The principal is both a manager and an instructional leader (Cash, 2008). They also share their leadership and build their faculty in terms of belief and skills (Spiro, 2013). They set a vision, establish a path to achieve it, and provide the means to do it (Robinson et al., 2008). The leader of a school builds leaders amongst their staff and within their broader community (Green, 2015; Slater, 2008). Leadership is the key to making a school successful. Especially, shared-leadership is a necessary component of excellence in schools.

It impresses me so much how many classroom teachers take on leadership in some way at their school.  This “shared-leadership” is a powerful force in helping schools be so successful.  Experiences have built teacher leaders, and these folks are confident enough in themselves and their principal to share the role of leadership amongst many others on the staff. “Leadership based on expertise that is broadly shared across a number of team members and focused on negotiated goals holds the greatest chance for sustaining schools as learning communities focused on student learning and achievement (Kennedy et al., 2011, p. 24).”  Shared-leadership empowers ownership. No one implements someone else’s vision well.However, teachers will move heaven and earth to bring to fruition their own vision.Reportedly, the teachers in our great schools feel empowered to help bring to fruition the collective vision of high student academic achievement.Their overall effectiveness rises because they have increased self-efficacy as a result of being valued enough to lead.Teachers who realize this level of self-efficacy are so much more capable of providing experiences for students that result in high rates of academic proficiency.  Congratulations to our amazing teacher-leaders throughout our school district.  Your efforts, expertise and influence are so powerful.  You are a huge piece of the puzzle that makes your school so amazing.  

This week I want to recognize one specific individual for the amazing things she does for her school.  She is Briar Mattucci, the principal of Gourley Elementary. Here’s what one of her teachers said about her:

“Briar is very dedicated to the success of every child at Gourley Elementary. She has set many tools in place to help students grow, learn important social and self-discipline skills, and achieve excellent progress in their academic learning. The whole staff is united in these efforts and Briar leads by example by constantly teaching and reinforcing important skills such as: the SEL Skill of the Week, teaching kids how to be engaged and persevere and then rewarding their efforts, consistently reinforcing high expectations, reteaching those expectations and helping kids themselves recognize their growth in skills. It is clear that Briar knows the importance of teaching the whole child and giving every student a chance to succeed. In addition she is willing to listen to her staff’s ideas for success and support them their efforts. It is a team effort. I applaud her ability to unite her staff in working as one towards this goal. Briar also recognizes the hard work her teachers and staff put into helping students and makes efforts to thank them and show appreciation.”