Leading the Change
Six Guidelines for Principals

6—Be a System Leader

(Iowa Core Curriculum Outcome One - “School leaders build and sustain system capacity to implement the Iowa Core Curriculum.”)

Fullan suggests that this is best done by heeding Tim Brighouse’s (2007) booklet which identifies six tasks of leadership:  create energy, build capacity, meet and minimize crises, secure and enhance the environment, seek and chart improvement, and extend the vision of what is possible.

“My message is to do this systemically,” explains Fullan, “inside your own school, in relation to other schools, and for the system as a whole.”  Fullan believes that isolation can undercut the success of even the best schools, and that system leaders understand that sustainability in the long run is more important than short-term success.

Collaborating with area education agencies is important, and schools also need to ask themselves how they can unite regionally to provide resources that one district alone may not be able to provide.  For example, bringing in a thought-provoking speaker may be cost prohibitive for one district, but when a conference bands together, the expense of an outside “expert” who stimulates thinking is affordable.  The key part is to use that speaker to forward the work of the system with well-planned staff development that uses the message to impact the classroom level.  Measuring the impact on student achievement is also key.