Elementary principals in low-achieving schools spend more time on instruction while those in high-achieving schools spend more on external management¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2008 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2013: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Elementary principals in bottom quartile schools report significantly higher percentages of time on instructional activities, while top quartile principals report more time on parents, community, and LSC work. → Stoelinga 2008

Evidence¶

Stoelinga 2008¶

Stoelinga, S. R., with Hart, H. and Schalliol, D. (2008). The Work of Chicago Public Schools' Principals: Leading in a Complex Context with High Stakes. Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/work-chicago-public-schools-principals

q2 · i? · associational · r2

2007 survey subgroup analysis (Figure 7) found bottom quartile elementary principals spent more on "curriculum and instructional leadership, staff development, and their own professional development," while top quartile principals spent more on parents, community, and LSC.

"Elementary principals in bottom quartile schools report spending a greater percentage of their time on curriculum and instructional leadership, staff development, and their own professional development."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• CPS principals work about 60 hours per week and shifted time toward instructional activities from 1997 to 2007 — related
• The same four roadblocks to school improvement topped principals' rankings across ten years of surveys, with subgroup contrasts in emphasis — related
• Principals' email communication with teachers and parents expanded substantially by 2005, though most elementary principals still never emailed parents — related
• Teachers rate principal instructional leadership highly even in many bottom-quartile schools — related
• Principals most commonly cited time for teacher planning, difficulty removing poor teachers, community social problems, apathetic parents, test-score pressure, and problem students as roadblocks — related
• LSC parent and community members make a substantial time commitment to their schools, beyond formal council duties — related