The Influence Of Effective Leadership On Teaching

THE INFLUENCE OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP ON TEACHING AND LEARNING AUTHORS: CATHERINE BARRET AND ROBERT BREYER DATE OF PUBLICATION: NOVEMBER 17TH, 2014 Article Summary Educators and principals are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the demands of learning and teaching, especially because of teacher satisfaction, poverty, instructions, and salary. In the face of these issues, it is important that administrators motivate teachers to ensure they influence their students to perform well. The article sought to establish how principals can remain relevant and be able to instill passion and show good leadership that is capable of motivating teachers even in the face of challenges. Additionally, the study sought to establish how school administrators could establish a stable environment where teachers would appreciate the competence of their principals and consider them as their cooperation partners in ensuring the success of education through modeling effective “pedagogical” tools and strategies. Primarily, the purpose of the study was to “explore administrator modeling of engaging, engaging, energizing methods during staff development and meetings to determine whether principals could inspire, further develop, and retain effective classroom teachers and contribute to academic achievement in rural school settings.” The research was conducted at an elementary school within a rural set up. The student population was 654 from pre-K to 5th Grade. The school had 41 classroom teachers, 1 literary teacher, 1 assistant principal, 1 principal and 12 teacher assistants. The student population was diverse. Additionally, 605 of the students in the school did qualify for free and reduced lunch. The principal and the assistant did agree to implement strategies of active “active engagement” to create an environment of active, productive learning whenever they have staff meetings over a duration of six weeks. During that period, they modeled for teachers how they could effectively implement “active engagement” strategies in their classrooms. Additionally, the school administrators also consented to adding an additional technology skill that could enable teachers to further capture the interests of students and enhance their interest and engagement when they are learning. The school administrators therefore implemented pedagogical training for the teachers. Over the six week period, data was collected through observation and documentation of frequency of implementing new strategies within the classrooms during scheduled “administrative teacher observations”. Surveys were also used to collect data where teachers were asked to indicate the value of presentations and activities, perceptions of leadership, frequency of implementing new activities and strategies. The results of the study established that when administrators use modeling, there would be a positive effect on the motivation of teachers and would help in implementing more effective teaching strategies in classrooms. Critique of the Article The article, “The Influence of Effective Leadership on Teaching and Learning”, by Catherine Barrett and Robert Breyer seek to determine how “modeling instructional strategies by principals influence teachers’ implementation of stra...