As school principals and district leaders have likely hit the mid-year mark and reviewed student performance data, I have found many school and district leaders are facing a tough reality: despite schools feeling "back to normal" post-pandemic, student outcomes aren't where they need to be.
Working with educational leaders that want to focus on this often surfaces challenges with principal self-efficacy. The secret ingredient isn't just knowing what to do - it's believing you can do it.
Principals as Instructional Leaders
Principal self-efficacy is their belief in their capability to drive desired outcomes and is a game-changer. But here's the challenge: Many principals tell me "I can't be an instructional expert in everything" or "There's no time for instructional leadership with all these behavior issues and administrative tasks." These are known as limiting beliefs.
The research is clear (Hattie 2015, Grissom et al. 2021 and so many others) and some leaders learned this somewhere in their preparation programs or through good professional learning: The highest-performing principals blend both instructional and transformational leadership. But knowledge alone isn't enough. Your beliefs shape your impact. You get to choose which beliefs you give power to - good or bad.
As a first step it’s important for principals to actually confront the questions: Do I actually believe I can impact instruction for better student outcomes? What do I believe is my role in impacting instruction?
A powerful strategy that impacts principal self-efficacy is self-awareness. Some areas to start with to help principals enhance their self-awareness and build self-efficacy:
🌟 Aligning Leadership with Purpose & Vision
How well does my leadership align with my core values and vision for education?
In what ways do I model resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset for my staff?
What strategies do I use to maintain a sense of purpose and motivation in my work?
🌟 Identifying Challenges & Areas for Growth
What leadership situations make me feel uncertain or hesitant? Why?
How do I handle stress and pressure in my role? Are there strategies I could improve?
What feedback have I received that challenged me? How did I respond to it?
In what areas do I need more support, mentorship, or professional learning?
🌟 Assessing Growth & Learning
What new leadership skills or strategies have I developed over the past year?
In what ways has my decision-making evolved as a principal?
🌟 Past Successes & Strengths
What are some leadership challenges I have successfully navigated in the past year?
What personal strengths helped me overcome these challenges?
How do I typically respond to setbacks? What has worked well in those moments?
When have I felt most confident in my leadership? What contributed to that feeling?
How have I positively impacted my staff, students, or school community recently?
Sometimes, I find principals firmly believe they can impact instruction, but don’t know where to start. Some areas to consider:
Vision and Goal Setting Data-Driven Decision Making
Effective Teacher Coaching & Feedback Building a Collaborative School Culture
Differentiated Instruction Communication & Relationship Building
Change Management & Resilience Time & Resource Management
Modeling Continued Learning Crisis Management & Emotional Intelligence
Setting High Expectations Accountability
School leadership is not for the faint of heart. Even without being an expert in everything taught in schools, do you believe you can lead the experts?
As an executive and leadership coach, I help school leaders sharpen their self-efficacy and recognize their power to drive meaningful change. Contact me to learn more.
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