Effective Principal Qualities: 10 Traits to Have

If you discover a highly successful school, undoubtedly, you will find a high-performing principal at the helm with these 10 effective principal qualities. A principal influences each student, teacher, staff member, and parent through their leadership.

Principal effectiveness has been shown to have a significant impact on learning. When accounting for all school factors, principals have the second most significant impact on student achievement, trailing only the quality of teacher instruction (Stronge and Xu). In schools with an effective principal, student achievement is equivalent to two or more months of extra learning in a year (Xu). Consequently, ineffective principals have a significant and negative impact on student achievement.

The role of a principal is wide-ranging and demanding. Principals are responsible for all aspects of the school operation, including:

• School climate

• Student achievement

• Student supervision

• Human resources

• Parent / community relations

• School finance

• Discipline

• District responsibilities

The average principal spends 59 hours a week working. With the wide range of responsibilities, the role requires a strong leader in order to be effective. Although there are many effective principal qualities to consider, below are what we believe are the ten most important qualities.

10 Effective Principal Qualities

1. Standard Bearer for the School Mission

Championing the school mission is an important quality of an effective principal as they should work with the school community to create, refine, and articulate a vision and mission of excellence for all. The principal is responsible for modeling the behavior necessary to achieve the mission, demonstrating integrity and perseverance through challenges and humility in success. They should keep the vision at the forefront of the work, continually elevating it and insisting on continued work toward its fulfillment.

2. Equity Crusader

The school is not a place only for those students that easily find success within the traditional setting. An effective principal understands that all means all and is unrelenting in the pursuit of behaviors and practices that support each student’s success.

Effective principals should not shy away from confronting policies and practices that obstruct the success of individual students or student groups. In fact, they should actively seek out and disrupt structures and practices that have historically limited the success of particular student groups.

Effective principals instill or reinforce the belief of teachers that all students are capable of learning at high levels. Being an equity crusader includes the creation of a school climate that is safe and welcoming to all. This includes representation and culturally responsive pedagogy to ensure that everyone in the school has a voice and is valued.

3. Instructionally Focused

An institution of learning, the effective principal should have a deep understanding of quality instruction and assessment practices. Effective principals should use their understanding to create a relentless focus on teaching and learning, holding themselves and the teachers accountable for providing high-quality instruction for students every day.

Teacher observation, student data, and coaching are critical tools for the effective principal. They should use these tools to support continuous improvement of instructional practice and ensure student success. Effective principals attract and retain strong teachers and help ineffective teachers improve, or transition to other vocations.

4. Communicator

Effective principals should also be excellent communicators. They need to be able to clearly communicate thoughts verbally and through writing as well as telling stories to illustrate the successes and challenges of the school in order to build support and create energy for continuous improvement.

Most importantly, effective principals should be good communicators through listening. They should be interested in and attentive to the experiences, strengths and opportunities of each individual at the school.

5. Change Agent

Like the surface of an ocean, a school is an ever-changing environment. An effective principal should be a change agent, elevating and leveraging the moral purpose of the school to create an environment of inquiry and continuous improvement. An effective principal embraces challenges and understands that problems are opportunities for substantial growth and lasting improvement. As a change agent, an effective principal is adept at taking on challenges and forging coherence out of ambiguity, creating and sharing knowledge that will support the learning for teachers and students.

6. Strategic Thinkers

Effective principals should also thoughtfully work to predict and understand future circumstances and context. They seek to understand the connections between initiatives and the numerous ways, both intended and unintended, that considered actions will impact individuals and the organization as a whole. Effective principals proactively arrange people and plan school actions to support the achievement of the mission in the most efficient and effective manner.

7. Process Oriented, Effective Manager

The importance of being a good manager is not always elevated to the level it deserves. In addition to being a strong instructional leader, an effective school principal should be process oriented and an effective manager.

Effective principals understand that order and structure create stability and predictability within the school. This includes student behavior expectations that maintain a safe and orderly environment as well as processes and practices for emergency response, staff absences, and general workplace expectations.

An effective principal understands that managing the operation of the school takes energy and work. Similar to classroom management, investing time to proactively manage the school will prevent many reactive problems and crises later. This proactivity saves time which can be reallocated to leading teaching and learning.

8. Collaborator

The effective principal, while possessing expertise in teaching, learning, assessment, and school operations, understands that collaboration is key to organizational effectiveness. By creating structures and support for systemic collaboration and professional learning, effective principals share leadership and foster the growth of leaders within the school.

9. Reflective Learner

Effective principals also understand that they are always in the process of becoming the next, improved version of themselves. They are continually exploring and learning about new instructional practices, educational research, and leadership. They should also be perpetually curious about students and staff, school practices and their own actions. They are reflective people who take time to regularly ask themselves and others questions to promote deeper thought. Effective principals share the learning mindset with the school team, stimulating learning and growth throughout the school.

10. Relationship Builder

Of course, none of the qualities above are effective without relationships. Therefore, relationship building is one of the most important effective principal qualities. Building relationships requires establishing trust and exhibiting positive regard for others. Relationship building requires a genuine interest in the lives of others. A positive relationship is full of high expectations, provides grace for mistakes and accountability for actions. An effective principal sees the potential in students and staff and is a partner in achieving their goals.

Conclusion

Being a principal is a great responsibility with many demands. To successfully lead a school in achieving the important and momentous mission of educating all students, there are many effective principal qualities that include both adaptive and technical skills. The effective principal leverages adaptive skills to create a climate and culture that changes mindsets and thinking. They insist on learning for all and are persistent in supporting the belief that all children can learn and achieve at high levels. At the same time, the effective principal should employ technical skills to lead the school forward. They should be an effective manager that establishes systems and processes for collaboration and the operation of the school.

While the teacher has the greatest impact on student achievement, effective teachers need the leadership and support of an effective principal. An effective principal retains the best teachers and has a significant impact on the learning of all students. Wherever you find a high performing school with high performing teachers, you will find an effective principal leading, supporting, and serving them.