School Principal: Leader, Link & Policy Enforcer - Essay Sample

Introduction

The principal is the head and leader in a school. He serves as an essential link between the school and the external environment. He also acts as a central point between the students and teachers (Curran, 2019). A school principal has several roles in enforcing site-based and district-level policies. Being a leader in the school, the principal reviews policies and procedures governing smooth learning and performance within the school. The principal ensures that a school's handbook is updated. He/she reviews the directory by either writing or writing policies and procedures into the guide. It is the role of the principle to ensure that a school's handbook has his stamp. The guide is a unique document that governs the interactions within the school.

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The principle ensures that activities in the school run smoothly. The principal has to ensure that operations are planned in such a way that they all fit in the limited time bracket. He/she prioritizes activities based on necessity. He ensures that the school is running on an efficient and well-organized schedule. Therefore, he/she oversees that the teachers follow the established district and state guidelines on the scheduling of school activities.

The principle is the link between the school and the external community. As a result, the principal has to spend time with the students, in classrooms and other places in the school, to ensure that the environment is conducive for learning. He also gathers vital information about the state of the school and shares the news with the district heads. Other roles and responsibilities of the principal are to offer strategic course in the learning institution. The principals create a standardized program, assess student achievement, advise parents on the need for their involvement in school activities and manage the school's budget.

The Legal Consequences for Failing to Enforce these Policies

The school principals must perform their duties and roles as per the code of ethics. Failure to undertake their tasks in schools would attract several legal actions. For example, a principal failing to communicate any hazardous learning environment in school can be charged in an industrial court for endangering the lives of the students. Failure to perform their designated roles can also lead to suspension and termination of their contract.

The school principals are registered under various professional bodies. These bodies provide the code of ethics governing the performance of the teachers as well as the school principals (Helyer, 2015). Failure to perform their duties or stipulated roles would lead to deregistration from the professional bodies. Under very extreme cases, a principal's contract may be terminated and legal action taken against the Principal.

The Principal Enacts Policybased Decisions While Ensuring Consistency With the School Vision

The school's vision gives direction for the activities in the school. The idea acts like a roadmap to achieving the mission of the school. The principal, being the head of the school, ensures that the vision of the school is in line with the policies governing the activities of the school. The principal makes decisions on issues that might interfere with the smooth learning process. He/she achieves this by ensuring that learners, educators, and parents have access to all the information regarding the policies and procedures of the school. He/she ensures that all the stakeholders are held accountable in the policies and procedures of the school (Tingle, Corrales, & Peters, 2019). For example, the principle ensures that there is consistency in evaluation of the teachers. The assessment helps in keeping the teacher in track and adhere to the codes of ethics. He also ensures that the students maintain a high level of discipline.

References

Curran, F. C. (2019). The law, policy, and portrayal of zero-tolerance school discipline: Examining prevalence and characteristics across levels of governance and school districts. Educational Policy, 33(2), 319-349.

Helyer, R. (2015). The work-based learning student handbook. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Tingle, E., Corrales, A., & Peters, M. L. (2019). Leadership development programs: Investing in school principals. Educational Studies, 45(1), 1-16.