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Coaching principals is a calling and a commitment

By Kay Psencik
Categories: Coaching, Leadership, School leadership
October 2019
Vol. 40, No. 5
Principals are smart, accomplished leaders. They want their students to be successful and have a deep moral internal drive to educate all students to high standards. But principals have complex jobs that get more complex every year. In today’s environment, workforce skills, community involvement skills, communication skills, and technology skills have become essential alongside high levels of mathematics understanding and other aspects of instructional leadership. With these many demands, principals need high-quality support and professional learning communities just like teachers but have far less access to them. Professional learning for principals still tends to be episodic and lack coherence (Southern Regional Education Board, 2010; Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010). Principal coaching is an important approach for changing that pattern. Coaching is strategic, ongoing, and

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Authors

Kay Psencik

Kay Psencik (kay.psencik@learningforward.org) is a senior consultant at Learning Forward.

References

Louis, K.S., Leithwood, K., Wahlstrom, K., & Anderson, S. (2010). Investigating the links to improved student learning: Final report of research findings. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. Reston, VA: Author.

Psencik, K. (2011). The coach’s craft. Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.

Southern Regional Education Board. (2010, August). The three essentials: Improving schools requires district vision, district and state support, and principal leadership. Atlanta, GA: Author.


Kay Psencik
+ posts

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.


Categories: Coaching, Leadership, School leadership

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