What does it take to be a successful principal? In the 1980s, "effective schools" research introduced the idea of instructional leadership. In the most recent issue of Educational Leadership magazine, a number of authors examine the theme "Beyond Instructional Leadership." In one article, a high school principal from Illinois argues that the concept of instructional leadership was flawed because it focused school leaders on inputs and intentions rather than results. As a principal, Richard DuFour devoted years to observing and improving individual teachers and their classroom strategies until he realized that he needed to shift his attention from teacher behavior to student learning. When the attention of the school was re-focused on which students were learning and what could be done to improve it, he writes, the structure and culture of the school changed. Teachers learned to work together to clarify the desired outcomes, to develop common assessments, to analyze the results, and to develop strategies for improvement based on the analysis. The key, DuFour writes, was his own conversion from instructional leader with an emphasis on teaching to the leader of a professional community with a focus on learning. "The Learning-Centered Principal," by Richard DuFour, Educational Leadership, May 2002.
