Abstract
Great schools begin with great leaders. However, school leadership is a demanding role requiring principals to demonstrate numerous essential skills. Successful principals seek to consistently develop and improve in their role, just as they ask of their teachers and students. This issue offers several important articles that principals will find valuable in pursuit of becoming more accomplished and skillful.
As policy focus on test-driven accountability and 21st-century skills accelerate, schools face the challenge of teaching for test performance and deeper learning. Teaching for test performance requires teaching a relatively shallow and narrow skill set, while teaching for deeper learning requires teaching a much broader and deeper skill set. In the lead article, researchers Nehring, Charner-Laird, and Szczesiul examine the classroom instructional patterns in schools serving high-needs communities that regularly outperform their demographic peers on state tests and express a school-level commitment to adapting instruction to teach 21st-century skills. The authors found that approximately one third of the classrooms observed exhibited an instructional demand for 21st-century skills. In many of the remaining classes, they found that teachers appeared to apply misconceptions of 21st-century skills, and unintentionally deployed those misconceptions to reinforce the narrow and shallow skill set associated with test-based accountability. Themes from teacher and administrator interviews support this finding. School- and system-level implications are discussed, and recommendations on what could be done to ensure equitable opportunities to learn are presented.
Teacher perceptions after 5 years of implementing evaluation protocols that were initiated under Race to the Top revealed a wide range of attitudes about the evaluation instrument used and the nature of their relationship with the evaluator. Researchers Derrington and Martinez conducted an exploratory study of teacher perceptions in secondary schools in several Tennessee school districts following the fifth year of implementation of the teacher evaluation system. Data indicated unintended consequences as a result of their evaluations, including impacts on relationships with principals as well as concerns with principal time needed on evaluations. Findings imply that the reformed evaluation systems may not be effectively providing learning opportunities and support of growth for teachers.
Much has been fore-fronted in the public debate about the role of professional development in improving teacher quality and in creating new practices that meet the demands of teaching in an era of higher standards; the question remains how best to do this. In the third article, researchers Lee and Madden examine the Japanese Lesson Study to enhance the content and pedagogical knowledge of principals as well as general and special education English and social studies teachers in Grades 6 to 12. Specifically, the authors asked (1) How can Lesson Study push administrator and teacher thinking to broaden content knowledge and pedagogical approaches? (2) What is the impact of Lesson Study on instructional leadership? The authors provide an overview of the model, describing the approach as embedded professional development that could support new initiatives or curriculum reform. In addition, the authors propose Lesson Study as a model that can benefit principals as instructional leaders by elevating the thinking and shared dialogue on teaching and learning.
Across the country, school grades have become synonymous with student progress; however, recent research on grades and cognition suggest that it may be time to rethink grading practices to encourage deep and authentic learning. In the final article, researchers Knight and Cooper explored high school teachers’ perceptions of the effects of standards-based grading on planning, instruction, assessment, classroom management, and student behaviors. Findings indicated that despite some infidelity and an initial implementation dip, systemic standards-based grading changes made teaching clearer, more purposeful, and more conducive to student needs while enhancing student growth mindset and ownership. The researchers concluded that standards-based grading is a viable reform because it makes teaching and learning more focused, effective, and enjoyable. Several recommendations for administrators and teachers are provided.
Principals and school district leadership will find these articles thought-provoking and enlightening. Important concerns and issues are discussed that inform principals’ essential work in improving schools. Each article is a “must read”!