Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Instructional Leadership

Times have changed and the pre-requiisite for being an effective principal is that you are truly an instructional leader.  What does that look like?  It is a far cry from the days when your main job was to order books, create schedules, and take care of discipline.  Today demands leaders who are instructional in nature with a broad repertoire in teaching and learning constructs, concepts, and strategies.  This is not to say that those other managerial taks don't have to be done, but they are not the key variables in increasing student achievement.  Although the teacher is the primary variable in increasing student achievement, the school principal is a close second- someone who is the chief learning officer (CLO) and can "walk the talk" in regard to research based teaching and leading principles.  A genuine instructional leader should feel comfortable modeling lessons in a classroom for his/her staff and partake in discussions relevant to the instructional needs of the school.  Could you answer the following questions:

• How do children learn...not strategies...but describe the process of learning. (Hint: We are past the days of pecking pigeons and slobbering dogs from Psychology 101.  Welcome to the world of neuroscience and functional MRIs.)
• What do you know about research based instruction?
• Second language learning.....what is its impact on teaching and learning, and what does research say about teaching second language learners?
• What are the basic principles of differentiated instruction, and what does it look like in a classroom?
• What defines effective professional development?  How do you maximize its effect?
• Staff evaluation...what works and is effective, and what is a waste of time?
• How does data drive instruction, and how would you use it to empower your staff to increase achievement?
• What professional books have you read in the last year?  What professional journals do you subscribe to AND read?
• Finally, "I'm too busy" is commonly heard when it comes to demonstrating instructional leadership variables.  How can you structure your time and responsibilities, so that daytime is people time and nighttime is paper time?

Being an effective instructional leader takes time, knowledge, commitment, and passion.  Do you have it?

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