Blazing New Trails - Connexions

The Effective Practices and Beliefs of School Principals in High Achieving Hispanic Majority Mid-Level Schools 131
as principal. He expected his teachers to continue doing what they had been doing, and his job
for that first year was to observe.
Another principal had been principal in his building for the last 22 years. He noted that
many of his students’ parents were his students at one point in his career. This facilitated
communication between him, parents, and the community. Another principal knew the
students on his campus well enough that he recognized their love of competition. By knowing
his campus, he utilized competition as a way to engage students. The motivating force behind
their competition has been and continues to be the middle school that is located on the other
side of their parking lot. Students on this campus worked hard not to be surpassed by their
competition, and that has proven to be all the motivation that they have needed to be
successful.
Committing to success. A strategy that principals utilized to establish a culture of
success was that of principals committing to success. Eight of the ten principals elaborated on
the high expectations that their staff have for all of their students regardless of race or
ethnicity. Principals also stated that commitment from their teachers played a big role in
students meeting the campus expectations of academic success. For example, one principal
acknowledged that his teachers’ commitment to student success has allowed them to be
considered a successful school. Commitment to this vision was not something that teachers
always expressed in words, but rather was demonstrated through their actions. Monday
through Thursday, from four to six, teachers were on campus tutoring students. Though this
may seem normal, it was quite interesting to find that his teachers did not get paid for
tutoring. It was the teacher’s drive for student success that motivated the teachers to stay.
Several principals noted their culture of success began with high expectations. One of
the female principals explained that her school has achieved the rating of Recognized for the
last 13 of 14 years. The generations of children who come through her doors are made aware
of the history of success that has endured, and most students want to be a part of that success.
From the day that students are enrolled on her campus, they understand that they are expected
to be successful in the classroom.
Motivating teachers. All of the principals noted that the act of motivating teachers
was an intentional strategy to establish a culture of success. One principal stated that his
leadership team understood, “If we keep teachers motivated, they will keep students
motivated.” Principals commented on various ways they keep their teachers motivated and
engaged in teaching students. The most common and effective way this was done was by
acknowledging their hard work. Beyond everyday praise, a few principals offered teachers
snacks on Fridays as they left for the day. On other days, principals took the time to
personally cook or serve their teachers lunch. The importance of motivating and supporting
teachers could be summarized in the words of one of the principals who stated that he, as a
principal, could not be successful unless his teachers were successful. Because of that, he
ensured that teachers had all the resources and support that they needed to effectively teach
their students.
Embracing student cultures. Three of the ten principals shared stories demonstrating
how they have handled perceived student cultural issues. Each of them mentioned that he or
she must first understand the issue before being able to move forward to resolution. For
example, one stated that when he was made aware of certain issues, he discussed them with
his administrative team. One of his team members told him that she would have to handle the