A Fighting Chance to Make a Difference

The Wallace Foundation (2012) has been conducting ongoing research since the year 2000 on strategies that effective principals practice to build successful schools. They compiled a summary report that identified five common practices that greatly impacted school leadership: Shaping a vision of academic success for all students, one based on high standards. Creating a climate hospitable to education in order that safety, a cooperative spirit, and other foundations of fruitful interaction prevail. Cultivating leadership in others so that teachers and other adults assume their part in realizing the school vision Improving instruction to enable teachers to teach at their best and students to learn at their utmost Managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement The report stated that when each of these practices are evident and work “in harmony—that principals stand a fighting chance of making a real difference for students (Mendels, 2012)”. I though this article aligned well with all that we have been studying in our MAELA program. Having a common vision, creating a positive school climate, and fostering a spirit of growth and progress for both teachers and students are best practice strategies that I have addressed in many of my theory papers and clinical practice assignments. What impacted me most in this article was the statement that as a future administrator we would have a “fighting chance” to make a real difference if we are able to infuse these five practices “in harmony”. Writing about it in our program seems effortless but this article made me realize that this is a huge feat to accomplish all five practices as a future administrator. For me, I have had many administrative teams that were able motivate change by using many of these practices. However, it took almost 2 years of extensive work just to establish a common vision and create a positive school climate. These practices seem like long term work that can be accomplished over an extended period of time. My concern is that as administrators, there are so many shifts and re-organizational changes that can negatively impact the work we start and there is no guarantee that the changes we try to implement will be sustainable practices if we get excessed or moved to another site.