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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Yet Again: Principals as Instructional Leaders | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Yet Again: Principals as Instructional Leaders | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:


Yet Again: Principals as Instructional Leaders

The constant chatter that principals should be innovative and tough-minded instructional leaders, on-top-of-everything CEOs, and smooth political tacticians reminds me of a photo* sent to me by a fellow blogger in Turkey.

I have written numerous times on the DNA of principaling and how  three roles–managing, instructing, and politicking–are essential to the daily work of principals. Researchers have observed elementary and secondary principals over the past century and documented time and again that most of their daily activities (at least half) are spent in administrative tasks. Managing a building, staff, children and youth, parents, central office officials,