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A single e-mail soliciting comments about what makes a good principal brought a torrent of responses. Here is a sampling, and many more can be read at www.cta.org/goodprincipals. Surveying PRINCIPALS A RECENT SURVEY of 600 principals conducted by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd found: Lynda Barnett YREKA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS ASSOCIATION English/drama teacher A great principal respects teach- ers. While board members and administration can be full of platitudes about "being there for the kids," a true leader real- izes that those kids spend their day with the teacher, and that dissatisfied, stressed and dis- respected teachers will find it more difficult to bring all they can give to the classroom envi- ronment. Teachers know a good principal is there to support them, and there is an atmo- sphere of trust. This principal will not allow teachers to be bul- lied and will not listen to gossip or make assumptions, regard- less of how powerful a person a parent may be. This principal has "got your back." When this is the case, it is much easier to accept constructive criticism. Just as students work harder for a teacher they admire, a great principal inspires teachers to do their best. Bertrand Eckelhoefer Tyra Weis ALVORD EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION social studies teacher PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATED POMONA TEACHERS teacher I say a good principal is one with integrity, a strong sense of char- acter; one who is secure in his or her identity, so that they don't constantly look for petty politi- cal victories and power games to assert their influence and dominance so that they may feel more secure about themselves. Good principals — effective principals — are often unpopular because they will consistently do what's right, and what's right is often what's difficult and what no one else wants to do or face. This magazine's look into the role of the principal is well due. Main Ingredients: • One part educator who is genuinely interested in help- ing students succeed and fostering the value of life- long learning. • One part communicator who sets realistic expecta- tions and provides clear directions after soliciting and listening to staff ideas and opinions. • One part motivator of stu- dents, families and staff. Mix the above ingredients together with generous help- ings of defense of teacher time, fairness, honesty, integrity, kindness, maturity, support and teamwork. Season with collabo- ration and trust. Serve liberally and enjoy! More than half of principals had been in the job five years or less. 53 percent were principals in their current schools for three years or less. Principals admitted that prior to becoming principals, they had little experience with "management functions" at their job. 66 percent said they had little or no experience in managing a school site budget. Principals had taken on increasing responsibilities due to budget cuts and often lacked the time and resources to provide instructional lead- ership to their teachers. Nearly 40 percent reported having minimal experience performing formal teacher evaluations. For additional research conducted about principals, see: "School Leadership Study: Developing Successful Principals" by Stephen Davis, Linda Darling-Hammond, Michelle LaPointe and Debra Meyerson, 2005, Stanford Educa- tional Leadership Institute. www.srnleads.org/data/pdfs/sls/ sls_rr.pdf "A Possible Dream: Retaining California Teachers So All Students Learn" by Ken Futer- nick, 2007, CSU Center for Teacher Quality. www.calstate.edu/teacherquality/ documents/possible_dream_exec.pdf MORE INFO Visit www.cta.org/goodprincipals to read what other members said about what makes a good principal. February 2012 / www.cta.org 21