Abstract
High-performing leaders have a pivotal role in improving student achievement. The ability to promote and support powerful, equitable learning is the key to school success. Articles in this issue of Bulletin offer unique ideas for principals to consider as they think about their work. It is my hope that readers will find new perspectives on how schooling can be improved and how the exercise of leadership influences this improvement.
School turnaround initiatives have prioritized the school principal as the change lever; however, there has been little consideration about the critical role district leadership plays. In the lead article, researcher Meyers analyzes the turnaround launch and improvement plans of school district leaders participating in a university turnaround program. The findings suggest that district leaders identify certain systems levers as more significant challenges than other ones, but their espoused ways to address these challenges are disparate if determined at all. Implications for both school leaders and district leaders are discussed.
Principals should lead for social justice, particularly in support of marginalized and vulnerable students like lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents. Authors Boyland, Kirkeby, and Boyland conducted a quantitative survey-based study to collect data from 116 middle-grade principals in Indiana to examine the implementation of antibullying policies and best practices supporting LGBTQ students. Their findings suggest that utilization of research-based policies and practices may provide protection and support to LGBTQ students from bullying and discrimination at school. Principals will find the section on implications for practice includes integration of findings with essential research on bullying and LGBTQ youth.
Researchers Pérez-García, López, and Bolívar center attention on the degree of efficacy of the principal’s performance in relation to the learning objectives, curriculum, and results, and they explore the relationship among the perceptions of the inspectors, teachers, and management teams about the principal’s efficacy in promoting students’ learning. The authors used The Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) questionnaire to explore these dimensions in the Spanish context. Findings indicate that the principals’ performance in relation to the learning objectives, the curriculum, and the results is considered efficacious. The authors noted that just as in other evaluations, principals were more likely to rate their effectiveness higher than supervisors, peers, or others. Principals will find instructive and beneficial how VAL-ED can serve as a helpful tool to assess their own practice and as well as seek additional feedback for determining their influence and impact on school success.
Principals are leading schools in a time of high expectations and accountability that often results in workload stress and anxiety. As a result, there is increased attrition and turnover in the principalship, leading to difficulty in sustaining meaningful school improvement. Authors Wells and Klocko review the nature of stress as reported by principals and suggest a means for responding to that stress with efforts that have resulted in resilience for people in numerous occupations, with particular emphasis on physicians. Their findings argue that internal coping methods such as mindfulness and self-care might be key to the development of resilience in principals. This article presents notable recommendations for ways principals can respond to stress.
As you read this issue, I hope you will gather ideas that will help you move your school forward. Each article is a “must read”!