The Principal as a Decision Maker.
The Principal as a Decision Maker.
A school principal is an education administrator who oversees the day to day operations of the school. He or she offers instructional leadership to everyone in the school. These include the administrative staff, faculty and students. The role of a school principal is that of a guide to the students as well as a disciplinarian. There is much more to the position than that, however it is a complex job that offers numerous challenges, each day different from the day before.
The principal acts as the manager as well as the highest decision maker of the entire institution. Although school policies can be dictated by the principal, he or she does not have ultimate authority in that regard. The principal must, after all, listen to the needs and demands of the school board, parents and students. To this end, the principal must regularly meet with parents and address their many questions and concerns before taking any sensitive decisions on issues relating to them.
Decision making is one of the most important roles of the school principal. Every administrative act, whether it concerns students, programmes, staff, services or resources requires making decisions. Decision making precisely is an act of choice between alternative courses of action. To be able to decide on what action to take on any administrative matter, the school principal needs to know not only the various alternative actions that exist, but also what type of decision to make, who should make the decision, how the decision should be made and how decisions would be carried out effectively.
The process of decision making in school administration is a strong factor in determining the nature of leadership, the levels of authority, the span of control, the degree of participation and or cooperation, the level of supportiveness among the members, and the possibility that decisions will be carried out.
There are several ways of describing or analysing decision making, but
A school principal is an education administrator who oversees the day to day operations of the school. He or she offers instructional leadership to everyone in the school. These include the administrative staff, faculty and students. The role of a school principal is that of a guide to the students as well as a disciplinarian. There is much more to the position than that, however it is a complex job that offers numerous challenges, each day different from the day before.
The principal acts as the manager as well as the highest decision maker of the entire institution. Although school policies can be dictated by the principal, he or she does not have ultimate authority in that regard. The principal must, after all, listen to the needs and demands of the school board, parents and students. To this end, the principal must regularly meet with parents and address their many questions and concerns before taking any sensitive decisions on issues relating to them.
Decision making is one of the most important roles of the school principal. Every administrative act, whether it concerns students, programmes, staff, services or resources requires making decisions. Decision making precisely is an act of choice between alternative courses of action. To be able to decide on what action to take on any administrative matter, the school principal needs to know not only the various alternative actions that exist, but also what type of decision to make, who should make the decision, how the decision should be made and how decisions would be carried out effectively.
The process of decision making in school administration is a strong factor in determining the nature of leadership, the levels of authority, the span of control, the degree of participation and or cooperation, the level of supportiveness among the members, and the possibility that decisions will be carried out.
There are several ways of describing or analysing decision making, but
References: - Lectures on Educational Administration, Ashaju J.O. (1982)