In education, at the level of the individual school, it is the school administrator or principal who is key in terms of leadership, school reform, creating and maintaining a secure school environment, involving stakeholders of all kinds in the school, and implementing visionary leadership. The purpose of this brief report is to examine effective strategies used by school administrators in shaping the school culture. It will be argued, as Jason (2000) has suggested, that transformational principals and administrators are needed to increase the efficacy of instruction, socialization, and other interaction processes in increasingly multicultural learning communities.
H.S. Williams (2000) contends that the literature on school effectiveness repeatedly refers to the need for strong principal-centered leadership. The intense interest on the part of educators and scholars in achieving better understanding of the dynamics of school effectiveness points to the principal as a key agent of change, reform, and school transformation. While educational leadership is difficult to define, Williams (2000) suggests that educational leaders (including principals) must fulfill a number of functions that include community leadership, the development of liaisons with key stakeholders, implementation of effective student discipline programs, and the oversight of school improvement or reform efforts.
Williams (2000) examined teachers' perceptions of principal effectiveness in secondary schools nominated for the National Secondary School Recognition Program (NSSRP) via a mail survey employing the Audit of Principal Effectiveness (APE), which was completed by 647 Tennessee teachers. The study revealed that teachers perceived the principal as occupying the most strategic position in the school with respect to both organizational development and change. Competencies in community relations and service, pupil personnel services, pupil control, and p...