Work worth doing: despite the hardships of the job, most principals keep at it because they believe it is work worth doing. But there are supports that can mediate the difficulties and make the job much rewarding.

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. "

--Theodore Roosevelt, Labor Day Address, 1903

Ask school principals what they like about their jobs and almost to a person they'll respond: "I think what I do makes a difference in the quality of teaching, and thus in the lives of students at my school." Yet, in discussions principals are able to identify the many difficulties of their jobs, best summarized as job stress, long horns and low pay.

Accountability demands are escalating and, in some cases, competing (increasing test scores for all students while simultaneously reducing the dropout rate); the fiscal resources are often insufficient and always dwindling. To do the job well, principals often spend evenings and weekends at school--whether having evening meetings or supervising activities.

With all of these demands the stress is high and the rewards few. The pay differential between a beginning principal and an experienced teacher is often negligible; when salaries are calculated on an hourly or daily basis, teachers often come out well ahead.

So, given the difficulties of the job, why do principals remain on the job? Michelle Hunter, a Glendora principal, explained in a presentation to the ACSA/CAPEA Committee why she's still an elementary principal: "The most gratifying part of this job is seeing students grow and helping teachers learn and grow. I am a teacher of teachers" (Cushing, et al., 2003).

All things considered, it seems that principals stay principals, and remain motivated and focused, because they have found work worth doing. They often do it against the odds. They find ways to redefine, restructure or rethink the work of the principal to make it more rewarding and to seek the support that will help to mediate some of the demands and difficulties of the job.

Using principals' time effectively

Currently, some site principals are exploring different ways to use their time and expertise. They have focused in on the key issue: it is more important, more effective and a better use of a principal's time to be in the classroom observing, interacting and providing feedback to teachers and students than to be working on a bus or bell schedule.

Should principals be teaching demonstration lessons and helping teachers understand and use data to make instructional decisions, or should they be spending their time checking the school lunch menus and janitorial supply orders? Bald if they are in classrooms, how does the other work get done?

Most principals would rather spend time in classrooms with teachers and students but perhaps hesitate, knowing that means more work to do in the evenings or on weekends, because they know the paperwork must be done. Only a few have the vision, courage or support to ask, "Who else can do the management work of running a school?"

But once principals break free and are willing and supported in giving up responsibility for managing everything that happens at the site, they can focus on what happens in the classroom, which is where academic learning takes place. The Breakthrough Coach (www.the-breakthrough-coach.com) is a model that helps principals redefine their work to focus on the instructional aspects of the job.

What coaching can do

Principal Michelle Hunter received training for a year from Malachi Pancoast, her Breakthrough Coach and mentor and the president of The Breakthrough Coach, a management consulting firm. She continues to meet periodically with him. With the encouragement and monetary support of the Glendora Unified School District, Michelle began by collecting and analyzing data on how she spent her time. Then she was coached in how to delegate and assign responsibility for many technical aspects of the job to her staff, in particular her secretary. They meet daily and work as a team.

Another forced challenge was cleaning out her office, leaving only a computer, desk, table and chairs--the philosophy: make the office a sterile environment that isn't comfortable. No family pictures, plaques or other homey fixtures are allowed. Get the work done quickly and efficiently and go home for these comforts.

Goals were set for how Michelle would spend her time--initially two full days in the classroom, three in the office--as well as some personal goals (exercise, diet, family time) and a schedule was developed to reflect those goals. Her coach said taking work home or coming in on weekends was not allowed.

For introducing her to the Breakthrough Coach model and supporting these changes at the building level, Michelle gives credit to Glendora USD Superintendent George Mannon and to Lois Green, assistant superintendent of educational services. They had a vision of a different role for school principals and found the money to pay for the coaching to move in this new direction.

As important as these actions were, Michelle had to work at getting everybody's support. She worked to inform everybody--teachers, parents and students--of the plan and put it into action. Parents and teachers knew she was not available to meet with them on certain days because she was in classrooms. They knew that there were some days when she'd be more likely to take or return a phone call than other days.

Improved communication

Initially, teachers and parents questioned these changes; now Michelle reports most seem to like them. Why? Michelle's visibility and accessibility improved communication and resulted in fewer discipline problems. Her knowledge of what's happening in the classroom led to better use of faculty meetings for staff development. This focus on quality instruction and student learning has resulted in a change in the school's API score: it has gone from 763 to 814 since implementing these techniques. And finally, Michelle's family enjoyed seeing her for dinner and spending weekend time together.

Michelle's reaction? "It was bard at first to delegate, and delegating is a significant piece of this model. But now the rhythm at school has changed and teachers, students and parents expect me to be in the classroom. It's still hard work, but f like what I'm doing and think I'm making a difference in the lives of teachers and students." Clearly, Michelle has found a way to do work worth doing.

Another model

Other models also emphasize the role of rethinking job responsibilities and delegation. For example, Nancy Akhavan at Lee Richmond Elementary School in Hanford Elementary School District spends most of her time in classrooms trying to facilitate the development of teacher expertise through observation, feedback and demonstration lessons. She came to understand and define this role with the help of the New Standards Project and after reading "Reframing Organizations" by Terrance Deal and "Schools that Work" by Peter Senge.

Changes take careful thought and planning. Community-building is crucial. Transitions are worked through carefully. It's not easy, but these are important results.

Akhavan reports, "I assign my secretary anything to do with the building--the schedule, the newsletter, orders, anything. Then I spend my time in the classrooms working at changing teacher practices. I provide strong and direct feedback: Here's what the walls in standards-based classrooms are supposed to look like; here's what the lessons are supposed to look like; here's what the children are supposed to be doing when they're not with you.

"While I still handle all the discipline during my office time, there isn't much, because I know all the kids--not just their names--I know what their strengths and needs are as learners; I know how they think and act on a day-to-day basis. So we just don't see the discipline concerns we used to see."

Nancy agrees with Michelle that the hard part was letting go and delegating, working with the staff to share responsibility and get buy-in. The great part is being in classrooms and seeing teachers teach differently, student learning increase and test scores improve.

The co-principalship

Another model gaining popularity in larger elementary schools and at the middle and high school level is hiring co-principals--in other words, two people do the job previously held by a single individual.

This model can take several forms: In some districts co-principaling takes the form of creating two schools at one site: "You be the K-3 principal and I'll be the 4-6 principal;" in other locales it means dividing up the job functions--"You do curriculum and instruction and I'll do discipline and management." Yet another model of co-principaling involves two people doing all the aspects of the job--not job sharing, not job dividing, but truly co-principaling. In this model, superintendent and board support and understanding are essential.

Marilyn Prall talks about this last model of co-principaling, supported by her former superintendent, Libia Gil, and her current superintendent, Lowell Billings, and implemented at Vista Square Elementary School in Chula Vista Elementary School District. Prall said that when she and her colleague, Martha Deichlet, decided to function as coprincipals, the district was supportive.

Prall and Deichler intentionally decided not to split responsibility for area or grade levels between them. Instead, Prall said, there are two principals in the school. And while teachers and parents were initially hesitant, they've come to really like it, reporting, "If I can't get one of you I can get the other."

What makes it work so well? Prall says they follow two simple guidelines: First, "we tell each other everything. There are no secrets; we tell the staff 'if you're talking to one of us you're talking to the other.'" Secondly, she said, "We do a lot of communicating, anticipating and preparing; then we support each other when something comes up and a decision has to be made quickly." She adds, "You really have to want to be part of a team and not a one-person show to make co-principaling work. And a sense of humor helps."

There are still lots of meetings and after-school and weekend work, but both principals report they feel less isolated and less stressed out. Best of all, each has more time each week to spend in the classroom doing instructional leadership work--I which is the heart work of being a principal.

How can the central office support and sustain these efforts?

As we talked with principals and reviewed different school leadership arrangements that were attempts to deal with the job demands and stress placed on the school principal, we found that context is critical. To make any alternative work, as noted in these examples, a principal needs support and understanding from the central office.

At the very least, principals need someone in the central office who doesn't say no to new and creative ideas about the organization and structure of school leadership at the site level. I low can the central office demonstrate this support? Consider the following:

1. Recognize that there is something that can be done to improve the role and job requirement of the principal.

2. Reinforce the concept that the role of. the principal is to improve the teaching/ learning process.

3. Develop board of education support. Create district goals that focus on meeting standards by improving instruction and accountability, and designate fiscal resources to meet this goal.

4. Be open to the notion of re-assigning the management role of leadership to the school secretary. This may mean some changes in the secretary's salary or title--but listen and use creative problem-solving to handle this request. Provide the resources for training support start

5. Work with the union to support these efforts as positive ways of improving classroom conditions.

6. Remember that when principals are in classrooms, they can't always come to meetings or talk on the phone. Schedule meetings during non-instructional times and be patient in waiting for a return phone call.

7. Be there to support and report the changes, helping to explain the change process and the reason for these specific changes to parents, teachers and students. Let principals know they aren't in this alone--that you've "got their back."

8. Model the behavior that is most important by spending time in schools and using administrative meeting times for leadership development.

9. Reward and celebrate administrative time in classrooms and hold principals accountable as instructional leaders.

A job that's not doable

Many principals report that the job, as it is currently structured, is simply not doable. Principals don't have the time to help students and staff learn and grow to their full potential. Demands are broad and excessive. New state and federal accountability requirements and performance demands have escalated, while school resources have dwindled.

Job stress is increasing to a point where many administrators question whether it is work worth doing. Others retire early. Superintendents and human resource directors are worried about the shortage of qualified applicants for principal positions.

Policymakers are looking at changes to credential programs as the way to address a pending administrative shortage. However, survey and interview data suggest this won't solve the problem.

Redefining and restructuring the job

Instead, it is the job itself that must be redefined, restructured and rethought in ways that make sense to principals and that allow them to focus on the instructional aspects of the job.

Only by changing the conditions surrounding the work of school principals will we be able to meet the demands of success for all students.

Only by assessing what works in successfully led schools and paying attention to the data will we be able to make meaningful change.

Only by principals working in classrooms with teachers to improve the learning process can we hope to meet the new state and federal mandates of No Child Left Behind.

Only by creating and implementing alternative visions for the role of school principals will principals be able to spend their time doing the work that is worth doing.

References

Cushing, K. S.; Kerrins, J. A.; & Johnstone, T. (May/June 2003). "Disappearing principals." Leadership magazine. Association of California School Administrators: Sacramento, CA.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

This article is the second in a two-part series based on the ACSA/CAPEA Committee's research on the administrator shortage and ways districts can better support administrators. The first article, "Disappearing principals," which was published in the May/June 2003 Issue of Leadership magazine, focused on the real reasons behind the shortage of qualified administrative applicants. The article concluded that low pay, Job stress and long hours are all culprits.

Katherine S. Cushing is an assistant professor of psychology at California State University, Chico. Judith A. Kerrins is professor of educational leadership and administration in the department of education at CSU, Chico, and co-chair of the ACSA/CAPEA Committee. Thomas Johnstone is assistant superintendent for personnel in the Lennox School District.