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A JOB TOO BIG FOR ONE Multiple principles and
other non-traditional approaches to school
leadershipby w. norton grubb joseph j. flessa

• PRESENTATION BY LAUREN SACCHETTI

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AGENDA

• A day in the life of a principal VIDEO CLIP
• Intro Activity
• Principals
• Article Terms Refresher
• Key Findings in research
• - Advantages/Limitations
• Discussion
• - Please feel free to comment, add, express your
  thoughts at any time!
• Conclusion

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A day in the life of PRINCIPAL RUSSO

• Lets check out a clip.

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Intro activity

• With a partner discuss the PROS and CONS of
  becoming a principal. We will discuss findings in
  5 minutes.
• (Which one was easier to come up with?)
• Out of curiosity how many people joined the MEd
  program with aspirations to become a principal?

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A HARDKNOCK LIFE FOR PRINCIPALS...

• In an era of accountability, policy makers have
  imposed new requirements, and the principal is
  responsible for enhancing progress on multiple
  (and often conflicting) measures of educational
  achievement. The frustrations with the lack of
  time, the lack of resources, and the pressures of
  external requirements have grown substantially
  (p. 519)
• - W. Norton Grubb Flessa 2006

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ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATIONrefresher

• CO-PRINCIPALS Two principals collaboratively
  administrate a school.
• - Interchangability specialization
• ROTATING PRINCIPALS Individual serves as
  principal for 3 years, training an incoming
  principal during this period and staying a 4th
  year to serve as a mentor.
• DISTRIBUTED PRINCIPAL DUTIES Teachers divide the
  principals tasks among themselves.
• (Grubb Flessa, 52)

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INTERCHANGABILITY SPECIALIZATION

• Interchangability where teachers, parents, and
  students have learned that they can go to either
  principal, they always have another avenue for
  help if one principal is busy or away (p. 531)
• Specialization where principals divide areas
  that they are interested in. Functions/tasks
  receive more attention because an overburdened
  principal will pay less attention to those
  practices she/he dislikes (p. 531)
• - W. Norton Grubb Flessa 2006

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TYPES OF PRINCIPALSHIP ADVANTAGES LIMITATIONS
One Principal Decisions are made faster No confusion for parents, teachers and students only one person to turn to. Overworked Accountable for all situations Limited time for instruction, student services etc. Leave of absence
Co-principals Two or more principals can divide workload/special interests etc. Have someone to discuss problems/situations etc. Two heads are better than one. Shared accountability Leave of absences less problematic More accessible Reduces stress Confusion for teachers, parents, students who to turn to. Decisions take longer Co-principals may not be compatible Staff, students, parents may plot principals against one another Possible pay decrease
Rotating Principals -Smooth transition when change of leadership Sense of support (mentor) Opportunities for teachers to achieve leadership role in short time. Great principals forced to quit after 3 years/poor principals stay How/who decides whos next in line?
Distributed Duties Reduces barriers between teachers/administration - Team feeling/frontline decisions - Staff become more aware of the job of an administrator. -Described as distributed pain Additional duties makes it stressful for teachers.
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What do you think?

• - Based on the alternative approaches to
  administration, which approach do you feel would
  be the most effective within todays school
  system? Why?

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DISTRICTS ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO
PRINCIPALSHIP

• According to the schools studied 7/10 experienced
  many problems with their districts.
• One example A superintendent admitted that she
  would not have supported dual principalships if
  that had cost the district additional money,
  Well, how can that school have two principals,
  then why cant everybody have an additional
  principal? And that would have been a domino
  into a much bigger fiscal impact. (p.541)
• Do you believe alternative models of leadership
  will be institutionalized? Is this the future
  structure for our schools or will the traditional
  hierarchical structure of our districts limit
  this possibility?

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QUOTE

• Current school leadership policies emphasize
  recruiting strong individuals (hero-principals)
  capable of fulfilling the jobs demands. Another
  response recommends strengthening principal
  preparation and finding ways of preparing
  principals in different ways

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Conclusion

• Author argues that there are many benefits to
  implementing alternative approaches to leadership
  within schools such as
• Closer attention to instructional practices
• More attention to support services
• Greater availability to students, teachers and
  parents
• Resolve the overload on principals
• Essentially alternative approaches require
  considerable institutional energy to create and
  to maintain. However, without a change it seems
  the principal position can anticipate worsening
  conditions simply because it is a job too big for
  one! (p.546)
• - W. Norton Grubb Flessa 2006

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ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, OR THOUGHTS?
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Thank you!