Seemingly every year, principals have a new initiative that they ask (or tell) teachers to get on board with鈥攐r at least that鈥檚 how it can feel.
Change in schools is hard, and has the potential to sour teachers鈥� relationships with their principal if new programs and initiatives are not implemented well. And the success of new school programs and initiatives hinges on teachers鈥� willing participation and buy-in, experts say.
鈥淎dministrators don鈥檛 have a lot in their tool kit in terms of what they鈥檙e able to really do to change teachers鈥� behaviors,鈥� said Christopher Redding, an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Florida. 鈥淚t鈥檚 often relying on their commitment to adopt new practices for teachers to feel like it鈥檚 worthwhile. ... [Getting buy-in] is really pivotal for bringing any new practice into schools.鈥�
If teachers are not on board, some might close their doors and stick to business as usual, he said, which could sink a new initiative. Redding has studied teacher participation in school improvement, and found that when teachers are involved in the design process of a new school program, there is more buy-in among the entire staff.
鈥淚 think the problem is, that鈥檚 not often how reforms are implemented within schools,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ften it鈥檚 administrators in a position where they鈥檙e faced with district or state mandates and having to explain, justify, or whatever it might be to their teachers about why this is going to be a new practice that鈥檚 going to be adopted in their school this year.鈥�
And that can be a tough sell, educators say.
鈥淚 think in many cases, teachers tend to be somewhat suspicious of new initiatives. ... An initiative is sometimes perceived as being critical of what teachers have done and what has worked for them,鈥� said David Bosso, a 23-year social studies teacher at Berlin High School in Berlin, Conn. 鈥淔airly or unfairly, it calls into question what they know and who they are鈥攊t gets right into their own perception of professional identity.鈥�
So how can principals foster meaningful buy-in among their school鈥檚 staff? 91制片厂视频 Week asked Bosso and three other veteran teachers for their advice.
Don鈥檛 come to a new school and immediately make changes.
鈥淚 think the wrong way to get buy-in is to, early on, just stand up in front of the staff and say, 鈥楾his is what we鈥檙e going to do,鈥� to ignore what already exists, and to just plow forward as if change needs to happen,鈥� said Laura Bradley, a 26-year English teacher at Kenilworth Junior High in Petaluma, Calif.
For example, when Bradley鈥檚 first principal started at a new school, the only changes she made in the first year were to the landscaping. The principal spent the whole first year listening to teachers and observing the school鈥檚 culture.
After all, principals shouldn鈥檛 try to implement something that worked at their old school and expect it to go perfectly, said Jeff Baxter, a 30-year English teacher at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kan.
鈥淪chools have cultures, both with their students and with their teachers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have a good sense of that: The same thing doesn鈥檛 fit every place.鈥�
Do consider what鈥檚 already working well.
鈥淓verything isn鈥檛 broken,鈥� said Monica Washington, an instructional coach at BetterLesson, an online lesson-sharing site, who taught for 19 years in Tennessee and Texas. 鈥淎dministrators have to start with that and find out鈥攚hat do you like about what you鈥檙e already doing?鈥�
Even if the teachers can鈥檛 keep doing what they鈥檙e already doing, Washington said principals could pull out successful elements of an established program and incorporate them into a new initiative.
That philosophy is also useful when the principal is working under a district or state mandate, Bradley said.
鈥淥ne of the best things I鈥檝e seen a principal do is to say, 鈥楾his is what we鈥檙e being told we need to do, but first, let鈥檚 identify what we鈥檙e already doing that matches this initiative,鈥� 鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 recognizing that your teachers are probably doing a really good job, and they don鈥檛 have to completely start over.鈥�
Don鈥檛 ignore the veteran teachers.
Sometimes, veteran teachers are considered cynical and slow to get on board with new programs, said Washington, who was the 2014 Texas Teacher of the Year.
But those are the teachers who principals should tap for advice and to hear their insights, she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to get a newer, fresh teacher who just came in the building a year ago on board with something鈥攖hey don鈥檛 have the experience to know how it might affect students or how it might affect them,鈥� Washington said. 鈥淭hose veteran teachers have a lot of wisdom and discernment and even sometimes have been there longer than the principal. ... They鈥檝e been there for the [school鈥檚] changes, and that鈥檚 a level of experience that shouldn鈥檛 be pushed aside.鈥�
And teachers say that the longtimers in the building can often get the rest of the staff on board with new programs.
鈥淭he worst thing [principals] can do is ignore the fact that [some] teachers have been there from the beginning, and they know how the school works well, and a lot of them have established some pretty powerful programs and good reputations,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淎 good principal would seek to understand and honor that.鈥�
Do prioritize building relationships with teachers.
鈥淚f teachers are going to be asked to do new things and take risks and be innovative, there has to be a level of trust, and that trust can only be developed in a culture where relationships are nurtured,鈥� said Bosso, who was the 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
Principals can build strong relationships with their staff by being respectful, supportive, and by trusting teachers as professionals, he said.
Baxter, who was the 2014 Kansas Teacher of the Year, said one of the best principals he had encouraged an open dialogue among teachers and students at the school. Everyone felt valued, and it set a positive tone for the school year, Baxter said.
On the other hand, he once worked for a principal who abruptly began demanding teachers hand in all their lesson plans at the start of every week, which left teachers feeling micromanaged.
鈥淚t changed the whole tone of the school,鈥� he said. 鈥淭eaching is difficult enough without feeling like you鈥檙e not respected.鈥�
Don鈥檛 get too cocky.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a fine line between being a leader and being a boss,鈥� Bosso said.
Teachers tend to respect and get on board with a principal who鈥檚 authentic, rather than someone who is 鈥渙verly ambitious and looking to please the people who are above him or her,鈥� he said.
And the principal shouldn鈥檛 issue mandates from his or her office, teachers say. Instead, a principal should be doing the hard work alongside their staff.
鈥淚n my opinion, the principal and assistant principal鈥攖heir time is no more important than say, a teacher鈥檚 time,鈥� Bosso said. 鈥淭hey shouldn鈥檛 ask the teacher to do something they themselves wouldn鈥檛 do.鈥�
For example, Bradley said when her current principal first came to her school as an assistant principal, he noticed that teachers didn鈥檛 have a convenient place to store their bags with emergency supplies. He personally installed a hook by the door in every classroom for teachers to hang their bags.
鈥淚t seems like a little thing, but teachers can lose their minds over the little things that are not functioning well,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淚 can see the bigger picture鈥攖hat鈥檚 a way for him to get into every classroom, to chat with the teachers, to find out what else they need.鈥�
Do get out of your office.
Principals have a lot of demands for their time and attention that aren鈥檛 central to teaching and learning鈥攂ut teachers say the more time they spend outside of their office and interacting with teachers and students, the easier it is to create an atmosphere of trust.
Bradley said the most effective principals she has had were always giving high fives to students and chatting with them during breaks and lunch.
Building relationships with students 鈥渋s what we鈥檙e supposed to be doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 a principal who doesn鈥檛 do that, yet knows that teachers should be doing it, it doesn鈥檛 feel like we鈥檙e honoring the same thing. It makes such a difference for our work in the classroom if we know that administrators know the students, and when we talk to them about a student, for them to say, 鈥榊ep, I know that kid, I鈥檝e seen him in the yard, and I know the kind of support that he needs.鈥� 鈥�
And Baxter said principals should be on the ground, working alongside their staff.
鈥淚f they are making decisions in the best interest of students as they should, they will be working as a team with their teachers,鈥� he said.
Don鈥檛 ignore teachers鈥� suggestions and input.
"[Principals] need to be open to what the teachers can share,鈥� Baxter said. 鈥淭hey need to be really good listeners.鈥�
Creating a space for an honest, respectful conversation where both sides can voice concerns and share their opinions is key, he said.
And even if principals can鈥檛 implement every suggestion, Washington said it鈥檚 still important to 鈥済ive teachers the why鈥� and explain to them the reasons behind certain decisions.
鈥淥nce teachers know that鈥檚 important to an administrator, that they are listening and are willing to follow up and follow through, even if that new thing is not something that [teachers] would have picked or chosen for themselves, they鈥檙e more likely to buy into it because the effort was there,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou just feel mute when you don鈥檛 feel heard.鈥�
Do tap teacher-leaders to pilot a new initiative before rolling it out to the rest of the staff.
Teachers may be skeptical of a company representative touting a new program or initiative that hasn鈥檛 been tested in their school. But when a trusted colleague can vouch for the change, it makes it easier to get on board, teachers say.
鈥淲hen you have someone who鈥檚 your peer actually try something, pilot something, and then they can give you feedback on what the hiccups were, how it helped their students, what the time commitment is if you want to fully implement鈥攖here鈥檚 that trust that鈥檚 there ... that may not be with the company that鈥檚 trying to bring about the new initiative or program,鈥� Washington said.
Indeed, Douglas Reeves, a researcher and education consultant, said behavior precedes belief鈥攎eaning most people must see firsthand that a change initiative is yielding success before they fully buy in.
鈥淩eal change is most likely to happen when we have a series of experiments,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have internal evidence that it works.鈥�
