How Principals Can Elevate School Success and Student Well-Being

The quality of education can be improved by well-qualified teachers providing learning in schools and the dedication of these teachers is certainly dependent on the principal who hires them using their skills that overall nurture a quality learning environment. A principal should have a positive attitude, be visionary, enthusiastic, and always ready to take the challenge to run the school system seamlessly. 

Just as parents play an important role in guiding and nurturing their family, making important decisions for the well-being of their children, the Principal of a school also partakes in a similar role by mapping out rules and creating a disciplined environment for the smooth operation. They have the authority and vision to elevate the school by guiding students to progress and driving the institution to new heights. 

In her powerful TED talk, Linda Cliatt shared her experience as a principal and emphasized the role of an educational leader. She pointed out that as an educational leader, the principal has to hold the command in front, they have to lead actively. The whole school is their responsibility and hence challenges should be confronted with grace and the needs of the students must be prioritised above all. What we can observe from Cliatt’s message is simple: a principal must be unafraid to address the issues that negatively affect their students, and the commitment to do the best for the students must be paramount.

Educational Leadership requires courage, dedication, and a relentless focus to lead the team and improve the situations, despite the numerous obstacles you have to face. Undoubtedly principal is the guiding star who leads the school toward a brighter future but can this long journey be accomplished alone? No, they need a team of teachers and staff who are dedicated to the educational success of the institution. Principals must skillfully navigate and harness the diverse thoughts and energies of all teachers and channel them towards a unified goal. Their proactive and influential role ensures that the collective energy and focus of the teaching staff are aligned to foster student success and academic achievement.

What creative actions can a principal take to transform a school? Let's see one by one:

Leading by a vision: What is a Vision? It is the art of seeing a future which is invisible to others. Principals as educational leaders must have the vision to reshape the educational standards as well as fulfilling the needs of the school community. They should have the potential to make decisions, plan strategically, and take responsible steps for the betterment of students. As we know “Vision without action is Delusion”, therefore they must collaborate with the team to turn the vision into reality.

Goal Setting: Small and continuous steps can lead us towards big achievements, for instance, to qualify for an international olympiad students need to have a strong foundation in basic subjects. In such case, the Principal can guide teachers to make the students prepare during the regular classes, by advancing the level of routine book exercise questions. Short-term goal achievement motivates students and boosts their confidence, which encourages them to move towards long-term goals.

Building Relations: School is the second home of students, they need love, care, and support to flourish and this is also crucial for their holistic development. The principal must cultivate a culture that emphasizes love, care, and respect. Michele Freitag in her TED talk highlights that for effective teaching, teachers must have a strong bond with students. They must share their experiences with students, and develop a better understanding to maintain a meaningful connection.

Recognizing Achievement: Undoubtedly, teachers invest countless hours in improving the results of students by tirelessly preparing notes and presentations, planning lessons, preparing tests, and grading assignments. These efforts must be recognized and appreciated to motivate teachers. On the other hand, students also juggle multiple subjects, class tests, complex tasks as well other physical and mental activities which should be noticed and appreciated by teachers, it will boost their self-confidence and renew their energy for work better.

Providing Quality Education: Schools must work on quality education for the overall development of students and to improve their critical thinking skills. Geoffrey Canada, in his TED Talk, pointed out that schools have to change the formula of one size first for all, as each student has their capability and own way of understanding, teachers need to adapt various methods to make students understand the core concepts. Merely completing the syllabus and assigning work is not real teaching. For quality education, principals should provide professional training to teachers and guide them to use innovative instructional strategies. Seminars and workshops should be organized regularly so that both teachers and students can learn various skills.

Engaging with the Community: The principal should connect with the parents and teachers regularly to foster healthy relationships and form a co-working network with better communication between everyone involved. This will allow us to address the queries and present practical solutions, and principals can ensure parents about the safety and well-being of their children.

Strategic Resource Allocation:  Linda Cliatt’s TED talk highlights that schools can be uplifted by strategically planning and utilizing the resources. The principal is responsible for strategic resource allocation and should do so by assessing the needs of the school and prioritizing areas for improvement. They should make firm decisions about fund allocations by analyzing previous data and ensuring that all the school resources are used efficiently to support educational goals for the students.

Adapting to Change:  The school policies and rules should be flexible and need to be changed by the administration according to the needs and also for the betterment of students. Principals should show a positive attitude towards change and always be ready to adapt to it. By providing the latest technological training to teachers, they stay ahead of time, as well as engage teachers, staff, and students in the decision-making process as their insights can lead to new innovative ideas.

Data-Driven Decision Making:  Nick Fuhrman’s Ted Talk mentions that principals should actively guide teachers in the teaching process as well as take continuous feedback from students to look at the areas of improvement. Teachers should be guided regularly to encourage students, appreciate their differences, and celebrate their mistakes.

Prioritising Student Well-Being:  In the educational journey, students face both emotional and mental challenges, at this point, they need proper guidance from teachers and parents. Principals can guide students through conducting seminars and workshops to manage their emotions, which is crucial for children’s physical well-being and to empower their mental strength. In his Ted Talk, Evan Mazunik stressed that specialization and skill building should be considered as starting points, if the children are emotionally healthy then only they can think creatively and innovatively, so schools should focus on the Emotional Quotient rather than the Intelligence quotient. 

Looking at all the great sayings of educators and motivators from their TED talks we can conclude that in shaping the future of the school principals play a significant role, we can't imagine a well-developed and disciplined school. They can only have the power and authority to make decisions for the betterment of students and serve as a key link between teachers and parents. They are instrumental in managing resources, setting educational standards, and creating a supportive environment where every child can flourish. Through effective visionary leadership and insights, they ensure that the goal of education is realised, all the challenges are addressed and students’ personal and academic development is achieved.