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One of Melson’s mantras is, "Praise, praise, praise."
As in any workplace, recognition of the staff’s accomplishments
promotes an effective work environment. SEDL’s Voices from
the Field: Success in School Reform (2000) discusses the importance
of celebration throughout implementation process. "As implementation
progresses, it is important for principals to acknowledge teacher
success with celebrations and commendations. Forums such as faculty
meetings, PTA meetings, school newsletters, and school board meetings
all make excellent places to share good news about teacher success."
You’re probably thinking to yourself at this point, "It’s
too much. How can any one person possibly be all those things?"
Well, the good news is that one important role was left out of Sherman’s
description — the principal as collaborator. There are
many benefits of sharing the responsibility and the rewards of leadership
with teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community
members.
The most immediate benefit of leadership as a collaborative effort
is that principals not only share the lead, but share the load.
However, collaboration of this nature is not merely delegation.
C. Cryss Brunner (1999) discusses collaboration versus delegation
in a list of tips developed for superintendents. The concept can
apply to all leaders, though. In the collaboration process, principals
"do not turn decisions over to individuals or groups. Instead,
they remain active in the decisionmaking process, giving themselves
one vote when the decision is made." While it can be difficult
to trust in the decisionmaking ability of others and to give up
some of the power of the position, there is also a kind of freedom
in the process. The weight of important decisions is carried more
easily by many shoulders.
 Another
reason that shared leadership is critical lies in its potential
for engaging stakeholders, especially teachers, more fully in the
reform process. Linda Lambert (1998) explains: "When we equate
the powerful concept of leadership with the behaviors of one person,
we are limiting the achievement of a broad-based participation by
a community or a society. School leadership needs to be a broad
concept that is separated from person, role, and a discrete set
of individual behaviors. It needs to be embedded in the school community
as a whole. Such a broadening of the concept of leadership suggests
shared responsibility for a shared purpose of a community."
Lastly, when shared leadership is "embedded in the school
community as a whole," there is a much greater potential for
long-term sustainability of reform. By taking a collective responsibility
for leadership, the school’s staff can help prevent a collapse
of the reform program in the face of shifting personnel, even through
a change of principal. The strength that comes from this kind of
collaboration is much like the strength of fabric woven from many
different threads. Individually, those threads are easily broken,
but as an integrated whole, the cloth is strong and not likely to
unravel from the loss of one thread.
The sometimes overwhelming demands of being a principal make the
strength that comes from shared leadership a vital resource. And
in facing the demands that go along with implementing school reform,
strength may be the most important characteristic for a principal
to have.
Council for Educational Development and Research (CEDaR) (1997,
Spring). Designing school facilities for learning. Washington,
DC: CEDaR.
Fleming, G. (1999). Principals and teachers: Continuous learners.
Issues…about Change 7(2), 3. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational
Development Laboratory.
Hoyle, J.R., English, F.W., & Steffy, B.E. (1998) Skills
for successful 21st century school leaders: Standards for peak performers.
Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators.
Lambert, L. (1998). Building leadership capacity in schools.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
SEDL interviews with principals Kathy Anderson, Liz Melson, and
Barbara Trousdale, August 2000.
Sergiovanni, T.J. (1984, February). Leadership and excellence in
schooling. Educational Leadership, 9.
Sherman, L. (2000, Spring). The new principal. NW Education
Magazine, 5(3), 2. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational
Development Laboratory.
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) (2000). Voices
from the field: Success in school reform (audiotape and guidebook
set). Austin, TX: Author.
Sparks, D., & Hirsh, S. (1997). A new vision for staff development.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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