The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student Research

Fall 2007

What Will It Take To Have An Effective Campus?

National Implications

Katina Thomas
Master’s Student in Educational Administration
The Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View, Texas
Department Chair of Language Arts
Houston Independent School District
Houston, Texas

William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

Professor and Faculty Mentor
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
The Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
Prairie View A&M University
Member of the Texas A&M University System
Visiting Lecturer (2005)
Oxford Round Table
University of Oxford, Oxford, England
Distinguished Alumnus (2004)
College of Education and Professional Studies
Central Washington University

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ABSTRACT

This article addresses several strategies facing principals at large in urban school
district. Principals are demoted or replacement due to students low test scores, and
principals are trying to figure how to create an effective campus. What will it take
to have an effective campus?
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 Introduction

When a campus receives a rating of ‘Recognized’ or ‘Exemplary,’ this rating is all

individuals on the outside see. What is takes to get there, is the question principals are
facing.

Purpose of the Article

The purpose of the article is to suggest strategies on how principals should obtain
and maintain an effective campus.

Effective Principals and His/Her Campus

1. Effective principals can obtain and maintain effective campuses by do more than
listening to their teachers. Effective principals show that they value his/her
teacher’s decisions by allowing teachers to be a part of the decisions being made
concerning student achievement. Since the teacher is the individual that spends
the most time with students, teachers have a better insight on how to get students
where they need to be. Although the principal is the leader of the campus and has
a specific goal in mind, principals become effective when they are willing to
modify his/her plan to meet the ultimate goal: Success.

2. Effect principals can obtain and maintain effective campuses by promoting from
within campus: Although ‘new ideas’ are good, effective principals promote
certified individuals into certified positions. When promotion is within the
campus, these individuals already know the campus policies, procedures, staff,
students, community and most important, the schools vision and what needs to be
done to make it happen.

3. Effective principals obtain and maintain effective campuses by building moral

and relationships with teachers. First of all, principals should remember that they
were once teachers as well, and although a campuses number one goal focuses
around students success, there is only one way to accomplish this goal; by
supporting the teacher’s needs. When a teacher has materials needed, receives
consistent support from administration and other support staff and know they
input is valued, it is more than likely these teachers will go into the classroom full
force every day.

4. Effective principals ‘love his kids (students).’ Principals are educators, and as an
educator, principals know that every child comes on his/her campus with
‘luggage.’ There is no perfect school. It shouldn’t matter if little Johnny smells
like he hasn’t taken a bath in two weeks. We don’t know what little Johnny’s
situation is, and all it make take is for one person to change Johnny’s life.

5. Effective principals are the first to arrive and last to leave. Although there are
tasks that are delegated to other campus administrators, effective principals know
 the start and end of a project. They may not be aware of what it took to get to the
end result (micromanaging), but they are not surprised when if conflict arises.

6. Effective principals involve his/her parents and know his/her community. If a

principal is over a school in a low income area, this usually means that there is
one parent, there may be more than more two children in the home, or
grandparents may be raising the children or there may even be foster children
attending his/her campus. With this in mind, when an event is taking place at the
school which is geared toward parent involvement, the principal should send
notices in more than one aspect (phone, letter in mail, letter home with students,
etc.) and in ample about of time of these particular people to make arrangements
to attend. In this type of community, notice should be well within a week or two,
not a day or two. Reaching out to the parents is an important part of obtaining
and maintaining an effective campus, more should be done to make sure parents
are actually involved.

7. Effective principals obtain and maintain effective campuses by promoting

meaningful outside learning activities (field trips). The textbook is not the only
and best source of education. Most students lack background because of lack of
exposure. Again, knowing the community. Low income communities more than
likely means limited home exposure. School is the only connection to the ‘real
world’ that students have.

8. Effective principals obtain and maintain effective campuses by promoting

professional development. Principals should stop looking at professional
development as an inconvenience and start to be open to teachers attending
professional development because it benefits the campus. Principals should have
those teachers that attend professional development present the information
(depending on the content) to the school as a whole.

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, the purpose of the article was to suggest to principals strategies in

which they can obtain and maintain effective campuses. Most principals may say that
they know all of this information. However, when you walk onto a campus, none of the
eight suggestions are taking place. There is no promotion from within because the
principal has hired all of his friends. Teacher’s ideas are noted on paper, and are never
put into action. There is not one single fieldtrip schedule unless it is for the magnet
students, and the list continues. The result begins with low student test score and
continues with high teacher and staff turnover. When principals are filling the same
positions year after year, that is like starting a new school because you have to start from
the beginning. These suggestions should be carefully considered if principals want the
ultimate result: Exemplary.