Effective Communication Of School Leaders

The researchers involvement with the school administration and the leadership profession over two decades has encouraged a desire to perform a study of leadership and its use of the communication process. This communication process and skills have been extensively researched as a means of enabling school leaders to lead their school establishment more efficiently. In fact, it is known that successful schools are the natural outcome of successful leadership policies dependent on effective communications. La Plant (1979) expressed the idea that ideal communication produces lasting outcomes affecting all corners of the educational process. According to Pitner and Ogawa (1981) “superintending is communicating” (p. 49). They studied a number of school leaders on communication skills and concluded that an essential element of the school leader’s job is the ability to communicate effectively with people. In another study by Mazzarella and Grundy (1989) with a sample of school principals based on interviews and surveys, it was revealed that effective school leaders are particularly distinguished as communicators and have the skill and aptitude “…they need to interact well with others; they know how to communicate” (p. 18). For this study, by utilizing the method of interviews, effective communication skills and practices of the selected school leaders of urban and rural schools in Egypt are examined in order to identify and explore the lines of effective communication they utilize to convey their vision of learning, their development of a school culture, the promotion of instructional programs conducive to student’s learning and their facilitation of professional development of the school faculty.

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Problem Statement

The effective school models focus on shared visions and goals, effective communication, high expectations of all learners, accountability, learning communities, and a stimulating and secure learning environment. Lack of effective communication between the school leader and the other participants, including teachers, students, and parents, impedes the school’s performance. According to Patrick and Frankel (2004), communication encompasses more than speaking. It is also written communication as well as communicating with behavior. The personal communication skills of the school leaders, including verbal and non-verbal ones, open door policies, and regular meetings, can pave the road to effective communication with the other participants. Much has been studied about the diverse channels of communication that school leaders use with teachers to share objectives, visions, and goals at school.

The communication skills of rural and urban school principals of Egypt are the focus of this study. In Egypt, rural and urban populations present great differences such as the degree of education for women. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report on the Millennium Development Goals in Egypt, due care needs to be dedicated to programs that enhance female education and awareness, since indicators reveal a strong relationship between mother’s education and children’s success. The data in this report showed that mortality rates in rural Upper Egypt were 64% higher than rural Lower Egypt since postnatal mortality in rural Upper Egypt is twice the rate in rural Lower Egypt. The data in this report showed that death rates at all ages in various rural regions in Egypt are highly affected by the mother’s education. While the UN report states that the ratio of literate females to males in urban areas is 87:93, the ratio in rural Lower Egypt is 52:76. In brief, the rates of illiteracy in rural areas are higher than those in urban areas. As a consequence of the illiteracy level, the percentage of early child marriage in urban to rural areas is 9:22 (UNESCO, 2002). In general, according to the World Bank data, in 2011 the percentage of illiteracy was 40.6%, most of which was focused in the rural region (World Bank, 2012).

Education in the rural areas is a major factor which has tremendous impact on all areas of life. Rural schools as well as urban schools and the effective use of the communication process by leaders in those schools are the target of this study. Not only do the locations of the schools differ but also the communication tools and mechanisms employed to operate the schools are different. In urban settings, for example, the use of technology for communication has become the norm, not the exception to the rule. In rural settings, on the other hand, technological means are in the basic stage of implementation. It will take time for communication in rural schools to reach the level of sophistication that communication has already reached in the urban schools.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, it explores the impact of the principal’s utilization of communication in the rural and urban school communities and, second, it examines the various tools of communication used by the rural and urban school leaders to convey their vision of learning, to develop a school culture, to promote instructional programs conducive to student’s learning and to facilitate professional development of the school staff members.

Research Questions

To address the issue of effective communication of urban and rural school leaders, the following questions will guide this study.

How can the vision of learning be shaped by the effective communication of a school leader?

What role does the effective communication of the school leader play in developing school culture?

What tools of effective communication used by leaders promote instructional programs conducive to student’s learning?

How can effective communication of the school leader promote the professional growth of the staff members?

Chapter Two — Literature Review

This section describes the literature relevant to the research purpose and questions of this study. It is organized into five sections: (1) communication and the role of school principals, (2) communication and vision of learning, (3) communication for the development of school culture,

(4) the effect of communication on the promotion of instructional programs conducive to student’s learning, and (5) the importance of communication in the professional development of teachers.

Communication and the Role of School Principals

The literature review is consistent on the role that the communication plays in the daily life of school principals. There are studies that support that effective principals are good communicators. A study conducted by Marzano, Waters and McNulty (2005) found that effective principals establish strong lines of two way communication throughout the school community. It is important for the principal to ask questions, be truthful, and encourage feedback from members of the school community (Bolman & Deal, 2002). Additional studies identified the major roles of effective school principals in decision making and building productive relationships with parents and the wider community (Leithwood & Riehl, 2005). The principal interacts with students, staff, and parents on a regular basis. Research by McEwan (2003) found that successful principals are communicating one hundred percent of the time by listening, speaking, writing, and reading. Often the principal will use written communication to parents, students, and staff. The importance of correct grammar and spelling is crucial (Holman, 1997).

It is known that the role of the school principal demands essential dispositions of skills and cognitive schemes. According to Leithwood and Steinbach (1995), common dispositions among principals include a great passion, zeal, and enthusiasm for the education of children and for a child centered school. The enthusiasm and passion are shared with the school community and are buttressed by the ideology of care, values of social justice, and the equitable education of all students without any sense of discrimination, favoritism, or bias.

One of the leadership roles of successful leaders is to show awareness to the needs and aspirations of their colleagues, staff members, the parents, and the students served by their schools. They are depicted as skilled communicators with highly cognitive flexibility to listen carefully to other ideas, which they apply to their problem solving. Bolman and Deal (2002) warn about conflicting values that may emerge in the leadership process as being difficult to manage. On the other hand, the work by Leithwood and Steinbach (1995) and Wong (2002) agree that the emotional sensitivity of leaders requires attention.

A prominent strength of the effective principals is the sense of ethics and includes treating people with respect, exhibiting honesty as a policy, and demonstrating and modeling ethical behavior on a daily basis (Whitaker, 2003). The effective principal does the right thing, keeping in mind that the student’s welfare is the bottom line (McEwan, 2003). As confirmed by Begley and Johansson (2003), the values and the morals of school principals strengthen their role as school leaders.

Work-related communications is another pivotal area in the role of the school principal. Bridges (1977) stated that around seventy percent of the manager’s time involves face- to- face communication with others. For example, principals deal with continuous states of emotions. Irritated parents, excited students, and rebellious staff are familiar scenes encountered by the principal. School principals must know how to firmly communicate their academic and administrative decisions to parents who may not be co-operating or who lack formal education.

The face to face communication with others constitutes a logical component in the role that the principal must perform on a daily basis.

Cheng and Townsend (2000) see teaching in the 21st century as more intricate than it has ever been because of the numerous challenges shaped by modern modes of technology, economic globalization, and social-political life. In an era of such rapid changes, principals are expected to play many roles and put into practice numerous tasks and responsibilities related to teaching, curriculum changes, educational improvement, students’ learning experiences, professional growth, and interactions with parents and with the community. Others expectations that are set on the school principals’ shoulders are to guide and implement programs that nurture and develop the high performance of their teachers and students. Jantzi and Leithwood recognized six aspects critical in the practice of leadership :(1) Identifying and articulating a clear vision, (2) Encouraging the recognition of group goals, (3) Providing individualized enhancement, (4) Providing academic and intellectual motivation, (5) Providing a proper model, and (6) Setting high performance expectations all of which involve effective communication. (1996, pp. 514-515). Walker et al. (2000,) developed the basic framework and stated the six pivotal areas of leadership that are outlined below:

Planning for the future strategic direction and policy environment in addition to ensuring school community contributions to the practice by including related aspects of policy from the social, educational and political setting in the school.

Matching a certain unity among applicable curriculum, teaching processes, school community, and extra-curricular activities.

Enhancing and caring for the sharing of knowledge and lifelong professional growth for teachers.

Establishing a co-operative team administration philosophy through effective communication and paying attention to utilizing human, physical, and financial resources competently to achieve the objectives of school development, student accomplishment, staff development, and resources management.

Setting up quality assurance and responsibility systems in their school communities that provide feedback to students, teachers, and others through channels of effective communication with a view to securing school improvement.

Extending communication channels between the school and the surrounding and global communities to enable their school communities to contribute to the wider society and its development (pp. 13-17).

Coping with this conception, Beane and Apple (1999), Furman and Starrat (2002) and Woods (2005) presented the issues facing leaders who desire to be democratic principals and the challenges of communicating that desire to their school community. Research has identified the main concerns and priorities of democratic school leaders as: (1) maintenance of an open stream of thoughts that enables people to be as fully knowledgeable as possible, (2) utilization of critical reflection and feedback in addition to investigation to assess thoughts, concepts, crises, dilemmas, and policies, (3) support of the wellbeing of others and the ‘common good’ and (4) care for the dignity and privileges of the whole citizen and of minorities(Moos, 2008, pp.231).

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School leadership tasks can be summarized in this way. Leadership is setting and discussing directions even though schools in some systems are governed in some detail when it comes to outcomes measured by standards, inspections, and tests. They must identify the ways to accomplish these outcomes themselves. Effective communication enables school leaders to make demands and signals from the outer world clear and to select the way by which they want to respond to them. It is a challenge to school leadership to interpret indicators and make them into narratives about differences which form the grounds for the subsequent decisions in the community (Weick, 1995 & 2001).

Principals, within a critical assessment of perceptions and perquisites of their work, have selected four concepts that form challenges to the regularity of activity that communication is believed to bring about. They are: talk, distributed leadership, professionalization and knowledge management. Gronn (1983 & 1985) showed through two noteworthy studies that the work of administrators is endorsed through talk. Talk engenders understanding and yet mediates between structure and agency, affecting both. Talk occurs during conversations, interactions, and meetings with others and these shape one of the distributed facts of work. Administration is regarded as talk. This comes from the work of Gronn (1983) but reflects other research that extended back to that of Mitzberg and comprises many others from Sergiovanni to Leithwood, who identified the work of the administrator as disjointed, chaotic, and incongruent (Gronn, 2003).

The image is enhanced by the principals who spend much of their day moving from an issue to another and in interactions with a great variety of people in the process.

Communication and Vision of Learning

Effective principals are those who endorse a notable vision. In his study McEwan (2003) concluded that less effective principals offer excuses, while highly efficient principals envision a successful school that has fulfilled its mission. They are able to stress the prospect of a high achieving school and to encourage their school community to buy into that vision. Fullan (1997) found out that effective principals set up and communicate clear objectives and encourage the school continually toward attaining these objectives. Most school leaders understand that while they help establish the school’s vision, they must also promote an environment that allows teachers to make decisions conducive to ownership in the vision (Beck & Murphy, 1996). That is to say, stakeholders supply the input that the school leader requires to effectively create and assemble a vision.

Principals are required to set direction. Evidence reviewed by Leithwood and Riehl (2005) suggested that successful leadership creates a compelling sense of purpose in the institutions by developing and communicating a shared vision of the future, helping build agreement about related short-term goals, and representing high expectations for colleagues’ work. They agree that direction setting is closely linked with perquisites for responsibility and shared visions emphasizing learning over the lifetime. In guiding the educational process, many related issues emerge to explain the direction of the organization. For example, democratic principles and ideals are emphasized throughout debates about school directions. The school leaders make certain that those principles guide the implementation of institutional objectives. Simply having vision and mission announcements on the wall is not sufficient for successful leadership. Fulfilling planned goals in an accountability context therefore require guidance and development which sets up the school’s ability to release policy responsibilities and develop the involvement of senior staff members and other teachers in the decision-making process; this is done by distributing leadership among all members of the team (Law et al., 2010).

Leithwood (2005) classifies school leadership as a mission distributed in the entire school community for it is based on a tenet of leadership characterized as opportunistic, resilient, responsive, and context specific not prescribed by roles, which are inflexible, hierarchical and status driven. This concept of leadership is not hierarchical, but federal and engages clarity of direction, structures, and enhancement. Concerning school leadership as a distributed task, school leadership is an action that is extended through school community. “Schools that are desirous of continuous growth and advancement are required to harness their human and social assets that are their main potentials, generating and sharing the leadership opportunities that give the aptitude to attain this” (Leithwood, 2005, p. 11). Widely distributed school leadership is much more influential with schools and students and is reflected in the school vision. In additional, personal traits are not distinctive factors of the variation in leadership effectiveness. Setting direction for the school is one of the main functions of school leaders. It is also understood in this way in the research of Leithwood and Riehl (2005), where it is found that successful principals set and communicate the direction for their schools. “Successful leadership creates a compelling sense of purpose in the organizations by developing a shared vision of the future, helping build consensus about relevant short-term goals and demonstrating high expectations for colleagues’ work” (Leithwood, 2006, p. 620).

Principals, in setting and negotiating direction for schools, have a great impact on the teachers, the other followers, and students in one way or another. The types of influence and power differ from one situation to another and from one context to another. Christensen and Jensen (1986) recognized that schools employ a model of power that includes four forms: direct power, indirect power, consciousness-controlling power, and institutionalized power. Direct power means persuading other people to implement tasks they would not have done under other conditions. This kind of power is usually linked with sanctions of some sort (Dahl, 1961). Indirect power is exercised when the principal sets the agenda for the professional discussion in schools (Barach & Barat, 1962). Consciousness controlling power is a broad range of influences that include storytelling, narratives, sense-making and other ways one can use to try and get other people to change their opinions or refine their understandings (Lukes, 1974; Weick, 1995 & 2001). ‘Institutionalized power’ captures the influences that are laid down in the structures, measures, and social technologies that are working (Barach & Barat, 1962).

In sum, the vision of learning can be disseminated across the school environment using the proper communication skills. Hoyle, English, and Steffy (1998) addressed skills for successful school leaders in their book Skills for Successful 21st Century School Leaders: Standards for Peak Performance. The authors listed skills needed for success as visionary leadership, policy and governance, communication and community relations, organizational management, curriculum planning and development, instructional management, staff evaluation, use of research and data, and the ethics of leadership. At the same time these leaders must be able to consider and to articulate what is best for the school in order to make the right decisions (Whitaker, 2003).

Communication for the Development of School Culture

Weldy (1979) identified the influential school principal to be the leading individual in any school. Through his/her leadership the tone of the school is established, a healthy and safe environment of learning is set up, and the standards of professionalism and the spirit of teachers are raised. The principal is the key factor of any successful, innovative, child centered, and reputable school environment. Effective principals seek out and create opportunities that actively engage the community as reflected in the school culture (Beck & Murphy, 1996).

School leaders impact the school culture. The leadership provided by a principal directly affects the climate and culture of a school, which in turn affects student achievement (Sergiovanni, 2001). Effective principals pay attention to the culture of the school and focus on creating a collaborative work environment (Fullan, 1997). Studies by Marzano et al. (2005) found that effective principals fostered shared beliefs and a collegial sense of community within the school that ultimately impacts student achievement. In order to impact the school culture, school principals must be able to envision a successful school, act with integrity, and communicate this vision through relationships with the school community (McEwan, 2003). Principals, who are effective, work to create a positive environment and believe it is their responsibility to do so (Whitaker, 2003). They understand that local citizens want a school that reflects their values and works to shape a positive culture (Sergiovanni, 2001).

Leithwood and Riehl (2005) built collaborative school culture by creating structures to encourage participation. Schools became effective professional educational institution. They recognized the school leader’s role in creating a school culture with a sense of collaboration by distributing leadership or developing broad based governance structures, and de-privatizing teaching practices.

There are communication factors that may improve the school culture and climate. La Plant (1979) indicates that the communication process would favor and inspire the principal to lead by example. The school community would be empowered by decisions that are made in a timely manner. To ensure that community and parents are informed about school strategies and various programs, the school principal communicates encouragement to participate in school life activities. In this direction, the leader of the school according to La Plant would promote listening to the ideas and suggestions of parents in order to prevent the emergence of dissenting groups of parents and community members.

La Plant (1979) also referred to the communication lines between the school principal and governing bodies such as the district office. It is a fact that good and healthy relations between the principal and the higher administrative bodies would reinforce and fortify the school culture and climate.

According to La Plant (1979) the flow of communication in the school should reinforce the relationships between staff members, students, and parents. For example, effective communication would help members of different groups feel that their work is meaningful and important. With clear lines of communication, the principal becomes more concerned with giving credit and recognition for the diligent efforts of all. He also stated that through an environment of openness, mutual confidence, and co-operation, principals become peer reviewers of the professional development and school amelioration programs. In regard to students’ effective communication in the school, the school leader would support students’ involvement and participation in the school decision making and development programs.

Nurturing a social environment through social events and gatherings can help the principal to know his staff members more closely and can deepen their sense of mutual cordiality and belonging to the school. In summary, La Plant (1979) strongly believed that effective communication skills of the school principal build up a school culture that is sensitive to and supportive of those of different social, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.

Gimbert and Fultz (2009) emphasized the importance of school leaders to nurture positive relationships, set clear expectations, hold sensible views of beginning teachers’ performance, have in place significant mentoring program, and provide sincere enhancement to beginning teachers to increase and maintain skills for successful classroom instruction all of which invited the new teachers to become part of the school culture. Schools principals at this point play a prime role in ensuring beginning teachers’ development by offering the necessary training and support as well as observing their sense of adaptation with the school culture during their early years.

Moreover, leadership is organizing and developing communities with and beyond the school culture. Schools are institutions held together by structures, but if they are to be influential and successful they need to be run as communities held together by a shared sense of identity and by common norms and communication structures. Classrooms and schools are social fields where education and learning occur. Loyalty and devotion to the organization are not by any means an automatic starting position for any institution; building and enhancing loyalty and commitment is therefore a leadership task and mission. If staff and students show complete loyalty to their organization, leaders have to exert diligent efforts to transform the organization, which is characterized only by a formal structure, into a community with welcoming culture, which is characterized by all members being sufficiently committed to the ethos of the community (Bourdieu, 1990; Wenger, 1999).

Communication on the Promotion of Instructional Programs Conducive to Student’s

Learning

The instructional programs in terms of design, implementation, and assessment are the tools of school success. According to Marzano et al. (2005), effective principals continuously monitor the impact of school programs on student learning, and they use this information to inform future practice. Student learning is central to the direction planning activities of all successful leaders in all countries since children are the central focus of the educational process. The most obvious tasks of a principal are to direct, plan, set goals, reinforce, supervise, and assess. Through communication, an effective principal can direct and plan improvement in curriculum and teaching, get across the goals of the district, evaluate the program outcomes, deal with staff concerns, plan for their professional development, and supervise and direct custodial services (Hoyle et al., 1998).

Effective principals understand what good teaching is and they recognize it as a critical factor in successful instructional programming. Findings of Marzano et al. (2005) reinforce the belief that effective principals are knowledgeable about the current curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices, and are involved in the design and implementation of the instructional program. According to McEwan (2003) effective school leaders are knowledgeable about teaching and learning and serve as instructional leaders within their buildings. They believe it is critical to be up-to-date on the best practices in instruction and assessment and to seek out opportunities to learn more about good teaching (Beck & Murphy, 1996). Not only do effective principals understand what good teaching is, they also recognize that their primary goal is to improve the effectiveness of their teachers by sharing this understanding (Whitaker, 2003). The instructional leaders are able to tell the difference between activity and achievement, and can help teachers improve their practice by providing professional development to benefit student learning (McEwan, 2003).

Leithwood (2006) identifies school leadership as a process that comes in priority directly after classroom teaching as a pivotal impact on pupils’ learning. School leaders enhance the processes of teaching and learning implicitly and directly through their influential impact on staff motivation, dedication, and working conditions through various interactions and communications. Enhancing instructional leadership is a prime concern. Pragmatic proof also reinforces that instructional leadership at primary and secondary levels is likely to be different (Johnson & Holdaway, 1990). However, leadership functions connected to learning, teaching and curriculum define a school principal’s instructional leadership. This is supported by literature spanning the last 25 years. For instance, Purkey and Smith (1985) suggested that influential, or high achieving, schools are managed around the main goal of teaching. The significance of instructional leadership carries on in concert with the supremacy of transformational leadership. Research has concluded that transformational leadership when not escorted by instructional leadership may not be influential on school performance and accomplishment, as measured by the quality of its pedagogy and the achievement of its students. The basic notions encompassed setting and communicating directions, developing people, redesigning the organization and managing the instructional program (Hallinger, 2003; Marks & Printy, 2003).

La Plant (1979) says that communication helps promote teaching and learning and helps reinforce continuous lifetime learning by deepening respect for students and for their learning. On the other hand, Leithwood and Riehl (2005) concluded that successful schools are the outcome of great principals who take full responsibility for leading teaching, and learning. Walker et al (2000) noted that principals direct programs to create unity and consistency across the curriculum and achieve a common ground between the curriculum, teaching and learning. Together with their school communities, they ensure that all students experience a broad, objective, sensible, and applicable curriculum through official, casual, and extracurricular activities.

McEwan (2003) disclosed that effective principals know how to collect meaningful data, but more importantly, are able to critically discuss, analyze, and use it in a meaningful way to improve instruction. The most recent programs of school leadership have incorporated the use of data for school improvement planning. In recent years, an educational international movement has established specific criteria which include effective communication to measure school improvement based on either quantitative or qualitative data concerning instructional programming as well as other identified factors. Principals have become critical consumers of information for the decision making process by understanding the limitations of individual pieces of data. School principals are results-oriented and realize that translating high expectations for academic achievement into effective instructional programming for their students will provide greater opportunities in the future. To conclude the entire school community in this process, they must clearly articulate the goals and the processes which will make them effective.

Communication and the Professional Development of Teachers

Effective princi