Principals’ roles have expanded significantly over the past decade. These leaders face new challenges and new levels of accountability. Performance evaluation provides a powerful tool for developing leadership practices, but many districts and administrators are inexperienced with this strategy. AIR engaged educators in three states to design the Five Essential Practices of School Leadership framework, a foundation for facilitating principal growth and accountability. The framework can be used for principal coaching, self-reflection, and performance evaluation.
The Five Essential Practices include the following:
- Build shared purpose. The leader develops a compelling, shared organizational vision and assures that the vision is “lived” in the daily work of educators.
- Focus on learning. The leader engages in instructional leadership to develop and maintain student access to appropriate, ambitious, and strong instructional programs focused on academic excellence and social-emotional development.
- Manage organizational resources. The leader acts strategically and systematically to create safe and supportive conditions for better teaching and learning by aligning financial assets, human resources, data, and other resources.
- Collaborate with community. The leader assures that parents and community organizations are engaged with the school.
- Lead with integrity. The leader models professionalism by acting with integrity and making his or her learning visible.
For more information, please visit: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/Building%20Leadership%20Performance%20Through%20Performance%20Evaluation_Jan%202015.pdf
