Viewpoints:
School Leadership in the 21st Century:
Why and How it Is Important
Good Schools Need Good Leaders
School leadership is important to the success of a school or school system. Over 15 years ago, the effective schools research (Purkey & Smith, 1983) documented that in schools where students performed better than expected based on poverty and other demographic characteristics, a "dynamic" principal was at the helm. In more recent years, strong leaders remain key to turning around poorly performing schools, implementing reforms, and motivating teachers and students in districts such as Memphis, Tennessee; El Paso, Texas; and Long Beach, New York.
Although it is difficult to demonstrate a direct link between school leadership and student achievement (the most tangible and publicly accepted measure of school success), a model of what makes a good leader is emerging. A recent forum of the National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking, and Management (1999) developed a comprehensive description of an effective school leader. Consistent with the observation that the job of a school leader is multidimensional, the forum identified areas in which school leaders must have skills: (1) instructional leadership; (2) management; (3) communication, collaboration, and community building; and (4) vision development, risk taking, and change management. We devote the next section of this paper to describing these skill sets. Keep in mind that there is still much discussion and debate about which characteristics are intrinsic requirements or can be externally identified and capitalized upon.
Instructional Leadership Many reformers identify one of the most important characteristic of an effective school leader as the ability to provide strong instructional leadership. Instructional leadership includes the design of instructional strategies, supervision and evaluation of programs, and the development of curriculum and graduation requirements (see Murphy, 1988, for a review of research in this area). Thus, principals must have a deep understanding of the processes of teaching and learning including knowledge of new teaching methods, student construction of knowledge, and skills in problem solving. In addition, good leaders must devote a large portion of their time and energy to improving teaching and learning.
Recent research suggests that particular tasks are characteristic of instructional leaders: those related to school performance, such as making regular classroom visits, communicating instructional goals, and promoting discussion of instructional issues (Heck, 1992). Effective principals also pay considerable attention to indicators of student achievement. Good instructional leaders are committed to success for all students and place particular emphasis on improving instruction for poorly performing students. These principals are skilled observers of instruction and are able to give valuable feedback in ways that encourage and motivate teachers to improve their practice. They create a schoolwide dialogue around models of good teaching and quality student work, and everyone is held accountable for student performance.
Instructional leadership looks different in different districts. Principals may take on varying levels of direct involvement in classrooms and other instructional activities. Some may spend considerable time in classrooms, while others may create teams of teachers or teacher-leaders to carryout their goals for instructional improvement. The key elements of good instructional leadership are an ability to provide informed feedback, guidance, support, and professional development activities.
Management
There is little debate about the fact that good leaders must also be good managers. They must know about finance and be able to navigate successfully through difficult political waters filled with competing interests and demands for resources. In addition, good leaders must be adept at managing people (teachers and other staff, and stakeholders), time, and facilities.
Management issues have become particularly important in today's climate of educational reform. There is an intense debate within the education community regarding whether school leadership is primarily an administrative function (managing money, parents, teachers, and so on) or an instructional leadership function (Olson, 2000a). On the one hand, current education reform initiatives place principals in the position of being judged by their success in raising test scores and meeting performance goals, while on the other hand, changes in school governance force principals to take greater responsibility for staffing, budgeting, and other managerial tasks. Questions arise as to which of these competing demands should take priority. In which of these areas do principals really need to be leaders?
Communication, Collaboration, and Community Building
While administrator training typically focuses on budgeting and resource management, today's leaders need skills in communication, collaboration, and community building. Approaches to school leadership are shifting from the traditional top-down command and control process to one where responsibilities are shared among teachers, students, parents, the community, and educational leaders. Rather than telling people what to do, effective leaders rally people around a meaningful vision and clear goals and motivate them to work hard to achieve them. But again, the usefulness of different leadership styles often depends on the context of the school or district. For example, in New York City's Community District #2, a more direct leadership style has worked well, resulting in improved student outcomes and heightened respect for teachers and district leadership. Such direct leadership is often promoted as the necessary first step in districts where there are significant challenges and barriers to change. Particularly in these difficult settings, principals (and superintendents) must possess the following value-added skills: political savvy to develop a lasting base of support for educational reform, expertise in managing the media, and capacity for developing a good relationship with the school board.
Unfortunately, research provides no clear recommendation on the best strategy for leaders to use in their relations with teachers (Manasse, 1985) and others within the school community. Both directive leaders (those employing an aggressive management strategy) and facilitative leaders (who emphasize consultation) have been found to be effective. However, good leaders promote the involvement of teachers and parents in the decision-making process. Excellent principals are not threatened by this empowerment. Good leadership, therefore, appears to be more than hierarchical leadership.
Vision Development, Risk Taking, and Change Management
Consistent with the effective schools literature, good leaders must have a vision for their school, a plan for getting there, and an ability to communicate that vision effectively. Additionally, they must understand how to accomplish school change by challenging deeply entrenched behaviors and beliefs and by encouraging all members of the school-community to take risks. A recent study of highly effective schools in New York City (Teske & Schneider, 1999) suggests that within these schools, there is a culture defined and sustained by a combination of strong, consistent leadership and strong community support. Although the specific mission of a school and pedagogical approaches may vary, effective schools have a clearly articulated vision. This vision permeates all aspects of school culture with consistency, clarity, and stability. Principals in these effective New York schools also have many of the characteristics of entrepreneurs: they take risks, seize opportunities, and work to establish a cohesive, likeminded network of parents, teachers, and staff.
