Instructional Leadership in a Pacific Context. PREL Briefing Paper.

Principals in the Pacific region face a variety of challenges that may be different from those in other regions. In October 2000, principals of Pacific schools were invited to attend a regional summit to address questions on instructional leadership. Participants listed characteristics they felt were important in a Pacific school instructional leader: able to be a compassionate leader, culturally sensitive to and respectful of other cultures, and culturally sensitive to student and teacher needs; able to assimilate cultures in the school/community context; open to multiple perspectives; respected by and respectful of the community; knowledgeable of the language and culture of the community; able to understand community values and social/cultural events; and willing to share in school leadership. Some identified barriers to effective instructional leadership as leadership without vision, lack of planning, communication breakdown at various levels, limited resources, lack of experience/understanding of school functions, and lack of readiness for beginning the school year. Recommendations include having service providers partner with principals to provide technical assistance/training and to validate effective practices, identifying quality trainers, having policymakers revisit educational and governmental mandates and policies and update them as needed, and having school boards concentrate on policymaking, not "micromanaging." (RT)