Of note is the principals’ assertion that
the aforementioned three key areas are repli- cable in assisting any school to exit PI. More importantly, regardless of NCLB or another external mandate, these 10 successful prin- cipals emphasized the moral responsibility to do everything possible to assist all chil- dren in having opportunities to achieve at high levels. One principal summed it up: “I think
probably No. 1 is having that moral impera- tive and voicing it constantly. The teachers heard it all the time, and if you were to poll kids, the kids would tell you if you asked, ‘Who is most important – teachers, students, administrators, parents – who’s most impor- tant?’ and they [the students] would tell you, ‘We are.’ Because it always came down to … if you want to change something, tell me first how it’s going to be better for kids. “And kids started believing in themselves
and they saw, ‘Well, I can do this.’ The kids that were below basic tried to get one more right, and we rewarded the heck out of them. And the teachers were sharing their results,
so those weekly formatives, plus the culture change, were the big impacts that got us out [of PI].” n
References
California Department of Education, 2011-12 PI status statewide summary. Retrieved Oct. 9, 2012, from
http://www.cde.
ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/tistatesum11.asp.
Cromwell, S. (2002). “Is your school’s culture toxic or positive?” Education World, 6(2).
DiPaola, M. & Tschannen-Moran, M. (March 2003). “The principalship at a crossroads: A study of the conditions and concerns of principals.” NASSP Bulletin.
Hoff, D.J. (March 2009). “Title I turnaround programs due for big cash boost.” Educa- tion Week, 28 (25).
Ibarra, L.; Santamaria, A.P.; Lindsey, D.B. & Daly, A.J. (May/June 2010). “From compliance to transformation.” Leader- ship Magazine. Association of California School Administrators.
Muhammad, A. (2009). Transforming school culture: How to overcome staff division.
Solution Tree Press.
National Center for Education Statistics (2010). Number and types of public el- ementary and secondary schools from the common core of data: School year 2009- 10. Retrieved Sept. 11, 2011, from http://
nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/pesschools09/ tables/
table_02.asp.
Nelson, B. & Sassi, A. (2005). The effective principal: Instructional leadership for high quality learning. New York: Teachers Col- lege Press.
O’Donnell, R.J. & White, G.P. (2005). “Within the accountability era: Princi- pals’ instructional leadership behaviors and student achievement.” NASSP Bul- letin, 89 (645).
Sawchuk, S. (September 2008). “Leadership gap seen in post-NCLB changes in U.S. Teachers.” Education Week, 28 (3).
Aaron Haughton is superintendent, Mojave Unified School District. Sandra J. Balli is a professor, La Sierra University.
January/February 2014 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40