0.4 The art of successful school-based management  (Page 18/36)

In the spirit of skilled communicator, effective school leaders are able to articulate the vision andmission of the school and school system, establish norms of behavior for both teachers and students, and communicate highexpectations for teaching and learning. There can be no effective leadership, it would appear, without effective communication(Persell&Cookson, 1982; Buffie, 1989; Barth, 1990; Prestine, 1993; Blase&Blase, 1994; Stolp&Smith, 1995).

Particularly fascinating for today’s principals is the possible role that technology, and in particulare-mail, might play in contributing to successful communication. With the infusion of technology into schools, computers and e-mailhave become part of the daily routine for principals and teachers. In interviews with twelve principals representing elementary,middle, and high schools, it became clear that both teachers and principals relied heavily on e-mail to communicate with each other(Kelehear, 2001). One principal commented that she no longer used the intercom, but depended on e-mail to reach teachers andstudents. She reduced faculty meetings from once a week to once a month and disseminated all daily and weekly information bye-mail.

Several principals also found that face to face contact with some teachers seemed to diminish through the useof e-mail, if not in qualitative terms, certainly in quantitative ways. Two principals had actually removed the sign-in sheet and hadteachers sign in from their rooms via e-mail. They commented that by moving the sign-in sheet they inadvertently lost contact withhalf of the staff. Several other principals commented that if it were not for the mail boxes in the front office, they would likelynot see many of their teachers. Or, as another principal lamented, "I was talking with a teacher I had not seen in a few days when hetold me that he had been absent for two days. I did not even know he was not there!"

And finally, there emerged the expectation on the part of principals and teachers alike that an immediateresponse to e-mail was not only preferred, rather it was expected. When teachers and principals sent messages, they became annoyedwhen the response was not returned quickly. When pressed by what was meant by "quickly," the teachers expected the principal torespond within three or four hours. Principals were more exacting. They anticipated a response from teachers within the hour! Severalof the schools conducted faculty meetings whose agenda items focused on establishing norms and expectations regardinge-mail.

Given that e-mail has so completely become interwoven into the fabric of the school culture, it is interestingto note the reaction of staff when“the system”goes down or crashes. One principal recounted her and her staff’s reaction to such an event:

Last week the system stopped working. I sought out our technology specialist in an attempt to find the source ofthe problem. Almost simultaneously, teachers began drifting by my office to tell of the problem and find when it might be fixed. WhenI discovered that the system might be down for several days, immediately my daily routine began to change. I traveled the hallslistening to teachers teaching and I talked with students as they moved on to their next class. During the transition to classes, Isensed that teachers were more likely to come to their doors and visit with each other and with students than they were when thesystem was working. For certain, I was in the halls more frequently doing the things I think a principal should be doing.