Second, we asked them to rate the relative importance of a number of specific possible factors. Finally, we asked them to consider what changes in policy, law, or conditions would be required before they would agree to assume the leadership of a struggling or troubled school. The results of both the open-ended question and the factor rankings indicate that principals believe lack of leadership and vision is the most significant barrier to the implementation of school reform in Washington State. The transitory nature of reform funding, critical to providing teachers with training and planning time, has been detrimental to making necessary changes in the classroom. Principals fear that, without sufficient time for collaboration, planning, team building, and aligning instruction with the EALRs, teachers will be unable to accomplish all that is being asked of them.
Principals also believe that resistance to change on the part of teachers is a significant problem.
It only takes a few teachers in a school to sabotage reform efforts, they say, and the inability of a principal to transfer those teachers out of the building significantly limits the progress that can be made in addressing reform issues. Although principals discussed a wide variety of powers, lines of authority, and changes they would ask for if moved to a low-performing school, two emerged as being significantly more important than any of the others. Control of staffing decisions, including hiring, transfer, and dismissal authority. The state and districts must recognize that there are multiple factors that inhibit school change. Efforts to further the move toward a system based on high standards, clear student learning goals, and accountability must be systemic in nature and multifaceted in approach.