Blazing New Trails - Connexions

128 CRITICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Research Question 2
Research Question 2 investigated the principals’ actions that had a direct impact on
Hispanic students’ academic achievement. Emergent themes included communicating
effectively, being visible, staying focused on goals, relating to students, and scheduling.
Communicating effectively. Communicating effectively emerged as a theme regarding
actions of the principals that had a direct impact on Hispanic students’ academic achievement.
All ten principals in this study noted that communicating effectively with their staff was vital
to their school’s success. Principals indicated they communicated with their staff at least once
a week regarding instructional strategies and practices that were taking place in their
classrooms. For example, one principal and his vice principal had conferences with their
teachers every Monday. At these conferences, teachers were expected to discuss the good
things taking place in their classroom, students who are struggling, and instructional
strategies. The principal emphasized that his purpose for having these meetings was to hold
teachers accountable.
Nine of ten principals reported their preference in communicating with their staff was
through department meetings. They noted that the small group setting as well as the ability to
have a more focused agenda made department meetings ideal for discussing instructionrelated
issues. For example, one stated, “I am a firm believer in department meetings.
Department meetings are more personal, and the information shared at those meetings is
much more geared to their concerns than the information shared at faculty meetings.”
Another also noted the significance of meeting with teachers in small group settings as an
effective mode of communication because the conversation is often more relevant to the
teachers and administrators involved.
Two principals specifically mentioned Monday memos as an effective tool for
communication. The Monday memo has information about the coming week as well as any
thoughts that the principal has to offer for his or her staff. One principal mentioned that his
staff has come to expect the Monday memo, and every time he has forgotten to send it out, a
staff member would stop by his office and ask him for it. Another also utilized the Monday
memo as an effective tool for communication. In his Monday memo, he shared his thoughts
on the previous week as well as his expectations for the coming week. He also stated,
“Sometimes I will include a quote, a poem, or just something for them to think about. So, the
Monday memo has been a great communication tool for me to share my vision and direction
for this campus.”
Being visible. Being visible emerged as an important action having a direct impact on
Hispanic students’ academic achievement. Four of the ten principals stated the importance of
their visibility on their campuses. Principals noted that their visibility on campus had been
highly appreciated by teachers and staff. One principal mentioned that over the last couple of
years, his teachers and staff told him that he was not visible enough. Having been told of his
lack of visibility, he made it a priority to be more visible and used every opportunity to find
time to visit in classrooms. Another shared similar thoughts and stated:
I am big on visibility. I am visible in the hallway as much as I possibly can. If I am on
campus, I will make every effort not to miss an opportunity to walk the hallways and
say hello to teachers and students. If I am on campus, I will usually make four out of
five class exchanges. Many times that I am out in the hallways, teachers will stop me