Abstract
This case provides emerging school administrators the opportunity to learn about the school system in Mexico. The case relates to a successful principal in her new school assignment. Martha Miramontes is an experienced and successful principal who quickly identified a number of challenges in her new campus. Even though each problem can be solved with a particular strategy, for the first time, Martha is facing a situation where all problems seem to require immediate attention. She knows she can address all problems, but decisions must be made in relation to which problem should be tackled first. Where should she start? This case explores possible sequence of actions of an experienced principal facing multiple problems in the setting of a Mexican Public Secundaria.
Introduction
It is Friday afternoon and the newly hired principal, Martha Miramontes (pseudonym), is alone in her office, going over an initial assessment of her duties after her 1st week in the new secondary school, Secundaria Revolución (Grades 7-9): graffiti on the walls, violence in the classrooms, labs and restrooms that do not work, and a divided faculty—led by an assistant principal who seems to ignore her suggestions. Her previous experience as a principal leads to a number of possible solutions, but, in this school, all problems seem to require immediate attention. Martha cannot do it all at once, but something needs to be done starting next Monday. Where to start?
Martha Miramontes: A Successful Principal
Martha Miramontes is considered a successful principal by teachers, peers, and educational authorities in her community. Martha’s career spans over 16 years, as a principal in two different schools. She has a record of success in improving both schools. Martha had mentioned that “If I ever move to another school it will only be to Secundaria Revolución.” Martha had worked at Revolución when she was a teacher, and she has fond memories of the school. “I had some beautiful, wonderful students, whom I considered as potential future new leaders of society.” I would tell them “I am preparing winners.” Recently, she had heard that the principalship at Secundaria Revolución was vacant. The previous principal, who had been at the school for 20 years, had just retired. This was the opportunity for Martha to go back to the school that had played an important role in her career as a teacher and a principal.
She met all the requirements to get the position. In Mexican public education, the process to be the principal of a school is determined by a set of guidelines that are not common in many countries. Every year, new positions around the state are announced in the month of February. Teachers and principals who wish to be appointed for a vacancy apply through a process that requires them to take a number of written tests. Their results are weighted based on a number of points that will account for the principalship. Also in consideration are seniority in the educational system, success in previous positions, as well as graduate degrees and professional development courses taken. The brunt of the points system is based on all these elements and the test results.
Once all points are added up, a list is assembled from the highest to the lowest scores. In an open forum, the candidate with the highest score has first pick in the list of schools with vacancies. After the first applicant chooses which school she or he wants to work in, the applicant with the second highest score chooses a school, and so on, until all available schools are assigned a principal. Sometimes people will decide to stay at their school if the school they wanted to work at has been chosen by another principal with a higher score. There are often more applicants than schools listed. Nevertheless, some schools with a reputation for being problematic may end up without a new principal. Martha had the highest score of all applicants that year. She could be the principal at Revolución if she wanted the position.
Martha began to assess the school’s immediate and long-term needs. Martha was surprised to learn that the once successful and prestigious school she so fondly remembered had vanished. The students seemed angry and disengaged, due to gang-related problems; facilities were in decay; and there were discipline, attendance, and safety problems—not at all as Martha remembered. She knew that fond memories or not, her job would not be easy.
Martha connected the school’s difficult conditions with some rumors and threats she received. As news spread that Martha was considering the principalship at Revolución, the assistant principal and faculty at the school were not happy. Martha had a good reputation as a successful principal, but some would also say that she was a perfectionist who asked “too much” of faculty and staff. The assistant principal began to tell school faculty and staff that, “if that woman walks in the front door I’ll be going out the back.” Even though there was some resistance against Martha becoming the new principal, parents at Revolución perceived her arrival positively. Martha had turned around other schools in the community, and parents believed she could do the same at their children’s school.
As soon as Martha’s intention was known, she began to receive phone threats. Anonymous callers first offered her monetary compensation if she declined the position at Revolución. As soon as Martha’s position on the list was known publicly, more intimidating anonymous threats followed, with phone calls asking that she reconsider becoming Revolución’s principal. Martha was at a crossroads. She discussed the issue with her husband: “I don’t need people yelling at me, insulting me. Who needs that?” Despite the threats, Martha confirmed her appointment. When asked by officials, “Principal Miramontes, which school do you choose to lead?” Martha did not hesitate. She smiled and said “Revolución.”
Secundaria Revolución
Secundaria Revolución is a high school in Northern Mexico, in a large and progressive city with a population of more than 4,000,000 (National Statistics and Geography Institute [INEGI], 2010). The city is characterized by its industrial tradition. A high number of professional workers from all parts of Mexico live there. The school is located in an urban low-middle-class area. Approximately 900 students attend Revolución. There are 50 teachers and 7 staff in the school body. Most of the students come from middle-class families. Both parents often work in professional and skilled jobs. The school also accepts students with special needs as part of the national inclusion program developed by Mexico’s National Ministry of Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública, known as SEP by its acronym).
Revolución is located in an area with strong potential to offer wonderful resources for its students. However, once inside the school, one notices that the staff and faculty seem to be disengaged, as if they were “surviving” on their own: administrators, teachers, parents, and students seem to be just making it through the day. The most dramatic decline in the school relates to gang activity. About 10% of the students are known to belong to gangs, and in the wake of gang-related animosity, the school building has been affected by dilapidation and graffiti. Student safety is a severe problem that has worsened considerably in the past 2 years. Students have been reported for fights in the classrooms. Teachers have had to break up fights among students regularly. As a result teachers are always afraid, safety has become a problem, and students are often absent.
Truancy is a big problem at Revolución. On Mondays and Fridays only half of the students enrolled are in school, with some students jumping over the fence and leaving the premises as if they were breaking out of prison. The inability to create a safe environment for learning has affected the teachers’ dispositions. There is constant friction among teachers as well as between teachers and parents.
Martha noticed that most of the staff did not show a welcome attitude toward her arrival. The assistant principal did not walk out the back door as she announced, but she did her best to block Martha from any opportunity to improve the school culture, systematically contradicting orders when Martha tried new strategies, purposefully generating confusion among teachers, students, and parents. Martha had a feeling that after the 1st week, very little had been accomplished in terms of improving the learning conditions for students at Revolución.
Martha’s Strategic Repertoire
Martha had accumulated 18 years experience as a teacher and 16 years as principal in Secundaria schools in Mexico. Throughout the years, she developed and tested a number of strategies for the most common challenges in schools. Some of the strategies she used successfully include four basic courses of action for a principal: (a) strengthening the infrastructure, (b) organizing faculty, (c) engaging students, and (d) involving parents. Each of these strategies was based on Martha’s experience:
Strengthening the infrastructure
Lack of adequate equipment and facilities in Mexican public schools is a common problem. Public funds and resources are limited, and many times, parents have to contribute with money, materials, or volunteer work to meet the specific needs of their children’s school. This is not a trivial matter for Martha. In her words, “When you have a school in good condition, students’ attitudes improve substantially.” Martha’s first school, Secundaria Hidalgo, a rural school with 760 students was in very bad condition. She knew that not all parents from the community could help out because of their low income. So she decided to look for sponsors among public and private organizations, starting with the local mayor’s office. With the help of parents and teachers, she identified school needs and prioritized what had to be done. Later, she went from office to office with groups of parents informing potential sponsors what was needed and why it was important for the community to have a school in good condition. Support for the school was slow to come, but soon enough, more and more sponsors decided to help out, and the school’s infrastructure and equipment was updated, to the extent that the mayor’s office signed an agreement to take over the school’s maintenance needs permanently as an important recognition for the community support. Even though Martha is not the principal at Hidalgo anymore, the school still reflects her improvements. The community still acknowledges and recognizes her for what she did for their school. When one visits Secundaria Hidalgo, a plaque at the entrance is displayed that tells everyone who is responsible for the quality of the building. Without hesitation, people will credit Martha Miramontes as the one who helped the community rebuild their school.
Organizing faculty
In Mexico, teachers have tenure and cannot be dismissed or relocated against their will. As a consequence, most principals facing teacher issues hope that teachers who are not dedicated to students will eventually leave or that they will move schools and have the chance to become principals elsewhere. This situation makes it difficult for the principal to foster a strong learning environment. In addition, the teachers union in Mexico is one of the most powerful in all Latin America. The teachers union goals rarely coincide with those of a particular school. Knowing this, Martha decided to follow a two-tier strategy. On one hand, to have commonly agreed goals for the school, which are reviewed and accepted by all (teachers, parents, students), and to communicate these goals clearly to everyone. She often asked teachers to focus on what they did best and to improve in their competency. So when she found a disgruntled and divided faculty at Secundaria Cinco de Mayo, her second assignment as a principal, she met with each teacher to learn about what they did best, but most of all, what they liked to see improved at Cinco de Mayo. By doing so, she reorganized staff and faculty, aligning what teachers had in mind in terms of improving the school, with what they liked and did well. Four years later, the school received a number of recognitions and won academic competitions. The school received two awards for teaching excellence. Martha had commented to another principal at the time,
[W]hat a principal has to do is to discover the skills each one has, to identify what each teacher is good at. For example, if a teacher likes public speaking and does it well, s/he is a perfect master of ceremonies. If a teacher is good with arts and crafts, we will ask the teacher to help out with the mural or to decorate the gym when we have academic competitions. This way we benefit from what people do and know well and align it to what needs to be done to benefit the school. And when teachers feel good about what they do, their teaching improves tremendously. And students learn more. . . . If we value our teachers, if we let them be themselves, if we believe in their work, we can identify their strengths, and this makes working as a team, easier. They get better and better at what they do, and each teacher has a good reason to feel good about him/herself. We all win. Especially the students. Every year our scores on national tests are better and better. Every year more and more of our students enter the preparatory school of their choice, public or private.
Engaging students
Students at Secundaria schools are in their teens, going through critical periods of discovering who they are. The social aspect is just as important as academic knowledge and skills. There is a lot of energy among teens that can and must be channeled productively. For Martha, student motivation is an important strategy. She believes that all students should be motivated to achieve excellence and that teachers need to identify ways to motivate each and every one of them. An anecdote that Martha often offers when she was a teacher helps illustrate this strategy:
I remember reading somewhere, that there was a citywide contest where each school was supposed to design and execute an original tableau that included music and a choreography. So I decided to do something related to Star Wars, which was a popular theme. Sixty kids of all grades decided to participate. So we worked on that for over a month, and . . . We won! Did my principal say something like “Congratulations!” or “That was great!”? Not really. However, what did happen was that most of the students’ parents were really happy and really proud of their children and they let me know that. What really made me cry with happiness were the kids. Happy, exhilarant, yelling and jumping and clapping . . . “We did it” We did it! I have been carrying those three words in my heart for over 30 years. We did it! With motivated students, learning and working is much easier—after that, anything is possible. Other teachers were surprised that students started doing better academically after we won that competition. It was no surprise for me. When students realize that they can achieve what is important for them they believe in themselves. When they believe in themselves doing well academically becomes a challenge they can meet. They like the feeling that comes with success. They know they can succeed. And so they do.
This is why Martha believes in the importance of combining the school’s academic, cultural, and sporting events in the school’s annual plan of activities, with the active participation of teachers and parents. This way the plan contributes to meet and surpass the achievement goals set by the SEP’s National Curriculum in reading, writing, science, and social studies, and also provides a sense of shared accomplishments for students. So far this strategy has resulted in students winning local and regional academic contests, while being actively engaged in school activities. Most students are part of one winning team at least once a year, be it an academic team, a sports team, or an artistic team. Concurrently, scores on state and national standardized tests administered by the SEP have soared.
Parent involvement
Involving parents in school activities is not easy, especially when both parents need to work to support their family. This situation seems to have an underlying message: educating children is now up to schools. Martha has learned with experience that when a discipline or academic issue comes about, more and more frequently, parents show up at school with their children only to say, “Do what you think is best. There is nothing else we can do.” While in one suburban school, Martha implemented an out-reach program for first-generation students’ working parents. She invited some professionals from the community (including parents from the school) who would talk to parents for 20 or 30 min with ideas on how to raise their children when they were not with them all day, as well as other related problems parents faced these days. The talks were in the evening, after work, and with babysitting services if parents with small children decided to attend. Parents could just show up if they wanted to do so, no questions asked.
These informal talks and small workshops soon became formal events, with a yearlong program format. Sometimes well-known speakers began to participate. Members of the PTA later overlooked the program, with Martha’s full support. Parents were enthusiastic about being involved because they benefitted directly from this activity.
Parents come to school, and learn that we are not here to simply take complaints, or because their son or daughter is in some kind of trouble. They come to find solutions to problems—and best of all—they find a supportive school and community that lets them know they are not alone.
As parents became more involved through this event, it became easier for Martha to assess what parents needed, and at the same time, the parents were more supportive of the school—a win–win situation.
Martha was reflecting on all these strategies, all of which have worked well in the past—but she also knows that every school is different and that what works in one school does not necessarily work in another. The question was, “Where to begin at Secundaria Revolución?” Where to begin implementing changes? With the school building, with the faculty, with the students, with the parents? Should some of these strategies be combined in creative ways? What is Martha’s best bet when beginning her working day the following Monday, when she will begin her duties at Secundaria Revolución?
Teaching Notes
The principal in this case is an experienced and successful principal who has been appointed to a new school. Martha quickly identified a number of problems. But for the first time, Martha is facing a situation where all problems seem to require immediate attention. She knows she can address all problems, but decisions must be made in relation to which problem should be tackled first. Where should she start? This case explores possible actions of an experienced principal facing multiple problems at a Mexican Public Secundaria (Grades 7-9).
This case was created to exemplify a number of issues faced by public Secundarias in Mexico. The Secundarias house students in transition between elementary school (Grades 1-6) and the preparatory school (Grades 10-12). Reports published by Mexico’s national institute of educational evaluation (Instituto Nacional para la Evaluación de la Educación [INEE]) show that it is at the Secundaria level that more problems in terms of student retention and achievement exist (INEE, 2005, 2006; INEE & Fundación Nuestro País, 2004).
However, problems in secondary education are not exclusive to Mexico. Such problems can be identified even in countries where secondary education has been considered mandatory (Day, 2007). In Latin America, for example, retention, performance, and graduation problems are the norm instead of the exception in public education systems (Tedesco & López, 2002).
One can assume that the problems are rooted in the curriculum or in teaching strategies, but other factors to be considered relate to the age of students, family issues, their relationships with peers, teachers, administrators, other authorities, and the community at large. In this case, for example, teachers and parents were disengaged, and students were disrupted by gang-related problems. In this scenario, the principal can play an important role in improving schools, setting up conditions that allow teachers and students to have more opportunities to engage in educational activities (Day, 2007; Moos, Krejsler, & Kofod, 2008).
It has been 9 years after Martha took over as principal. Revolución does not present the problems Martha saw the 1st week of school. Revolución received the State Award for Schools of Excellence and the State Award for Quality Schools. Students have also won more city and state competitions than any other competing public schools. Revolución is now part of the prestigious United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Associated Schools Program. In addition, Martha received a commendation from the major’s office. It is interesting to note that almost all the teachers who were at Secundaria Revolución when Martha started her tenure are still there, including the assistant principal. Martha considers them to be the main reason why the school turned around.
To examine this case, it is proposed that students review the work of Senge (2000, 2006) related to learning organizations. According to Senge, organizational learning occurs when people are able to focus their individual experiences into a collective action—examining needs and being responsive to those needs. In this light, it is possible to examine Martha’s interventions as a principal and analyze her interventions. Martha is faced by new challenges, even though she presents several strategies in her leadership repertoire. Her professional trajectory shows characteristics of learning organization leadership, where she designs actions around people’s aspirations (Senge, 2006), helping people acknowledge and expand their aptitudes. In this context, the principal disseminates the school vision and improves the mental models of teachers, administrators, students, and their families, generating shared objectives and goals for the successful school all want to build and belong.
Senge (2006) proposes a learning organization model with five basic disciplines:
Systems thinking: The discipline of evaluating consequences for acts, understanding that all parts belong to a whole organization, and that all parts are related.
Personal mastery: The discipline of clarifying the personal vision continuously and profoundly.
Mental models: The discipline of reflecting and questioning deep assumptions and how we react and act upon them.
Building a shared vision: The discipline of creating harmony among the different personal visions, to align, organize, and coordinate the different community interests.
Team learning: The process of aligning and developing the capacity of members, to reach desired achievements by the group.
Two activities are proposed below, to encourage students to exercise their analytical abilities of problems related to principal leadership. The lens in which students will develop their activities relate to organizational learning (Senge, 2006). In the first activity, instructors can ask students to create a visual in which the principal can present the state of affairs to the community at Secundaria Revolución using a systems thinking process. In the second activity, students analyze Martha’s strategic repertoire as described in the case and explore the actions and sequence of actions that may produce best results in creating positive change at Secundaria Revolución.
Suggested Readings
Ancona, D., Malone, T. W., Orlikowski, W. J., & Senge, P. M. (2007). In praise of the incomplete leader. Harvard Business Review, 85(2), 92-100.
Lorey, D. E. (1995). Education and the challenges of Mexican development. Challenge, 38(2), 51-55.
Ornelas, C. (2004). From straits to optimism. Latin American Research Review, 39, 221-232.
Ornelas, C. (2004). The politics of privatisation, decentralisation and education reform in Mexico. International Review of Education/Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 50, 401-423.
Rosado, L. A., Hellawell, M., & Zamora, E. (2011). An analysis of the education systems in Mexico and the United States from pre-kinder to 12 grade (Reports–Descriptive). Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED520900)
Senge, P. (2000). Systems change in education. Reflections, 1(3), 52-59.
Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Currency/Doubleday.
Senge, P., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J., & Kleiner, A. (2000). Schools that learn: A fifth discipline fieldbook for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education. New York, NY: Currency/Doubleday.
Tatto, M. (2003). Examining Mexico and U.S. values education in a global context. Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education, 24, 219-237.
Suggested Activities
Considering the school as a learning organization following Senge et al. (2000), think about the school from a whole-systems perspective. Given that the way a school is organized results from how its members think and act, what needs to change to modify patterns of behavior of staff, teachers, students, and parents in a school with similar characteristics as Secundaria Revolución? Students must include the main actors in the case (administrators, teachers, students, and parents) followed by the mental models that may have influenced their actions up to the arrival of Martha Miramontes. Students can also include the current problems identified by Martha, such as safety, infrastructure, academic needs, and so on. Ask students to expand the model to show prospective goals that can be implemented and explain how these goals will improve the school’s conditions.
From an organizational learning perspective, a “leverage point” is a small change that affects the entire system: “The bottom line of system thinking is leverage—seeing where actions and changes in structures can lead to significant, enduring improvement” (Senge, 2006, p. 114). Is there a leverage point where Martha can effect change in the school and generate a shared vision? Try to present the situation graphically including forces within the school, how they relate to one another, and possible leverage points for change. Analyze the school’s situation when Martha Miramontes arrives considering the following questions:
Given that the way a school is organized results from how its members think and act, what are staff, faculty, students, and parents doing? What can we assume that they think about the school based on their actions?
To the extent that different actors connect with each other it will be easier for them to reach organizational goals. What can we say about the capacity to connect among staff, faculty, parents, and students? Which actors may connect sooner? Which actors later? With which group can Martha connect first? Which should be left for later on? Why?
A shared vision provides meaning for organizational actors and helps coordinate actions. What valued characteristics could all actors in the school share? A safe environment? Academic performance? A harmonious relationship among teachers, parents, and students? What seems to be the shared vision they have of their school when Martha Miramontes arrives? What would be a sufficiently positive vision to mobilize the school to action?
2 The second activity is based on the model built by the class during the first activity. While examining the case and Martha’s strategic repertoire, discuss which course of action has a better chance of working to start addressing the school’s problems. The activity involves students identifying strategies that the principal can use from her own repertoire. Actions should meet a set of criteria set by the instructor. An example of this criteria can be
Improve organizational learning in all three levels: classroom, school, and community. Focus on one or two levels. Maximize participation of all school actors.
For each course of action, what resources are needed? Which of these resources are already available? Which resources need to be acquired? How can these resources be obtained?
Once courses of action are established and evaluated, discuss how they are related. Are some courses of action similar, to the extent that they could be modified to be one course of action? Are these actions strategies that Martha already knows, or do they require the principal to learn something new to implement them? What would the 1st week of implementation look like? If actions work, how long can one expect to see first results? What would these results look like?
Footnotes
Bios
) doing research on successful secondary school principals.