Illinois educator Andrew Jordan, Ed.S., has worked both as a public school teacher and a principal, successfully advocating for and facilitating change in the K-12 system. In his role, he improved his schools’ ratings and students’ test scores and participated on district leadership teams. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Andrew Jordan also belongs to the Illinois Principal Association (IPA).
The IPA’s School Leader Paradigm focuses on areas that build the foundation needed to support learning and achievement, namely school leadership. At its core, the IPA advocates for better leadership in schools, and the School Leader Paradigm seeks to ingrain the idea that school leadership is vital to the success of not only the students, but also the teachers and administrators.
The IPA views leadership from the standpoint of managing a business. While some leadership experts argue against the central role of the leader in making a company great, the IPA believes that leadership is very important, especially in the context of managing a school.
A strong school leader is just as important as a teacher in great classroom instruction in being a force for student achievement. In schools that have the greatest needs (students with low-income backgrounds, low attendance, and graduation rates, and high teacher turnover), leadership is the deciding factor, and research study after research study has found this statement to be true. Furthermore, research supports the assertion that the quality of the support principals provide teachers impacts the educator’s decision to remain at a school.
The IPA’s School Leader Paradigm focuses on areas that build the foundation needed to support learning and achievement, namely school leadership. At its core, the IPA advocates for better leadership in schools, and the School Leader Paradigm seeks to ingrain the idea that school leadership is vital to the success of not only the students, but also the teachers and administrators.
The IPA views leadership from the standpoint of managing a business. While some leadership experts argue against the central role of the leader in making a company great, the IPA believes that leadership is very important, especially in the context of managing a school.
A strong school leader is just as important as a teacher in great classroom instruction in being a force for student achievement. In schools that have the greatest needs (students with low-income backgrounds, low attendance, and graduation rates, and high teacher turnover), leadership is the deciding factor, and research study after research study has found this statement to be true. Furthermore, research supports the assertion that the quality of the support principals provide teachers impacts the educator’s decision to remain at a school.
