In a society that is becoming more and more diverse, complex and unfamiliar, schools and the educators that work in them are expected to provide a quality education. We expect it, society demands it.

Often, our school heads serve as leaders who accomplish the impossible in spite of limited support. This brief article aims to explore the leaders that make a difference.

Improving connections with staff members, students and parents is essential to enhance and support student learning. Spending quality time with school members is the way forward. School heads need to be the visible face of the school. In this way, they set the moral and instructional tone. Committing to being more visible requires time, a lot of effort and ongoing commitment. No mean feat.

Heads need to be everywhere in school – greeting parents, walking the corridors, visiting classrooms and attending to school maintenance matters. You name it, they do it. This is a serious matter that requires addressing by the central authorities but that’s for another article.

Here, I share my experiences working with heads and senior management teams both locally and abroad who, in spite of working in centralised systems, which often dictate how heads operate, are still expressing the leadership within that can take schools forward.

Create a culture of high expectations

Whatever school you are assigned to it is imperative to rally the teachers and create a culture of high expectations – for teachers and students alike. Creating a mission may be easy but living up to it, checking at regular intervals what we are expecting to achieve and constantly talking about what to do when children don’t learn is no easy matter. This is where the school as a professional learning community (PLC) comes into play. To do so, heads who are focused on the learning community seem to be working on the following steps:

Clarifying beliefs about learning and what this means. As one head put it: “If student achievement is the goal, then teachers must believe that they can mobilise available resources to solve their problems and promote achievement. Teachers who hold this belief have a sense of efficacy”. So true. These teachers believe it is their responsibility to see that others learn and they examine their own practices, knowing full well that they too can improve their way of thinking and their way of doing things.

In a PLC, meaningful meetings are held with a focus on professional development. Effective leaders know that school-related information can be disseminated through emails, thus allowing the little precious time they have for professional growth. Focus on data. The world out there is changing and this is affecting teaching and learning.

Part of the role of a school head is to provide an environment that is positive, warm, caring but, at the same time, structured- Christopher Bezzina

Teachers need to focus on what they are doing to enhance the learning process. This implies looking at what’s working and what isn’t. Engaging together through, for example, co-teaching provides a valuable opportunity for teachers to challenge each other to look at what and how they are teaching and learning from each other.

Being with teachers

Various ways can be practised to convey the values you uphold. Spending time in year/department meetings, engaging in teacher conversations and evaluations and walkthroughs allow you to observe practices, provide you with the opportunity to praise staff, to express your satisfaction with things well done, while noting things that need to be improved. Visiting classrooms also help school heads to see the whole picture, to feel the pulse of the students. Even teachers need to be fed emotionally and professionally. Celebrate their successes and cultivate their leadership qualities.

Build relationships with students

A pat on the back, a nice note and a ceremony all help to improve morale. Part of the role of a school head, as a leader, is to provide an environment that is positive, warm, caring but, at the same time, structured. Making personal connections helps heads to recognise students and engage with their cognitive and affective needs. As we all know, when students believe you care about them and they have a relationship with you they try harder. It helps their self-esteem. Look at how often you spend time with students and how you engage with them.

Be a learning leader

Effective heads model learning behaviour. A head that I observed recently stated that she had a daily routine of using a vocabulary word during the morning announcements Teachers then use the word throughout the day. Research shows that if children use a word four or five times, it becomes part of their vocabulary. By modelling learning for both students and teachers, this head shows that she is an instructional leader.

Linking up with the community

Leadership means accessibility. It means reaching out to learn and bring learning to the school. It is important for heads to involve themselves in community groups, in joining fora that will bring more richness and diversity of ideas to the school itself. Linking up with bodies that are also outside education but possibly with an interest in education matters (like NGOs, local councils, banks, commercial entities, the Chamber of Commerce) can bring the right mix for school improvement.

Attending sessions are ideal for networking and bringing opportunities within the school and gaining learning opportunities outside the school for the students. Expertise from the community can bring invaluable support to school members to enhance the programmes on offer.

This short article has been written as a recognition of those school leaders that matter, that make a difference to peoples’ lives in spite of the setbacks they may be facing. True leaders indeed make others great.

Christopher Bezzina is a professor at the Department of Leadership for Learning & Innovation, Faculty of Education.