Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
IDEAS
Learning to lead
Districts collaborate to strengthen principal practices
By Kay Psencik and Frederick Brown
June 2018
Vol. 38 No. 3
The role of the principal is a complex one. How well principals play that role matters to the success of the students and teachers they serve. Since Roland Barth (1984) succinctly noted that “the quality of a school is related to the quality of its leadership” (p. 93), research has confirmed that principals have a positive impact on school improvement, the quality of teaching, and student learning, especially in high-needs schools (Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010; Hallinger & Heck, 1998; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). In many districts focused on improving teaching and learning, the teacher professional learning community is an essential professional learning model to engage teachers in increasing their effectiveness. For members to focus on their own learning so they
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This article is sponsoored by the Wallace Foundation
References
Barth, R. (1984).The professional development of principals. Educational Leadership, 42(2), 93-94.
Bryk, A.S., Sebring, P.B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J.Q. (2010).Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Corcoran, A., Casserly, M., Price-Baugh, R., Walston, D., Hall, R., & Simon, C. (2013).Rethinking leadership: The changing role of principal supervisors.Washington, DC: Council of the Great City Schools.
Council of Chief State School Officers. (2015).Model Principal Supervisor Professional Standards 2015.Washington, DC: Author.
Hallinger, P. & Heck, R. (1998). Exploring the principal’s contribution to school effectiveness: 1980-1995. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 9(2), 157-191.
Hirsh, S. & Crow, T. (2018). Becoming a learning team: A guide to a teacher-led cycle of continuous improvement (2nd ed.). Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.
Honig, M.I. & Rainey, L.R. (2014). Central office leadership in principal professional learning communities: The practice beneath the policy.Teachers College Record, 116(4), 1-48.
Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.
Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.
Manna, P. (2015). Developing excellent school principals to advance teaching and learning: Considerations for state policy. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.
Psencik, K. (2011). The coach’s craft: Powerful practices to support school leaders.Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.
Kay Psencik served students and educators for over 30 years in Texas public schools as a teacher and school administrator. She has supervised, supported, and coached principals for over 40 years.
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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