Leader vs. Manager: Best Practice for Principals in the Trenches of Aboriginal Education

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Introduction School districts across the province have signed Enhancement Agreements with the British Columbia Ministry of Education and the First Nations Education Council in the hopes of reaching parity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2010). The necessity of these agreements has come from the long standing lower achievement results of Aboriginal students on provincial standardized tests (such as Foundation Skills Assessments and Provincial Examinations) which students complete annually (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2010). Literature suggests many factors such as school, student, and family influence the academic success of Aboriginal students (Clarke, 1994). One such factor is a school principal’s leadership. To improve academic achievement of Aboriginal students, I propose that high school principals need to become both managers and leaders. The requirement for this approach is demonstrated by an informative case study of a principal within a rural school setting who acts solely as a manager. I have chosen this case study because I believe it to be representational of the trend most principals currently follow. I will also demonstrate how positive the effect of shifting to a leader-manager run school will be on the academic achievement of high school Aboriginal students. To begin however, it is necessary to differentiate between the terms leadership and management, and determine whether it is possible for one person to perform both functions. Leadership and Management What is the difference between a manager and a leader? Are the terms interchangeable? These questions may be answered by examining two simple definitions in the literature for the terms... ... middle of paper ... ...inction between the roles and actions of leaders and managers. Principals are capable of adopting each approach and proper implementation would benefit staff and ultimately, student performance. As found in the case study and literature, currently most principals undertake a managerial role, but neglect to be leaders. Therefore, most principals should emphasize leadership behaviour to bring balance to the position. In the future, I propose examining the structure of the school system to find ways which would allow principals more time to be leaders. In addition, principals should take ongoing direct professional leadership development to further improve necessary skill sets. Once leadership techniques are properly implemented, I am confidant there will be a marked improvement of Aboriginal high school student achievement.

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