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Our Take

The Wallace Foundation lights the way to better principal learning.

By Frederick Brown
June 2017
Vol. 38 No. 3
I wonder how many of you remember your elementary, middle, or high school building principal. I really don’t remember much about mine. A principal, I remember thinking, was someone you only saw when you were in trouble. The principal’s job was to keep order, fix problems before they got out of hand, do paperwork, and speak at events like Spirit Day and graduation. I had no idea what else principals could be doing. Twelve years after shaking my principal’s hand at my high school graduation, I stepped into my own principalship. After sitting in a principal’s seat and studying leadership further, I have a much deeper understanding of the importance of the building principal. I now understand that, although individual teachers play the primary role

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Authors

Frederick Brown

Frederick Brown (frederick.brown@learningforward.org) is deputy executive director of Learning Forward.

References

Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement.

Manna, P. (2015). Developing excellent school principals to advance teaching and learning: Considerations for state policy. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.


Image for aesthetic effect only - Brown-frederick-200x250-1
President | CEO at Learning Forward | + posts

Frederick Brown is Learning Forward’s president | CEO. Fred is an education visionary who knows firsthand that our nation’s schools need transformational change if we are to meet the challenges of the next decades. Fred advocates that every child deserves to reach their highest potential and every educator must have the opportunity to participate in exemplary, ongoing, professional learning programs to provide students the skills needed to meet their unique needs.

Supporting educators at all levels and improving student achievement are through lines of Fred's career. An elementary school teacher, a middle school assistant principal, and school principal, Fred saw firsthand the impact high-leverage instructional practices and school culture have on school success.

Fred is a frequent speaker on leadership and building high-quality learning in schools. He has co-authored two books that have made significant contributions to the field of education, demonstrating how a comprehensive approach to professional learning can be achieved so that everyone in a system is a learner, and how principals apply a learning lens to their many critical responsibilities to create a productive climate for learning and collaboration. "Becoming a Learning System" and "The Learning Principal -- Becoming a Learning Leader"  are time-tested Learning Forward resources for schools and leaders.


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