Becoming an Exemplary Instructional Leadership
INTRODUCTION:
Instructional Leadership- is one of the useful tools in creating a forward-looking, student-centered school environment.
- can be defined as “those actions that a principal takes, or delegates to others, to promote growth in student
learning.”
- the principal’s responsibility to work with teachers to define educational objectives, to set school-wide or
district wide goals, provide the necessary resources for learning, and create new learning opportunities
for students and staff.
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: CONCEPTS AND VIEWS
Bird and Little (2008) Instructional leadership refers to specific branch of educational leadership that addresses
curriculum instruction.
MacElwain (1992) views instructional leadership as imperative to prove instruction and student achievement.
Elmore (2002) Instructional leadership is the “organizational glue” that keeps thing in track.
Barth (2001) ….. is not exercised by one person but one person does create a condition through which all
teachers and administration become more responsible for their professional learning and important role in
sustaining school improvement.
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: BEST PRACTICES
Shares
Uses data to make leadership
Taps expertise of teachers
instructional
Monitors curriculum & INSTRUCTIONAL Leads a learning
instruction LEADER community
Visits classroom
Acts as learners
Collaborates in Leading
Conventional and Innovative Instructional Leadership: A Comparison
Conventional Instructional Leadership Innovative Instructional Leadership
1. Principal-centered Persons-centered- create collegial with and among
teachers
2. High focus on curriculum and instruction Focus on School Based Management
3. Setting clear goal Shared understanding of the goals
4. Allocating resources through instruction Providing the resources needed for learning to occur
5. Monitoring lesson plans Deep involvement in the form of core technology of
teaching and learning
6. Evaluating Teachers for improvement in Teaching Carries more sophisticated views of professional
development
Major Divisions of Good Instructional Leadership Characteristics (Armstrong 2007)
Knowledge Confidence Enthusiasm
Includes awareness of chains Drives interpersonal relations, Includes the ability to bring all
management theory, insight into communication, planning, decision stakeholders together to act.
personal capabilities knowing when making and conflict management.
to get help from outside resources
with other leaders of educational
advancement.
The Principal as Instructional Leader: A Focus
According to Smith (2008), the instructional leader is an administrator who emphasizes the process of instruction
and facilities the interaction of teacher, student and curriculum.
Findley (1992) claims that the principal as instructional leader must address certain managerial tasks to ensure an
efficient school. He must be focus on activities which pave way for high student achievement.
The principal as an instructional leader encourages and develops instructional leadership in teachers (Smylie and
Conyers, 1991).
Instructional Leadership Activities according to Flaith (1989) are categorized in 4 namely:
1. Goals and Emphasis- set instructional goals, high expectation and focus in student achievement.
2. Coordination and Organization- work for effectiveness and efficiency.
3. Power and Disciplinary decision making- secure resources, generate alternatives, assist and facilitate to improve
instructional program.
4. Human relations- deal effectively with staff, parents, community and students.
Checkley (2000) argues that rather than focusing closely upon teacher supervision and evaluation as the crucial tasks
associated with providing instructional leadership, principals should instead consider the following;
1. Encourage and promote teacher growth and development within their own ranks.
2. Engage teachers in sustained discourse whereby, as colleagues, teachers can define what student learning should
look like.
3. Identify instructional approaches that will support their vision.
4. Be attentive to teaching and learning and to work together and improve both
5. Foster the conditions through which teachers can specify instructional goals.
6. Direct the overall effort by offering teachers the support, encouragement and challenges they need as teachers
collaborate together toward achieving more substantive goals.
The Instructional Leader: Traits and Behaviors
Super-
visionary
Chief
learning Culture
officer builder
Direction Instructional Leader Facilitative
setter leader
Heroic
Values-led leader
Practicing
teacher
Instructional Leaders: Their Roles and Functions
The functions of Instructional Leadership involve all the beliefs, decisions, strategies and tactics that the
principal uses to generate instructional effectiveness in classroom (Moorthy, 1992):
Making the student and adult learning the priority
Setting high expectations for performance
Gearing content and instructions to standards
Creating a culture of continuous learning
Using multiple sources of data to assess learning
Activating the communities support for school success
Leading teachers to produce tangible as ambitious academic standards (Elmore, 2002)
Making suggestions making feedbacks and modeling effective instruction
Soliciting opinion and supporting collaboration
Providing professional development opportunities and giving praise for effective teaching
The Effective Instructional Leader: Becoming One (Glickman 1990)
Knowledge-based Tasks Skills
Effective schools literature Supervision/evaluation of instruction Interpersonal communication
Research on effective speaking Staff development People
Awareness of your own educational Curriculum development Decision making
philosophy and beliefs
Administrative development Group development Application
Change Theory Action research Problem solving/ conflict
management
Knowledge of curriculum Positive school climate Technical goal setting
Theory/core curriculum School and community Assessing and planning
Observing
Research and evaluation
2 Elements of Instructional Leadership
1. Creating a school culture that makes student learning the top priority
2. Providing the resources necessary to support teachers efforts to improve student learning
3 ways to become an Effective Instructional Leader
1. Talk the talk
2. Walk the walk
3. Be the caddy
PREPARED BY:
JANICA G. TATOY
BSE 4ENGLISH
