Component Ten:
Support of Administrators and Teachers

The program assists in providing quality support for administrators and teachers in the schools.

Introduction

Since the early days of public education in the United States, educators have wrestled with the question of developing supports for administrators and teachers. One of the most effective ways to develop a positive support system is to create a collegial relationship between teachers and administrators. Recently, both administrators and teachers have been under intense scrutiny with the introduction of yearly testing programs mandated by the new federal education law called No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as well as many other state and local accountability programs. For example, under NCLB, if a school does not meet the adequate yearly progress standards, parents have the option of transferring their child to a higher performing school. In addition, in several states, educational voucher programs have been initiated and attracted students from the public schools to private schools. In other states, home schooling has attracted many parents who believe they are the best educators of their children. Therefore, it is critical that administrators support their teachers and develop a positive learning environment in their schools. The following are several effective strategies to create positive relationships and support between administrators and teachers.

Cultural Change Agent

In order to be an effective principal, Fullan (1998 and 2002), a leading expert on change, argues that administrators must take a lead position with the cultural changes in their school and school districts. The following characteristics are indicative of an administrator who is a cultural change agent:

In summary, Fullan describes several important characteristics of an effective administrator in terms of being a cultural change agent. Both veteran and new administrators would be prudent to examine these traits in terms of their own leadership style. The following section of this website will outline DuFour’s suggestions about developing positive administrator and teacher relationships.

Student Learning and Professional Learning Communities

DuFour (2002), school leadership expert, noted that the primary responsibility of the principal as an instructional leader is to focus on student learning rather than the teaching process. Early in his career as a high school principal, DuFour spent a considerable amount of time monitoring his teachers’ performance. Before and after each classroom observation, he would meet with his teachers to discuss their instructional techniques. He would also spend a substantial amount of time examining each teacher’s plan book. Recently, however, DuFour (2002) discovered that he was focusing on the wrong process. He realized that rather than concentrating on the teaching process, an effective administrator should focus on student outcomes. DuFour used the following procedures to encourage teachers to concentrate on student outcomes:

Overall, to be an effective instructional leader, an administrator should focus on student outcomes and not the teaching process. In other words, it’s not how well the teacher is teaching, but what the students are actually learning. The next section of this website describes DuFour’s Professional Learning Communities.

In a recent article, DuFour and Burnette (2003) focus on student learning through the development of Professional Learning Communities. They see the role of the superintendent of schools as creating these Professional Learning Communities through collaboration and cooperation within each school. According to DuFour and Burnette, the superintendent of schools is responsible for identifying the school districts’ overall goals and each individual school, through their Professional Learning Communities. The superintendent is also responsible for developing strategies and procedures to achieve these goals.

According to DuFour and Burnette (2003), “The skillful administrator develops powerful and philosophical images that drive the organization as well as encouraging individuals to seek innovative strategies for district goals.”

In order to accomplish these goals, DuFour and Burnette advocate a sharing of knowledge among the various stakeholders. The effective administrator distributes books and articles to his central office staff, principals, and leaders in the teachers union. He is carefully constructing a knowledgeable organization.

DuFour and Burnette also recommend that effective administrators build consensus within their buildings. They note that not everyone will agree with every action to achieve each goal. However, everyone does have a right to be heard.

In summary, DuFour and Burnette (2003) say the effective administrator should focus on student outcomes through Professional Learning Communities. Each school may devise different techniques or strategies through these communities to achieve the ultimate goal of student learning. The next section of this website will describe the role of caring in being a supportive administrator.

The SERVE website (www.serve.org) and, specifically, the section on educational quality (www.serve.org/EdQuality/) provides additional useful information.

Mentor Teacher Programs

One of the difficult issues facing many public schools today, and especially schools with large numbers of educationally disadvantaged students, is high teacher turnover. The number of “rookie” teachers leaving their classrooms after only one or two years is staggering. A recent Texas study indicated that there was a 40% turnover rate for public school teachers in their first three years (Moir and Bloom, 2003). Furthermore, it is extremely difficult for many schools to find “highly qualified” teachers in several fields, such as mathematics, science, special education, and foreign languages. In order to attract and retain highly qualified teachers, many school districts have created mentor teacher programs. These teacher induction programs have helped to instill positive relationships between administrators and teachers.

Moir and Bloom described a highly successful mentor teacher program they developed in Santa Cruz, California. Working with a cadre of experienced, talented teachers, they helped induct numerous incoming teachers into the profession. From learning how to operate the school’s duplicating equipment to trying new instructional strategies, the veteran mentor teachers were an invaluable resource to the new teachers. According to Moir and Bloom, “The mentors worked with the individual novices for one to two hours every week and offered a seminar to their group of approximately 15 novices once a month. Mentors observed instruction, provided feedback, demonstrated teaching methods, assisted with lesson plans, and helped analyze student work and achievement data.”

The mentor teacher program was not only a significant resource for new incoming teachers, the program also helped to develop a group of school leaders (mentor teachers) with an extensive understanding of the teaching and learning process. One can assume if a school district develops a successful mentor teacher program for their new teachers, a supportive environment will be created between administrators and teachers. Furthermore, students will receive instruction from better-trained and more competent teachers who will be teaching in a more supportive learning environment.

Teacher Retention

The previous component of this online resource discussed how a school district trained new incoming teachers. This section will discuss ways in which schools can retain their talented new teachers. Johnson and Birkeland (2003) examined this question by asking new teachers why they left their schools after only one or two years. The answer to this question may give the reader some valuable insights to developing a positive, supportive relationship between administrators and teachers.

One ingredient new teachers were looking for in their schools was a predictable and orderly learning environment. The new teachers wanted to work in schools where the students and faculty followed a predetermined set of rules and procedures. Consistent sets of rules are to be followed each and every day. In other words, order and proper conduct is expected of all the students. If a student does not follow the school’s rules, then there is a consistent consequence for this bad behavior.

The new incoming teachers were also looking for accessible and respectful principals. They wanted administrators who would listen to their concerns and problems. The rookie teachers wanted an administrator who would support them when they punished a student who was misbehaving in class. For example, one teacher was “outraged that her principal failed to support her on discipline, even when a student cursed in class” (Johnson and Birkeland, 2003). Although teachers are primarily responsible for maintaining discipline in their classrooms, new teachers, as well as experienced teachers, respect administrators who support them in dealing with a misbehaving student.

Another valuable lesson for administrators to learn from teachers who left their schools after only one or two years is that those teachers all wanted to work in schools that gave them reasonable teaching assignments. One teacher left her job after only one year when she was asked to teach 10 different classes of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade Spanish. Another first-year music teacher was asked to carry her instructional materials and instruments to four different schools. A third teacher was asked to teach science in a classroom with no running water to conduct experiments. She also did not have enough textbooks for all her students.

In summary, based on the experiences of the first-year teachers who left their original schools for another position, these teachers wanted to work in schools where there was a predictable and positive learning environment. The new teachers wanted to work in a school where they were given a reasonable and fair teaching load (unfortunately, many first-year teachers are frequently given the most “challenging” teaching assignment with the least desirable locations in the schools). Therefore, in order to instill a supportive relationship between administrators and teachers, it would be useful for principals to follow these simple lessons the first year teachers thought were important.

A Successful Principal

In order to create a supportive relationship between administrators and teachers, an administrator must be perceived as being an effective leader by his professional and support staff. Without achieving this minimal level of competency, it is difficult for an administrator to develop a supportive environment between principals and teachers. Autumn Tooms, an Assistant Professor of Educational Administration at Kent State University, offered several worthwhile suggestions for administrators to attain this level of competence.

School administrators are on display all of the time, whether they are in school or outside of school. Tooms (2003) reminds administrators they can exhibit both “front stage” and “back stage” behavior as they stroll through their buildings. When a principal speaks at their faculty meeting or to a group of parents, that principal must display proper “front stage” behavior. On the other hand, when the principal conducts a daily tour of the teachers’ classrooms, the administrator can be less formal, less controlled and exhibit “back stage” behavior.

Another useful suggestion Tooms offers administrators is to be careful with whom they share information. Although they might be very fond of a particular teacher or their office secretary, these “friends” can turn out to be town criers, spreading information or even misinformation throughout the community. People are more concerned about their own survival than loyalty to their principal. According to Machiavelli in his famous treatise, The Prince, “Given the choice between loyalty and saving one’s skin, most people will save themselves.”

Tooms also recommends that administrators always follow their “moral compass.” Although principals must report to their superintendent of schools and other central office administrators, they will ultimately “live or die” by the decisions they make in their schools. “No one,” adds Tooms, “has to live with decisions you make in the same way you do.”

Teacher Collaboration

It is common theory in educational administration that teacher collaboration or “teacher empowerment” is an effective mechanism to promote positive relationships between administrators and teachers (Marks and Seashore, 1999). Instead of the old fashioned top-down decision-making model, current educational administration theories abound with research substantiating the positive impact of teacher collaboration.

B. Gideon (2002), a high school principal from Austin, Texas, describes five teacher collaboration strategies she successfully employed in her high school. She referred to these collaborative efforts as “scaffolds” to build a stronger, better functioning high school. These collaborative efforts were developed while working several years in a multicultural learning environment. They were

Overall, these five different collaborative strategies have helped to engender the voices and concerns of teachers by honoring the teachers’ opinions and suggestions. A positive, professional relationship was established, creating a supportive environment between administrators and teachers.

Organizational Health and a Robust School Vision

In order to achieve a positive relationship between administrators and teachers, Licata and Harper (2001) researched the relationship of a healthy organizational climate to a robust school vision. After analyzing 38 Midwest teachers and administrators’ perceptions of their school vision, their data indicates that a school with a robust vision “…encourages teachers to take risks and try new ideas in closing the gap between what is and what ought to be.” Their research also indicates that a school with a robust vision is striving for high achievement for all of its students. However, the author did not present any achievement test data to verify these positive findings.

The healthy school is characterized by open and trusting relationships among teachers and between teachers and administrators. According to Licata and Harper, “Healthy schools appear to survive and exist by employing relatively high levels of cooperation among professionals within and across organizational levels.” Unfortunately, the authors did not give any specific examples of exemplary vision statements.

Based on their extensive research study, in order to achieve a positive relationship between administrators and teachers, a robust school vision is a valuable ingredient. When Licata and Harper discuss the concept of a robust school vision, they are not describing a school vision that is merely window dressing on a school wall or in a student’s handbook. It is a dynamic statement that helps to drive many of the school’s operations.

Summary

Over the years, many educational researchers, school administrators, and teachers have discussed the significance of having a positive relationship between administrators and teachers. The previously discussed studies provide valuable lessons for achieving a harmonious supportive relationship between administrators and teachers in the following areas: (a) administrators as change agents, (b) developing caring schools, (c) depicting a mentor program for new incoming teachers, (d) an explanation about why teachers remain in a school, (e) the lessons of a successful principal, (f) strategies for meaningful teacher collaboration, and (g) the relationship between a school’s organizational health and its vision. By following several of these strategies, a school should be on the path to achieving a supportive environment between administrators and teachers.

Some Additional Web Resources

American Association of School Administrators
www.aasa.org

American Federation of Teachers
www.aft.org

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
www.ascd.org

National Association of Elementary School Principals
www.naesp.org

National Association of Secondary School Principals
www.nassp.org

National Education Association
www.nea.org

Institute for Educational Leadership
www.iel.org

References

DuFour, R. (2002). The Learning-Centered Principal. Educational Leadership, 59, 12–15.

DuFour, R., & Burnette, R. (2003). Building a Professional Learning Community. School Administrator, 60, 13–19.

Fullan, M. (2002). The Change Leader. Educational Leadership, 59, 16–20.

Fullan, M. “Leadership for the 21st Century.” Educational Leadership (1998) 55, 6 – 10.

Gideon, B. (2002). Structuring Schools for Teacher Collaboration. Educational Digest, 63, 41–44.

Hammond, L. (2003). Keeping Good Teachers: Why It Matters, What Leaders Can Do. Educational Leadership, 60, 7–12.

Johnson, S. M., & Birkeland, A. (2003) The Schools That Teachers Choose. Educational Leadership, 60, 20–24.

Licata, J., & Harper, G. (2001). Organizational Health And Robust School Vision. Educational Administration Quarterly, 37, 5–26.

Marks, H., & Seashore, K. (1999). Teacher Empowerment And The Capacity For Organizational Learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 35, 707–750.

Moir, E., & Bloom, G. (2003). Fostering Leadership Through Mentoring. Educational Leadership, 60, 58–60.

Rooney, J. (2003). Principals Who Care: A Personal Reflection. Educational Leadership, 60, 76–79.

Tooms, A. (2003). The Rookie’s Playbook: Insights And Dirt For New Principals. Phi Delta Kappan, 84, 530–533.