The Principal: Leadership for a Global Society

Current Trends in Leadership

Contributors: By: Bruce M. Whitehead, Floyd Boschee & Robert H. Decker

Book Title: The Principal: Leadership for a Global Society
Chapter Title: "Current Trends in Leadership"
Pub. Date: 2013
Access Date: January 27, 2020
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc.
City: 55 City Road
Print ISBN: 9781412987103
Online ISBN: 9781544308609
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781544308609.n15
Print pages: 364-380
© 2013 SAGE Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online
version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
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Current Trends in Leadership

With massive changes in education underway, building-level leaders are under fire and under the microscope
to produce results. This is accompanied by an array of political, social, economic, legal, and cultural problems
as evidenced in ELCC Standard #6. It is for this reason that a renewed interest in educational administration
at the building level has led to examining current trends and issues as they pertain to the principalship.

Key to Leadership
Recent trends in leadership are moving the principalship toward change and reform.

Questions Addressed in this Chapter are the following

1. What are two prevailing trends in leadership development and how have they changed
the role of the principal?
2. Why is mentorship important to team leadership?
3. How have changes in adaptive education changed how principals lead?
4. Should the primary role of the principal be focused on increasing student achievement
scores? If not, what should that role be?

Principal Leadership
In referencing prevailing trends as they impact leadership it should be noted the following list is adapted from
previous contributions made by Marilyn Cochran-Smith (2006), professor of education at the Lynch School of
Education, Boston College.

Prevailing Trends
Focusing on principal quality and preparation. Recently, there has been a national controversy over principal
quality and principal preparation. This is especially true when applying the issues of theory and practice as
well as school-based leadership experiences. Part of this debate centers on how colleges and universities
are preparing school leaders. In that the United States has fully acknowledged the importance of principals,
through its Race to the Top and other governmental programs, there is a trend to transform how principals
lead schools. Further, it should be noted here as well that this trend is not limited to the United States. Many
countries around the globe are equally focused on improving the quality and preparation of our future school
leaders.

Colleges and universities improving quality of leadership programs. Institutions of higher learning are re-ex-
amining the effectiveness of current educational leadership programs. In the past, presidents of colleges and
universities have traditionally not been involved in state and national decisions relating to principal prepara-
tion, but they are now. It is with this renewed interest that a trend has emerged to revamp how higher learning
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is focusing on improving the quality of leadership programs. But it will only be through mutual collaboration
that this important goal will be accomplished.

Using multiple approaches. A number of states are looking at multiple paths and new ways to improve the
quality and preparation of school leaders. School-based internships, distance learning, video conferencing,
and private in-service programs are just a few methods being used by advocates of leadership change. These
same advocates are challenging colleges and universities to rethink how they prepare school leaders. Thus,
across the nation, there is a growing trend, at all levels, to use multiple paths in training and preparing future
school principals.

Acknowledging the complexity of the principalship. Few will argue that the role of the principal has
changed—and for the better. While researchers continue to debate definitions of the principalship, there is lit-
tle doubt that new technology applications, richer data sources, and assessment-related analytical techniques
are all changing the face of the principal's job. The trend, therefore, is to re-examine the complexity of the
principalship and to improve how principals accentuate change.

Moving toward research. With all the new changes in education, research has become a major player in how
principals change and reform schools. Furthermore, with education becoming more research based, princi-
pals need to become more research minded in their thinking. Thus, with reform at the forefront of school cur-
riculum, there is a trend for principals to better use research designs in helping to re-evaluate and to revise
future leadership roles.

Focusing on outcomes. It is now widely assumed that the evaluation of principal quality and preparation
should be placed on the forefront of change. To be more specific, a reform of the principalship needs to focus
on measurable outcomes. With a shift toward measurable outcomes, as opposed to inputs or processes, prin-
cipals can now trace the impact of their leadership to an ultimate destination—student achievement. Thus, the
future seems to be plenty evident; it is a trend toward outcomes—student achievement—that is so ground-
breaking for principals.

Going beyond testing. Experienced principals are questioning the results of testing regardless of whether the
move toward measurable outcomes is necessary. With this in mind, building-level administrators want to con-
ceptualize leadership preparation in broader terms. What school leaders have in common globally is a uni-
versal understanding that test scores are not the only desirable outcome of a quality education. Thus, using
multiple outcomes and multiple measures, school leaders want to expand cognitive complexity and learning
opportunities. The trend, then, for principals is to go beyond testing and to focus on a broad array of student
learning applications as well as on social justice.

Developing systemic change. Whatever leadership changes are made, these reforms need to be systemic in
nature. This means critiquing prevailing views about principal quality and preparation. It means expanding the
ways people think about the principalship. The trend is for future principals still to honor accountability and
yet move past an overemphasis on testing, to ensure more systemic and equitable learning opportunities for
all students.

In retrospect, this short list of prevailing trends noted above is in no way meant to be inclusive. But it does
provide a snapshot of changes and reforms that are occurring in the area of leadership, and, more specifical-
ly, the area of the principalship.

Administrative Mentorship

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Principal mentorship is fast becoming a predominant trend at all stages of a principal's career. As a result,
many principals are being provided with in-depth training at the outset of any given school year. Following ini-
tial training, experienced leaders who are highly skilled mentors are established to provide additional training
and mentorship as needed. It is crucial for aspiring leaders to be provided training as well as internships if
they are to synthesize and apply knowledge and practices in real settings (ELCC Standard #7).

As part of the program, building administrators, especially novice principals, are being asked to use their new
skills weekly and post successes routinely through online programs within the district. Mentoring also helps
new principals to customize their approach in building their own ideas to deliver targeted differentiated lead-
ership within each school setting.

Tip for Principals: 15.1

One of the first steps in developing a successful administrative mentoring program is to assess and
increase comfort levels.

In addition to being a training program, mentoring encourages collaboration. With the use of new advances
in communication, such as email, text messaging, Skype, and video conferencing, building administrators are
being encouraged to share with other school leaders. Thus, by training some principals to train other princi-
pals, a district can eventually become more academically successful. For example, since adopting mentoring
programs, a number of school districts have seen a steady rise in student achievement scores. As a result,
more and more schools are now able to meet governmental regulations for the first time. The bottom line,
then, is that well-planned principal mentoring programs do work and continue to make powerful differences in
schools.

Much of the success of administrative mentoring is based on developing a sound structural process. Accord-
ing to Sidney Trubowitz (2004), there are three phases of development in mentor/mentee relationships. The
first phase involves mentors making suggestions, providing resources, and offering direct guidance based on
years of experience. This is followed up with positive interactions and careful preparation. The second phase
involves the mentor and mentee developing a partnership of sorts. It is here where both parties search for
answers to problems and discuss reactions. In the third phase, the relationship becomes a process of mutual
appropriation rather than a simple one-way transmission of knowledge.

Regardless of the phase of mentor/mentee relationships, one of the first steps in developing an administrative
mentoring program is to assess and increase principal comfort levels. Once principals are committed to men-
toring, they should submit a work plan that includes specific goals. In addition, participants need to meet quar-
terly or, better yet, at designated times with individual trainers. Throughout the year, participating principals
can be provided feedback on progress through surveys as well as mid- and end-of-year evaluations. Thus,
using feedback as well as the expertise of other successful principals, mentored administrators can easily
learn new leadership applications and techniques.

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Unfortunately, there are some unpleasant pitfalls to the mentor/mentee process. For example, there are times
when a higher authority dictates the goals of mentorship such as the implementation and evaluation of a new
program. Under these circumstances, the mentor may place too much pressure on the mentee to perform. Or
a mentor might be encouraged to glean and pass on building-level information to central office staff. Thus, the
mentor becomes a spy of sorts. This can destroy any type of trust between mentors and mentees and may
cause irreversible damage to school climate and/or collegiality.

Thus, to be effective, an administrative mentoring program must be continually adjusted to enable newly
trained school principals to exhibit more freedom as well as utilize more effective leadership strategies. It is
with this in mind and with quality mentoring in place, participants will be better able to see the real value of
using innovative leadership ideas in their schools.

The reality, then, is that school principals, both new and experienced, all across the globe are now living and
working in an age of increasing interconnectedness. As part of that interconnectedness, mentorship is need-
ed to develop new and more effective ways of administrating. In retrospect, there seems to be little doubt that
new advances in training and mentorship are capable of providing school leaders worldwide with a new and
long-awaited window to educational reform. Because principals thrive on creating and being a part of a new
global community, better mentorship programs are now beginning to make a difference not only in leadership
but also in the teaching and learning process.

Tip for Principals: 15.2

Administrative team building helps create intellectual independence, reasoning, and problem-solving
capability.

Team Leadership
Ask any experienced principal and he or she will tell you about the criticalness of being a part of an admin-
istrative team. But it is also fair to say there is no magical way to establish team leadership. As a requisite in
ELCC Standard #5, it takes integrity, fairness, and strong ethics. It also takes work and commitment. In this
regard, building trust and commitment requires experienced principals to serve as good listeners and remain
(as much as possible) nonjudgmental receivers. This means spending hours together in classrooms, joining
in activities, and discussing the day's events.

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Tip for Principals: 15.3

Team leadership develops exponentially with hard work.

Concisely, team leadership focuses on people as well as on detail. Working as a team involves not only col-
laborating with others but also diagnosing and improving the overall effectiveness of school, faculty, and staff.
Through a process of insight, perception, and consultation, top-notch principals work to increase communica-
tion channels and productivity. This involves not only gathering data and analyzing information as a team but
also sharing data in a most positive way.

According to Lunenburg and Irby (2006), key principal behaviors and strategies for team leadership involve

• Building a vision. This means communicating a clear vision of reform goals. • Creating a positive
climate. Rather than using fear tactics and heavy-handed actions, successful principals recognize
the success of others.
• Mobilizing. Effective principals engage as many members as possible toward meeting goals. This
helps develop an essence of collaboration.
• Engaging community support. Building support of parents and stakeholders can create an avenue
for team leadership.
• Training. In-service and staff development can be the reinforcing glue to sustaining school improve-
ment.
• Providing resources. Adequate supplies, funding, and resources help keep things rolling toward
positive outcomes.
• Removing barriers. Removing roadblocks and barriers dramatically increases the powers of per-
suasion.

Along with key principal behaviors, developing team leadership strategies creates a milieu for new approach-
es and allows new confidence to take root. Although a plethora of team strategies abound in corporate Amer-
ica, the authors have included some below that are particularly effective in schools. They include quality of
work life (QWL) and quality circles.

• Quality of work life (QWL). This unique strategy is defined as any activity undertaken by a school or
school district for the express purpose of improving a series of conditions. This can include but is not
limited to fair compensation, safe working conditions, positive school climate, an ability to participate
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in decision making, and protection from arbitrary and unfair treatment.

• Quality circles. A quality circle is generally a group of 5 to 10 faculty members and/or administrators
who share similar jobs and who meet periodically to solve work-related problems. A facilitator is often
appointed, and the group focuses on school improvement issues.

As can be seen, creating and implementing an administrative team is parallel to building collaboration. This
is especially true when planning school change. For example, through the efforts of designated faculty mem-
bers, principals can operationally direct the implementation of different tasks for school change and improve-
ment.

Strategies for school change:

• Goal setting. Principals can use teams to help set goals that are long range in nature and follow the
district's philosophy and mission.
• Design. Objectives of the principalship are listed, and overall responsibilities of each member of the
team are outlined.
• Scheduling. As often as possible, goals and objectives are reviewed and a new calendar or daily
schedule is constructed to maximize participation and productivity.
• Special sessions. Special sessions can be called to focus on individual or pressing issues. Each
member of the team can thus bring her or his own perspective to the table.
• Evaluation. After a sufficient length of time, it is important for principals to monitor the school im-
provement process. It is here where the following important questions can be asked: Did we achieve
our goals? What are our strengths? What are our shortcomings? How did we function as a team?
Once these questions are addressed, it is important to schedule dates and times for review.

In retrospect, building team leadership and trust is essential to principal success. It is through this process
that school leaders young and old can maximize flexibility as well as participation and improve the overall
quality of school change.

Balancing Support with Challenge

When building a team approach for principals, it is important to balance support with challenge. This seems
to be a key issue. With government at state and federal levels continuing to turn schools into test-preparation
centers, some say our society is moving in the wrong direction. Others say we are moving in the right direc-
tion. So who is right? The answer is both. Oddly enough, building-level leaders are discovering they must
meet the demands of testing and accountability as well as provide a creative, nurturing, and safe learning
environment for students. Finding the balance and support for these goals, however, appears to be the real
administrative challenge.

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Tip for Principals: 15.4

School leaders need to reduce the “Mathew Effect”—the intellectually rich getting rich and the intellec-
tually poor getting poor.

Sternberg, 2008

According to Safer and Fleischman (2005), school success should be defined as ensuring achievement for
every student. To reach this goal, principals and teacher leaders need to help identify students who are
low achieving and then provide teachers with positive instructional strategies to better meet these students'
needs. This should happen at all levels—preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school.

It is therefore evident that by formulating their own leadership structures, principals will be able to work
collaboratively as often as they can. More importantly, they need to support one another. In this regard,
Valerie Chrisman (2005), Ventura County's director of District School Support Services, shares some ways to
strengthen principal leadership skills.

• Holding higher expectations for staff and students

• Creating time for teachers to collaborate
• Developing grade-level meetings
• Monitoring professional development
• Analyzing data to make changes
• Producing a list of programs and proven interventions

Each of the administrative strategies listed above can help provide a basis for instructional improvement and
school change. Furthermore, each strategy provides a new focus for principals and teacher leaders to excel
in addressing new challenges that can and will form on the horizon. In retrospect, then, principals, now armed
with recent research, need to make quality decisions about teaching and learning. The key is to take action.

Adaptive Education Trends and the Principalship

Another current trend having a major effect on principals is that of adaptive education. With the changing face
of special education, there continue to be challenges affecting principals today, regardless of how new or how
experienced a principal may be. Thus, school leaders must become more critically informed and better trained
as to adaptive educational practices if they are to meet new issues head-on. In this regard, both novice as
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well as experienced principals need to learn how to navigate a system that is continually changing.

Understanding Complex Needs of Students

Better understanding the complex needs of individual students is fast becoming a major part of every princi-
pal's job. For example, children, who are learners from all walks of life, continue to bring a host of gifts as well
as challenges to school. This is why it is important for principals to promote a positive school culture as well
as an effective instructional program that applies best practices (ELCC Standard #2). The focus, then, is for
principals and teacher leaders to make an important connection, a connection between home and school. But
this is not always easy.

Tip for Principals: 15.5

Students rarely need both an individualized education program as well as individualized supports all
the time.

Student Special Needs

Despite a countless array of stories and worries about government intervention, the reauthorization of the El-
ementary and Secondary Education Act has provided a good opportunity for school principals to re-evaluate
adaptive education. In this regard, University of Vermont's Michael Giangreco (2007) emphasizes that stu-
dents rarely need both an individualized education program and individualized supports all the time. Professor
Giangreco notes the first placement option for each student with a disability should be the regular classroom.

In much the same way, Professor James Kauffman, McGee, and Brigham (2004) relate how numerous suc-
cessful adults with disabilities have expressed common themes when asked about their ability to succeed in
the face of a disability. Just as others have stated, they reiterate that Public Law 94-142 was landmark legis-
lation that radically changed how the schools were to provide for these special students.

Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders

Although there are a host of critical adaptive education issues being addressed by local school principals to-
day, the authors have decided to focus on the rise of students with autism and spectrum disorders. Assisting
these students and meeting their needs can greatly affect how principals plan and manage their schools.

As a matter of record, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are continuing to surface across all socioeconomic
groups at an alarming rate (Crisman, 2008). Interestingly enough, the ratio of boys to girls with ASD seems
to be around 4:1. As an adaptive education issue, the complex aspect of autism is that one student with this
disability may be completely different from another. As a result, it is important for building-level administrators
to understand that programs for students with autism cannot be successful without continuous professional
learning and training. Principals who become more knowledgeable about autism spectrum disorders can im-
prove student learning and can impact student care by making sure the following elements are in place within
their schools:
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• Appropriate placement. The goal is always to keep children with autism spectrum disorder in a regu-
lar classroom as much as possible.
• Teacher and paraprofessional selection. Administrators need to take great care in student placement
as well as finding the right staff to work with these students.
• Parental involvement. Having parents at school and involved is a must. Many times, parents know
more about autism than do staff and can help guide faculty through a variety of situations.
• Vision and belief. A school leadership team needs to establish a vision and belief that all students
can learn and that all students have a right to learn.
• Professional learning. All staff members must be trained and have a knowledge of how to work with
autistic children.
• Peer support. If they are assigned peer buddies, children with autism spectrum disorders can feel
safe at school.
• Team approach. All members of the staff have an important role to play. It is up to building leaders to
assist staff in that role.
• Behavior plans. Finding the appropriate motivators and putting them into behavior plans is an impor-
tant element to success with children with autism spectrum disorders. Thus, everyone is on the same
page.
• Sense of humor. A little laughter and a lot of understanding go a long way.

In retrospect, students with autism spectrum disorders can be highly successful in schools if given a chance.
With administrative help, each of these unique individuals can have the same things all kids need—love, re-
spect, friends, security, and understanding.

Educational Testing and Subgroups

With so much attention on trends in adaptive education, school leaders, especially building-level leaders, are
now focusing on the importance of testing and subgroups. Thus, on the face of it, subgroups of students are
being formed and categorized for testing purposes based on race, language proficiency, poverty, and spe-
cial education (Hall, 2008). From a governmental perspective, the overarching theme appears to be reducing
the achievement gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” and the achievement gap between historically
disparate racial groups. With this in mind, accountability seems to have moved from looking at whole student
populations to examining individual groups of students. Therefore, in order to be successful and meet state
and/or federal requirements, principals are being forced to zero in on a variety of student subgroups within
their school populations.

Subsequently, the goal for school leaders is to find out how to raise each subgroup's test scores—and quickly.
Administratively, the process of education becomes all about testing and, unfortunately, not always about the
student.

Tip for Principals: 15.6

School leaders are in the process of shifting accountability to individual students and their needs.

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To be sure, the position of targeting just subgroups and not individual students does not have to be the norm
for building administrators. Savvy principals are finding ways to focus on individual students and remedial
strategies rather than just setting sights on disparate subgroups. Moreover, a new administrative trend in-
volves placing the lens of accountability squarely on increasing the academic achievement of individual stu-
dents. Thus, approaching the dilemma from this direction not only helps a student but also raises test scores,
which, from a state and federal perspective, is a good thing for the whole school.

Brain Research
Another important trend in adaptive education is the focus on brain-based research. With this in mind, school
principals are just now learning about the importance of brain-based learning and how this research impacts
student achievement gains. For example, brain-based learning follows the belief that there are connections
between brain function and educational practice (Jensen, 2008). In using this approach, a teacher's ability to
provide sufficient connections relating to a student's experiences makes the abstract concepts of brain-based
learning at least a bit more understandable.

According to Patricia Wolfe (2001), many of our strongest neural networks are formed by actual experience.
Thus, it is often possible for teachers to take advantage of this natural proclivity by involving students in solv-
ing authentic problems in their school or community. Following this train of thought and engaging in authentic
problem solving, teachers report that it also immeasurably enhances students' motivation, sense of efficacy,
and self-esteem. However, there are some precautionary measures for school leaders when applying brain-
based learning techniques. Even though neurological research has discovered much about how the brain
works, administrators and teachers still need to be cautious when applying this research to teaching (Willis,
2007). The key is for principals and teachers to use great care in how they make curriculum meaningful
through brain-engaging problems, projects, and simulations.

Academic Intervention Programs

Obviously, numerous trends in adaptive education are being used to improve teaching and learning. Perhaps
the most prevalent being used by principals today is what is known as response to intervention (RTI).

William Bender and Cara Shores (2007), in their book Response to Intervention: A Practical Guide for Every
Teacher, note the importance of federally and state-mandated programs in helping to achieve student suc-
cess. With this in mind, school leaders globally are finding RTI programs to be a huge help in changing stu-
dent behavior and improving student test scores. From an administrative viewpoint, RTI allows students to
have success at their individual academic levels and yet remain a part of their class.

Tip for Principals: 15.7

Response to intervention (RTI) allows behaviorally challenged students to succeed academically.

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Although RTI can sometimes be a scheduling challenge for principals, the program does work. For example,
RTI “walking to reading” or “walking to math” allows students of all abilities to get the academic interventions
they need. This means that in many schools across the country, RTI programs are helping to provide evi-
denced-based strategies that work in bringing students up to grade level. As a result of interventions, teachers
and administrators are witnessing the number of student outbursts, defiance, and behavior problems in class
being cut by 90%. In addition, a number of behaviorally challenged students are now making such comments
such as, “I can finally read this stuff” or “I never liked math before—but I do now.” In fact, these powerful state-
ments are coming from some of the most disruptive, behaviorally challenged students in the district.

Gifted and Talented Programs

Another huge trend involves gifted and talented education. From an administrative perspective, keeping gifted
and talented students motivated in regular classrooms is an important part of any principal's job. Thus, build-
ing-level leaders are turning to technology applications as well as formulating acceleration programs. To be
sure, acceleration as an adaptive strategy encourages gifted students to advance through the grades and
master advanced academic content. Thus, a talented 10-year-old might be placed in an eighth-grade science
class, or a highly gifted middle school student could be encouraged to take high school AP classes.

Tip for Principals: 15.8

Identifying programs to meet the needs of gifted and talented student is a major challenge for school
principals.

With a focus on challenging gifted and talented students, principals have to become more creative in their
approach to curriculum development and enhancement. For example, Web-based learning is now being used
by a number of administrators and teachers globally as a resource for teaching gifted students. By aligning
proactive practices to standards of high-quality gifted education, principals and teachers leaders are better
able to ensure gifted and talented learners remain in school. For example, many administrators are using
innovations in technology to make this bridge. According to Peter Brusilovsky (2004) of the Carnegie Tech-
nology Education Institute, adaptive hypermedia systems can build a model of the goals, preferences, and
knowledge of each individual user. For example, a student using a hypermedia system might be given a pre-
sentation that is adapted specifically to his or her knowledge of the subject. Suggested sets of most relevant
links are also given to the student to proceed further. In addition, an adaptive electronic encyclopedia helps
personalize the content of an article to augment the user's existing knowledge and interests. Thus, a virtual
museum of facts can be gleaned and adapted for the presentation, noting each visited object or path taken
by the student.

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These types of enrichment models continue to lay the groundwork for more development in the area of gifted
and talented education. According to Linda Conlon (2008), secondary academic specialist for Quaker Valley
High School in Pennsylvania, school leaders across the globe are now developing successful gifted and tal-
ented programs by focusing on three areas: building rigor, flexible scheduling, and connecting enrichment to
student interests. Conlon advocates the goal as not only to evaluate skills but also to promote self-direction.

• Building rigor. Providing as many advanced-placement courses as possible helps develop a depth of
content. This can be done in core subjects as well as languages and the arts. With this mindset in
place, students seem to rise to the demands inherent in each class.
• Flexible scheduling. School principals can optimize learning for gifted and talented students by being
flexible with traditional class time and curriculum compacting. By crafting a plan and formulating cre-
ative solutions, administrators can help exceptional students get courses online as well as dual en-
rollment through local colleges and universities. An important component, however, is for administra-
tors to make sure accountability is built into the arrangement.
• Connecting enrichment to students' interests. Successful principals, through their networking ability,
learn to help students and teachers take advantage of career and college planning, service-learning
programs, entrepreneurship opportunities, and assistance with scholarships. This is accomplished
by guiding students to work on original projects that have a strong personal connection and interest.
The goal, then, for principals and teacher leaders as quasimentors is to promote self-direction, cre-
ativity, and interest in potential fields of study or careers for these exceptional students.

Consequently, it is critically important for principals to develop a rigorous curriculum and build flexible pro-
gramming as well as to make sure gifted and talented teachers are connecting with their students. Overall, it
is the building administrator who is entrusted with the task of fostering the academic and intellectual develop-
ment of all students.

The Principalship: A Future Investment

In order to deal with all of the varied trends in education explored in this chapter, school principals of the
future will have to learn how to match vision with reality. Through this process, administrators will learn how
to redefine schools. But this may take a while. What we need now, according to Trilling (2010), is more school
leaders who will embrace change with a global perspective. Part of that change involves a partnership with
business, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide as part of a 21st-century coalition. This coali-
tion differs from the more traditional 20th-century Industrial Age model in that core subjects will be joined
by today's pressing cross-subject themes like global awareness, health, environmental sustainability, basic
financial and business literacy, and civic responsibility. As part of this leadership change process, New Age
teaching and learning will emphasize three sets of skills for administrators. These three sets are:

• Learning and innovation skills (creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, and
communication and collaboration)
• Information, media, and technology skills (information literacy, media literacy, and information and
communications technology literacy)
• Life and career skills (flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural
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skills, productivity and accountability, and leadership and responsibility)

The question, however, will be how a school principal, as a managerial and instructional leader, makes sure
programs are addressing essential skills for each student. Surely, this will require no easy answer. In this re-
gard, our present educational system, still tuned and programmed for the Industrial Age, must find new lead-
ership to move us forward—to sync up with the demands of the times. Moreover, many of the old ideas of
“how to lead” must give way to new ideas of “how to advance.” As part of this complex array of problems, the
focus will be not as much on skills as it will be on how skills are being acquired—through modern technologies
and out-of-the-box thinking. Trilling (2010) concedes this will largely be the case because when principals
take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration, new reforms will begin to surface.
This is the type of leadership investment needed to create a new global world.

Summary
As we have found throughout this chapter and throughout this book, future principals cannot lack the focus
they need to make changes and reforms in schools worldwide. In the end, regardless of which program imple-
mentation, change, or trend is in the spotlight —or, more appropriately, regardless of what stage a principal
may be in his or her career— it is imperative these local leaders keep their perspective and their eye on the
importance of learning. This is the crux of leadership, and this is where the school principal can play the most
critical role. Only through continued efforts can building-level principals do what they do best—and that is to
help teachers prepare students for a better future.

As we look back, current trends and issues in leadership have been historically compelling to examine and
to witness. But make no mistake—the role of a principal continues to change. No longer are school principals
seen as the lone charismatic leaders single-handedly orchestrating education in their buildings. This image
is currently giving way to a new futuristic style of leadership, one that involves collaboration, sharing, and a
focus on individual student achievement.

So the school principalship, as we know it, will never be the same—nor will our schools be the same. There
will be a new type of schooling and a new type of global principal who will lead education and learning in
entirely different ways. This new principal will best represent our future investment in leadership—a new style
of leadership that is totally immersed in a globally interconnected world.

Applications
1. How are current trends helping to reinvent schools nationally? In addition, how are they
helping to reinvent schools on a global level?
2. List at least three major trends in the area of the principalship and discuss each at length.
3. As a principal, how might you research new trends in education to keep up with recent
changes? How would share this information with other administrators?
4. List three components of a mentorship program and discuss how you would implement
them if you were chosen as a mentor.
5. How are today's schools becoming a part of a global workplace? Give several examples.

Case Study: Being a True Mentor

Players
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Robert (Bud) Bingham, principal, Russell Elementary School

Hal Corette, newly appointed principal, Glendale Elementary School

Setting
Principal Bingham's office

Scenario
Robert (Bud) Bingham, longtime principal of Russell Elementary School, meets with his most recent mentee,
Hal Corette, a newly appointed principal. Bud has mentored principals for a number of years and is enjoying
the visit with his new protégé.

“I'm really excited about my new position,” shares Hal, sounding awed and now looking around his mentor's
big office filled with memories. “From what I hear, you really know your stuff—and I could use some good
tips.”

Bud Bingham nods politely, “Don't know about that—but I have been around the block a few times.”

When it is finally quiet again, Hal reveals his concerns. “There is just so much to know,” the new principal
laments. “I'm going to take things real slow—you know—the traditional approach.”

Bingham looks away for a moment before returning his gaze. “Well now, if its advice you're looking for—I'd
have to tell you to go in the opposite direction.”

Corette is shocked. “What do you mean by that?” he asks demurely.

The older principal works himself out from behind a big cherry desk laced with books. “You see—it's like this.
Going the traditional route has been kind of a problem lately.” He then adds, “We're kind of hoping to move
away from the old ways—basically we'd like to see some changes. That's why we hired you.”

The younger man becomes even more nervous and begins to fidget. His mentor gives him a reassuring pat
on the back.

“Son, a wise man once told me that if you lead like you've always been led—you'll always get what you've
always gotten.”

Corette, at first, gives the older, more experienced principal a look, but then breaks out a big grin. “Sounds
like good advice to me!” He declares. “I've got lots of good ideas!”

Bud Bingham nods, “Yes, I bet you do!”

Making their way out of the office, both administrators share a laugh as they walk toward the door.

The Challenge

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Analyze the nature of Hal Corette's situation. Why should he, as a new principal, not take a more traditional
route of leadership? What is Principal Bingham suggesting?

Key Issues/Questions
1. Why is mentoring so important? How does mentoring help remove the barriers for novice
principals?
2. Why is a good relationship between mentor and mentee so important? Is trust between
principals important? Why or why not?
3. What are some ways Hal Corette can introduce change to his school as a beginning prin-
cipal? What changes might you make as a building-level administrator?
4. Bingham and Corette seemed to have formed a good bond as colleagues. Why is admin-
istrative team building an important component to reinventing schools?
5. How might Hal Corette assist his mentor and longtime principal, Bud Bingham? Give sev-
eral examples and defend your answer.

Webliography
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

• www.ascd.org

Education Week's Research Center

• www.edweek.org

Gifted and Talented Resources

• http://www.teachingforchange.org/
• http://books.google.com/books?id=Ft7p45opuBoC&pg=PA131&lpg=PA131&dq=www.gift-
ed.uconn.edu/siegle/TAG/TAGBook.pdf&source=bl&ots=ZE-Rg89IGh&sig=Gj8tWmQBWSjruI-
wJIkZAh14Fa7E&hl=en#v=onepage&q=www.gifted.uconn.edu%2Fsiegle%2FTAG%2FTAG-
Book.pdf&f=false
• www.nagc.org

Guide to Active Research

• www.infed.org/research/b-actres.htm
• http://www.nefstem.org/teacher_guide/intro/index.htm

Guide to Educational Research

• http://www.eric.ed.gov/

National Association of Elementary School Principals

• http://www.naesp.org/
• http://www.vision2021.org/
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National Association of Secondary School Principals

• http://www.nassp.org/Content/158/10-375-EX_NASSPprofile_web.pdf

Note: Some Web resources are time and date sensitive and may become inactive at any time.

References
Bender W. N., & Shores C. (2007). Response to intervention: A practical guide for every teacher. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press & Council for Exceptional Children.
Brusilovsky P. (2004). Adaptive hypermedia: From intelligent tutoring systems to Web-based education.
Carnegie Technology Education and HCI Institute. Retrieved from http://www.sis.pitt.edu/~peterb/papers/
ITS00inv.html
Chrisman V. (2005). How schools sustain success. Educational Leadership, 62(5), 16–20.
Cochran-Smith M. (2006). Ten promising trends (and three big worries). Educational Leadership, 63(6),
20–25.
Conlon L. (2008). Why we run our school like a gifted program. Educational Leadership, 66(2), 38–42.
Crisman B.W. (2008). Inclusive programming for students with autism. Principal, 88(2), 28–32.
Giangreco M.F. (2007). Extending inclusive opportunities. Educational Leadership, 64(5), 34–37.
Hall P. (2008). Shifting accountability from subgroups to students. Principal, 86(4), 26–30.
Jensen E.P. (2008). A fresh look at brain-based education. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(6), 408–417.
Kauffman J. M., McGee K., & Brigham M. (2004). Enabling or disabling? Observations on changes in special
education. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(8), 613–620.
Lunenburg F. C., & Irby B. J. (2006). The principalship: Vision to action. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Safer N., & Fleischman S. (2005). How student progress monitoring improves instruction. Educational Lead-
ership, 62(5), 81–83.
Sternberg R.J. (2008). Excellence for all: There's more to excellence than reading, writing and arithmetic. Ed-
ucational Leadership, 66(2), 14–19.
Trilling B. (2010). Leading learning in our times. Principal, 89(3), 8–12.
Trubowitz S. (2004). The why, how, and what of mentoring. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1), 59–62.
Willis J. (2007). Which brain research can educators trust? Phi Delta Kappan, 89(9), 697–699.
Wolfe P. (2001). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice. Alexandria, VA: Association for
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• trends
• autism spectrum disorders
• autism
• gifted and talented children
• team leadership
• gifted students
• mentoring

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781544308609.n15

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