The topic of principal effectiveness and its role in comprehensive, sustainable school improvement has been on our minds as we bring our ASCD Forum discussion to a close. We asked readers of ASCD SmartBrief, a free daily e-mail news service that provides summaries and links to major education stories and issues, what best defines effective principals. More than a third (34 percent) of readers agree that the most important standard is for principals to have a clear vision and inspire and engage others in developing and realizing it. At a secondary level, about one in six educators felt that one of the following four standards were equally important and most descriptive of an effective principal:
- They model professional, ethical behavior and expect others to do the same.
- They are committed to student and adult learners and their development.
- They foster a cohesive culture of learning.
- They drive, facilitate, and monitor the teaching and learning process.
We look to principals and heads of schools for leadership and support as we are asked to do more with less for our students. As leaders, learners, advocates, communicators, and developers, principals face complex challenges. Today's challenges include the development of the whole child, the changing global economy and society, the importance of school and community partnership, and using data to inform practice.
Whole child partner organization National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) shares