Role of the Principal

[OPC Admin]

What is the role of the principal in developing the instructional focus of the school?

[mlandry]

Having a laser like focus on student achievement.

[mlandry]

How do principals prioritize tasks and time in their role to focus on results?

[debbiedavidson]

mlandry, I'm thinking you are bang on with the shifting role of the principal as creating the conditions for maintaining that laser-like focus on student outcomes, and that the question of prioritizing tasks and time is linked to this shifting role.

In her book Student-Centered Leadership, Viviane Robinson compares expert and typical principals' problem solving, and talks about how developing shared goals, carefully planning a collaborative problem-solving process (involving others in feedback and reaching a shared solution) actually supports capability in COLLECTIVE problem solving for getting things done in schools. It seems like using the group to change the group involves long term commitment and time with pay off longer term... What do you think???

[debbiedavidson]

Time to use data???
LOVE how someone mentioned that leaders are often urged to reorganize timetables to create time for teachers to collaborate on use of data but that a different framing might actually be called for... Sometimes we might be better off taking a step back to identify DECISIONS THAT THE DATA WOULD INFORM, and then ask how those decisions are currently being made... Maybe there are ways or times that already exist where it makes sense to insert data into the current decision-making process?

[mlandry]

For a decade, I have been very focused on data informed decision, but recently tried this approach, "Decisions that data would inform" when I was helping a school with their school improvement work. It worked very well, great idea!