Naidu et al. (2008) proclaim that one of the many challenges that faces Principals is that one of creating a school culture that enables effective teaching and learning. A Principal is or is supposed to be a leader of curriculum and learning in his/her school. Mathews and Crow (2003) posit that historically, the concept of Principalship was connected to teaching before it became a separate role. As much as some (if not most) Principals do not do the classroom teaching but their job is highly linked to what happens in the classroom (Hitt & Player, 2017). Naidu et al. (2008) further posit that this is a multi-dimensional role (leader of learning role), and it consist of the following: 1. communicating the school’s mission and vision, 2. managing the curriculum, 3. and promoting a positive learning environment (Chen & Laksana, 2016). Naidu et al. (2008) also suggest that this role of a Principal is in line with the prescripts of instructional leadership. In the next paragraphs I unpack the identities expected in a Principal as a leader of learning in terms of the above presented dimensions.
As asserted earlier on, the Principal is not the only instructional leader in a school. Hence, the proposition made earlier that Principals must share and distribute leadership with other stakeholders is once again emphasised. For a Principal to be an effective leader of learning he/she needs to work in collaboration with all the stakeholders in the school. To substantiate the above point let me borrow from Hitt and Player (2017). They assert that, “principals largely work through others to influence student’s achievement” (Hitt & Player, 2017:3). Chen and Laksana (2016) also suggest that for principals to be effective leaders of curriculum they need to be ‘knowers and experts’ .For a principal to lead curriculum with success they must be familiar with the ins and outs of the curriculum. They must be well versed with the curriculum more than anyone in the school.
Mathews and Crow (2003) posit that vision is very much important as it creates a link between the present and the future. A vision gives the school the sense of direction as to where it is supposed to go, what it aims to achieve going into the future (Hitt & Player, 2017; Naidu et al., 2008). A well-articulated vision is a motivation to the teachers and all the stakeholders (Mathews & Crow, 2003). Naidu et al. (2008) advise that a culture of teaching can only thrive in a school if the members of staff feels that they own the vision. And to achieve that sense of ownership, a principal need to involve all in the building of the vision (Hitt & Player, 2017). This is what Mathews and Crow (2003) refer to as a school’s collective vision. Hitt and Player
(2017) assert that leaders must consistently engage in activities that seek to ensure the fulfilment of the school’s vision.
As a curriculum manager, the principal must know how to create a collaborative learning culture for all in the school (Chen & Laksana, 2016). Chen and Laksana (2016) propose that this can be done through establishing professional learning communities (PLC). A professional learning community is a platform where teachers meet regularly. They meet with the purpose of reflecting and developing their instructional practice (Hitt & Player, 2017; Mathews & Crow, 2003), thus improving the student’s achievement. As pointed out by Balyer, Karatas and Alci (2015), establishing professional learning communities ensures that teachers improve their practise and also impact positively on the students’ outcomes.
However, they (Balyer et al., 2015) note with concern that the principals do not adequately establish the professional learning communities. This emanated from a study that was conducted amongst 12 principals. Although not attempting to refute these findings, it should however be noted that the sample in the said study was too small to have conclusive findings for the principals in general. The principal as a leader of learning must ensure that such platforms exist in a school and are properly managed. By having these platforms, teachers acquire skills and support that would have been impossible to achieve when working alone in isolation (Balyer et al., 2015). Hitt and Player (2017) correctly assert that for leaders to positively impact on student outcomes they need to develop teachers and also themselves. Promotion of positive and conducive learning environment is one of the dimensions of principal’s role as a leader of learning (Naidu et al., 2008; Chen & Laksana, 2016). Mathews and Crow (2003) strongly believe that a principal who want to positively transform the school, need to start by understanding the school’s existing culture. And from there, he/she can be able to change it to be the one that is conducive to learning and teaching. A culture is created by activities and behaviours (Mathews & Crow, 2003). A conducive learning environment and/or culture can among many things be created through a fair distribution of resources (Mathews & Crow, 2003).
To sum up this section that addresses the Principal as the leader of learning, the following points should be emphasised. The Principal is the important figure in a school. Although the Principal is not the sole leader in a school but much of leadership and management of the school rests with the Principal. Principals are or should be leaders of learning. Much of school’s success or failure is dependent in the manner in which they enact their leadership. Amongst the
many things that shape the Principal’s enactment of leadership is the Principal’s personal identities (Hallinger, 2016).