Principalship: Leading Change in Schools

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Principalship: Leading Change in Schools

 by: Dr. Alvin Chan

-The L.E.A.D.E.R. Way

INTRODUCTION

In June 1997,the Prime Minister of Singapore unveiled the Government s vision of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation (TSLN). This vision was forged to improve Singapore s education system in the light of the rapid changes around the world. The Government foresees that Singapore, with its limited natural resources, can only continue to progress by nurturing a knowledgeable workforce that is adaptable to the changes in the world economy. More importantly, the Government realized that it had to start preparing the nation for these inevitable changes by revamping the education system in accordance with the vision of TSLN.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore, the state agency responsible for the undertaking of this vision, states the goals of TSLN as follows:

Thinking Schools ensure that we equip students with skills and knowledge and values and instincts to face future challenges, while Learning Nation aims to promote a culture of continual learning beyond the school environment. (MOE, 1998,p.16)

In order to realize the vision, the MOE has introduced changes to the curriculum, the training of teachers, assessment modes and the development of resource packages. Furthermore, all schools will have students spending at least 30% of their curriculum time accessing electronic resources and working on computers. (MOE, 1998,p.17) The changes in the curriculum include the infusion of thinking skills and the reduction in the contents of the curriculum. Schools are strongly encouraged to set up their own thinking programs and teachers are to enroll in courses to learn how to infuse thinking skills in their teaching.

With the restructuring taking place to realize the vision, most teachers fear that the changes will burden them by increasing their already-heavy workload and tight time schedule due to increased training hours. The principal, being the main disseminator of the MOE s mission of TSLN in the school, has the unenviable task to articulate this vision to overcome the resistance to the changes especially from the school s teachers.

The main objective of the paper is to explore the perceptions of teachers as to the effectiveness of principals in leading a change programs (in this case, a Thinking Programs). Since teachers are directly responsible for the learning outcomes of the students, their perceptions of their principals effectiveness and concomitant actions are vital to the success of the vision of TSLN. As part of the paper, a case study of a primary school, which has embarked on a Thinking Programs, has been carried out.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

In the hope of improving the existing system, schools face many problems when introducing well-meaning changes. Restructuring would, inevitably, involve people within the organisation to absorb new ideas and ideals that usually result in many uncertainties (Heckman, 1990). A school s principal, thus, has the uphill task to manage the level of resistance to change and align the staff to work towards a common vision, amidst the turbulence.

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To reiterate, the author is focussing on teachers perceptions of their principal in leading change, more specifically, the process of creating a Thinking Programme for the school. The importance of teachers perception of their leaders in the success of a school has been documented in various researches. Researchers (such as Bhella, 1992) suggested that teachers morale is related to student achievement. And, in turn, the principal has the strongest influence on teachers satisfaction in the workplace. (Vanderstoepe et al, 1994) From that perspective, the teachers satisfaction and perceptions of the principal in leading the change process would directly have an impact on the success rate of the new programme of boosting students achievement.

In the process of writing, the author discussed with many teachers on what they expect their leaders to do when introducing a new programs to their schools. The author has summarized the teachers opinions for inclusion in this paper. Previous research and literature would be used to illuminate the factors that are critical to the success of a principal in leading a change programs. To further enhance clarity of exposition, I have presented systematically the ideas encapsulated in previous research by using the acronym of L.E.A.D.E.R as a model to elucidate the steps in leading a successful change programs in a school. The acronym of L.E.A.D.E.R stands for:

Leading by example

Empowering vision

Adaptive change

Developing people

Evaluating the system

Recharge

The above model does not try to be prescriptive or attempt to imply that it will cover all the salient factors of an effective change programme. Due to the prescribed length of the paper, the author hopes that the model will shed more light in the topic of research in a more methodical manner.

Leading by Example

In most organisations that have embarked on a change programme, one of the more common complaints by the employees is that the leader does not walk the talk . In a school, if a principal is not willing to learn and adapt to changes, there are no compelling reasons for the staff to do so. The Scout s motto, Lead by Example , is a major criteria of what a principal must do to succeed in leading change.

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In order to create a thinking and learning organisation, principal will become researchers and designers rather than controllers and overseers. They should also be a model of learning to the rest of the organisation and encourage the staff to be life-long learners. (Senge, 1990) More importantly, a principal must not merely communicate in words, but by deeds to convince the staff that the change is happening at all levels. These build a sense of esprit de corp in the school that will help in lessening the pressures that change brings to organisations.

In short, a principal has to be perceived to be capable in leading school educational development by his or her own example. (Dunning, 1993; McHugh & McMullan, 1995) Unless the staffs are convinced, they will not work co-operatively towards the success of the change programme.

Empowering Vision

A change programme requires a change of vision. According to Kotter (1995, p.10),

A vision says something that clarifies the direction in which an organisation needs to move.

The Ministry of Education developed the vision of TSLN in the middle of 1997. In the schools, banners are put up to herald the vision of TSLN and school principals were expected to align the teachers towards this shared vision for the betterment of the schools. The principals are expected to modify culture through skill in communication of the necessary shared values for a changed vision. (Campbell-Evans, 1993).

Adaptive Change

In most organisations change programme, the appropriate pace of change is often ignored. Most leaders are impatient to see results and thus apply unwarranted pressures on those involved in the process .In Singapore schools; such a situation is a commonplace. With the MOE s intention of creating a world-class educational system in Singapore, many new initiatives are introduced within a short period of time. Most of the initiatives will require much time and effort of the teachers, on top of their already-heavy load. Such a situation often causes distress and the principal has to address the issues.

A good leader, therefore, must be capable of regulating the distress by sequencing and pacing the work required of the change process. Unfortunately, this is not the case in most change programme. Most leaders start new initiatives without stopping other activities or they start too many initiatives at the same time. They overwhelm and disorient the very people who need to take responsibility for the work. (Heifetz & Laurie, 1997,p.180)

Developing People

The people who are directly involved in a change programme have to be suitably trained to meet the challenges. A good principal would ensure that the staff s potential is developed for many reasons. Firstly, if the staffs are not trained well to undertake the new responsibilities of the initiative, the programme will not be a success. Secondly, a principal who develops and empowers the staff in the concerned change programme will be more able to convince them to commit to it. By doing so, a principal can demonstrate leadership by sharing leadership with the staff in the school. Through empowering others, the principal can also elevate his/her status and power. (Blas , 1987)

A principal can also develop the staff potential by opening up channels of communication within the school. Setting up committees and encouraging peer learning could do this. External agencies with expertise in the areas of change can also be consulted to help smoothen the process of change.

A principal who is a people developer would benefit as solutions to adaptive challenges reside not in the executive suite but in the collective intelligence of employees at all levels. (Heifetz & Laurie, 1997,p.173) Thus, by doing so, the principal would have increased the level of success of the new initiative and also the hearts of his/her followers.

Evaluating the System

The principal must constantly monitor the process of a new school initiative. The initial enthusiasm that has been built up the principal may wane due to the lack of a good evaluation system .An effective evaluation system would allow the principal to see the flaws and to refine the programme due to changing circumstances. A good evaluation system for a thinking programme would consist of classroom observations on the teaching of the thinking tools and feedback from those who are involved in the change process. This includes the teachers, pupils and their parents. This is important as constant feedback allows the principal to refine the programme due to changing circumstances. (Hargreaves, 1995)

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To further enhance the evaluative aspect of the programme, the principal could brainstorm with the staff on the criteria of what are considered to be desired outcomes of the new initiatives. To be more specific, an effective change leader would spell out what are the short and long-term desired results of the programme and base the evaluations on such targets. The evaluative process must be realistic and fair by including appropriate time frames for achieving them. This would calm down the fears of the teachers and to ensure that they would not resort to cosmetic measures in the process of change.

A principal must also be self-reflective and be able to take criticism if the programme is not moving according to plan. He or she must rely on the teachers who are directly involved with the pupils to give honest feedback. Though, this may raise questions of the credibility of the principal s initial plans, a good head would allow the subordinates to point them for further improvements to a new initiative. This is especially so if the head is seeking to create a thinking and learning organisation.

Recharge

An effective evaluation system would also be used to ensure the continuing momentum of a change programme. Most change programmes may start out enthusiastically but they usually lose steam at the end. The ability to maintain the initial enthusiasm and commitment to the vision is, thus, an important criterion of an effective principal. He or she must be able to recharge the interest of the teachers by constantly reminding them and encouraging them to achieve desired outcomes. In a thinking programme, a principal could hold monthly meetings to talk about the progress and to share success stories of the programme to maintain the interest of the teachers. If the interest and enthusiasm of the staff to the initiatives can be maintained throughout, more change programmes will be successful in schools.

CONCLUSION

During the process of writing this paper, the author felt that certain issues should be addressed. One of the main problems seems to lie in the pacing of new initiatives introduced by the Ministry of Education. Due to this, a principal is stretched for time and effort in juggling with the new initiatives. This, as shown in the case study, usually leads to other good school programmes going through a roller-coaster ride of enthusiasm. The principal would then resort to cosmetic efforts to convince the parents, visitors and the Ministry that a programme is in place as in this case study. The author hopes that this is just an isolated case but feels the Ministry should really look into the issue of whether principals are overloaded with the projects in progress before launching into another initiative.

Another issue connected to the above is the need to improve the evaluation and appraisal methods of the principals by the Ministry. At present, the evaluation tends to be inaccurate, as the Ministry does not really know the inner workings of the school. There should be a 360 degrees Feedback Survey whereby the staff (especially the teachers); pupils and parents are to evaluate the effectiveness of the principal in leading a programme. It may be considered time-consuming but it will ensure that principals do not adopt cosmetic measures to hide weaknesses of any new programmes. This also allows schools to be opened to ideas and suggestions for further refinements of the programme. In this way, the Ministry will have a more accurate picture whether the initiatives that had been introduced are articulated in a proper manner.

The author reiterates that the success of leading a change programme in schools is largely dependent on the principal s ability to influence the perceptions of the teachers. Trust, thus, is an important ingredient that has to be built up by the principal, as the principal-teachers relationship will have an impact on other future initiatives. The paper has also included a self-evaluation questionnaire (Appendix 3) for principals who are in the process of leading a change programme in their schools. In closing, the author wants to emphasise that in order to reap the full benefits, a change programme should be nurtured and not enforced.

About The Author Dr.Alvin Chan is an Innovation Research Specialist in Asia. He has consulted for and aid in the development of managerial innovations and effective learning methodologies in several organizations. Please email to Dr. Chan at alvinchan@firstquatermain.com as a courtesy if you are reprinting the article online or in print.

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Writing College Admissions Essays that Take First Place--A Personal Statement Checklist

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Writing College Admissions Essays that Take First Place--A Personal Statement Checklist

 by: Roxanne McDonald

Congratulations on your move toward a college degree. And congratulations on seeking support for writing your admissions essay/personal statement. The squeaky motor gets the oil, so you will be slick and running sleekly in a just a few days in plenty of time to submit and relax before transferring from a community college or crossing over from high school to higher learning.

While the application and entry process is exciting, it is also rigorously demanding when it comes to writing the prompted essays. But instead of getting intimidated, remember, it is a process with a series of many laps around the track. Do the steps one at a time, on time, and even ahead of time; be just as rigorous as the entry requirements are; and use the following as a checklist throughout the entire personal statement writing process, and you will create a worthy piece of writing that will smoothly slide you right into the institution of your choice.

1. Use that fine machine (your head): get ahead, start ahead.

___Start early. If they application and essay are due in three months, start working on it in two.

2. Start small.

___If the task seems overwhelming, choose an easy, quick, or interesting part of the task. Then you will have a momentum that will push you forward into the larger, more time consuming tasks. For example, you know your name, address, and (maybe) what you want to major in. Fill out the application.

3. Read X3 before you start to build.

Okay. Be certain that your efficient insight would go ahead of this point. Just keep on reading, there are additional facts to follow.

___The first time, read the directions and the prompt choices for the personal statement(s) you have to write as if you are reading a magazine for fun.

___The second time, read the prompt choices as if you are reading a catalog and shopping for the one (best) item (prompt) . Choose the one topic that you feel you have the most to write on, the one you like, the one you are drawn to.

___The third time, read with a highlighter or pen: highlight or underline the key words in the prompt s introductory sentences and the key action words (those words that tell you to do something). For example, if the prompt reads as follows, you would mark it like this [I use brackets here for highlighting]:

Is there [anything] you would like us to know [about you or your academic record] that you have not had the opportunity to [describe] elsewhere in this application? What is [your intended major]? [Discuss] [how your interest in the field developed] and [describe] any [experience you have had in the field] such as volunteer work, internships and employment and what you have gained from your involvement .

4. Make notes and make them visible.

___You now have the (five, here) parts to list on a big piece of paper or cardboard that you then prop up or tape up on your wall or pc. (I always do this tape the required points on my computer; then I can constantly refer to it as I am writing. It keeps me on track on topic.)

5. Consider your audience.

___As with any writing, you decide your tone based on who will be reading the work. In this case, you are submitting to a committee of readers who read stacks and stacks of these things. So

6. Be real. Be honest. Be engaging. Be positive. Be fresh.

I know, I know. I hate it too when someone tells me to be myself. (Who else would I be?) The point is to avoid pretense, avoid b.s. (lies), and avoid whining, begging, and angry, bitter, resentful tirades.

The readers want to know who you are, how you would fit, and what you would bring to the university.

___Brainstorm a list of true details, writing them on the left side of a piece of paper. On the right side, note next to each item how that makes you a perfect candidate for the place. (The left side is negative, too. The right side is the balance, turning the negatives into positives.)

7. Engage.

Granted, when we writers begin drafting, we may not necessarily begin with the opening paragraph. We scribble the lines we remember, the body, the conclusion, topic sentences, important buzz words, or anything else that comes to mind. But when you do get to the opener, it must be as outstanding, alluring, inviting, and original as possible.

I promise I know what I m talking about here. As a/an (former) Associate Professor of college English, I assisted hundreds of students with both graduate and undergraduate application packets and processes--teaching workshops on the entrance essays, tutoring students in the complete process in the colleges learning centers, even receiving students in my home (where they still continue to approach me for consultation and support).

So I have seen/see many students get accepted to Berkeley, Cornell, Stanford, State, and other private and public institutions based on their essays, which I helped them to write and (ugh) rewrite using the standards and guidelines of the major institutions of higher learning (and this handy manual of caveats I have compiled over the years). And those essays start with unique, engaging intros that follow these tricks:

___Get rid of all abstractions (now also considered clich s in the academic arena since they have been driven into the ground by overuse). Avoid using the success achieve lifelong dream terms, words, and phrases. The panel knows you want/need these. They expect it is a given, and would probably have group heart attacks if someone wrote he/she was applying to be unsuccessful, to achieve nothing, and to listlessly idle, having no dream whatsoever. (Okay, you get my point, right?)

___Erase the I am an immigrant who needs to make my parents proud clich s. (I promise you, this strategy is empty and useless. I have received students needing entry essay help who are immigrants, children of immigrants, products of immigrant DNA, victims of immigrant mentality .every first draft I read started with this kind of intro. And I ve only helped about 500 students with this exact same opener. Imagine the weary tsk-ing and head shaking of the board member who reads thousands!)

The bottom line is this: asking to be admitted because you experienced--and are slamming the board with--a number of boo-hoo poor me hardships is the same as going to a job interview and answering questions about what skills you bring to the job by crying that you need to feed your kids. How does your need qualify you? It doesn t.

___And/or, forget the I was neglected, abused, poor, hungry, ugly, fat opener. Same lecture as above applies here, too. Unless

___You can turn the negative into a positive. If you have to be real, and the victim thing is part of your story, show how that pain/struggle/torture contributed to who you are today and to what you bring to the school. But do it later in the essay and do it in passing, in mention, in brief and then move on. So, how do you open a personal statement?

___ By opening the essays with a metaphor, a narrative, or appropriate facts and statistics that will make the essay(s) stand out, appeal to the board, and give those readers something interesting you have a better chance of them saying to each other, Hey, did you read that Joe Blow essay? and of them putting it in the YES pile.

Consider this: what running theme(s) would best represent you? For example, would you, like Helen Zhang did, use a water metaphor to represent your immigrating from a country where you were going with the flow of running your own company, then moved to a country where you started over, re-built the ship from scratch, beat the hell out of those choppy stormy seas, and are now sailing, headed for helping others to row to safe shores?

Or would you, like Celestino Garcia, use a food/feeding metaphor to show how getting your fingers broken by a cruel (and insane) uncle who then forced you to do farm work and refused to feed you has instead driven you to culinary school, to prepare lovely meals for feeding today s children even worse off than he was without food?

Or do you prefer to open with a description, as Sarah Choi did, for example, of living in the projects, looking through a cracked window at the police lights every night you sat to do grade school homework till one day you made it out, still keeping in mind (and writing it back in at the end of your essay) the sirens and lights and project life from whence you came, so you can, when you graduate, return to the projects and aid others in escaping the flashing lights and flashes of gunfire?

8. You ve got their attention. Now make your point. Boldly.

___Here s where your thesis comes in. Once you have used an original description, metaphor, statistic, fact, or definition to open, wrap up the intro with a declarative, confident statement. For example,

This is why I want to attend Oxford. will not help you make your way into Oxford. Again, it s obvious you want to attend/be accepted, and that s not reason enough to be accepted.

But With this experience, with excellent grades, with a steady volunteer record, and with a pro-active attitude, I will make dynamic, positive, and supportive contributions to the community at Oxford, and later, to the community at large. will give you the horsepower you need to finish the essay and to get accepted.

9. You ve done the hard part. Follow through to the finish.

___The body of your essay will now have the theme/line of reasoning it needs to follow. If it helps, print the thesis in large lettering, and tape this up, too. It is the main point you will now prove with examples of

__your g.pa.

__your outstanding performance awards

__your volunteer experience (where, when, etc.)

__your tutoring, interning, or work-related experience

__your influences/reasons for getting into the field

__any points the prompt asks for

10. Accelerate using anything you have/know/have done.

The support (body of the essay) is most important nowadays, to give you the boost you need to compete. For instance, a number of schools/majors are impacted. Computers and business, for example, have students neck-and-neck in fierce competition for a seat in the department.

So when there are 500 applicants with the same 4.0 g.p.a, the same awards, and the same backgrounds and work experience, you need to use facts (no b.s., made-up stuff) that will give you the extra speed. This is why tutoring tales help. This where volunteering cranks up the volume. This is where you use what you can to race ahead. As long as it s truth-based. If they ask for two letters of recommendation, send three. If they ask for one way you will contribute to the university, give them two: you will help in the department, assisting the professors (for free); and you will tutor those struggling in a (related) subject you are fortunate to do well in.

10. But how do you come in 1st and keep the rules of the road?

Here s where revising, revising, and revising again comes in. First, write all you can, all you want, all you know. Then, go back and check those instructions. How many pages must you use? What size font?

___Usually, you have a page limit that you must not go over.

Completely admissible! Your steadiness supports the view that you are pretty much speculative in and . Your nose for news would get a surprise in the sections that follow.

___At the same time, you must cover 3-4 areas in your essay.

___Follow the instructions to the letter. (This will also give you an advantage, for the instructions are there not just to get to know you but to test whether you are adept at following instructions.)

___Don t give the readers any excuse/reason to eliminate you.

___Tighten your text. This is covered in the Mechanics section below.

11. Keep that machine well-oiled: use your pit mechanics.

___Revise the opener. Make sure it is fresh, engaging, relevant.

___Revise the thesis. Be sure it s complete and expresses the general point.

___Revise the body (supporting evidence). Check that it addresses part of the prompt. (This is another test does the applicant cover all parts of the question?)

___Rev. the paragraphs and transitions between paragraphs. Be sure each is coherent, and that all are organized and connected, and therefore easy to follow.

___Rev. the sentences. Use variety. Combine sentences for rhythm and flow.

___Rev. the diction. Get rid of useless words, extra words, abstract words. This is where you will be able to shorten the essay.

___Revise the spelling. Do not rely on the pc spellchecker! It is two e-z to Miss homonyms and readers will not be able to bare it!

Do you basically feel this stuff will improve your wisdom?

This write-up is an added advantage for those folks who were on the lookout of . Some of the persons didn't find it good.

As an individual who is all hot for , only you can rather figure out if this assists. As a connoisseur you must be enduring to skim till the concluding word.

___Revise the punctuation. Get a tutor for this if you need to.

___Use human mechanics, too. We have brains that are set up so perfectly that they do this thing called hypercorrection. So when we read our own drafts, our brains insist on automatically correcting and reading as correct text that has errors in it. How do you fix this? Have someone else read the work aloud. You listen carefully. When the reader stumbles, pauses, or does a Wha ? double-take, you stop the reader, catch the error, and change it, right then and there, in the pit stop. Before you mail it again re-read and revise. Re-read and revise.

___12. Mail the entry the application (with nothing left blank), the check (not blank), and the essay (cleaned and polished)--before the deadline

in plenty of time for the university readers to read it, laugh over it, cry over it (which does happen I have cried over the top essays that got Sarah, Tino, Helen, and many others into law school, computer tech school, business school, and more), and except you...I mean, accept you.

Now get your motor running and win that race.

About The Author N.H.-born prize-winning poet, creative nonfiction writer, memoirist, and award-winning Assoc. Prof. of English, Roxanne is also web content and freelance writer/founder of www.roxannewrites.com, a support site for academic, memoir, mental disability, and creative writers who need a nudge, a nod, or just ideas of which Roxanne has 1,000s, so do stop in for a visit, as this sentence can t possibly get any longer . admin@roxannewrites.com

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