Nearby me, a local, public, elementary school is shifting to a community leadership model instead of hiring a new principal. I am almost tempted to not write another word, because that statement is provocative enough.
The Reiche Community School is a complex place with over 25 languages spoken and a history of experimentation. It’s hard to imagine one person who would be dynamic enough to adequately understand all the perspectives of the stakeholders involved in a place like this. As an urban school, the community is used to coming together to address challenges, and I think this prepares them well for this new system of decision-making and accountability.
Questions I have after reading the article are: how is the parent and district rep chosen? Could they go farther in creating a democratic structure for representational government in the school? What kind of leadership development support will be offered to this team? Will only the lead teachers be paid in this leadership team? If so, why not pay the other members of the team for their time as well? How are students involved?
What are your thoughts? Are principals necessary? Are they better suited in some cases than in others? Would you even be willing to try a community leadership model such as this at your school?