Learning about Leadership
[-Back to The Principal's Office-]

Despite perceptions to the contrary, school principals don't know it all. And if they had their way, lessons in how to effectively handle their multifaceted leadership responsibilities would be ongoing. If only they could find the time.

Doctoral research completed in November at the University of Maine by former elementary school teacher, counselor and principal Anita Campbell found that principals are so engaged in increasingly complex day-to-day responsibilities — from student and staff supervision to budget management, academic reform compliance and community involvement — they often haven't the time or the energy to learn about how to lead more effectively.

"Given the consuming nature of the principalship, principals face many and very diverse learning needs," says Campbell, an educator since 1969 who wrote Through Their Eyes: Maine Principals Explore Their Learning About Leadership. "The purpose of this research was to explore principals' learning needs and experiences from the inside out . . . to understand more fully what forms of learning are most meaningful to practicing principals."

Campbell's research involving five female middle school principals in Maine found a distinct tension between principals' expressed learning needs and the persistent difficulty in pursuing them. The principals voiced the particular need for ongoing learning in technology, assessment, building projects, school safety and relationships.

"Principals expressed a preference for learning opportunities that could immediately inform their work in their schools," says Campbell, who is currently the outreach coordinator for an alternative certification program at the University of Maine at Farmington. "However, several obstacles stood in the way: little time for learning, a lack of understanding of their needs from their districts, and dissatisfaction with one- or two-day conferences that took them away from their schools."

On the other hand, the principals found that the learning that occurred in the school with staff was often the most productive.

"This research suggests that principals (should) take charge of their learning by reflecting on what their work is teaching them, and being honest and open with stakeholders about what it would take to make the learning more meaningful," Campbell says. "To be effective leaders, principals must be willing to advocate for their own learning needs instead of being sucked into the maelstrom of reactive leadership."