Teachers and curriculum coaches often express the vital role principals and other school leaders have on curriculum implementation, in this article with share some reasons why it is that way.
Teachers and coaches who feel that the principal is into the curriculum together are subject to more robust implementation.
When a school implements a new curriculum, much support comes from the passion that leaders conveyed about the learning the school is undertaking. The preparation meetings that are arranged, the teamwork and the support the faculty gets plays a key role in the implementation process.
- It is important that the principal addresses teachers’ anxiety about the change, and assures that they would work together and that continuous improvement mattered, not perfection. Lowering the cost of making mistakes and providing safe spaces for teachers to experiment, creates an environment in which teachers are relaxed and express openness to learning new ways of instruction.
- Principals should act as the ‘lead learner’ rather than the ‘lead evaluator’, checking in and out the classroom for the purpose of learning and growing themselves as to how teachers are doing. Teachers will appreciate and praise such visits and the message they will get is “I’m too spending time to learn about this new curriculum and teaching directives”.