Instructional Leadership for Beginners

 

Over the last several decades, the role of “instructional leader” has been an important one for principals.  For a young principal, it is tempting to think that once you’re sitting in the big chair, you are expected to be the guru of instruction, assessment, curriculum, and data analysis.  That sort of unreasonable expectation can be overwhelming.  The good news is that it is not that difficult for even a novice principal to add value to the instructional program of the school and to be viewed as an instructional leader by his or her staff. Here are ten simple strategies that can jumpstart any administrator’s “instructional leadership.”

Be Curious

You’re already on the right track!  You clicked on this blog!  Albert Einstein once said: “I have no particular talent; I am merely inquisitive.”  This remarkable claim attests to the power we have to affect our own intellectual growth through relentless curiosity.  For an instructional leader in the school, curiosity might look like this:

• Why do we pace the curriculum the way we do?

• What are ways that Artificial Intelligence impacts how our teachers teach and  our students learn?

•  I wonder how other schools are meeting the needs of English Learners.

• What sort of bell schedule works best for our students?

• Why does this teacher have such good results with her students?

• Are our students more likely to thrive if we figure out how to give them more breaks in the day?

Ask lots of questions – of your teachers and of yourself. This practice will foster a culture of continued growth in your school.

Be Visible

Todd Whitaker noted, “When the principal sneezes, the whole school catches a cold.”  The principal does indeed set the tone in the building.  One of the ways you set the tone and communicate your priorities is through your presence.  Spend time visiting classrooms.  Even if you don’t have the wherewithal to provide written feedback to the teacher, your presence in the classroom communicates that you care about what students are learning, and you care about the work of the teacher.  Find time to sit in meetings with teachers.  Whenever possible join teachers in their own professional learning.  Your presence communicates that you value the activities the teachers are engaged in.  When you make it a priority to sit alongside your staff, they are more likely to make it a priority themselves.

Be Vulnerable

Maybe you were a former PE teacher.  Maybe you spent much of your career in the ranks of coaches.  Maybe you were a chemistry teacher who just taught with a laser-like focus on your own discipline and you don’t feel well rounded, academically speaking.  That’s okay!  Don’t pretend to have experience that you do not yet have, knowledge that you have not yet acquired, or skills that you have not yet mastered.  Your staff probably already knows your background, so be candid with them about your learning curve.  They will appreciate your transparency and vulnerability as you model for them a commitment to learning about the instructional program.

Be Willing to Share

Sharing with others sometimes involves a measure of vulnerability.  What if I share and others don’t appreciate it?  What if they don’t see the same value that I see?   I’ve already mentioned that leaders need to have the courage to put themselves out there.  So share with your teachers.  When you see an amazing activity in a classroom, let others know.  When you hear good ideas, pass them along.  If you come across some new research, make it available to the faculty.  If someone tells you an inspiring story, share it at the next staff meeting.  If a parent sends you a positive email about a teacher, make sure that teacher sees it.  An easy way for instructional leaders to help their teachers grow, is to share good stuff with them.

Be Relational

There is a familiar adage about the importance of teachers building relationships with their students: They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  This same concept applies to principals hoping to lead teachers.  The teachers don’t really care about your “expertise” until they know you are in their corner… until they understand you value them… until they feel your support.  So get to know your teachers!  Spend time talking to them.  Listen to them! Find ways to connect with them on a personal level.  These relationships are foundational and provide the prerequisite context for meaningful leadership.  Teaching can be a lonely and isolating experience.  When you build connections with teachers, it takes them out of their silos; it allows you to understand their passion and expertise; it allows you to connect teachers with each other.  And that collaboration can be magical!

Be Strategic with Delegation

As you get to know your teachers, you learn their strengths and weaknesses.  You learn what they’re really passionate about.  You learn which teachers are most respected among their peers.  There will be many opportunities during the year to leverage the “teacher leaders” in your school.  Take advantage of them.  Which teacher could lead a team to study bell schedules at other schools?  Which teachers should you task with leading the various professional learning communities?  Which teacher can help lead the next professional development activity?   Even the best principals can’t do it alone.  Utilizing the right colleagues to help you along the way not only lightens your load, the shared leadership brings fresh perspectives that enhance the instructional program.

Be Intentional

Make no mistake about it, managing a school can bring some headaches.  And it’s easy to get bogged down in the administrivia of the job.  You can’t wait on your instructional leadership to happen accidentally; be intentional with how you go about your work.  Make instruction and learning a priority and a consistent focus for all of your work.  Ensure that your staff emails and meeting agendas reflect that priority.  Block off time in your calendar to get into classrooms.  Ask teachers about their lessons.  Talk to students about their experiences in school.  Teaching and learning are the core business of the school.  That is where you need to invest your time and energy.  

Be Focused on Learning… not Teaching

I have heard it said that until something is learned, nothing is taught.  This quip poignantly underscores the fundamental purpose of schools: student learning.  Believe it or not, it’s easy to lose sight of this truth.  We can spend so much time focusing on the knowledge, skills, and practices of teachers that we actually take our eyes off the ball and forget the fact that learning is where the rubber meets the road.  So when you’re in a classroom, for example, be more preoccupied with the extent to which students are engaged in the lesson, then how the teacher is teaching that lesson.  In conversations with teachers about their work, always keep student learning and academic progress at the forefront.  Create opportunities for teachers to spend time evaluating the data of their classroom assessments and standardized tests.  Be explicit about communicating the priority of student learning.  

Be Committed to Removing Barriers

Teachers do the core work of the school.  If you can take something off their plate … if you can find a resource they need…  if you can help them solve a problem… if you collaborate with them to navigate a dicey parent situation – all of this support to them in the classroom allows them to spend more time and energy on meeting the needs of their students. Make it a priority to provide teachers what they need to be effective and work to minimize whatever distracts from their primary responsibility… teaching their students.

Be About the Culture

Teaching and learning does not happen in a vacuum.  Teachers and students thrive when the culture of the school is strong.  And fostering a strong culture is perhaps one of the most important things a principal can do.  What does that look like?

• Bring positive energy into the building every day.

• Support your teachers every way you can.

• Celebrate successes of both teachers and students.

• Create opportunities for the faculty to collaborate.

• Focus on strong relationships between students and teachers, built on mutual respect.

• Make a point of having fun at work… and sometimes even being silly.

While doing these things might not seem like you're engaged in “instructional leadership,” it will create an environment where teachers and students do their best work.  And that’s the goal.  You don’t need to be a veteran; you don’t need to be an “expert." But if you are clear about that goal and remain committed to supporting your teachers... you're gonna CRUSH it!