ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of the principal in modeling and managing change for the purpose of improving teaching and learning throughout the school. Leaders can model what they want by changing their own behaviors in ways that change perceptions and begin to shift the culture towards the intended vision. Change is painful, and for administrators, altering structures and processes can border on the unthinkable. Principals must be willing to make radical changes to structures and processes if there is any hope of shifting the culture and bringing about meaningful change. Change causes things to be in flux, and the principal must get people comfortable with the notion that ambiguity is a natural product of a culture that is in transition. Teachers who join the faculty during the change process will need special attention. Recognizing and rewarding work that is focused on changes that move the school towards the vision is essential.
