administrators that were surveyed are in the Gulf Coast Region of Southeast Texas and the data is archival in nature. The principals and assistant principals were given surveys and participated in interviews to examine their perceptions of the culture and characteristics of a good school. Themes and categories were identified by two different researchers as major indicators of a good school. This study will answer two research questions: 1. Do differences exist in the perceptions of principals and assistant principals regarding the characteristics of a good school?; and 2. Do differences exist in the perceptions of ix principals and assistant principals regarding the culture of a good school?. With the use of archival data, the study examined themes/categories as described in previous studies and was able to answer the research questions. The findings in this study indicate there are differences that exist in the perceptions of principal and assistant principals regarding the characteristics of a good school and the culture of a good school. The differences in the perception concerning the characteristics of a good school were first identified in the categories that were identified from the responses of the principals and assistant principals. Principals' descriptors included Academic Focus and Student Centered while assistant principals included Student Achievement and Students Discipline. The categories that were similar accounted for at least 50% of the responses given by both administrators. Regarding the perception of the administrators to the culture of a good school, the data reports show at least 65% of the responses of the principals and assistant principals are in agreement. The differences exist within Academic Focus and Student Achievement; only 35% of the responses for principals are in agreement and only 34% for assistant principals are in agreement respectively. These themes were not in the categories of each administrator. The need for assistant principal programs and administrator training to improve is noted. Recommendations include university preparation programs to address the importance of the culture of a school and the importance of fostering a positive climate and culture; leadership skills training for first time administrators; field experience for assistant principals as principals; teaching assistant principals and principals to recognize the autonomy of their followers; transformational leadership; collaboration implementation; and building capacity in assistant principals.

How Do Principals and Assistant Principals Differ in Their Beliefs Regarding the Characteristics and Culture of a Good School

How Do Principals and Assistant Principals Differ in Their Beliefs Regarding the Characteristics and Culture of a Good School PDF Author: Keith Jarrod Brooks
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Culture
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Culture plays a significant role in promoting student achievement in schools, and it has the ability to support or sabotage not only student success but also quality professional learning and is the basis for school improvement (Schein, 1996; Saphier & King, 1985; Landry, 2012). In order to establish and maintain the culture of a school, the principal and assistant principal must share core beliefs of an effective school and healthy school culture. When the principal of the school is absent or unavailable, the assistant principal assumes the leadership role for the campus. Misalignment between their beliefs of the mission and vision of the school can create dissonance, which can lead to a climate and culture of disarray. The perceptions of principals and assistant principals regarding what constitutes a good school and the culture that contributes to a good school are pivotal to sustain a healthy learning environment for teachers and students. This study compared the perceptions of 311 principals and 371 assistant principals regarding the characteristics and culture necessary for a good school to succeed. The administrators that were surveyed are in the Gulf Coast Region of Southeast Texas and the data is archival in nature. The principals and assistant principals were given surveys and participated in interviews to examine their perceptions of the culture and characteristics of a good school. Themes and categories were identified by two different researchers as major indicators of a good school. This study will answer two research questions: 1. Do differences exist in the perceptions of principals and assistant principals regarding the characteristics of a good school?; and 2. Do differences exist in the perceptions of ix principals and assistant principals regarding the culture of a good school?. With the use of archival data, the study examined themes/categories as described in previous studies and was able to answer the research questions. The findings in this study indicate there are differences that exist in the perceptions of principal and assistant principals regarding the characteristics of a good school and the culture of a good school. The differences in the perception concerning the characteristics of a good school were first identified in the categories that were identified from the responses of the principals and assistant principals. Principals' descriptors included Academic Focus and Student Centered while assistant principals included Student Achievement and Students Discipline. The categories that were similar accounted for at least 50% of the responses given by both administrators. Regarding the perception of the administrators to the culture of a good school, the data reports show at least 65% of the responses of the principals and assistant principals are in agreement. The differences exist within Academic Focus and Student Achievement; only 35% of the responses for principals are in agreement and only 34% for assistant principals are in agreement respectively. These themes were not in the categories of each administrator. The need for assistant principal programs and administrator training to improve is noted. Recommendations include university preparation programs to address the importance of the culture of a school and the importance of fostering a positive climate and culture; leadership skills training for first time administrators; field experience for assistant principals as principals; teaching assistant principals and principals to recognize the autonomy of their followers; transformational leadership; collaboration implementation; and building capacity in assistant principals.

The Role of School Assistant Principals and Their Perceptions Regarding the Characteristics and Culture of a Good School

The Role of School Assistant Principals and Their Perceptions Regarding the Characteristics and Culture of a Good School PDF Author: Ted J. Landry
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Professional leadership
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Throughout the literature, leadership and culture are intertwined. Organizational and leadership theorists alike hold that a leader's perceptions and behaviors are significant, if not primary, determinants of an organization's culture and climate. Given that the assistant principal is exceeded in positional authority only by the principal at a school and the fact that assistant principals will have an impact in all visible and inner workings of the school, there is a need to examine the relationship between the assistant principal's leadership perspectives and school culture by studying the perceptions and beliefs of assistant principals. The purpose of the study is to examine the beliefs and perceptions of assistant principals regarding the factors necessary for a school to be considered a good school, and how they describe the culture and climate of good schools. This study is an exploratory inquiry using a subset of the archived data from a much larger, multi-phase study of principals and assistant principals in the Gulf Coast Region of Southeast Texas. The participants, 371 current campus assistant principals, were surveyed by using a combination of traditional survey and cognitive interviewing techniques to address questions related to assistant principal perceptions regarding the characteristics of a good school and how they would describe the culture of a good school. Six major themes were identified from the responses for each of the two research questions. The themes were given the following operational definitions: Student Achievement; Professional Learning Communities; Positive Climate; Strong Leadership; Parental & Community Involvement; Student Discipline (research question one); and Valuing the Student (research question two). The results of the analysis indicated that the comprehensive nature of the roles asked of the assistant principal puts them in a position to be qualified, almost uniquely so, to render a perspective on what is good in schools and what good schools look like. This study demonstrates, through the perceptions of assistant principals, that for a school to be considered "good," it must do so by first establishing a strong, healthy culture that is conducive to not only learning, but to the well-being of the whole individual, both adult and student.

From Good Schools to Great Schools

From Good Schools to Great Schools PDF Author: Susan P. Gray
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 145228072X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
"These successful principals move beyond platitudes and optimistic denial and learn to face the facts of what is necessary to improve schools—then they do it. These star principals learn to work with teachers and their union rather than around them." —Charles Taylor Kerchner, Hollis P. Allen Professor Claremont Graduate University "Links Collins′s work to success in the school setting. The examples of school leaders who were able to lead effective, systemic change are powerful." —Brenda Dean, Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction Hamblen County Department of Education, TN Make the leap from ordinary to stellar school leadership! "What can I do to make a difference and lift my school to excellence?" From Good Schools to Great Schools answers this question for principals and considers other critical issues in a detailed examination of school leadership. Based on the concepts from the national bestseller Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don′t, this guidebook identifies nine characteristics of high-performing "Level 5" school leaders through: In-depth discussions and detailed case studies of six "star" school principals A comparison of principals and corporate leaders, including qualities exclusive to school leadership Reflection questions for more effective application of leadership principles Templates, implementation tips, and additional resources Correlated with ISLLC standards, this comprehensive resource is a valuable resource for aspiring and practicing school administrators, site leaders, and supervisors.

A Comparison of Principals' and Assistant Principals' Perceptions of the Characteristics of a Good School and Culture

A Comparison of Principals' and Assistant Principals' Perceptions of the Characteristics of a Good School and Culture PDF Author: Jennifer Winans Muraco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The purpose of this study was to compare the principals' and assistant principals' perceptions of the characteristics of a good school and culture. This study is significant because of the expectations school leaders face today in improving student achievement as measured by the new State of Texas accountability assessment. Research indicated that improving the school's climate and culture will increase student achievement (Hoy and Tarter, 1997). Research also stated that school leaders have a great impact on school climate and student achievement (Guthrie and Schuermann, 2011). Principals and assistant principals work together to create quality schools and build school cultures. This study was composed of archival data collected by interviewing 311 campus principals and 371 assistant principals in the Gulf Coast Region of Southeast Texas. This study examined the responses from two open-ended questions part of a larger, multiphase study. The results from both research questions identified five major characteristics by principals and assistant principals. The characteristics were (1) student achievement and academic focus, (2) professional development and professional learning communities, (3) parental and community involvement, (4) positive climate and (5) strong leadership. In this comparative study, the researcher used a descriptive model to compare the perceptions that principals and assistant principals have regarding good schools and cultures.

Impact

Impact PDF Author: Christopher Colwell
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475811071
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 173

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Book Description
Far too little attention has been paid to the role that assistant principals have in the development of high performing schools. Impact provides specific, practical, and replicable leadership strategies for today’s assistant principal. Impact describes how to build meaningful principal/assistant principal leadership teams. The opportunities that assistant principals have to be the instructional leader of the school and the voice of the faculty, and the principal; in other words, how to “lead from the middle” are examined. Impact is a practitioner’s guide for the assistant principal striving to be a school leader. Target audiences include teachers wishing to become assistant principals, current assistant principals looking to excel and lead careers of significance, colleges of education working with graduate students who are being trained in P-12 school administration, and sitting school principals looking to expand the often under-utilized, potential of the assistant principal. This book examines the art and science of the assistant principal as a school leader; as a leader who impacts the lives of teachers and students. Great assistant principals matter.

Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals

Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals PDF Author: Elaine K. McEwan
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1483360822
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
"I feel that this is a book that principals will be interested in purchasing and reading. It has practical advice and relevant examples of how the advice can and has been implemented." Phillip Silsby, Principal Belleville West High School, Belleville, IL "I could hear the voices of some of the principals who were interviewed speaking to me. The author clearly knows how to gather information and present it in a meaningful way." Bonnie Tryon, Zone 2 Director National Association of Elementary School Principals "This is a powerful guidebook for new principals. More than that, it also contains valuable insight and examples to assist veteran principals in growing and improving professionally." Kimberly Kay Janisch, Principal Watertown High School, Watertown, SD How can principals raise achievement levels, energize teachers, and get results? How can you remain productive and effective in this age of accountability? Highly effective principals have strong communication skills, high levels of knowledge about teaching and learning, and the ability to provide instructional leadership. This excellent, new resource provides principals, administrative teams, and educators with tremendous resources to hone these skills and traits. Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals contains ideas, reflections, behaviors, habits, and stories from the trenches to guide and inspire as you seek to increase your own effectiveness. Each chapter in this resource describes an essential component of personal effectiveness. A highly effective principal is A communicator—listen, empathize, and connect An educator—with a depth of knowledge; motivates intellectual growth An envisioner—focused on the vision of what schools can be A facilitator—building strong relationships A change master—flexible, futuristic, and realistic, and can motivate change A culture builder—communicating and modeling a strong, viable vision An activator—with motivation, energy, and enthusiasm to spare A producer— building intellectual development and academic achievement A character builder—whose values are trustworthiness, respect, and integrity A contributor—whose priority is making contributions to the success of others Transform your school into a community of learners, set high academic and behavioral expectations, and create a culture where children feel special and safe.

Principals and Student Achievement

Principals and Student Achievement PDF Author: Kathleen Cotton
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416601120
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
What are the direct and indirect influences of principals on student achievement? How do successful principals motivate others? What kinds of relationships do they have with parents, students, and staff? Principals and Student Achievement identifies 26 essential traits and behaviors of effective principals to show how they achieve success as instructional leaders. Based on a review of 81 key research articles from the last 20 years, this concise book examines how certain practices can affect student achievement, including: * Communication and interaction * Classroom observation and feedback to teachers * Recognition of student and staff achievement * Dedication to a safe and orderly school environment * Support of professional development of staff * Role modeling The book also reviews differences in instructional leadership between elementary and secondary principals, male and female principals, principals in high- and low-socioeconomic-status schools, and more. We all know that principals are important to student success, but few people have pinpointed exactly how they make a positive difference. At a time when principals are being asked to do more for school reform and accountability, Principals and Student Achievement provides a valuable resource for identifying what it takes to be an effective principal and, in turn, an effective school. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.

Solving the Assistant Principal's Puzzle

Solving the Assistant Principal's Puzzle PDF Author: Douglas Hartley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317924851
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
How does an assistant principal complete the large number of managerial duties and, at the same time, serve as a credible instructional leader? This book provides practical recommendations for successfully filling the dual role as manager and instructional leader, building effective relationships, using power appropriately, and productively collaborating with the principal and staff.

Better Principals, Better Schools

Better Principals, Better Schools PDF Author: Delia Stafford
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1681233665
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 107

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Book Description
A school is only as good as its principal. This quip forms the thesis of Better Principals as it provides a bird’s eye view on the enactment of Haberman’s eleven core functions of a star principal. Better Principals is imperative for two main reasons. First, the achievement gap between 20 million children in poverty and their mainstream counterparts is continuing to become even wider. Many students are constantly subjected to inequality of educational opportunity, which limits their future opportunities. Second, Haberman is one of the most prolific producers of administrators of the twentieth century (and into the twenty-first century). He reminds us that quality school systems, with quality leaders, benefit our society. Haberman explained that there is often selection blindness when it comes to identifying school leaders, and this deficiency has many negative consequences for education in general, and learners in particular. Haberman has generated theories, training programs and tools to engender substantive changes needed to produce better schools. Each chapter in this volume contains reflection questions for discussion to remind us all why selecting quality principals must be paramount when hiring school leaders. These illustrative book chapters emphasize the execution of Haberman's star principal ideology. Praise for Better Principals, Better Schools “Not every educator is suited to leading – or teaching – in the most challenging urban schools. Yet, nowhere else is excellence in leading – and teaching -- more critical to the success of students. This volume based on the pioneering work of Martin Haberman offers a practical response to those who say the task of instructional leadership is beyond the capability of principals. The authors offer concrete examples of how successful urban school leaders find the time and capacity to inspire and manage learning under difficult conditions. Just as important, the authors ground their examples in a set of clear justifiable principles that can be used by others to guide their own practice.” Dr. Philip Hallinger Professor, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) “If great teaching and more of it are the key ingredients for any successful school, then great leadership is the critical path. Better Principals, Better Schools turns this theory into model lessons for all current and aspiring school leaders.” Mike Feinberg Co-founder KIPP Schools

The Good AP, The Bad AP

The Good AP, The Bad AP PDF Author: Uche L Njoku Edm
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Are you an aspiring school leader, ready to make your mark but unsure how to navigate the intricate world of educational leadership? Look no further. "The Good AP, The Bad AP: And The 4 Quadrants Of Leadership For Assistant Principals" is your guiding light, illuminating the path from being an Assistant Principal to a Principal. Authored by Uche L. Njoku, EdM, an esteemed education leader and a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, this book is a distillation of his two-decade-long journey in education. Having served in pivotal roles from Dean and Assistant Principal to Principal, Uche shares the insights he has gleaned, lessons he has learned, and the transformation he has witnessed within educational communities. The book delves into four distinct leadership quadrants, defined as the Good APs - the Mentor and the Visionary - and the Bad APs - the Dictator and the Bystander. Each quadrant provides in-depth exploration of the characteristics, impacts, and lessons tied to these distinct leadership styles, offering aspiring leaders a roadmap for their journey. In this concise yet comprehensive guide, designed to be absorbed in one sitting, you will: Explore the actions that truly define leadership beyond the allure of titles. Understand the characteristics and impacts of the Mentor, Visionary, Dictator, and Bystander APs. Navigate your path from an Assistant Principal to a Principal role, learning how to become an effective leader. Gain insights into transforming struggling schools, fostering a culture of growth, and leading with vision and purpose. Whether you are beginning your journey in educational leadership or are an experienced school leader looking to refine your approach, "The Good AP, The Bad AP: The Journey From Assistant Principal to Principal" is an invaluable resource. It provides not only a theoretical understanding of educational leadership but also practical strategies that can be implemented for successful leadership. Embark on this transformative journey and redefine your leadership today!