The Launching Pad

Volume 3, No. 1                       Winter/Spring, 2009                       Exclusively online at www.EducationHall.com
 

On Leadership in Schools
Pete Hall 

The characteristics of effective schools

As we know, teacher quality is at the top of essentially every “characteristics of effective schools” list, but seeing as they are lists, by definition there are other items of value that we must understand. With the help of prominent researchers and educational think-tanks, I have compiled a side-by-side comparison of a few of these lists. First, I consult with Robert Marzano, who engaged in an all-out assault on decades of school effectiveness research in What works in schools: Translating research into action (2003), and I concentrated only on what we can control at the school site – the school-level and teacher-level factors – ignoring for the time being the student-level factors that are generally beyond the scope of our influence. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Council of Parents & Citizens Associations offers a research-based perspective from down-under in their aptly-named Characteristics of effective schools report (ACT Council, 2006). I finish with the Educational Research Service’s report, A practical guide to school improvement (Protheroe, Shellard, and Turner, 2003), though that by no means exhausts the swelling tide of informative (if not rather similar) lists.

I’m quite aware that this is but a sampling of the tremendous research out there on school improvement, and this summary does very little justice to the collective. However, the striking commonalities between the lists offer us appeasement that these three are fairly representative of the masses. To further illustrate the similarities, I have reorganized the lists so each row offers three perspectives on basically the same element:

Well-meaning school officials, educators, legislators, and citizen groups worldwide have diligently pored over such lists, searching for the golden nuggets that have eluded them or the silver bullet that will solve the student-achievement crisis. No luck. These lists act as summaries of what has worked in other places to a degree that indicates the strategies or elements would work in your school. To a certain extent, most (if not all) of the factors are worth replicating to better your chances of realizing positive, productive change. However, every school is unique, faces its own challenges, sits in its special circumstances, has its particular history, and has its unique blend of students, staff, and neighborhood influences. Somewhere along the line these factors need to twist and bend with that uniqueness – in just the right way to fit the school’s current needs. Upon whose shoulders does that monumental responsibility land?

Who is a leader?

            In the lists of characteristics of effective schools I presented in the last section (above), I asterisked Marzano’s “Critical role of leadership” because he and his researchers separated it from the other factors because “it influences virtually every aspect” and, in his own words, “Leadership could be considered the single most important aspect of effective school reform” (2003, p. 172). Meanwhile, the Aussies discuss the behaviors of a “strong and professional principal” and the Educational Research Service highlights “effective leadership.”

It merits mentioning that shortly thereafter, Marzano teamed with Timothy Waters and Brian McNulty to dedicate an entire book to the summary of school leadership research, entitled “School leadership that works,” indicating the strong tie between effective leaders and effective performance (Marzano, Waters, and McNulty, 2005). Further, though some advocate for a stronger relationship between district-level leadership and school improvement efforts (Haycock, 2007), clearly the responsibility and obligation to coordinate all these efforts lies in the hands of the building leaders.

            That’s correct, leaders with a plural s. As enticing as it may seem to assign this task to the school principal, she is only one person, and as a middle-school principal colleague of ours once bellowed in exasperation (but with hidden insight), “I can’t be everywhere all at the same time!” It’s essential, and as we’ll point out natural, to share the responsibility of school improvement coordination efforts. Before I discuss the three classifications of leadership in a school, let’s define the term.

Leader (n.) one who has followers.

Classification One: Positional leaders

            It’s pretty easy to tell a positional leader from the rest of the pack – she has a nameplate on her desk and she carries a title. Principals and assistant principals are the school-based versions, while curriculum coordinators, superintendents, and area directors, for example, hold court in this arena at the district level. These are the only leaders that could use the “because I said so” rationale to support their decision-making and get away with it – but only because their rank and positional authority allow it, not because it’s an effective strategy.

            Positional leaders are further identified because they carry the expectation of leadership actions along with them. Teaching staffs expect their principals to make the tough decisions and stand behind them, and groups of administrators insist that the superintendents to lay out the vision for the school district. To not do so would be folly, and it is the actions or inactions of positional leaders that determine the degree to which they will continue to be followed. Extremely effective positional leaders avoid fighting the little battles and focus on the big-ticket items, for they know this: when push comes to shove, they (because of the power of the position) push the hardest.

Classification Two: Acknowledged leaders

            As I have already alluded, positional leaders are by no means alone in the charge of running a school. There come many situations in the school year in which a different type of leadership is necessary – one that is more immediate and closer to the inner operations of the school facility. These folks, people that have a role that lends them to leadership in certain situations, include department chairs, site-based staff developers, instructional coaches, and grade-level representatives, among others.

            Most members of the school staff acknowledge these individuals as leaders, whether they defer to the authority of the department chair, embrace the expertise of the trusted instructional coach, or accept the argument of the grade-level rep. Though for most teachers all the above positions are peers and within the same bargaining unit, they are often considered to operate from a slightly higher elevation within the school hierarchy. Truly effective acknowledged leaders keep their perceived power in check, continuing to work to earn the trust and support of their colleagues.

Classification Three: De facto leaders

            On every teaching staff, there are the hidden pockets of power and influence. Whether they hold any title whatsoever, their presence is tenable and their ability to make or break an initiative is impressive. It could be the most veteran teacher on staff that bends the ear of a rookie; an expert educator in the classroom down the hall that shares an opinion; or a peer well-respected because of interpersonal characteristics or life experience or any of a million variables – when they talk, people listen. They lead because of who they are.

            Clearly, there is a benefit to having (and identifying) the de facto leaders in a school setting. The maneuvering alongside and around such influences requires much caution and intentionality, for as easily as a well-respected teacher could endorse an idea, that same well-respected teacher could squash it with a subtle expression in a hallway conversation.

How do we define effective leadership?

As we consider the three classifications of leadership listed above, surely we can identify the labels and probably have names and faces to accompany them. And, since we know that behind every effective school is an effective leader, or, perhaps more accurately, there are possibly many effective leaders, I ask: What makes these leaders (positional, acknowledged, or de facto) effective? What do they do or say that sets them apart? What are they like? How do they lead?

There are probably more books on leadership jamming the shelves at Barnes & Noble than there are steamy romance novels on the shelves of Wal-Mart. Role models for successful leadership are not difficult to find, but since leadership is such a complicated force it’s challenging to determine which model to emulate. I have attempted to synthesize a bit of the research on effective leadership below, while adding my two cents’ worth regarding how to implement that information into your school setting, in particular relating to the leadership and development of instructional staff.

Eight conditions

I begin with the National Association of Elementary School Principals publication, “Changing Lives through the Principalship,” which outlines years of research on the conditions that influence the aspirations of teachers (NAESP, 2003). By considering this list alongside the findings of other powerful leadership authors, we have agreed that all leaders – principals, coaches, de facto leaders – would benefit from engaging in the behaviors we’ve associated below. The eight conditions are as follows:

1. Belonging – Staff need to be respected, valued, and heard as individuals, and they also need to feel connected to the school. Marcus Buckingham, in “First, Break All the Rules,” supports this claim, as he and the Gallup Organization developed twelve questions to determine the strength of the workplace – and four of them were categorized under the heading, “Do I belong here?” (1999, p. 44).

2. Heroes – Leaders must be visible, positive role models for others to follow. This means acting respectfully and professionally every time (Hall, 2004; Whitaker, 2003), making the right choice even when no one is looking (Cordell, 2007), and identifying the attributes we could all stand to demonstrate. Todd Whitaker asks, “Who are the legends?” and defines legends as the individuals who had the greatest impact on their students (2003, p. 93). It’s not about always being a hero – it’s about celebrating them, whoever they are.

3. Sense of accomplishment – Effective leaders celebrate with their staff whenever the occasion truly calls for it. Acknowledging short-term, incremental successes fuels the “magic of momentum,” which in turn accelerates what Jim Collins calls the “flywheel,” which eventually proves that success begets success (2001, p. 164). When the teachers realize success, they will work harder and smarter to accomplish more…and they will.

4. Fun and excitement – A decade ago, the fun-loving, street-talking, fish-tossing employees of the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, Washington began to share their formula for success – and it began with having fun! Effective leaders find a way to make coming to school every day, working with children and providing instruction…a fun experience worth looking forward to. They continuously ask themselves, “How can I make their day?” (Lundin, Christensen, and Paul, 2000).

5. Curiosity and creativity – There is no better way to increase the innovativeness of a teaching staff than by establishing a Professional Learning Community and encouraging the teams to engage in targeted action research projects (DuFour and Eaker, 1998). Knowing that they will have the opportunities to figure out what works for their students, whatever it takes, will allow teachers to tap into their creative pools and swim in possibility.

6. Spirit of adventure – As we have introduced in chapter 1, schools are breeding grounds of change. Change is the very nature of the business, and when things change we’re confronted with challenges heretofore unseen. Leadership, Michael Fullan explains, “is needed for problems that do not have easy answers” (2001, p. 2). The effective leader is able to mobilize the masses to seek out the solutions to very new and very difficult problems.

7. Leadership and responsibility – Effective leaders share the onus of leadership to a certain degree. Even with positional, acknowledged, and de facto leaders prowling the grounds, there are plenty of opportunities for all staff members to take on leadership roles, participate in decision-making, and engage in behaviors merited by their abilities (NAESP, 2003). Effective leaders seek out these opportunities and match them with staff members – in this way adding to the “belonging” (element 1 in this list) and to the relationships among staff members.

8. Confidence to take action – Personalizing the seven elements listed above, by identifying talents and strengths of each employee, gives every teacher the confidence that his actions will result in a positive effect (Buckingham, 2001). Then, by adding a healthy dose of individualized goal-setting, leaders can nurture the development of each individual into a productive, contributing member of the school community.

Other perspectives on effective leadership

            While the NAESP study is attractive and well-rounded, it is bent towards the needs of the followers first. What you just read was a list of eight conditions that teachers need in order to be led. So what are the characteristics of the individuals that will be doing the leading? Effective leaders, we know from years of research and experience, have the special ability to rally followers and recruit support because of two major things: who they are, and what they do.

The who

Effective leaders have irreproachable character.

Effective leaders are far less interested in the politics of decision-making than acting with what Michael Fullan calls a “moral purpose” – in short, getting the right results the right way (2001, p. 13). We can count on these leaders to follow through on their promises, to conduct themselves with dignity, and to present consistent integrity. On the statue of Sam Adams that stands in front of Faneuil Hall in Boston, where a great many revolutionary arguments echoed centuries ago, there’s a quote that describes him as “incorruptible.” That’s character.

To learn more about such characteristics, Thomas Sergiovanni (1999) suggests the following activity, which we have modified slightly: List the traits of the three greatest leaders you have known or know about from history. Write their names in a journal and jot down a few notes about them as people and as leaders. What was it about these individuals that made their leadership so compelling, so authentic? What did they say or do, or, more accurately, how did they say or do what they said or did? How were they able to win you over? Write down your thoughts.

The odds are that your list includes words like honesty, loyalty, virtue, and integrity. These people likely had values that you shared. We continue by asking: Are these traits that any individual can possess? Can we have an unyielding passion like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspiring millions to redefine equality for all people? Can we stand up with stout courage like Abraham Lincoln, insisting that the abolition of slavery was critical to the survival of the Union? Can we show immense strength like Franklin D. Roosevelt, ushering the United States through the Great Depression and World War II?

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden argues that we cannot teach character, but effective leaders must have it (2005, p. 61). I believe that through consistent focus, self-discipline, and regimented self-reflection, any individual can strengthen her own character. The challenges of leadership in today’s schools demand it – Sergiovanni concluded that leadership, ultimately, is about character (1999, p. 17).

Effective leaders are visionaries.

In any school institution, a common, unifying vision is a powerful propellant. Nothing stirs the emotions and revs the engines of the teaching corps than a compelling vision of a better future. Nobody looks forward to staring into a dead end, but we all can appreciate the appeal of a future that could be, a place in which wonderful and new things are happening. Effective leaders translate this vision to their followers, taking a hypothetical future image and turning it into a feasible, attainable reality.

Dr. Paul Rosier, former superintendent of schools in Kennewick, Washington, is a prime example of visionary leadership. In January of 1995, following outcries for increased reading scores, he proposed to the district’s teachers and school board a new goal: 90% of the district’s second-graders will read at grade-level in the next three years. Despite immense amounts of doubt and skepticism (remember, this is a full six years before the No Child Left Behind Act), Dr. Rosier proceeded and persisted, sharing this vision and clarifying it time and again until his followers became believers. The district relentlessly pursued this goal. The Kennewick community embraced it as a reality. The teachers taught it like they meant it.

It took a bit longer than Dr. Rosier originally proposed, and with slight adaptations (it had become 95% of the district’s third­-graders), but in 2003, nine of the district’s thirteen elementary schools met the goal. The district’s overall literacy rate had risen from 70% to 88%. The goal the school board had scoffed as “absurd” became a quite tangible actuality. Dr. Rosier’s vision, clear at first only in his own mind, generated strength and momentum as his followers glimpsed that better future and saw themselves in it (Fielding, Kerr, and Rosier, 2004).

Dr. Rosier’s example demonstrates the power of a leader finding what is common to a group of people (in this case, a strong desire for increased reading achievement among their students) and linking everyone to it (with a pie-in-the-sky goal). In the words of Marcus Buckingham, great leaders “discover what is universal and capitalize on it” (2005, p. 132). Our good friend and colleague, assistant principal, consultant, and columnist Derek Cordell insists that a great leader’s vision should “raise the temperature to 212 degrees,” the temperature at which merely hot water creates steam…which, in turn, can power a locomotive over mountains at high speeds (Cordell, 2007). That additional bit of motivation, of encouragement, of inspiration, can transform non-believers into believers and make the visions become realities.

Effective leaders are optimistic.

Perhaps the characteristic that effective leaders most overtly display on a daily basis is that of optimism. Effective optimism goes beyond the old saying of “seeing the glass half-full,” for it also entails an adamant positivity, an upbeat life-view that affords the observer to see all the beauty and wonder the world has to offer. This isn’t to say that the optimistic leader ignores the burdens, roadblocks, and hardships that we all experience in challenging times; rather, the effective leader employs and exudes his optimism in deferential response to such challenges.

Effective leaders believe that, even in the most dire circumstances, there is a solution awaiting their discovery. With uncompromising certainty, they encourage their followers with their will. It will be okay. We will do this. We will emerge victorious against this foe. We will find our solution. Robert Marzano, in What Works in Schools, agrees, saying that optimism is essential because it provides hope during the difficult times that accompany change (2003, p. 176). Optimistic people, not surprisingly, are enjoyable to be around. They exude what Norman Vincent Peale first coined as “the power of positive thinking” (Peale, 1966). Their positive attitudes are contagious, and they have a way of encouraging us to see the opportunities awaiting us…just by being themselves.

One of the most positive, optimistic people I have had the opportunity to work with was the head custodian of Anderson Elementary School in Reno, where I was the principal for four years. Raul Almaraz did not have the most glamorous job in the school. For the most part, every day included a lot of the same routines – picking up litter, cleaning graffiti, raising the flags, vacuuming the hallways and classrooms, unclogging the toilets, mopping the cafeteria floor after hundreds of students ate breakfast and lunch – and some days contained dreadful special events: vomit on a desk, feces on the bathroom floor, and all sorts of vile and dangerous garbage around the campus.

In the midst of this daily regimen, teachers would invariably come to “Señor Raul” to move a table, to replace an overhead-projector screen, to unload some boxes, or to specially clean a classroom for an event. And how would he respond? Invariably, he would say with a smile, “Okay, I’ll be right there.” During vacation periods, Senor Raul would perform landscaping miracles to the front of the school and paint hallways new and vibrant colors. Why? Why did he take on all these additional responsibilities to his already long – and unpleasant – list of jobs? “This is going to be the best looking, cleanest school in the world,” he would say. “Our kids deserve that. You deserve that.” No matter what he faced, Raul’s optimism shone through for all of us to enjoy.

When we consider jobs that require leadership skills, rarely will the position of “elementary school head custodian” crack the list. But was Raul a leader? Did he demonstrate leadership skills? Did he have followers? Absolutely. His optimism and positive approach led staff and students to pick up more after themselves, to take more pride in their school environment. And we all smiled more when we were around him. Leadership comes from different places – sometimes uncharacteristic places. Marcus Buckingham says, “Properly defined, the opposite of a leader isn’t a follower. The opposite of a leader is a pessimist” (2005, p. 66).

The what

Effective leaders concentrate on building relationships.

Effective leaders know that the most important assets they have are followers. And the truly effective leaders know the reason they lead is that the followers require it. So it makes perfectly logical sense that these same effective leaders focus the bulk of their attention on their people – in particular, they emphasize the creation and cultivation of strong, lasting, positive, professional relationships with every individual around them.

Let’s visit with Michael Scott, the fictional and hilarious boss of the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company on the NBC sitcom “The Office.” He is not the only leader that understands this reality: “A good manager doesn’t fire people.  He hires people and inspires people. People. And people will never go out of business” (NBC, 2007).

When studying the work of excellent principals, both Todd Whitaker (What Great Principals Do Differently, 2003) and Sandra Harris (Best Practices of Award-Winning Principals, 2005) arrived at the same conclusion: exceptional school leaders focus on people, not programs. School improvement efforts that met high levels of success always began with a focus on the people that would carry out the plans. Great leaders acknowledge this and act on it. They treat their people with respect, offer support, and enter into their work in a collaborative manner. Marzano (2003, p. 177) contends that honesty and consideration are essential building blocks for establishing a trusting relationship. When the relationship between boss and employee (superintendent and director, principal and instructional assistant, coach and teacher) is strong and positive, all collaborative work will benefit.

            A few years into my elementary-teaching career, I had been placed, due to shifting district enrollment, into a middle school setting to teach Spanish. I was busy trying to acclimate to the curriculum and the foreign (no pun intended) atmosphere of the middle school when the principal, Debbie Cylke, stopped in. She asked if I needed any support, answered a couple of my questions, and made a switch or two to benefit my schedule. This happened several times over the first few months, and I began to sense a strong bond between us. Around January, Mrs. Cylke sat in a team meeting and requested a volunteer to take on an additional project. Before I knew what was happening, I had fallen to my knees and literally begged to be the person for the job. Such was the strength of our relationship – her time building the foundation provided all the inspiration I needed to do what was asked of me.

Effective leaders take responsibility for action.

Just as effective teachers take responsibility for everything that happens within their classrooms, effective principals view themselves as “responsible for all aspects of their school” (Whitaker, 2003, p. 15). Even in the most challenging environments, all great leaders see themselves as the variable that will affect positive change and create positive results. To them, it’s not what’s put on the table in front of them that matters – it’s what they bring to the table, and what happens after they sit at the table, that is of the utmost importance.

For these leaders, it’s not an overgrown sense of power or the craving to micro-manage that fuels this approach; rather, it’s their intense desire to realize increased performance in every manner possible. They assume the responsibility for the production of every department under their charge, for they feel every presentation, every bit of performance, everything within their influence is a reflection of their leadership. When they see an area of need, effective leaders take the initiative to tackle it. Above all, these leaders possess a strong sense of efficacy to accompany their responsibility – they feel that their attention and input will influence the target at hand. So they follow that calling and get to work.

Dr. Lorraine Monroe, who founded the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, New York, in 1991, serves as a testament to the power of personal responsibility. Dr. Monroe proposed to the school board a different kind of school – one in which every student succeeded and was prepared for college and careers – and was awarded the opportunity to manage it from inception to creation, then led it to an unbridled success. Housed in the remains of the defunct and decrepit Intermediate School 10 facility, the public Frederick Douglass Academy was Dr. Monroe’s baby. And she was involved – no, engrossed – in every aspect of the project. From constituting the teaching staff with a group of “insanely dedicated followers” (her own words) to designing the college-preparatory curriculum, she was in charge. She was responsible for everything, and she knew it. Why, she even chose the warm yellow paint for the hallways.

            In the years that followed, Dr. Monroe’s relentlessness and influence in the school only intensified. She designed the uniforms the students wore to eliminate some outside influences, she closed the campus during lunch so the students wouldn’t miss class, and she insisted that teachers taught extracurricular clubs and teams after school so the students would keep busy, stay out of trouble, and learn self-discipline and perseverance. The development of her students’ character and potential drove Dr. Monroe throughout this venture, and the results of the city and state academic testing supported her efforts. During her five-year tenure as principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy, the school was consistently ranked at the top of the district and in the top dozen schools in all of New York City – and this a school in the poorest, roughest part of Harlem! Though it was clearly a success, Dr. Monroe stated that, “My five-year stint at the academy called forth every bit of forcefulness and thoroughness I possessed.” It was worth it.

Pete Hall is the Executive Director of EducationHall and an active elementary school principal in the Pacific Northwest.
You can reach him at (208) 755-3139 or via e-mail at PeteHall@EducationHall.com.

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