Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog had a range of reactions to whether school reform in Georgia is overlooking the role principals play in student achievement. Here is a sampling of responses:
Teachin: The job of principal is unmanageable. Stop expecting principals to be curriculum leaders. They are physical plant managers and personnel managers. Some may have been successful teachers, but they are chosen to fill administrative positions because of their management skills. They order supplies; they hire and fire custodians, teachers and counselors; they call the police when students fight; they organize graduation; they complete voluminous amounts of paperwork for the government; some actually attempt to motivate their underlings; they work with parent groups; they serve as PR people for their schools; most of them work ungodly hours attending sports and civic events after the school day ends; they conduct evaluations. The very best principals have a clear vision for success and can convince others to chase that vision.
Readcritic: A truly professional principal promotes an atmosphere of trust, caring and support for the entire staff, not just chosen members who are part of the elite clique. A school can never be great without a principal who is great.
Who: Bad principals are responsible for ruining schools. I love principals who shuffle teachers around. It takes a few years to really know the curriculum in a grade level, so moving people every few years is detrimental, especially if the affected teacher is against the move. We have little to no say so as to what grade level we will teach.
Newsphile: The good principal is a professional who knows how to manage teachers and staff and effectively take care of the responsibilities of the job. He/she can determine which teachers are good and which ones should go, and then acts with professionalism to rid the system of bad teachers. The best principal knows how to lead his/her faculty while allowing them the space to do their jobs. I've watched good teachers go because of an insecure principal who didn't trust teachers to do their jobs and was an ever present micro-manager. Note to superintendents: If good teachers start leaving a school, take a close look at what's going on there.
Fickle: The parents have left the playing field — especially at the lower socioeconomic levels where they are needed more now than ever. And to make things even worse, they have left not just the educational playing field, but also the profession of parenting. A student is no longer just a child who needs to educated, but a young person needing parental care, and lots of it. Have they had anything to eat? Are they immunized? Are there any responsible adults taking care of them? Anyone to help with homework? Are they sick? Do they need a doctor? Do they need their eyes checked? Do they have proper shoes and clothing for the winter months? Do they have a decent place to live and sleep? It goes on and on. And more and more, schools and teachers and administrators are called upon to deal with it.
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