School improvement can be achieved through effective leadership. However, the leader cannot accomplish anything alone. Goals are only achieved in the day-to-day combined efforts of all of the adults who share in the operations of a school. This is not simply the sum of the work and efforts, but the complex mathematics of everyone working together. Real school improvement can only be accomplished when the students are able to learn in a safe and nurturing environment. Their safety depends on the climate created by those who dominate that setting, and the confidence, enthusiasm and focus they bring to school. While principals know that relationships are important, they rarely recognize the importance of their role in developing them. They may feel ill equipped to act to ensure that the adults in the school formulate and enjoy the benefits of healthy and productive relationships. Many of the principal's administrative duties, such as evaluation, delegation, and problem solving are full of potential for conflict. A natural adversarial climate often exists between teachers and principals or between support staff and principals. Left to it's natural evolution, schools can become crippled by jealousies, anger, hostility, subversion and malaise. Much time and many talents are wasted. The resulting climate for students is not safe or healthy. Any principal can benefit from a review of staff relations and how the conditions in the school contribute to the effectiveness of the instructional program. A new principal can have the advantage of an early awareness of the potential power of relationships. He or she can then begin the new assignment focused on formulating healthy and productive relationships which will be the most essential element for real school improvement.
About the Author: Jennie Barber is a veteran school administrator with 25 years of experience in the public schools. She served as a principal in both secondary and elementary schools and as a curriculum and staff development specialist in a large Utah school district. Her fascination with school programs and models began early as a high school student in a small Idaho town. Later, she explored her love for innovation as a Master's Fellow in Brigham Young University's Rocky Mountain Center (Supported by the Mott Foundation) in Community Education and Educational Leadership. This early experience provided opportunities for work with at-risk populations and the creation of "her own" school, the success of which she attributes to the bond established with other educational innovation devotees. Her Doctoral work through Nova Southeastern University in curriculum development and systemic change focused primarily on adolescent identity development. This fascination persists. Her final administrative assignment was in a traditional elementary school, just in time to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary. Here she learned about entering an existing school as a new comer, where many long term relationships and traditions were a significant factor in all administrative undertakings. Now retired, she enjoys writing, reading, linguistics, mosaic art and talking, talking, talking. She still dabbles in curriculum and instruction and still designs model school programs as more of an artistic hobby. She calls herself a better "'educational theorist" than "educational practitioner".