EFFECTIVE PRINCIPALS

RESEARCH FINDING:

Successful  principals establish policies that create an  orderly 
environment and support effective instruction.

COMMENT:

Effective  principals have a vision of what a good school is  and 
systematically  strive  to  bring that vision to  life  in  their 
schools.  School improvement is their constant theme.  They scru-
tinize  existing  practices  to assure that  all  activities  and 
procedures  contribute to the quality of the time  available  for 
learning.   They  make sure teachers participate actively in this 
process.   Effective principals,  for example, make opportunities 
available for faculty to improve their own teaching and classroom 
management skills.

Good  school  leaders  protect the school day  for  teaching  and 
learning.   They  do  this  by keeping  teachers'  administrative 
chores and classroom interruptions to a minimum.

Effective  principals  visibly  and  actively  support  learning.  
Their practices create an orderly environment.   Good  principals 
make  sure teachers have the necessary materials and the kind  of 
assistance they need to teach well.

Effective  principals also build morale in their teachers.   They 
help teachers create a climate of achievement by encouraging  new 
ideas;  they  also  encourage teachers to help  formulate  school 
teaching  policies  and select textbooks.   They try  to  develop 
community support for the school, its faculty, and its goals.

In summary,  effective principals are experts at making sure time 
is available to learn, and at ensuring that teachers and students 
make the best use of that time.


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