The Job Too Hot to Handle

The Job Too Hot to Handle

Source - http://assets.inhabitat.com

When I first moved to Asia I was frustrated by the constrained power that Principals had within their institutes. Authority and empowerment for core business decisions was with Business Managers, Administration Managers, Marketing Managers – but little, apart from managing academics, was in the hands of Principals. This initially disheartened me – I was used to an environment where the Principal led the entire institute – not just the academic aspects of it. It concerned me because many of those in positions of authority for operations did not have a reflective appreciation of, or understanding of, how educational facilities truly operate. One cannot simply run an institute like a hospital, a department store, an automotive brand, or a mall. Education is special; education is different. 

As a formal Principal, I always oversaw marketing, administration, operations and facilities; and whilst I worked together with the respective managers on many things, the final direction always rested with me. It concerns me that Principals are to some extent sidelined, as it is essential to have strong leadership steering the direction of an institute – and with education being at the core, the Principal is the logical, and often most qualified / experienced leader for this.

This discussion recently surfaced in New Zealand, where local newspaper, The New Zealand Heraldlooked at the extensive role of leadership in Institutes. It examined the challenges faced to fill the Principal’s role – as these go beyond academic. A strong academic leader may not be an ideal Principal – finding an astute businessperson who is an accomplished academic is essential – to ensure a balance of the pressures facing an institute. This makes it difficult to fill positions, as for many emerging education leaders have focused on teaching, research, and leading educators, but may have neglected developing their business acumen to compliment the needs of this specific job.

To leave you with a quote from the article: "While they are also running an organisation, at the end of the day it is still all about the students".

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Source - www.acgedu.com

An overwhelming range of responsibilities is one reason New Zealand faces a critical shortage of potential school principals - a predicament some fear will impact the quality of education.

One expert, Clarence van der Wel, CEO of Schools at ACG Education, says good principals are key to a successful school.

"International research shows," he says, "great schools do not exist apart from great leaders. Being a principal is one of the most rewarding jobs anyone can have and can be the difference between making or breaking a school."

The key role principals play was highlighted in research conducted in 2011 by the Wallace Foundation, a New York-based philanthropic organisation fostering learning among the young.

It said there is an empirical link between school leadership and improved student achievement.

"Research shows most school variables, considered separately, have at most a small effect on learning," the foundation said. "The real payoff comes when these variables combine to reach critical mass; creating the conditions under which that can occur is the job of the principal."

A 2013 report by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) in the United States which looked at key international research on the issue, said it had not found a single case of a school improving its student achievement record in the absence of talented leadership.

Education experts in New Zealand, worried the lack of suitable candidates will deepen as large numbers of principals now in their late 50s begin to retire, say the situation is critical.

ACG Education - an independent group operating five schools in New Zealand - has appointed two new principals since June.

van der Wel, who oversaw the appointments, says while there will never be a shortage of people putting their hands up for the roles, it is worth asking: "Is there a shortage of high quality candidates?

"We had a good number of suitable candidates apply, but I know a lot of deputy principals and senior teachers are happy to operate at their current level of responsibility when they see the number of balls school principals have to juggle."

The NASSP report describes the job as being in "the hot seat" of heightened expectations.

They not only need to be educational visionaries, instructional and curriculum leaders, the report says, but public relations experts, budget analysts, legal, contractual and policy overseers - and broker the conflicting interests of parents, teachers and students.

"Although that job description sounds overwhelming, at least it signals that the field has begun to give overdue recognition to the indispensable role of and mounting demands on principals."

In New Zealand the shortage of potential principals has been blamed on teacher shortages (the Post Primary Teachers Association says this is at its highest level since 2008) and the expected swathe of retirements among principal ranks in coming years (their average age is in the high 50s).

Dr Brenda Service, post-graduate programme director at the Victoria University of Wellington's Faculty of Education, in comments reported by the New Zealand Herald, said the lack of suitably qualified people is a world-wide issue.

Principal training, she said, tended to be ad-hoc by expecting people to learn as they went through their former roles.

At ACG Schools the issue is largely overcome as the group's principals meet every second month to discuss ways to more effectively carry out their roles.

A former principal, van der Wel spent 15 years of his career in head roles, including at two ACG schools, ACG Strathallan near Karaka in south Auckland and ACG Parnell College. Part of his job now is the appointment of new principals.

In June he oversaw the appointment of Russell Brooke (formerly principal at Long Bay College) to ACG Parnell College and this month Danny O'Connor (as pictured above) to ACG Strathallan (O'Connor was previously principal at the UWCSEA Dover Campus in Singapore).

"We look for strong leaders, because strong leaders build a strong school," he says. "Leaders are pivotal to the success of a school and teachers look to them for leadership and direction.

"They need to be innovative, good instructional leaders, foster creativity and learning, be highly visible, effective listeners, problem solvers, have the ability to empower others and take responsibility for the well-being of students - these are among the qualities we look for in a principal.

"While they are also running an organisation," says van der Wel, "at the end of the day it is still all about the students."