Important Competencies for the Selection of Effective School Leaders:

Principals’ Perceptions

Arturo J. CavazosMartha N. Ovando

The University of Texas at Austin

Paper Presented at the 2012 University Council of Educational Administration: The Future is our: Leadership Matters

November 15-18Denver, Colorado

Introduction

Public Education has been under increased scrutiny since the passage of accountability laws accentuating the responsibilities for all educators, including principals.

The accountability standards for public schools and the changes in student demographics make the job of the principal more complex and demanding.

As a result, the selection of effective school principals has become critical to enhance student achievement

Previous research on competencies of effective principals have focused on superintendents’ perspectives (Rammer, 2007).

Few have focused on which competencies are important for the selection of campus leaders from the principals’ perspective within schools serving majority Hispanic students.

Purpose of the Study

To examine which competencies are important for the selection of school principals along the Texas-Mexico border, from the principals’ perspective, how these are assessed during the selection process, and whether differences exist by campus level: elementary, middle, and high school.

Research Questions

1. What do principals perceive to be important competencies in the selection of an effective school leader?

2. How were the competencies of effective school principals assessed during the selection process?

3. What are the differences in the importance of the competencies by campus level: elementary, middle school, high schools?

Methodology

Quantitative Survey Research

Sample SelectionCampusesParticipating principals

Instrumentation

Data Analysis

Campus Data and Demographics

Demographic N= 100Campus level

Elementary school 39Middle school 33High school 27K-12 1

Student enrollment

251–500 11501–1,000 671,001–1,500 41,501+ 18

Proportion of Hispanic students

51–90% 3691%+ 64

Participant Profile

Demographic nGender

Female 64Male 36

EthnicityHispanic 63White 34Black 2Other 1

Tenure as principal1–3 years 94–7 years 378–10 years 1511–15 years 1915+ years 20

Important competencies in the selection of an effective school leader.

Competency MCommunication 4.85Visibility 4.82Culture 4.73Focus 4.73Involvement in curriculum, instruction, and assessment 4.73

Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment 4.71

Resources 4.66Ideals/beliefs 4.64Outreach 4.64Monitoring/evaluating 4.62Input 4.62Situational awareness 4.60Discipline 4.59Affirmation 4.57Order 4.57Flexibility 4.56Relationships 4.52Optimizer 4.48Change agent 4.47Intellectual stimulation 4.43Contingent rewards 4.41

Additional Competencies

Competency DefinitionsData-driven decision making

“Is able to analyze campus test data and determine instructional gaps for goal setting and targeting.”

“Knowledge and skill to interpret and make changes based on data collected.”

“Finding a way to reach a goal without looking for excuses”

Finance “Principal has a working knowledge of budget.”

Knowledge about special needs

“Understands programs including Special Ed, Bilingual, Gifted and Talented, Migrant, At Risk, etc.”

Loyalty No definition givenEthics “Holds her/himself to a high level of professional

standards of conduct.”

Triage partnering “Student, parent, school partnering in instructional program.”

Professional development “Is able to determine professional development needs based on data analysis.”

Balance “Ability to keep work and personal life in equal increments.”

Assessing competencies of effective principals assessed during the selection process.

CompetencyApplication

Presentation at interview

Interview with committee

Interview with superintendent or

designeeNot

assessedn % n % n % n % n %

Communication 14 15.4 30 33.0 72 79.1 47 51.6 4 4.4

Visibility 7 8.2 20 23.5 51 60.0 31 36.5 19 22.4Focus 14 15.6 26 28.9 67 74.4 42 46.7 6 6.7Involvement in curriculum, instruction, and assessment

13 14.4 27 30.0 56 62.2 40 44.4 15 16.7

Culture 10 10.9 23 25.0 68 73.9 44 47.8 10 10.9Resources 5 6.0 18 21.7 46 55.4 27 32.5 24 28.9Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment

13 14.6 26 29.2 64 71.9 42 47.2 6 6.7

Outreach 9 11.0 16 19.5 52 63.4 41 50.0 13 15.9Monitoring and evaluating 9 10.6 21 24.7 51 60.0 35 41.2 19 22.4

Situational awareness 6 7.2 15 18.1 42 50.6 27 32.5 27 32.5

Ideals/beliefs 15 16.9 22 24.7 67 75.3 42 47.2 8 9.0Discipline 9 10.5 13 15.1 50 58.1 30 34.9 21 24.4Input 9 10.0 24 26.7 61 67.8 32 35.6 11 12.2Order 9 10.8 16 19.3 51 61.4 32 38.6 19 22.9Affirmation 22 24.4 24 26.7 53 58.9 35 38.9 19 21.1Flexibility 8 9.3 19 22.1 51 59.3 34 39.5 18 20.9Relationships 7 8.4 18 21.7 41 49.4 29 34.9 28 33.7Optimizer 9 11.1 19 23.5 39 48.1 33 40.7 27 33.3Contingent rewards 12 14.8 16 19.8 40 49.4 29 35.8 27 33.3

Intellectual stimulation 9 10.8 18 21.7 39 47.0 24 28.9 30 36.1

Change agent 12 13.5 19 21.3 60 67.4 38 42.7 11 12.4

Additional Forms of Assessments

Other competencies were assessed using different methods. For example:

A Gallup Survey Reference checks Experience in the district Familiarity with the district

Differences in the importance of the competencies by campus level: elementary, middle, and high school.

CompetencyElementary Middle High

M M MCommunication 4.86 4.85 4.86Visibility 4.75 4.81 4.95Focus 4.75 4.69 4.86Involvement in curriculum, instruction, and assessment 4.75 4.73 4.81

Culture 4.82 4.65 4.71Resources 4.75 4.69 4.71Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment 4.71 4.81 4.71

Outreach 4.68 4.62 4.81Monitoring and evaluating 4.71 4.73 4.62

Situational awareness 4.57 4.54 4.76Ideals/beliefs 4.64 4.58 4.81Discipline 4.50 4.65 4.67Input 4.57 4.54 4.81Order 4.64 4.54 4.57Affirmation 4.61 4.58 4.43Flexibility 4.61 4.54 4.62Relationships 4.64 4.27 4.52Optimizer 4.54 4.46 4.62Contingent rewards 4.43 4.23 4.57Intellectual stimulation 4.43 4.50 4.52Change agent 4.43 4.50 4.38

Conclusions • All the identified competencies are endorsed as important

for the selection of effective principals

• Communication is the most important competency to consider in selecting a principal serving in predominantly Hispanic schools at any campus levels

• Data-driven decision making is an emerging competency to consider when selecting principals along the Texas-Mexico border.

• Assessment of competencies tends to rely mostly on interviews with a committee and interviews with the superintendent or designee

Implications

Practice

School districts should determine the competencies that are relevant and important for principals serving in a specific school context.

Human resource managers must identify and employ the most effective methods for assessing the competencies.

Professional development initiatives should address the gaps in competencies of current principals.

Implications (Cont.)

Aspiring principal candidates could complete a self assessment and use the results to address any gaps in their preparation.

Principal preparation programs should conduct assessment centers to identify candidate competencies and address their needs through curriculum or individualized development plans.

Future Research Focus on principals’ competencies in areas

other than the Texas-Mexico border.

Determine similarities and differences relevant to gender or size of campus.

Include face to face interviews with select principals in a specific district.

Employ an inductive approach to identifying the emerging critical competencies given the current accountability context.

Closure

Equity and excellence in education for all students demand an effective school principal for each and every campus. When the assessment of competencies correlated with effective school principals becomes an integral part of the selection process in all districts across the country, academic achievement should expand exponentially for all children.

Thank You