The Work of the Principal

This chapter explores through closer consideration of one half of the instructional leadership model—the work of principals. The work of the principal includes focusing on learning for students and adults, communicating high expectations for student achievement and instruction, using data to inform the work of the school, and developing a community that is unified around one vision and one mission for the school. In the earliest years of colonization in the United States that idea was grounded in the idea that schools served as tools for the socialization of youth. High expectations have sadly become part of the jargon in education and, like most buzz words, they have lost any sense of common understanding in the society. Schools have always been full of data. Teachers have collected and stored enrollment, attendance, behavior, and academic data about the students. Effectively used vision and mission statements serve as a catalyst for organizations and ensure that everyone is working toward the same goal.