Journal Reviews 1

Professional Journal Reviews

EDA 5600

Linda M. Morford

Fall 2005

Eastern Illinois University

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to summarize and critique three articles from professional journals

in educational administration. The first article provides five practical suggestions for principals

interested in achieving a quality early childhood education program. The second article

introduces a framework to guide schools to meaningful school improvement. Article three offers

principals practical advice on how to deal with school politics.

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Professional Journal Reviews

Principals are always looking for good advice for improving the quality of their schools.

Professional journals are an excellent source for information. In this paper, three articles from

professional journals in educational administration are summarized and critiqued for the reader.

Summary of Article 1: Five Ways to Achieve Quality Early Childhood Education

In her article Five Ways to Achieve Quality Early Childhood Education, Polly Greenberg

(2005) outlines what educators and researches have known for years. First of all, young children

do better in “affectionate, approving” environments. Two, young children thrive on practicing

and mastering physical skills and feats. Three, young children have a lot to learn about social

behavior.

In order to fulfill these needs, Greenberg (2005), a specialist in early childhood education,

suggests that principals:

1. “Value teachers who are warm and encouraging” (p. 28).

2. “Make it a policy that all children in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and primary classes

have generous amounts of outdoor playtime and physical fitness adventures” (p. 28).

3. “Expect teachers to help children problem-solve when personal difficulties arise” (p. 28).

4. “Support teachers in making literacy, math, and other academic experiences meaningful

and fun for children” (p. 29).

5. “In all ways, support your early childhood teachers” (p.29).

Greenberg (2005) also suggests that teachers need to pay as much attention to a child’s

strengths as they do to the child’s weaknesses. She also recommends that teachers helps students

“learn to share, take turns, see situations from perspectives other than their own” (p. 29). Most
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importantly, Greenberg feels that principals need to place much more value on the importance of

early childhood education.

The article also included a list of web resources for principals. Web sites were provided for

National Association of Young Children and the National Association of Elementary Principals.

Scholastic also offers websites to help early childhood educators.

Critique of Article 1

This article provides excellent suggestions for improving the quality of early childhood

education. Each of the recommendations is clearly explained for principals. Greenberg (2005)

also outlines the importance of each of these suggestions.

Although each of the recommendations is very valuable, Greenberg (2005) does not address

implementation issues. For example, how does a principal go about hiring teachers that are

warm and encouraging? What are key things a principal should look for in hiring an early

childhood teacher? In terms of expecting teachers to help children problem-solve when facing

personal difficulties, what type of staff-development would be most useful for building these

skills in early childhood teachers? It would be beneficial to see a list of some professional

development resources to assist principals with this.

Greenberg (2005) does not provide any information about the research base used to develop

her suggestions. NCLB is very clear about all school improvement programs being research

based. Greenberg’s article would be strengthened by the addition of this information.

It would also be helpful to see a list of successful programs principals could contact for

information. These suggestions are useful, but actually implementing these recommendations

may be difficult. Providing examples of programs implementing these suggestions would be

helpful for principals striving to provide quality early childhood programs.

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Summary Article #2: There Is a Crisis! And Failure Is Not an Option

David Tobergate and Shirley Curtis (2002) clearly feel that American schools are in a crisis.

They state that the “educational system is failing the children” (¶ 1). Through experience,

research, and observation, Tobergate and Curtis developed a framework to guide principals in

the school improvement process.

Tobergate and Curtis (2002) have identified five behaviors in their framework. These

behaviors are:

1. School improvement begins with development of people and the school culture to keep

the organization vibrant and prepared to meet new needs and challenges;

2. Recognizing the need for change;

3. Understanding the change;

4. Building support structures that lead to;

5. Focused, successful, systemic change and long lasting school improvement. (¶ 1)

Tobergate and Curtis (2002) compare the crisis in education to the crisis during Apollo 13.

They cite evidence of this crisis. This included the poor performance of American students on

the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, the fact that millions of high school

students reach their senior year not being able to do basic mathematics, that millions are unable

to read by their senior year, and that college remediation rates are at an all time high.

Although the nation has been committed to reform, Tobergate and Curtis (2002) feel that no

significant change has occurred. They cite many reasons for this. One is that schools do not

provide the support, time, and resources needed to bring about meaningful change. Expectations

for teachers and students have also been lowered. They also point out that many schools leap

from one idea to another, the Band-Aid approach.

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But Tobergate and Curtis (2002) do feel that there is a way to stop the crisis through their

framework. The focus of the framework is on improving the culture of the school. In order to

do this, schools must identify and understand the culture in the school. Educators need to

recognize the need for change and understand the change process. Schools must build support

structures to support this change. Meaningful school improvement requires a common vision for

the school. Tobergate and Curtis end by saying, “Sometimes schools have to ‘forget the flight

plan… [and] implement a new flight plan.’ Schools however, need to be persistent, set new goals

towards improvement, and proceed through the cycle over and over again” (¶34).

Critique of Article 2

Tobergate and Curtis (2002) present some great ideas for improving schools. They recognize

that improving the school culture is the key to improving student achievement. Their framework

provides educators with keys to improving that culture.

Unfortunately, Tobergate and Curtis (2002) do not provide strategies for accomplishing these

ideas. How does one go about developing people? What can principals do to keep the

organization vibrant and prepared to meet new challenges? How would the authors suggest that

school leaders help educators understand the need for change and understand the change process,

particularly as it applies to schools? Schools are complex organizations and what works in one

school may not work in another, so how does one go about reading a culture and implementing a

change strategy that will work in a school? It would have been very useful to see some practical

strategies listed for accomplishing these tasks. How do you take the rhetoric and turn it into

reality?
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Summary of Article #3: A Principal’s Guide to School Politics

In this article, Piltch and Fredericks (2005) offer practical advice for principals on how to deal

with school politics – and stay out of trouble. Their suggestions come from their experiences as

principals. Piltch and Fredericks focus on how to anticipate and avoid situations involving

political issues. They look at this in terms of dealings with parents, teachers, teacher unions, the

district office, parent organizations, school boards, and community groups.

When dealing with parents and teachers, Piltch and Fredericks (2005) provide several

recommendations for avoiding difficult political situations. They suggest establishing uniform

discipline procedures and following them. With teachers, meet with teachers frequently to

identify problems; visit classrooms often so a principal knows what is going on in the classroom;

handle teacher problems privately; make sure teachers understand that they should never leave a

classroom unsupervised and should never meet alone with a child outside of the normal

classroom setting during school hours; and ensure that teachers are trained in district policies and

procedures.

According to Piltch and Fredericks (2005), it is critical to keep union leaders informed of

changes. They also suggest gaining “the trust of union leaders by being honest with them and

involving them in discussions of new programs and current problems” (p. 13). Piltch and

Fredericks also recommend meeting once a month with the teachers’ union to keep them

informed. For weak teachers needing corrective action, they recommend working with the union

to develop the corrective action plans.

Developing a good relationship with the district office is critical. Piltch and Fredericks

(2005) suggest that principals make sure and read all memos carefully, respond to all central

office communication in a timely manner, and clarify any questions they have with their
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superintendents. Most importantly, notify the superintendent when there is an emergency. There

should not be any surprises.

In terms of working with parent organizations and community groups, Piltch and Fredericks

(2005) recommend that principals get involved in these organizations, keep them informed, and

pay attention to their concerns. With school boards, watch out for school board members with

hidden agendas and don’t offend a school board member.

Piltch and Fredericks (2005) offer some universal suggestions on how to deal with school

politics. These included being honest, being aware of what various constituencies feel about the

school, maintaining an open-door policy, designating someone to act in the principal’s absence if

he/she needs to leave the building, notifying appropriate constituencies when there is a crisis, and

encouraging all “to seek out all the facts, separating out political implications, before jumping to

conclusion on any issue” (p. 14). Finally, Piltch and Fredericks recommend leading by example.

Critique of Article 3

Piltch and Fredericks (2005) provide some excellent suggestions for dealing with politics in

the school setting. This article is very helpful for all administrators, not just principals. It would

also be useful for teachers to read this article. Lots of political problems in schools begin with

teachers, and this article would be beneficial for them as well.

Both authors are experienced principals who have dealt with these issues during their careers.

Unfortunately, many principals learn from their mistakes, but this article can help principals

avoid these political potholes. Their advice really boils down to three practices: communicate,

listen, and do what’s in the best interest of children.

What Piltch and Fredericks (2005) fail to do is address those political situations principals

face involving irrational people. How should principals handle irate parents, students, and
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community members? What should a principal do when he/she has a boss that is not

professional? The article could be improved by addressing these situations.

Conclusion

This paper summarized and critiqued three articles from professional journals in educational

administration. The suggestions from these authors were very useful for principals, but lacked

some of the practical strategies needed to implement these ideas. Overall, the articles are good

starting points for principals interested in these issues.

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References

Greenberg, P. (2005). Five ways to achieve quality early childhood education [Electronic

Version]. Principal, 85, 1, 26-29.

Piltch, B., & Fredericks, R. (2005). A principal’s guide to school politics. Principal, 84, 3,

10-14.

Tobergate, D., & Curtis, S. (2002). There is a crisis! And failure is not an option. Education,

122, 4. Retrieved on August 15, 2005 from EBSCO Academic Search Elite database.
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Appendix