To what degree are the principal and teacher's roles in a school system complementary? To what degree can each help the other do the best possible job?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: Whereas both principals and teachers are educators, their function in the school organization is different. Teachers work individually with particular students, instructing them and designing activities to help their class or classes advance. They are the primary instructor in a school organization, and as a result, will know details about their students' learning that others will not know. They are typically most concerned with how the curriculum impacts their classroom or their department. Principals are, in large degree, the managers of the school building. They oversee the general processes of education, trying to keep the entire school heading toward district and state curricular goals. They are responsible for evaluating the teachers' performance as well as being the official spokesperson to the community of that school. Teachers and principals are most helpful to each other when they recognize what the other one brings to education. Principals can look to teachers to provide feedback and input on the implementation of the curriculum. Teachers can discuss, with more authority than other school personnel, how students are learning under particular conditions and what students are undergoing at any particular time. Principals can provide the general leadership a school needs by articulating general goals, fostering a sense of purpose, making connections between individual teachers and departments, and otherwise working to create a unified school.