My posts have almost totally swerved over to the athletic environment over the past two months. I wanted to take a left turn and delve into some more academic and educational topics, even if only in brief spurts. Here's a review from an article I recently read for a Principalship course. As outsiders looking into a school, many people view the principal as the leader, the decision maker, the number cruncher and the disciplinarian. How about the principal as a politician. It might sound odd, but a larger part of the principal's job deals with the political slant of the job.
One of the most overlooked challenges facing a new or experienced principal is having the ability to work as a politician. In essence, a large part of the school leader’s job requires knowing how to work among and get along with a wide range of people with a varying degree of interests, much like the knowledge of an elected official who represents a constituency.
By virtue of the title, the principal is the head of a large conglomerate, which includes students, faculty, staff, parents, and members of the neighboring community. Thousands of people are capable of having a meaningful conversation with the principal, and he or she needs to know how to communicate with each of them, regardless of age, education level, issue, or purpose. Many of the people who vie for the principal’s attention are looking for a favor, working from an agenda, or just looking for a sympathetic ear. It is the political gift of a principal to work through these meaningful conversations and make each person feel as if their concern has been given careful consideration and his voice has been heard.
In their article, “The Principal as Political Leader,” taken from the Political Leadership section of The High School Magazine publication, Mary Lee Howe and Rene Townsend examine this nuance of the school leader’s job requirements and do an admirable job explaining its importance.
After detailing an early morning (“before 7:30 AM”) scenario which could happen with any principal at any school, the authors state their main point, namely that principals “are caught up in the web of influences created by community pressures and relentless community politics.” A characteristic of paramount importance for the principal to possess is the ability to listen and be empathetic, and it is around this focus that Howe and Townsend compose the article.
They begin by explaining the guidelines of the First Amendment and how the principal should be equipped with an understanding of the framework behind it. The authors recommend five tenets of awareness, being 1) diversity of issues, 2) ability to respond appropriately, 3) an understanding of the positive and negative effects surrounding special interest groups, 4) knowledge of special interest challenges, and 5) skills in problem analysis, judgment and sensitivity.
They move to the focus on skills, noting how “the skills of problem analysis, judgment and sensitivity are inextricably woven together when dealing with special interest groups’ demands.”
Drawing on an earlier article from Townsend, the authors determine effective problem analysis through a series of six questions which center on knowing the importance of a problem, its definition and meaning to the community, fact gathering, involving the necessary people in the decision making process, examining all sides of the issue and considering alternative measures. Their judgment skills also are gauged through questions on self-awareness, whether a problem is real or perceived, the reliability and validity of sources, knowing when more information is needed, omitting emotions and biases from the judgment process, deciding to act or not to act and staying firm with the final decision.
By comparison, the sensitivity questions deal more with listening ability, understanding and exhibiting emotional intelligence, avoidance of bias and stereotyping, and exhibiting respectful action.
And like a good politician would do, the article makes mention on the importance of acting in a proactive manner; in other words, how a principal remains well informed about important issues, understands how they are important to communal values, and addresses concerns before a problem is allowed to develop. As Howe and Townsend write, “the politically astute principal learns about extremist groups and their strategies to influence the schools and community decision makers and understands they may have a goal of undermining and destroying public education.” Religious concerns are given as a good example of an important issue which may be disputed among the members of the school community.
In the Democracy and Public Education box at the top of page 16, the writers dictate five beliefs of public education, namely, that public schools belong to the public, principals have the responsibility to listen to all viewpoints, but not always react, that principals must act on the guarantees of the First Amendment as well as civic obligations, people have a right to disagree, religion should not be a deciding factor of any issue, and that principals should use their position of high public trust to build support for the school, district, and public education in general. This is followed by eight solid hints and tips focusing on knowledge, respect, objectivity and empathy.
In its entirety, I find the Howe and Townsend article, as well as the accompanying political awareness inventory of 30 items, to be a useful tool for the new or seasoned principal. While many principals may be skilled as verbal communicators, the ability to listen effectively is an acquired skill and one which is only developed effectively after making a conscious effort to improve.
One of the most overlooked challenges facing a new or experienced principal is having the ability to work as a politician. In essence, a large part of the school leader’s job requires knowing how to work among and get along with a wide range of people with a varying degree of interests, much like the knowledge of an elected official who represents a constituency.
By virtue of the title, the principal is the head of a large conglomerate, which includes students, faculty, staff, parents, and members of the neighboring community. Thousands of people are capable of having a meaningful conversation with the principal, and he or she needs to know how to communicate with each of them, regardless of age, education level, issue, or purpose. Many of the people who vie for the principal’s attention are looking for a favor, working from an agenda, or just looking for a sympathetic ear. It is the political gift of a principal to work through these meaningful conversations and make each person feel as if their concern has been given careful consideration and his voice has been heard.
In their article, “The Principal as Political Leader,” taken from the Political Leadership section of The High School Magazine publication, Mary Lee Howe and Rene Townsend examine this nuance of the school leader’s job requirements and do an admirable job explaining its importance.
After detailing an early morning (“before 7:30 AM”) scenario which could happen with any principal at any school, the authors state their main point, namely that principals “are caught up in the web of influences created by community pressures and relentless community politics.” A characteristic of paramount importance for the principal to possess is the ability to listen and be empathetic, and it is around this focus that Howe and Townsend compose the article.
They begin by explaining the guidelines of the First Amendment and how the principal should be equipped with an understanding of the framework behind it. The authors recommend five tenets of awareness, being 1) diversity of issues, 2) ability to respond appropriately, 3) an understanding of the positive and negative effects surrounding special interest groups, 4) knowledge of special interest challenges, and 5) skills in problem analysis, judgment and sensitivity.
They move to the focus on skills, noting how “the skills of problem analysis, judgment and sensitivity are inextricably woven together when dealing with special interest groups’ demands.”
Drawing on an earlier article from Townsend, the authors determine effective problem analysis through a series of six questions which center on knowing the importance of a problem, its definition and meaning to the community, fact gathering, involving the necessary people in the decision making process, examining all sides of the issue and considering alternative measures. Their judgment skills also are gauged through questions on self-awareness, whether a problem is real or perceived, the reliability and validity of sources, knowing when more information is needed, omitting emotions and biases from the judgment process, deciding to act or not to act and staying firm with the final decision.
By comparison, the sensitivity questions deal more with listening ability, understanding and exhibiting emotional intelligence, avoidance of bias and stereotyping, and exhibiting respectful action.
And like a good politician would do, the article makes mention on the importance of acting in a proactive manner; in other words, how a principal remains well informed about important issues, understands how they are important to communal values, and addresses concerns before a problem is allowed to develop. As Howe and Townsend write, “the politically astute principal learns about extremist groups and their strategies to influence the schools and community decision makers and understands they may have a goal of undermining and destroying public education.” Religious concerns are given as a good example of an important issue which may be disputed among the members of the school community.
In the Democracy and Public Education box at the top of page 16, the writers dictate five beliefs of public education, namely, that public schools belong to the public, principals have the responsibility to listen to all viewpoints, but not always react, that principals must act on the guarantees of the First Amendment as well as civic obligations, people have a right to disagree, religion should not be a deciding factor of any issue, and that principals should use their position of high public trust to build support for the school, district, and public education in general. This is followed by eight solid hints and tips focusing on knowledge, respect, objectivity and empathy.
In its entirety, I find the Howe and Townsend article, as well as the accompanying political awareness inventory of 30 items, to be a useful tool for the new or seasoned principal. While many principals may be skilled as verbal communicators, the ability to listen effectively is an acquired skill and one which is only developed effectively after making a conscious effort to improve.
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