The Principals Role as the Leader of Learning

-Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership

and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
-In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Advanced Studies Certificate
-by
Tara K. Zehr
Berg Middle School
Newton, IA
(April 2015)
-Professor Denise Schares

Abstract
My beliefs on the Principal as the leader of learning have changed throughout this semester. I
was having trouble locking down exactly what I thought it meant to be the leader of learning for
an entire building. Was I supposed to know all standards for every class taught in my building?
Was I supposed to know every curriculum, textbook and syllabus used in our school? It seemed
like a lot to take on and not necessarily the most efficient way to manage a school. Luckily I
shadowed a principal who helped me sift through my thoughts and create my beliefs of what a
leader of learning looks like in a school setting. I believe a principal should do three things:
create and follow a clear mission statement, encourage leadership in others and improve
instruction. These are no easy tasks, but at least I have a more focused idea of what I will be
doing when I become an effective leader of learning.

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Leader of Learning: Mission Statement
Prior to this program I would not have listed having a clear mission statement as an
important requirement for an administrator. However, after almost an entire year in the program
I have realized a school needs a common goal so everyone knows what they stand for. A mission
statement allows everyone to know their purpose. What type of school are we? What do we
stand for? What is our purpose? It allows you a starting point for all decisions. As stated by
Robbins & Alvy (2009), It helps administrators set priorities, teachers construct lessons, and
students find meaning in their work (p.113). A mission statement helps identify what is
important and not waste time on the less important tasks.
My district got a new superintendent two years ago and he had the entire district recite
the mission statement out loud as an entire district. Then we got a copy of the districts mission
statement, signed it and got pinned by our administrator. Now I wear a pin on my lanyard
every day that reminds me to follow our mission statement. As we read through Reality Calling
(2013) and Seeking Balance (2014) last semester I was reminded of our pinning ceremony
whenever Joe Gentry was asking people what the Pinicon Way meant to them.
So we know it is important to have a strong mission statement, but what is the next step?
Sorenson, Goldsmith, Mendez and Maxwell (2011) wrote once the products (vision and
mission statements) are created, they must be sustained. It is the principals responsibility to
ensure these statements are inculcated in the schools culture (p. 29). It will be important to
relate decisions back to the mission statement whenever possible. I envision printing it on the
bottom of the school letter head, including it in all my emails to teachers and discussing it during
all staff meetings. I can picture my staff coming in to our meeting room and starting the meeting
off by reciting the mission statement together as a staff. Then I think it would be a powerful

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experience to have teachers share examples of when they did something or saw something done
that met our mission statement. It may be a slow going process at first, but I think once people
get comfortable with the ritual it would turn into a positive sharing and feel good experience to
share with the staff.
Leader of Learning: Encourage Leadership in Others
Of all the tasks I will be expected to complete and roles I will be expected to fill, this may
be the hardest one of all. I tend to have a problem giving up control and delegating tasks to
other. I guess you could call me a control freak; I prefer to think of myself as a task manager.
Reading Daniel Pink (2009) quote, Type X bosses relish control. Type I bosses relinquish
control (p. 170) made me realize I want to be a Type I boss. And in order to do that I need to
give up some of my power.
During this semester I purchased a few books on leadership to broaden my views on
becoming the best leader possible. One book, Drive, by Daniel Pink I will be referencing
shortly. Another book I bought was full of quotes on leadership so I want to apologize now for
all of the random, yet related, leadership quotes strewn about this paper. One of my favorite
quotes that relates perfectly to giving up power is from former President Ronald Reagan,
"Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way.
Besides giving up control for my own sanity it will also help everyone feel involved.
Getting my staff working as one cohesive unit will be a big priority from day one and I think the
best way to do that is to give people power. Pink (2009), also gave three steps toward giving up
control: Involve people in goal-setting, Use noncontrolling language and Hold office hours (p.
170). What I learned from this reading is that teachers want, and deserve, to be heard. If

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teachers feel their leader listens to their suggestions, takes input from others and involves
multiple people in the decision making process the administrator is going to have a happier, more
cohesive school.
There are numerous ways of getting teachers involved in the leadership of the school.
Robbins and Alvy (2009), gave a great list of leadership roles for teachers that can impact
success at the school. Their list consisted of everything from instructional specialist to data
coach from mentor to committee member (p. 179). I think the point is to find as many possible
ways to get as many teachers involved in the day to day tasks of the school. The more teacher
involvement the higher probability of getting teacher buy-in. As a principal if I can get teacher
buy-in most aspects of school will improve.
Leader of Learning: Improve Instruction
Encouraging leadership and improving instruction actually go hand in hand. Studies
show that a positive working environment is a better learning place for students. Good
leadership that shares the duty among all teachers will increase teacher motivation and the
workplace environment which in turn improves test scores (Wallace, 2013).
The first place to start when improving instruction is to know the difference between
curriculum and instruction. In the Principals Guide to Curriculum Leadership (2009), the
authors define curriculum as what is taught in the school and instruction as the how things are
taught in the school (p. 96). The principal needs to take a step back when it comes to curriculum
questions and let the experts, the teachers, lead the decisions. However, when its time to
improve instruction is when the administrator should be the lead.

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Teachers are always in control of their classroom which most people will agree is a good
thing. However, when its time to make some changes to improve the instruction in the
classroom, teachers tend to get set in their ways. Dwight Eisenhower had it right when he said,
"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants
to do it." To me this ties right back into the teacher buy-in. If teachers and administrators are
working together toward a common vision and purpose these changes that need to be made will
be that much easier.
One way to improve instruction is to get into the classrooms. An administrator who gets
into classrooms on a regular basis will create an environment where teachers and students start to
feel comfortable and the administrator start to understand how teachers classrooms actually look
on a day to day basis. While in the classroom administrators can begin to watch three areas of
instruction: input, modeling or demonstration, and active engagement or rehearsal (Robbins and
Alvy, 2009, p.132). After a handful of visits the administrator may be able to offer feedback, ask
questions or create a discussion that will in turn improve the overall instruction of the class.
Feedback is a critical piece of improving instruction. Research and practice make it
clear that valued feedback and opportunities to use that feedback enhance performance and
achievement (Robbins and Alvy, 2009, p. 155). Creating an environment where teachers feel
comfortable to receive feedback will be an important first step. Going back to the classroom
observations and drop-ins, if an administrator is not a visible presence in the classrooms the
feedback will not be received well. Teachers need to feel like the administrator is trying to help
improve instruction opposed to correcting an unwanted behavior. Without the constructive
feedback the observations are meaningless to teachers.

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Even as I wrote this I thought of several other areas I wanted to include as a leader of
learning. However I think most areas I want to focus on as a future administrator can tie into:
creating and following a clear mission statement, encouraging leadership in others and
improving instruction. If I can accomplish these three goals the other aspects of the position will
fall into place, hopefully. When I completed my first full day of job shadowing I left thinking
one word. Im not sure how it exactly applies to this paper, but I know it will be the backbone of
administrative career. The principal I shadowed told me the most important thing to remember
when making decisions was to have courage. He believes that too many administrators these
days do not have courage to do the right thing. So I will leave you with just one more quote that
relates to my administrative mantra: courage. "Management is doing things right; leadership is
doing the right things." Peter F. Drucker

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Works Cited
Pace, N. J. (2013). Reality Calling: The Story of a Principals First Semester. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Pace, N. J. (2014). Seeking Balance: The Story of a Principals Second Semester. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Pink, D. H. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. New York, NY: Riverhead
Books.
Robbins, P. & Alvy, H. (2009). The Principals Companion: Strategies to Lead Schools for
Student and Teacher Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Sorenson, R. D., Goldsmith L. M., Mendez, Z. Y. & Maxwell K. T. (2011). The Principals
Guide to Curriculum Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
The Wallace Foundation. (2013, January). The school principal as leader: Guiding schools to
better teaching and learning. New York, NY: Author.