Unit 3 - INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP

 The concept of instructional leadership

 Understanding the relevance of instructional leaders
 Implementing instructional leadership practices
3.1 Learning outcomes:
Content specific and thinking skills:
 Demonstrate comprehensive and critical understanding of the definitions of
instructional leadership
 Demonstrate critical understanding of the concept, relevance, and practice of
instructional leadership
Academic writing and thinking skills:
 Demonstrate ability to understand appropriate argumentative genre by engaging with
relevant literature
 Demonstrate ability to use appropriate argumentative genre to articulate critical
engagement with key ideas on the concept of instructional leadership
Attitude and disposition:
 Show ability to explore and question a personal understanding of the notion of
instructional leadership
 Show critical engagement with other ideas that further contradict one’s own
 Demonstrate good listening skills
Technology:
 Show confidence in using the digital platforms to engage in effective learning and to
communicate
3.2 Introduction:
Research has shown that effective school leaders positively impact student achievement
(Branch, Martorell & Rockoff, 2012: Dhuey & Smith, 2012). One aspect which has captured
the attention of scholars over the years has revolved around investigating the practices which
school leaders engage in as instructional leaders. This is because when Heads of Schools act
as instructional leaders, they enable school improvement (Robinson, Lloyd & Rowe, 2000).
Therefore, it is of upmost importance to learn more about this concept as it is one of the many
keys which support school leaders in their daily activities. Heads of Schools as instructional
leaders embody a set of skills and perform a set of activities which are deemed important as
part of their efforts to improve student’s achievement and lift their schools.
3.3 Warm up activity:The Puzzle
As a newly appointed Head of School, you are planning your first classroom visit. Which
four elements which you think deserve your attention and why?
Fill in the puzzle below and provide justification for your choice after the puzzle (125-150
words)

3.4 Defining instructional leadership

There is various definition of instructional leadership. These definitions offer a wider
coverage of the practices which are involved. Horng and Loeb (2010, p.66) define
instructional leaders as “hands-on leaders, engaged with curriculum and instruction issues,
unafraid to work directly with teachers, and often present in classroom”. This definition
highlights many important aspects of instructional leadership. Firstly, instructional leaders are
actively engaged in the business of teaching and learning. They are not restricted to
administrative work. They are expected to be involved in what is going on in the classrooms.
They do not manage teaching and learning on paper only. Then, they are also familiar with
what is taught and how it is taught and assessed. They contribute to the discussion of what
goes on in the classrooms in terms of the content, the teaching strategies, and the assessment
of learning.
Another important element is that the instructional leader interacts with the teachers and they
are visible in the classrooms. Hence, they have first-hand account and experience of what is
going on in class in terms of teaching and learning. In fact, one of the ways which was pit
forward to identify an instructional leader was the fact that the instructional leaders are
present in class (Protheroe, 2009). The idea behind linking instructional leadership to class
visits is because it is thought that instructional leadership related to practices which directly
impact teaching and learning and ultimately student achievement (Marzano, Waters &
McNully, 2005). Although, there are other ways to recognize an instructional leader, the
focus however, remains on the frequent visits which the school leader pays to teachers whilst
hey are actively engaged in their teaching and the relevant feedbacks received from the
school leader which can lead to improving teaching and learning (Robinson, Lloyd & Rowe,
2008). Although it has been recognized that school leaders need to be visible in classrooms, it
has also be pointed out that these visits, either formal or informal, allow the school leaders to
collect relevant and useful data from what is being observed and as they become more and
more visible in classrooms, their presence and relevance would be established as part of the
school culture (Downey et al, 2004). However, despite its advantages, class visits are not
popular with instructional leaders. This makes it more difficult for school leaders to continue
with class visits when these are causing unnecessary anxiety to those involved.
Other definitions focus on what the school leader does to ensure that students benefit from
their learning journeys at school (King, 2002). These actions are numerous, but they are
mainly concerned with supporting teachers in their teaching and their role as teachers. They
also define clearly what are the expectations on teachers and they also ensure that the
appropriate resources are available for teachers to use to support, improve and transform their
practice.
3.5 Essential elements of instructional leadership based on The Principal Instructional
Management Rating Scale (PIMRS)
Instructional Leadership Model Framework (Hallinger & Murphy, 1987)

Defining
school
mission

Element

Managing Promoting a
the positive
instructional school
programme learning
culture

Defining the school mission:

Boerema (2006) claims that , “The school mission provides the context for governance,
decision making, and the way the school is managed” (p. 182).
(i) Frame school’s vision, mission and goals
One of the essential elements which school leaders need to do is to devise the school’s vision,
mission, and goals. These are considered essential for the effective running of a school. They
will provide clarity and direction for the school so that all stakeholders can focus their
attention on helping the school reach its vision a mission. It was found that having a school
vision contributes to school success (Snart, 2011). In fact, it is the foundation from which all
the different strategies emerge. It helps all the stakeholders to come to a common
understanding on the purpose of their involvement in the school (Stemler et al., 2011). Once
the mission has been determined, it defines the steps that need to be taken to keep the school
focused and on task. Bryson (2004) claims that, “Clarifying purpose can eliminate a great
deal of unnecessary conflict in an organization and can channel discussion and activity
productively” (p. 38). In most cases the vision, mission and goals are related to improving the
level of learning and achievement of students (Wiggins & McTighe, 2007). However,
evidence show that this is a step which is often ignored by school leaders (DuFour, R.,
DuFour, & Eaker, 2008).
(ii) Communicate these goals to stakeholders to gain support
If the school has predetermined goals, it is essential that these are clearly communicates to all
stake holders in order to gather support and influence decisions. This helps to create a
positive understanding which can help to build long-term relationships among the key
stakeholders. It is important to communicate the goals as this will keep them on-side. This
also allows for more informed decision making and greater satisfaction. It also improves the
chances for success and promotes 2-way communication.
Manages the instructional programme.
The school leader is responsible for managing the instructional programme
(i) Co-ordinates the curriculum:
This is done when there is significant curricular coordination or alignment. This happens
when the objectives set for the curriculum are aligned with what is taught in class and how
what is taught is assessed. What has also been observed is that curriculum coordination is
accompanied with greater continuity of the curriculum across grades. It is believed that this
occurs because there is more interaction among teachers so that what is taught in a higher
grade is built upon what has taught in the grade just below. Hence when school leaders give
attention to curriculum coordination, they ensure that the materials that are asked from the
students fit the objectives that have been set and related to what are being assessed.
Consequently, school leaders engage in activities which are also responsible to ensure that
teaching aligns with national curricular standards. It is also expected that the school leader
regularly organizes curriculum discussions at school level to share expectations and
understanding with teachers and to listen to their views and opinions. Finally, the school
leaders encourage best practices in curriculum by sharing their observations with the
teachers.
(ii) Supervising and evaluating instruction
One of the tasks of the instructional leader is to set down the goals for the school. Then the
instructional leader must design the strategies to ensure that the goals are met. These will help
to focus the resources of the school. The next step involves ensuring that classroom practices
reflect the school goals. Hence this implies that the objectives that teachers have for their
classes must reflect the objectives of the school. Furthermore, school leaders should support
teachers in this endeavour and they are also expected to monitor what is going on in
classrooms through frequent class visits. These visits are followed by constructive feedback
which are directly linked to what has been observed in class. At the same time, it is expected
that the school leader provides support, guidelines, and models instructional practices.
Another strategy which is promoted is to encourage intervisitation and peer coaching. The
school leader provides incentives for those who transform their instructional practices to be
more in tune with the school goals. Another strategy which the school leader uses is linked to
benchmarking and visits to other schools to observe strategies implemented there.
(iii) Monitor student progress
It is essential to monitor student progress as one way to ensure that the school goals are being
met. Students would be assessed by both standardized and criterion-referenced tests. Students
will be continuously monitored, and their progress evaluated through tests. These tests are
used to detect problems as well as the areas of weaknesses in students’ learning. At the same
time, the results of these tests also provide indications about the relevance of instructional
programmes and hence allows the school leader to devise assignments, tasks and activities
which will be used at classroom level. School leaders have knowledge about assessments and
the ways that students learn. This allows them to propose strategies that are better suited and
more effective. They also devise appropriate interventions for individual students who are
struggling. The types of interventions required will be based on the results of the assessments
administered. They also must provide help and support to teachers who have students who
are struggling to keep pace with their learning goals. The results of assessments are also used
as an indication about the progress of student.

3.6 Activity : The visit – Episode 1

I was in the Staff Room when Sarah walked into the Staff Room she saw Vanessa looking all
stressed and anxious. She walked over to Vanessa and started to talk to her. I overheard their
conversation.
Sarah: Hello Vanessa. Is everything ok? You do not look well.
Vanessa: Hello Sarah. It shows that much?
Sarah: Well,…Yes.
Vanessa: (Releasing a big breath) You see, Mrs Parson (the Head of School) is coming to
observe my class this morning. As you know, she is a fervent advocate of real-time coaching!
Oh! I feel so bad!!! I have not been able to eat anything this morning and now I am feeling
light on my feet… and I am not sure if I feel cold or I feel hot…..Oh!
Sarah: Ok… look…take a deep breath. Again…. Relax…you need to let go….Everything is
going to be fine. Keep you head up. Walk straight on. Look her in the eyes when she comes
in and show her that you are feeling comfortable with her being in your class.
Vanessa: (Trying to make a joke out of the situation) Oh! It looks so simple!!! How about
changing places?
Sarah: (With a large grin) Euh…No thanks. Look… cheer up….Everything is going to be
fine. Good luck. See you at lunch time.
Vanessa: Yes… if I am still around.
Three hours later, I was again in the Staff Room when Sarah walked again in for lunch and
meets with Vanessa and I again overheard their conversation.
Sarah: Hi Vanessa. Well…well… well. Look at you! What a transformation!!! So I don’t
need to ask how the visit went!!
Vanessa: Oh! Sarah!!! It was wonderful!!!!! Let me tell you what happened……
Sarah and Vanessa continued their conversation and I walked away as my class was waiting
for me.
 Critically discuss which could have happened during the class visit.
3. 6 Activity: The visit – Episode 2
A week later, I was again in the Staff Room when I overheard a conversation between Risa
and Kevin. From what I gathered Kevin was going to have the visit of Mrs Parson and he was
enthusiastic. He was grinning from ear to ear. I saw him again after an hour or so later. He
looked so dejected!! His eyes were empty. I tried to make eye contact with him, but he broke
contact. He was blinking more rapidly. He was biting his lips. His fists were clenched. He
went to sit down and started to tap his fingers.
 Critically discuss which could have happened during the class visit.

3.7 Promoting a positive school learning culture

It is the responsibility of the Head of School to promote a positive school learning culture.
Thus the Head of School engages in the following activities:
(i) Protecting instructional time
Instruction leaders ensure that teacher have uninterrupted blocks of instructional time. This is
important as time exposed to instruction has a direct impact on student learning. Furthermore,
it is important that teachers do not have to strop the class to solve discipline issues. Hence
school leaders promote and enhance strategies which ensure that students do not misbehave
as it disrupts the smooth running of the class. Hence the school leaders set down rigorous
schoolwide policies to prevent the loss of teaching and learning time and allow students to
remain focused on their learning for longer periods of time. Content coverage is an important
element which can explain student academic achievement. Different instructional strategies
must be used within the scheduled time of instruction. The school leader ensures that
activities contribute to the development of important competencies and skills in students.
Block scheduling allows teachers more flexibility in the choice of their instructional
strategies. Also, they can use more varied and interactive instructional strategies which could
be more effective. Students must also be given the necessary time to complete the
requirement of the course.
(ii) Promoting professional development
When teachers are effective they are able to apply teaching strategies that are able to develop
in the students skills that the school expects. This is important because there has been a
paradigm shift. Schools have moved from the traditional knowledge oriented curriculum to
one which is more activity based. School leaders need to ensure that teachers know how to
used the various practice-based learning approaches. They need to be able to scaffold their
teaching strategies to develop the required skills in students. For this to happen, teachers must
be well versed in the use of different strategies and on their impact on the development of
appropriate skills in students. Hence it might be important for school leaders to ensure that
teachers get access to professional development. Professional development will ensure that
teachers’ knowledge and skills are enhanced. Teachers must master the skills they are going
to develop in their students and have good command of the strategies that they will use to
develop these skills in their students. As teachers are provided with professional
development, they will be in a better position to meet the new expectations which they have
to face. School leaders must ensure that opportunities for the professional development of
teachers must be available and they must strongly encourage teachers to attend such training
programmes.
(iii) Maintaining high visibility
The school leader must be seen in the school and in classrooms. It is important for the school
leader to have firsthand information and experience on the way teaching and learning is
happening at school. Judgments and decisions cannot be made on snap judgments or on
accounts made by third party. This will reinforce professionalism. The school leader must be
part of the life of the school. This will occur if the school leader is out and about in the
school. This allows for face-to-face interactions with teachers and students. The school leader
learns about school life and can directly observe the way school life is organized. When the
school leader is visible in the school, he/she can provide the necessary supports to teachers
and students. Teachers get to share their concerns about their teaching with the school leader
and students can also share about issues. They learn about teachers’ professional growth and
student learning and assess what is happening at school. School leaders learn what is being
taught, how it is being taught but also how students are learning. This allows the school
leaders to have a holistic overview of the teaching and learning process. They demonstrate
concern for the welfare of teachers and students and gather information which can prevent
issues from getting out of control. They help to create a safer school and provide for a
conducive learning environment and communicate the priorities of the school.
(iv) Providing incentives for teachers
Incentives can boost teachers’ moral and enhance their commitment and dedication. This
helps to create a positive learning climate at school. As an instructional leader, the school
leader can organise a system whereby clusters of teachers meet to share their instructional
strategies and receive coaching. This can be organised in such a way that clusters of novice
teachers would meet with experienced teachers. The experienced teachers could share their
knowledge and skills and provide advice to novice teachers. This helps to create a network.
This would serve to recognise the work done by experienced teachers and show appreciation.
It will help to develop a collaborative culture at school. It also establishes a culture which
promotes and support interactions between teachers thereby ending the isolation which some
teachers might feel. Intrinsic incentives are important as they encourage teachers to seek out
new strategies and even new pedagogical challenges. They will analyse their ability, observe
and gain new knowledge from other teachers. This happened because teachers are driven by
the interest which the job provides. Hence school leaders must create the necessary
conditions for teachers to derive pride and satisfaction in their job. This will help to elicit
better performance from teachers. At the same time, it is important that the conditions to
attend continuous professional development be relaxed so that teaches can join these courses.
This will help teachers improve their knowledge and skills
(v) Enforcing academic standards
Academic standards of thought to significantly help raise student achievement. Standards
would determine the level which students need to reach. School leaders need to have an
effective monitoring system that would allow them to track student progress. It is important
to note that some tests are given once a year and their results are available only after some
months. Hence teachers cannot provide effective timely feedback. Consequently, school
leaders need to ensure that there are various data waves available throughout the year. At the
same time school leaders must ensure that results not only reflect grades but also indicate
whether students have reached predetermined standards. School leaders also need to support
teachers in working with standards-based grading. They need to encourage the preparation of
rubric scores or percentage scores on specific standards. Teachers need to decide on the
content to be taught and the depth to which they must teach the content for the students to
fully understand it. School leaders help by setting up a record keeping and monitoring system
which will allow teachers to implement standards.
(vi) Providing incentives for students
The school leader works to improve students’ motivation by providing incentives, rewards,
and recognition. This will help to create a school learning climate which will trigger student
achievement. The rewards must be available in a timely manner. School leaders must design
a system of reward which is linked to classroom efforts. Furthermore, it is important to help
students see that improved achievement now might help to improve long term rewards. They
need to better understand the impact of learning today on their future. It might be important
for school leaders to redesign the reward system to take into account efforts School leaders
can set up systems where they would reward inputs of the efforts put into studying rather than
the output of the learning process. Achievement level might rise. School leaders can also
design programmes to help students convert their enthusiasm for learning into concrete steps
do influence the achievement level. They can also analyse how providing incentives for an
activity can spill over and positively impact other activities. Hence school leaders can ensure
that the various incentives provided all work in the same direction to significantly impact
student achievement. Finally, incentives to students may be supported by an engaging
curriculum.
3.8 Activity : The Quote
  Critically discuss the above quote from Mitchell and Patterson and post it on the
discussion forum (150-200)
 Select a review from one of your peers and provide a comment on a challenge which
the Head of School might face based on the argument raised by your peer.
 Provide a quote on instructional leadership which you feel captures the basic
principles of instructional leadership.
3.9 Reflection on instructional leadership
Although the school leader positively influences student achievement, it should be recognized
that there is also need for concerted efforts to bring about significant changes which will help
include all the stakeholders. Hence it is expected that all school leaders work collaboratively
to set goals which have been determined together. This helps to drive employee engagement.
At the same time this helps to develop more accountability and trust. As it goes the role and
contribution of individuals are deemed important.
It is important to set targets as these allow to measure progress. Being able to measure
progress might provide the necessary incentive to increase the level of commitment and
efforts that teacher might be willing to provide. This will remove uncertainty from the
organization as it will be clear whether the performance is moving toward the target at a pace
which is commensurable or not. This also allows the school to get the most out of its
resources and verify if the School Development Plan is realistic or obsolete or unrealistic.
Furthermore, it allows the school leader to determine if the school is becoming more difficult
to manage.
In order to help you better understand the intricacies of instructional leadership, read the
letter written by a Head of School to a friend who is contemplating the idea of applying for
the post of Head of School.
3.10 Activity: The Photovoice
Locate 2 articles which are freely available from the internet which discuss the importance of
Instructional Leadership and read the Letter to Jude. Provide a picture of an object/s which
could depict your understanding of Instructional Leadership. Support your picture with a
paragraph of about 200-250 words. Post it on the discussion forum.
Select a review from one of your peers. Provide a comment on a challenge which heads of
schools might face based on the argument raised by your peer.
3.11 Conclusion
It is important if the school is set on meeting its goals than education resources be effectively
allocated. The school leader must be able to obtain and allocate resources where the demand
exists to fulfil the goals of the school. At the same time, the provision of resources creates a
more transparent system. As teachers get the education resources, they need to enhance the
teaching-learning environment. They can better use up to date resources and technology and
create a conducive learning environment. The school leader needs to monitor the allocation
and use of education resources to ensure their effective utilization.
3.12 Exit slip
 What was the most important thing that you learned today?
 Record your answer in your learning log

3.13 Self evaluation

Learning outcomes

Content specific and thinking skills:

 Demonstrate comprehensive and critical understanding of
the definitions of instructional leadership

 Demonstrate critical understanding of the relevance, and

practice of instructional leadership
Academic writing and thinking skills:
 Demonstrate ability to understand appropriate argumentative
genre by engaging with relevant literature

 Demonstrate ability to use appropriate argumentative genre

to articulate critical engagement with key ideas on the
concept of instructional leadership

Demonstrate ability to select the most accurate picture

which reflect understanding of instructional leadership
 Demonstrate ability to contextualise what the picture means
Attitude and disposition:
 Show ability to explore and question a personal
understanding of the notion of instructional leadership

 Show critical engagement with other ideas that further

contradict one’s own
 Technology:
 Show confidence in using the digital platforms to engage in
effective learning and to communicate

3.14 References:
Boerema, A. (20060 Analysis of Private School Mission Statements, Peabody Journal of
Education, 81(1),180-202
Bryson, J. M. (2004). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to
strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass.
Dhuey, E., & Smith, J. (2011) How Important are School Principals in the Production of
Student Achievement? Canadian Journal of Economics, 47(2)
Downey, D., Von Hippel, P., & Broh, B. (2004) Are Schools the Great Equalizer? Cognitive
Inequality During the Summer Months and the School Year. American Sociological
Review, 69(5),613-635
Dufour, R., Dufour, R., & Eaker, R.(2008) Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at
Work: New Insights for Improving Schools (The most extensive, practical, and authoritative
PLC resource to date) (What Principals Need to Know) Perfect Paperback
Hallinger, P. & Murphy, J. F. (1987). Assessing and developing principal instructional
leadership. Educational Leadership, 45(1), 54-61
Heeralal, P. J. H.(2014) Student teachers’ perspectives of good mentor teachers.
Anthropologist, 17(1),243-249.
Horng, E.L., & Loeb, S.(2010) New Thinking About Instructional Leadership, Phi Delta
Kappan  92(3),66-69
King, D. (2002). Beyond instructional leadership: The changing shape of leadership.
Educational Leadership, 59(8), 61-63.
Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B.A. (2005) School Leadership that Works: From
Research to Results
Protheroe, N. (2009) Using Classroom Walkthroughs to Improve Instruction, Principal, 88
(4), 30-34
Robinson, V. M. J., Lloyd, C. & Rowe, K. (2008). The impact of leadership on student
outcomes. An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types. Educational
Administration Quarterly, 44(5), 635-674.
Snart, F.(20110 2010 McKinsey & Company report: “How the world’s most improved school
systems keep getting better”. Journal of Educational Change 12(4)
Stemler, S.E., Bebell, D., & Sonnabend, L. (2011) Using School Mission Statements for
Reflection and Research, Educational Administration Quarterly 47(2),383-420
Wiggins,G., & McTighe, J.(2007) Schooling by design: Mission, Action and Achievement.

Add on:

Dear Jude,
I am very pleased to hear that you are going to apply for
the post of rector. This is a very challenging but
interesting journey that you are going to embark on. I
feel that having to submit a motivation letter describing
how you intend to go about doing your job will help
you to reflect on the shape that you would want to give
to your leadership. Since you have asked me to share
my views on instructional leadership, I will try to give
you some insights on what I consider as the main
features of instructional leadership.
I believe that one of the main functions of an
instructional leader is to monitor teaching and learning.
One main striking feature of instructional leadership is
the fact that monitoring teaching and learning is given
the upmost importance on the list of duties. It is even
claimed that while it is expected that school leaders
perform a whole arena of duties and are pressed for
time, they cannot nevertheless neglect their role as
instructional leaders. Although, it is acknowledged that
school leaders must balance their time as they have
numerous tasks to perform, they nevertheless must
focus on improving student achievement. According to
my humble opinion, Heads of Schools need to find time
to do this. It has also been pointed out that this task
might not be easy as in many schools, goals are
multiple and elusive, technology is underdeveloped,
linkages between means and ends are poorly
understood, and effectiveness is difficult to determine.
Yet, Heads of Schools need to navigate among these
complexities.
Then, they need to be up to date with knowledge which
are related to their duties. It is also expected that the
school leader keeps abreast of the changes which
impact the curriculum, and instructions as well as
assessment. They are expected to remain informed and
current in their practices. As such, they are expected to
engage in continuous professional development to
ensure that they remain aware of the new development
in the field. When school leaders keep their skills and
competencies and knowledge up to date, they have the
necessary confidence to take on tasks related to
instructional leadership which they must perform. This,
my friend is essential if you want to stay current. At the
same time, they can remain open to changes and are
passionate about their work as instructional leaders.
You may become reluctant to take on new projects if
your skills are rusty or you lack some abilities that are
needed to take on a new project.
Next, you need to work on aligning the curriculum.
Instructional leaders are concerned with aligning
curriculum, instruction, and assessment as well as
standards. In schools, the focus is student achievement.
If this is the case, then it is highly advisable that the
curriculum, instruction, and assessment are all aligned
with the standards. If these are not aligned, there will be
negative repercussions on student achievement.
Students are assessed on what they are taught, and
teachers are better able to provide focus while teaching.
Hence assessments will reveal how well the students
have learned what they have been taught and instruction
will ensure that they are taught what they are expected
to be taught. If there is no alignment among these three
elements, then it can undermine the motivation of
students as they cannot see the link between what they
are taught, learned and assessed. This might be daunting
at first sight, but it is important that you have clear
opinion on this issue.
Furthermore, you need to allow data to inform your
decisions. Data drives the implementation of relevant
and appropriate strategies. School leaders use the data
obtained as baseline to inform their decisions. These
data which are normally in terms of results. Hence,
standard-based assessments are used to review
strategies and inform new decisions, examine the
instructional focus of teachers and their need for
professional development. As a Head of School you
will need to manage the conditions of learning so as to
produce a given result. This involves using data to drive
decision making. Hence you need to set up systems to
record and collect data.
Last, but not least, you need to develop a culture of
ongoing learning. It is claimed that instructional leaders
are lifelong learners. The argument which is pushed
forward is that fact that the whole education system is
dynamic. It continuously evolves and there is need for
constant adaptation on the part of the stakeholders. In
fact, effective Heads of Schools view of instructional
improvement as an ongoing process. You cannot have
once off initiatives. As instructional leader, you need to
constantly engage in new learning to remain focused
and sharp and bring about effective changes at the level
of the school. If a Head of School wants to continuously
transform practices at school, then these changes will
happen only if the Head of School is able to support
decision making with new knowledge.
I hope that I have been able to provide you with some
useful insights which will help you to frame your
mindset and views on instructional leadership. I wish
you all the best for your interview. I have known you
since you were an adolescent and have seen how you
have blossomed into a fine young man. I have also had
the privilege to have you on my staff for 10years and
you have always strike me as being very dedicated and
committed to your students and to the school. I
sincerely hope that you get the job because I believe
that you will make a great Head of School.

Friendly yours,