Teachers Network Leadership Institute Calls for Improved School
Leadership
Non-profit Education Organization Releases Report about Shared Leadership
Among Principals and Teachers
New
York, September 12, 2005 – Recognizing that nearly half of New
York City principals are eligible to retire within the year, Teachers
Network, a non-profit education organization, has released a report
entitled “Successful School Leadership – A
View from the Classroom” to help policymakers
and schools train and support principals and staff. With assistance
from the MetLife Foundation and The New York Community Trust, Teachers
Network Leadership Institute (TNLI) MetLife Fellows worked with educators
and policymakers to develop recommendations for shared leadership.
“We can reduce class size, increase spending or mandate a curriculum, but unless a school has a strong teaching staff led by a dedicated and competent principal, we will not achieve true success,” said Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President and Director of TNLI. “During a pivotal time in education, our report offers a true view from the classroom that identifies what is needed most to provide meaningful, sustainable leadership in our schools.”
TNLI
guides teachers, principals, schools districts and policymakers in
helping to strengthen teachers’ role in school governance and
improve the quality of principal leadership. Overall, the report advocates
that the Department of Education (DOE) provide greater resources for
teacher and school collaboration; work with the union to garner greater
freedom for schools’ funding and scheduling; and increase administrative
support so principals can focus more on instructional leadership.
In the report, principals are advised to network across schools; offer
flexible options to staff to increase retention; and produce a shared
vision of leadership that takes teachers’ experience and students’
needs into account.
Additionally,
TNLI addresses the scarcity of principals during a time when school
creation is on the rise. A MetLife Survey of the American Teacher
found only 9% of teachers nationally had a strong interest in becoming
a principal. To help fill the principal shortage, the DOE has developed
new programs such as The Leadership Academy, a one-year principal
training program. TNLI recommends training new principals in the schools
where they will be assigned and explore additional models of leadership
such as the co-director model where each leader has part-time instructional
responsibilities. The MetLife Fellows’ research also shows that
job shadowing, job rotation and continued professional development
for school staff helps to strengthen leadership skills.
About
Teachers Network
Teachers Network is a non-profit organization—by teachers,
for teachers—with a 25-year track record of success, dedicated
to improving student learning in public schools nationally and internationally.
Teachers Network is unique in its focus on professional development
as the key to improving student achievement. Using the power of an
award-winning web site, videos, and print resources, Teachers Network
leverages the creativity and expertise of a national and international
community of outstanding educators. Through its leadership, Teachers
Network empowers teachers to transform public schools into creative
learning communities. The Teachers Network Leadership Institute was
established 10 years ago by Teachers Network to connect education
policy with actual classroom practice to improve student achievement.
For more information about Teachers Network, go to http://teachersnetwork.org. |