Principals' Skills and Behaviours That Support Learning - Teacher

11/12/24, 6:45 AM Principals’ skills and behaviours that support learning - Teacher…
Principals’ skills and behaviours

that support learning
SHORT ARTICLES
Mar 23,2021
Authors: Dominique Russell (/sea_en/authors/dominique-
russell)
A systematic review of research from the past two decades has investigated
the link between school leadership and student learning. It found that the
impact of school leaders is much greater than has been previously
appreciated.
The review, How Principals affect students and schools

(https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/how-
principals-affect-students-and-schools-a-systematic-synthesis-of-two-
decades-of-research.aspx), evaluated research in the United States and was
commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy based in
New York, working to improve learning for young people. The review was
conducted by academics at Vanderbilt University, North Carolina State
University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In total, 219
studies were synthesised for the review, and from these, various influential
factors of principals’ skills, behaviours and characteristics emerged.
‘The research team … concludes that, based on research since 2000, the
impact of an effective principal has likely been understated, with impacts
being both greater and broader than previously believed: greater in the
impact on student achievement and broader in affecting other important
outcomes,’ Will Miller, President at The Wallace Foundation, writes in the
report’s foreword.
Privacy - Terms
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‘Importantly, equity occupies a central and timely place in the team’s

recommendations for practice and policy – based on principals’ impact on
particular groups of students and on the changing demographics of the
nation’s student body, which are not yet reflected in the pool of men and
women currently in the principalship,’ Miller writes.
Principals’ skills and behaviours that support

learning
The review identified three foundational skills displayed by principals that
support student learning – instruction, people, and the organisation – and
four behaviours in which these skills manifest. These four behaviours, the
research team conclude, are most central to effective leadership. They are:
1. Engaging in instructionally focused interactions with teachers

2. Building a productive school climate
3. Facilitating productive collaboration and professional learning
communities
4. Managing personnel and resources strategically
‘We emphasize that the term instructionally focused interactions with

teachers is more specific than broad notions of the principal as an
instructional leader, highlighting that effective principals focus their work
on feedback, coaching, and other instructional improvement work that is
grounded in classroom observations and other data about teaching and
learning,’ the research team writes.
Productive school climates, they explain, are shown by the research to be

marked by trust and collective efficacy, and use of data to promote teacher
and student engagement with learning. Further, they’ve found facilitating
productive collaboration and professional learning communities is vital to
improve instruction and meet student needs. The strategic management of

personnel and resources focused on the equitable allocation of teachers is
also important.
‘Some leaders have more proficiency in one skill area or another and may
need to consciously build proficiency in other areas to engage in more
effective practices that will benefit the school and students,’ the report
reads, also noting that these skills and behaviours are affected and shaped
by the wider school and policy context in which principals are working in.
Links between principal characteristics and school

culture
The report also outlines research detailing how equity can be applied in
each of these four areas, through things like culturally responsive teaching
and creating a climate that celebrates diversity.
‘The presence of a principal of colour appears to lead to more frequent

hiring and retention of teachers of colour and better outcomes for students
of colour, including higher math scores and higher likelihood of placement
into gifted programs,’ the research team write.
When it comes to gender, two studies that were reviewed by the research
team found that a school leader’s gender has an influence on teacher
turnover, particularly for male teachers. The research team could also
conclude that teacher satisfaction appears to be higher when teachers share
the same gender as their principal – a conclusion which was drawn from
data showing male teachers have lower job satisfaction when working for
female principals.
‘We conclude that principal preparation programs, pipeline initiatives, and

in-service support structures are likely to have more positive impacts if they
focus on improving principals’ practice in these areas,’ the research team
writes.
‘These insights can, in turn, help make efforts to strengthen leader

preparation, training, and support more feasible and effective.’
References
Grissom, Jason A., Egalite, Anna J., & Lindsay, Constance A. (2021). How
Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades
of Research. The Wallace Foundation: New York. Available at
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/principalsynthesis
(http://www.wallacefoundation.org/principalsynthesis)
The review’s research team say: ‘some leaders have more proficiency in
one skill area or another and may need to consciously build proficiency
in other areas to engage in more effective practices that will benefit the
school and students.’
As a school leader, consider the four behaviours outlined in the article

to be most central to effective leadership. Which areas are you excelling
at? In what areas could you improve?
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11/12/24, 6:45 AM Principals’ skills and behaviours that support learning - Teacher…

Principals’ skills and behaviours

The review, How Principals affect students and schools

‘Importantly, equity occupies a central and timely place in the team’s

Principals’ skills and behaviours that support

1. Engaging in instructionally focused interactions with teachers

‘We emphasize that the term instructionally focused interactions with

Productive school climates, they explain, are shown by the research to be

improve instruction and meet student needs. The strategic management of

Links between principal characteristics and school

‘The presence of a principal of colour appears to lead to more frequent

‘We conclude that principal preparation programs, pipeline initiatives, and

‘These insights can, in turn, help make efforts to strengthen leader

As a school leader, consider the four behaviours outlined in the article

Student competencies for a changing world

Photo story: Inspiring learning spaces

Sport during school and academic achievement

Back to school: Reestablishing relationships

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