Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Is it possible for principals/heads to be effective educational leaders? In this study, we compared the work of principals/heads in two policy contexts. In Policy Context 1, standards for student performance were common and well-established, and authority was devolved to the school level for reshaping the school to meet those standards. In contrast, Policy Context 2 involved attention to more locally defined standards, and authority was more rule-driven rather than directed by local self-management. Policy Context 1 provided several advantages for educational leaders. Principals/heads were able to use the formal leadership structure of the school and to be more focused on actually achieving student results as measured against standards. In contrast, principals in Policy Context 2 often had to spend considerable personal energy helping the school define its purpose/mission, and could not hold the collaborative focus tightly on a specific set of student standards or results. Implications for job structuring, principal development, and connections between policy and practice are discussed.

Keywords

accountability authority leadership school reform standards

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E. (1997) Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .

Caldwell, B.J. (1996) ‘Beyond the Self-Managing School’ , paper presented at the annual conference of the British Educational Management and Administration Society, Coventry, Sept.

Caldwell, B.J. (2000) ‘Education for the Public Good: Strategic Intentions for the 21st Century’, in D. Marsh (ed.) The 1999 ASCD Yearbook: Preparing our Schools for the 21st Century. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development .

Caldwell, B.J. and Hayward, D. (1998) The Future of Schools: Lessons from the Reform of Public Education. London: Falmer Press .

Caldwell, B.J. and Spinks, J.M. (1998) Beyond the Self-Managing School. London: Falmer Press .

Cohen, D.K. (1995) ‘What is the System in Systemic Reform?’ , Educational Researcher 24(9): 27 .

Elmore, R.F. (2000) Building a New Structure for School Leadership. Washington, DC: Albert Shanker Institute .

Elmore, R. and Burney, D. (1999a) Improving Instruction through Professional Development in New York City’s Community District #2. CPRE Policy Bulletin. Philadelphia: CPRE Research Center, School of Education, University of Pennsylvania .

Elmore, R. and Burney, D. (1999b) ‘Investing in Teacher Learning: Staff Development and Instructional Improvement’, in L. Darling-Hammond and G. Sykes (eds) Teaching as the Learning Profession: Handbook of Policy and Practice, pp. 236-291. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .

10.

Fink, E. and Resnick, L. (1999) ‘Developing Principals as Instructional Leaders’ , paper prepared for the High Performance Learning Communities Project, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh.

11.

Fullan, M. (2001) Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .

12.

Hill, P.H. and Crevola, C.A. (1999) ‘The Role of Standards in Educational Reform for the 21st Century’, in D. Marsh (ed.) The 1999 ASCD Yearbook: Preparing our Schools for the 21st Century, pp. 117-142. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development .

13.

Institute of Educational Leadership (2000) ‘School Leadership for the 21st Century’, Leadership for Students Learning: Reinventing the Principalship. Washington, DC: Institute of Educational Leadership .

14.

LeFever, K. (1997) ‘Educational Leadership in a Policy Context: What Happens When Student Performance Standards are Clear?’ EdD diss., University of Southern California .

15.

Leithwood, K. , Jantzi, D. and Steinbach, R. (1999) Changing Leadership for Changing Times. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press .

16.

Marsh, D.D. (1996) ‘Making School Reform Work: Lessons from Successful Schools’ , Thrust for Educational Leadership 26(1): 14-16 .

17.

Marsh, D.D. (2000) ‘Educational Leadership for the 21st Century: Integrating Three Essential Perspectives’, The Jossey-Bass Reader in Educational Leadership, pp. 126-145. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .

18.

Marsh, D.D. and LeFever, K. (1997) ‘Educational Leadership in a Policy Context: What Happens When Student Performance Standards are Clear?’ , paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, April.

19.

Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook,2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE .

20.

Murphy, J. (1990) ‘The Educational Reform Movement of the 1980s: A Comprehensive Analysis’, in J. Murphy (ed.) The Reform of American Public Education in the 1980’s: Perspectives and Cases, pp. 3-55. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan .

21.

Murphy, J. and Louis, K.S. , eds (1994) Reshaping the Principalship: Insights from Transformational Reform Efforts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press .

22.

Murphy, J. and Louis, K.S. , eds (1999) Handbook of Research on Educational Administration, 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .

23.

Odden, A. (1995) Educational Leadership for America’s Schools. New York: McGraw-Hill .

24.

Schmidt, W.H. , McKnight, C.C. , Cogan L.S. , Jakwerth, P.M. and Houang, R.T. (1999) Facing the Consequences: Using TIMSS for a Closer Look at the U.S. Mathematics and Science Education. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers .

25.

Sizer, T. (1996) Horace’s Hope: What Works for the American High School. Boston: Houghton Mifflin .

26.

Tucker, M. and Codding, J. (1998) Standards for our Schools: How to Set Them, Measure Them, and Reach Them. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .

School Principals as Standards-Based Educational Leaders

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References