Educational Administration: The Principal

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to examine the principal at the primary school, what she is doing right, and what she could be doing differently. In particular, it looks at how one of her largest concerns during this time is legislation and how political issues have gained national attention since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation has shifted focus from the distribution of inputs to outputs. It discusses how school leaders are being thrust into a political debate as they must learn how the new terms will be applied to their schools.

From the Paper:

"The current phase of educational reform has stimulated an unprecedented demand for new knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, and organizational improvement at the school and system levels (Ammeter, et al., 2002). Hence, today's principals are faced with the complex tasks of creating a school-wide vision, being an instructional leader, planning for effective professional development, guiding teachers, handling discipline, coordinating pupil transportation, and attending school events, as well as all the other details that come with supervision of a school (Leadership, 2000). Our current primary school principal does an overall good job of making these areas balance relatively well. She has not attended every school event, however, and some of the professional development that she probably needs to keep up with changing times has not been completed because of time constraints. This could negatively impact her in the future, and could also be a problem for the school, as it could fall behind if the principal does not keep up with the way that education is changing. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Alliance, T. E. Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for leading high school reform. Ruston, National Association of Secondary School Principals. 2004.
• Ammeter, A. P., Douglas, C., Gardner, W. L., Hochwarter, W. A., & Ferris, G. R. Toward a political theory of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 13(6), 751-796. 2002.
• Checkly, K. The contemporary principal: New skills for a new age. ASCD Magazine: 1-7. 2002.
• Ediger, Marlow. Assessing the School Principal. Education. 2002.
• Fink, D. Sustaining leadership. Phi Delta Kappan. 2003

More papers on Educational Administration: The Principal:

• Analytical Essay # 63046 : "Education Administration"
• Essay # 60303 : "The Role of an Effective Principal"
• Research Paper # 97200 : "Teacher - Principal Relationship"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: