Purple Paper: The power of effective leadership in schools

How important is leadership to the success of a school? Can a school leader make a significant difference in the performance of students?

There are many influences on student success. Certainly factors outside of the school are important, but that’s another challenge for another day. If we look inside the school environment at the influences having a positive impact on student success, effective teachers are at the top of the list.¹ Teachers and what they do in the classroom have a direct impact on student achievement. But the reality is that good teaching doesn’t just happen. Teachers and students interact in a school environment defined and created by school leadership. Research shows that, among school influences on student success, leadership is second only to teaching.¹ Effective school leaders contribute to learning indirectly, but in a significant way, by creating a school environment where students and teachers can flourish, and by influencing the many stakeholders who are a part of it.² All things considered, the quality of any organization’s performance cannot exceed the quality of its leadership.³

In exploring the concept of school leadership effectiveness, it’s important to consider both the personal and shared aspects of leadership within a school. As an individual, the “personal” leadership skill and practice of the principal is a key differentiator in driving student achievement gains and in retaining quality teachers. Consistent, proactive and accessible school leadership has been identified as a critical engagement driver for teachers. The principal defines the vision for the school, sets the tone for inclusiveness, builds trusting relationships, and models resilience and adaptability.^4,5 In addition, the “shared” leadership that results from involvement of all stakeholders—principals, teachers, parents, school administrators, and others—is an even more important consideration. The principal creates the environment in which leadership becomes part of the organizational culture and a professional community is formed. Teachers then have the foundation to form relationships and work together to improve instructional practices that correlate to student achievement.⁶ Because stakeholders and decision-making are distributed, the principal must develop and refine skills in collaboration, influence and facilitation, as well as focus on developing leadership in others. Principals are integral in the identification and advancement of “teacher leaders” as our schools move toward implementing this status of information leadership.