For a school principal, it is paramount to make correct decisions that will allow for improving the effectiveness of the school and enhancing the quality of the education provided for its students. However, one person can’t be able to take into account all the nuances of every situation that occurs in such a large organization as a school. Therefore, it is pivotal that the principal consults with the school’s educational staff; in particular, it is stated that primarily, the best teachers in the school should be asked for such advice.
When considering a change in the school, creating new rules, routines, etc., an efficacious principal should consider what the best teachers will think of this innovation. It is stated that there exist several reasons for this. For instance, in the situation when the best teachers in the school do not think that something is a good idea, it might be unlikely that the rest of the educational staff will agree with this idea. Also, when the best educators are convinced that an idea is bad, it may be highly probable that the idea is, indeed, bad. Therefore, the best teachers should be consulted because they will very often offer a sober assessment and constructive criticism of the idea in question. Because they are the best teachers in the school, it is highly probable that their advice will be most useful. (However, it is noted that the principal should take care to avoid the situation when the best teachers would be considered their “pets.”) On the other hand, mediocre teachers (or even the “backbone” educators) may not give such a constructive assessment of the new idea or might react badly to it merely because of being reluctant to implement it.
It is also emphasized that the implementation of change should also start with the best teachers in the school, not the mediocre ones. This is because the best educators are most likely to start implementing a new idea most productively if they are indeed the high performers. First, suppose the principal has already asked for their approval and recommendations. He has taken both into account, which is reflected in the idea that is accepted for implementation. Then, these teachers will most clearly see the benefits of this change – because they approved it and assisted in shaping it. Therefore, it is very likely that they will introduce it with the most extraordinary enthusiasm. Also, they will be most likely to know how to better realize it in practice because they helped formulate it. Also, due to the best teachers’ enthusiasm, introducing the change with these educators will be much easier than with other teachers, who may feel worried that it will not work or that they will not be able to implement it properly. On the other hand, when the “backbone” and “mediocre” educators will see that their colleagues have successfully utilized the new methods, they often will be more willing to implement these new ideas themselves, at least not to lag if not for other reason. Thus, it will be considerably easier to deal with possible resistance to change if the principal starts implementing it with the best teachers.
All in all, before introducing change in the school, the principals should seek the advice of their best teachers to assess how good an idea is and to modify or formulate it in a way that would permit it to become as useful as possible. Also, the principal should start implementing the innovation with the best teachers, because the latter will probably be most effective at it, and because the other educators will likely follow their lead if they witness that the new idea is working well.