This research paper investigates the functions and responsibiliies associated with the job of school principal. The writer addresses the nine crucial tasks performed by principals, as discussed by Sergiovanni, as well as describing the attributes, skills and characteristics that are assoicated with exemplarary performance in this administrative role. The writer also discusses the differences between being a manager in the private sector and being a school principal. This seven page paper has seven sources in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: MM12_PGscpr4.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Schoolhouse, Thomas Sergiovanni demonstrated this fact by identifying and explaining nine essential tasks of the principal: 1. Purposing: bringing shared visions together (Sergiovanni, 1996). 2. Maintaining harmony: building
mutual understanding (Sergiovanni, 1996). 3. Institutionalizing values: devising a set of procedures and structures to actualize the schools vision (Sergiovanni, 1996). 4. Motivating: encouraging staff and faculty (Sergiovanni, 1996). 5.
Managing: planning, record-keeping, providing procedures; organizing, etc. (Sergiovanni, 1996). 6. Explaining: giving reasons for asking staff to do certain things (Sergiovanni, 1996). 7. Enabling: removing obstacles that prevent faculty and
staff from meeting their objectives; providing needed resources (Sergiovanni, 1996). 8. Modeling: being responsible for modeling the schools purpose (Sergiovanni, 1996). 9. Supervising: ensuring the school meets its commitments and
when it isnt, to find out why and change it (Sergiovanni, 1996). There is a great deal of knowledge required to perform these tasks and they also require numerous skills,
attributes, characteristics and values. The most essential skill that underlies several of these tasks is communication, not just the ability to articulate well but to also listen and process what
has been said. Another skill is the ability to collaborate and negotiate, which requires excellent problem solving skills. Organization is important as is management and leadership skills. Finally, the principal
must have a strong background in personality development to understand motivational theories. For the last two decades, shared decision making has been the most common mode of supervision and management
used by school principals. Research has consistently identified the principal as the nexus of the school (Portin and Shen, 1998). Research has also consistently identified the following skills,
attributes and characteristics of effective school principals: * Have a vision and an understanding of the steps needed to achieve goals (Techniques, 1998, p. 28). The vision is a goal