Teacher Leadership: Principal–Teacher Relationship Review

Introduction

In recent years, the relationship between the school principal and teachers has emerged as a critical factor in sustaining educational opportunities for students, promoting teacher growth, and ensuring the overall success of the educational system. The available literature on this topic reveals the importance of teachers' perceptions regarding their relationship with the principal, and these studies clearly indicate that improved education for all students requires a well-balanced relationship. A review of the literature reveals a large difference between the perceptions of teacher leaders regarding their relationship with principals and the relationship as perceived by the principal. Therefore, additional studies are necessary in this area to correct these perceptual gaps, as the quality of individual teacher instruction, the height of student achievement, and the overall efficiency of school functioning are all affected by how that relationship is perceived.

Education and Training

A review of the literature in the area of education and training indicates that principals are responsible for implementing educational reforms and stand in a unique position to challenge the way schools operate and to motivate teachers to develop the new approaches to teaching and learning demanded by government reform. However, the literature reveals a gap between the actual role of the school principal and what that role needs to be with regard to education and training. Research studies point to the lack of education, training, and time for the instructional leadership role, noting that leadership activities are often set aside for more immediate problems, including an increasing volume of paperwork. Additionally, public expectations for the principal's role are mainly managerial, and principals tend to find this a safe and comfortable position.

In studies by Barnett and McCormick (2004), each school is responsible for resourcing levels — both financial and staffing — and for the systematic evaluation and reporting of educational program outcomes and goals each year. Barnett and McCormick acknowledge that their study had several limitations, such as the reliance on teachers' perceptions of leadership and school learning culture; this reliance on a single source may bias the relationships reported. A key conclusion of their study was the identification of six dimensions of school culture: task-focused goals, excellence in teaching, favoritism, personal expectations for teaching, and task and performance-focused instruction. One of the most important findings was that the majority of variation in teachers' perceptions of leadership occurred at the teacher level, with a smaller but significant amount occurring at the school level. This result suggests that one-to-one relationships between a principal and individual teachers primarily characterize leadership in schools.

Barnett and McCormick (2004) also stated that the active principal must understand that individual concern is not simply being helpful and considerate toward teachers. A principal demonstrates individual concern by approaching each teacher individually with respect and fairness, remaining accessible to teachers, providing support and encouragement, recognizing individual efforts, and offering direction and guidance based on individual needs and development. Their results also addressed the selection of principals, recommending a process that identifies candidates with a history of the interpersonal skills consistent with individual concern, and noting that a visionary principal clearly defines expectations of teaching excellence.

In the area of education and training, since the principal sets the direction of the school, interpersonal skills are crucial to the success of the position. To develop positive relationships, four areas of interpersonal skills are essential: trust, motivation, empowerment, and collegiality. Without trust on the part of teachers toward the principal, a positive relationship perception cannot be built. Motivation is fostered through shared decision making. In relationships where power is viewed as a reciprocal unit of exchange, people can become committed, significant, and competent through empowerment — enabling teachers to identify obstacles and design strategies for dealing with change. Collegiality promotes idea sharing, project cooperation, and assistance in professional growth, all of which benefit students. The teacher–principal relationship must ultimately be enhanced with ongoing education and training for both parties.

Professional Development

The professional development of teachers and principals is closely related to the research on education and training. Youngs and King (2002) state that a prominent way in which principals shape school conditions and teaching practices is through their beliefs and actions regarding teacher professional development. They argue that individual teacher competence is necessary for effective classroom practice, and that teachers must be able to integrate knowledge of students, subject matter, and teaching context when planning units and lessons and assessing student work.

Findings from Youngs and King (2002) indicated that effective principals can sustain high levels of capacity by building trust, creating structures that promote teacher learning, and assisting in the implementation of general reforms. Their results also suggest that during transitions in school leadership, incoming principals must be cognizant of shared norms and values among their faculties before initiating new practices in curriculum, instruction, or school organization.

Research on effective schools indicates that the principal is pivotal in bringing about the conditions that characterize effective schools. Three major forces shape and describe a school: the public, the staff and students, and the curriculum through which these forces interact. Youngs and King (2002) concluded that principals can enhance teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions by connecting teachers to external expertise. Their research defined professional development activities in which a faculty participates to include: (1) planned professional development for the entire staff; (2) planned professional development for individual teachers or key faculty groups; and (3) unplanned activities, some of which are individualized and some of which are common to the entire faculty or key groups. Youngs and King (2002) also determined that higher student achievement is associated with higher levels of school professional community and program coherence, and suggested that future studies of principal effects should employ professional community and program coherence as mediating variables between principal leadership and student achievement.

Conclusion

As this review of the literature indicates, perceived relationships between teacher leaders and principals are closely tied to the overall educational success of the school. The general role of the principal involves motivating others, and one way to accomplish this is through a process of shared decision making. In teacher–principal relationships where power is viewed as a reciprocal unit of exchange, people can become committed, significant, and competent through promoting empowerment. As teachers are the members of the school community most affected by change, empowerment enables them to identify obstacles and design strategies for dealing with change.

Society is beginning to recognize that the perceived relationship between teachers and their principals must undergo drastic change. Evidence of this will be found within the expectations of local school divisions and school boards, and these expectations will gradually settle into the schools. However, additional research is necessary in this area to thoroughly study the teacher–principal relationship and to support the conclusion that a gap exists between the actual relationship and the perceived relationship.

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