by Gabriel Flores
Principal, May/June 2012

After my elementary school’s principal retired, a new leader arrived invigorated, motivated, and authoritative. He expected staff and teachers to achieve goals and complete tasks efficiently and with no delays. Within a year, teachers began to stand up to the principal and voice their dissatisfaction. Others simply ignored his requests or directives. As morale deteriorated, students saw and felt their teachers’ unhappiness.

In confidence, the administrator asked me what had happened on campus. As an elementary teacher who studied leadership and administration, earning an Ed.D. in educational leadership, I sincerely and honestly advised him to follow my five R’s for success.

Be Realistic

Set goals that are practical and attainable. My new administrator set goals that called for change within a few weeks. If your goals are unrealistic, then either teachers will ignore them or will burn out in their effort to accomplish them. Set goals that will keep staff focused on the mission and vision statements but do not exceed the logical limit where teachers’ lives and schedules are hindered. Teachers on our campus lost sleep because of stress and nervousness over lofty goals. Others worked so hard to meet expectations that they too suffered from sleep deprivation. If teachers are not coming to work healthy and invigorated, then their effectiveness as educators wanes.

Be Reliable

A reliable leader is accurate, honest, and dependable. As the principal, you must attend all the meetings and dates to which you commit. If you make promises, keep them! An administrator cannot expect the best and fail to offer his staff the best in return. If you miss a conference date with a teacher, or if you skip an important parent meeting, then your credibility inevitably diminishes. If you fail to provide leadership, essential services, and school supplies your staff needs to achieve success, then staff morale deteriorates, productivity decreases, and eventual burnout ensues.

Keep a Routine

New administrators in particular might be anxious to see rapid improvement. Resist the urge to change the curriculum and instruction every two to three weeks. Keep the same procedures for at least six to eight weeks, and then assess and evaluate them. Check and assess the outcomes to determine if the instructional strategies worked. If the educational program did not succeed, then gather the educators involved and rework the program. When the routine regularly changes, teachers lose their focus and the goals of the educational program deteriorate.

Be Respectful

Administrators are not the only ones with excellent ideas and strategies. Classroom teachers typically are the ones with the ideas and strategies that lead to student success. Successful administrators ask their staff for good ideas and share them with all teachers during staff development and grade level meetings. By treating staff with respect and valuing their knowledge and input, you build morale and accountability.

Be Reflective

Pre-service training advisors encourage student teachers to go home every night, reflect upon their daily lessons, and ask themselves what they would change to improve the lessons. Administrators, too, should go home every night and reflect upon their leadership style. Are you being too autocratic and not welcoming others’ ideas? Perhaps you should consider more transformational and participative leadership styles and methods. Constant reflection makes a good teacher and a successful principal.

In a 2009 study published in Leadership and Policy in Schools, Geert Devos and Dave Bouckenooghe concluded that principals who work in environments that stimulate professional learning are in general strong leaders who have supportive leadership qualities. If you follow the five R’s and provide strong support for your staff, then your learning community is highly likely to see progress and thrive.

Principals must have good moral leadership that improves the human condition to retain their most promising teachers, Jacob Easley wrote in a September 2006 Educational Studies article about the trend of teacher flight from education. If you follow the five R’s, then your expectations can be realized and teachers’ attitudes and behaviors will improve.

Understanding and Trust

Within two years of our five R’s discussion, the principal realized that too much was being expected too soon. As his attitude changed, the staff also experienced a positive shift in attitude. Slowly, teacher input was accepted and peer coaching and teacher instructional leadership were implemented. In addition, the principal’s respect for staff and reliability level rose, and this in turn made teachers have more respect for and reliability with each other. In due time, a true professional peer-learning community was achieved built on understanding and trust. Unfortunately, after two years the principal was transferred to another school that needed his leadership and data-driven ideals. Even though he left, the instructional leadership skills that were instilled remain. Learning evolves and having great instructional prowess takes years to perfect, yet is never a complete process. The only way to retain your great staff is to involve them in the decision-making processes of the school where educators also implement the five R’s toward success.

Gabriel Flores is an elementary educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix.

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