Improving Instructional Leadership in Schools through Building Principals’ Capacity

Abstract

The school principal is the pivot of curriculum and instructional process in the school. His/her responsibilities are numerous but in reality good instructional leadership skills are seldom practiced. This study explores information about the skills and tasks required to support practices of instructional leadership. It has used secondary data analysis to inform readers of the Kenyan context of instructional leadership and recommend ways of improving instructional leadership skills, tasks and knowledge base. The principal's instructional leadership behavior should have much more immediate influence on the internal structure of the school than the external.  The school's internal structures include its instructional practices, organizational structure, climate, and culture.  It is through the design, development and interaction of the internal structures that the principal has maximum influence on the students' outcomes.  Effective instructional leadership depends upon a very complex set of relationships between principals and their beliefs and the surrounding environment of the school.  The principal's values and previous experiences, as well as the expectations of the community must be taken into account in leadership and decision making.

The authors have concluded that transformational leadership is the best practice for principals as they carry out instructional leadership role.

Key Words: Principals, Instructional leadership, Curriculum supervision, curriculum Improvement