came more familiar with the state standards, they were better able to plan accordingly. As one principal described it: “What we quickly found is that the staff did not know their standards. All they were doing was following the script of the book. And they had never spent time studying the standards. Putting that together was huge.” The principals worked with teachers to
design interventions that provided a differ- entiated instructional approach for students who had gained mastery and for those who had not. Intervention models used included Response to Intervention, Scaffolding, and Intensive Groups: “We would look at the standards that were going to be on the benchmark and then we would find them in our TE [teacher edition] to flag them. We looked at the rigor of the question and then at the workbook pages to decide if the work- book pages were good or time-takers, or is there a better way to do this.” One principal affirmed new best prac-
tices: “We were able to justify best practices … outside of the core. Their mandate from
the state is [that they are] basically going to use the core. Well, if we used the core we never would have left PI. I think it becomes a factor of knowing what kids need and what gaps there are in the curriculum.”
The challenges of the principalship The job of the school principal is de-
manding and complex. Much of what the “If you want to change
something, tell me first how it’s going to be better for kids,” said one principal.
school principal does each day is fast-paced. It demands moving from one crisis to the next and requires quick decision-making. By its very nature, a principal’s diverse re- sponsibilities can make attending to school culture and instructional matters a chal- lenge (DiPaola & Tschannen-Moran, 2003;
Nelson & Sassi, 2005; O’Donnell & White, 2005; Sawchuk, 2008). Nevertheless, the principals in this study accomplished what few have done in leading their schools to exit Program Improvement. In doing so, they suggested three essential areas of focus: school culture, instructional leadership and state curricular standards. First, without successful efforts in creat-
ing a positive school culture, the possibility of exiting PI is greatly limited. Because many principals were newly entering an existing culture, some had the approach of addressing culture while building relationships. Others suggested that with limited time, staff beliefs needed to shift quickly. It was clear from the research that not all staff responded to or embraced change. Indeed, some actively worked to undermine change. The principal must be prepared to address this. All principals used collaborative strate-
gies in the form of leadership teams to fa- cilitate discussion, problem-solving and trust. When staff saw that the practices were working, it reinforced and built momentum toward a belief that students could achieve at high levels, and that belief fueled a stronger school culture. Secondly, the principal’s role as an in-
structional leader is vital in moving a school community toward making achievement gains. As a specific strategy, regular class- room observations or “walk–throughs” were essential in order for principals to monitor classroom instruction and provide timely feedback. Accordingly, principals highlighted the need for both principals and teachers to develop expertise in best instruc- tional practices. Further, the principal must become expert in analyzing and interpreting student assessment data, and be able to assist teachers in doing so as well. Finally, to be successful in exiting PI,
principals and teachers had to clearly under- stand the standards on which students were assessed. Likewise, teachers had to design instruction to better align with state curric- ulum standards rather than rely on the core curriculum or textbooks alone. The task of instructional alignment with standards re- quired resources for planning time, along with regular opportunities for teacher col- laboration.
30 Leadership
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