The Principal as Instructional Leader: A Handbook for Supervisors

Citation

Hodgins, D.W. (2006), "The Principal as Instructional Leader: A Handbook for Supervisors", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 44 No. 5, pp. 528-531. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230610683822

In her book, The Principal as Instructional Leader: A Handbook for Supervisors, Sally Zepeda provides an in‐depth and practical look into the principal's role as instructional leader. It is easy to see why the University Council for Educational Administration recently recognized Zepeda with the first Master Professor Award for her outstanding contributions to the field. This book continues where Zepeda's previous book, Instructional Supervision: Applying Tools and Concepts left off. In her previous book she provided tools and strategies to help supervisors work effectively with teachers through the links between instructional supervision, staff development and teacher evaluation via the model of clinical supervision. This recent book examines the work that must be accomplished by principals as the instructional leaders of their schools in the areas of developing a vision and culture that support the supervision of the instructional program, staff development, and other processes to help teachers further develop their teaching.

The book is organized into eight chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief outline and ends with a succinct summary. Throughout the book Zepeda summarizes research with easy to understand charts and diagrams that culminate in practical strategies and tools for implementation. Zepeda is clearly comfortable in discussing research while developing the practical application of research. A CD is provided with forms to help leaders implement the strategies for Chapter 2 through 7. She also includes instructions for the use of the forms as well as websites for additional information and sources.

Chapter 1 begins with the discussion of the principal as an instructional leader, a complex term with various connotations. Zepeda provides a chart on pages 4‐5 that gives the reader a view of instructional leadership in action. At the center of the concept is the knowledge that instructional leaders are about building cohesive teams of teacher leaders. Building these teams requires an understanding of the change process to focus attention, energy and efforts toward student learning and achievement. Principals who want to be instructional leaders must understand the process of working with teachers to improve and support their instructional practices. This process includes the creation and articulation of the school's vision, mission, and culture. These three elements are the glue between supervision, staff development, and teacher evaluation.

In Chapter 2, Zepeda links quality teaching and knowledge about instruction as part of the vision for student achievement. This vision is an ongoing and reflective process that begins with the instructional leader looking both within and outside the school for the core values and beliefs that motivate the teachers. The vision is imperative because it steers all actions and allocation of resources toward the end goal of student achievement. However, it is the mission that becomes the vehicle that drives the vision. Values and beliefs then serve to link the vision to the mission. Zepeda provides the tools and strategies to unravel the school's values and beliefs to come up with a vision statement that provides the framework for the mission statement. However, it takes a healthy culture to build collaboration and trust that sustains the vision and mission of a school. While the details for this process are provided, an example of a school's value and mission statements clarify the results.

Chapter 3 provides the material for an instructional leader to connect supervision, staff development, and teacher evaluation as a seamless practice to improve instruction. Zepeda sees professional development as multiple learning opportunities that “bundle” teachers to work in concert with each other in the workday through opportunities for reflection, dialogue and collaboration. Effective instructional leaders recognize the relationship between accountability, improved teaching methods and teacher support. Consequently, these leaders facilitate support systems that include supervision, staff development, peer coaching, study groups, and mentoring.

Zepeda offers a diagram on the cyclical approach to unifying instructional supervision, staff development and teacher evaluation. Highlighting that instructional leadership is not linear, the diagram illustrates the components discussed in the chapter, namely how goals and cycles of supervision coupled with peer supervision feed into staff development and evaluation. Zepeda discusses the essential component of the teacher as an adult learner engaged in career stages. Zepeda offers insights into using the faculty meeting as a forum for staff development. Bottom line in providing a seamless approach of connecting supervision, staff development, and evaluation the principal unifies efforts to promote teacher growth and development. By providing learning resources for the school's teachers, the principal makes a lasting investment in student learning.

In Chapter 4 Zepeda explains the importance of the visibility of the principal in the classroom both formally and informally. It is in visits to the classroom that the principal understands the complexities of teaching at the school. Informal classroom visits provide feedback and valuable opportunities for more frequent interaction between the principal and the teacher. However, informal classroom observations cannot be predicated on fault finding or unfavorable reports. Zepeda provides suggestions and methods for supervisors new to a building on how to build a culture that embraces informal observations.

Formal observations, on the other hand, are a three‐step process that includes the pre‐observation conference, the observation, and the post‐observation conference. Zepeda furnishes suggestions on how an effective supervisor can take advantage of the range of opportunities to become involved in the instructional lives of teachers during the formal observation process. The combination of formal and informal observations helps build a culture that supports a path of professional development and growth.

In Chapter 5, Zepeda outlines what contributes to a more effective formal classroom observation by detailing one of the most essential aspects of the process – the pre‐observation conference. It is during the pre‐conference that the principal and teacher engage in a discussion about learning and teaching. The teacher provides the lead during this phase by articulating the focus that will guide the principal in assessing the proper tools to use in collecting data during the observation. In essence the teacher discloses an area of instruction that needs assessment through data collection. How much the teachers disclose depends upon the experience and degree of trust between the principal and teacher. The principal as the instructional leader understands the dynamic of the classroom and examines the connection between what the teacher does and what students are able to do as a result of instruction. Effective principals encourage teachers to look deeply at their practices with an eye to improve and further develop. The pre‐observation sets the stage for the extended classroom observation.

In Chapter 6, Zepeda explains how the principal takes the focus established in the pre‐conference and enters the classroom with observation tools specifically designed for data collection related to the focus. The classroom observation requires preparation. The principal must prepare for the fast pace of events in the classroom and take the time to master the techniques of classroom observation. In order to collect data that will make sense the principal must match the data collection technique to the focus, teacher's experience level and supervisor's experience level. The success of the post‐observation conference depends on the quality of the data collected during the observation; Zepeda offers numerous examples for strategies for collecting data.

Zepeda explains the post‐observation conference in Chapter 7. The post‐observation conference provides the opportunity for the teacher and principal to engage in discussion related to the focus established in the pre‐observation conference. Data is shared with the teacher to provide an opportunity to analyze and make sense of some aspect of their teaching. This conference provides the teacher with feedback by engaging the teacher in reconstruction of the events in the classroom. The principal must supply objective feedback that informs the teacher to make judgments about practices and plans for growth and change. Zepeda provides ideas that promote the dialogue between the teacher and the principal, which is essential in this process.

Zepeda concludes the book with a final message that principals need to exert their instructional leadership to assist teachers in further developing as professionals while meeting the day‐to‐day needs of their students. The heart of the school is the classroom. Because the responsibilities of the principal are so multi‐dimensional the principal does not need to stand alone to support the professional development of teachers. The principal must examine the pool of potential supervisory personnel at the school and work to build new roles for these professionals. In developing an instructional leadership team the principal can multiply efforts to assist teachers. However, the principal must provide staff development to transition administrative team members into an instructional leadership team. Indeed, Zepeda articulates in her book the necessary framework for such a design and the necessary components needed to bring about the change in the school for the framework.

Very timely and well‐written, The Principal as Instructional Leader: A Handbook for Supervisors, is a highly valuable, insightful and recommended book, especially for aspiring and practicing school administrators and school district supervisors. The book is equally recommended as a resource for educational administration and leadership programs in Colleges of Education. Zepeda emphasizes a comprehensive connection between sound instructional leadership practices and student learning by demonstrating that nowhere is the pressure to do a better job more keenly felt than among principals as instructional leaders.