Trio of experts—not just one—should lead schools, Judy Alston contends

At a time when public schools—particularly those in urban areas—are struggling to maintain public confidence, Judy Alston, educational administration and supervision and leadership studies, has written a book that proposes multi-leadership in K-12 schools.

Published by University Press of America Inc., Multi-leadership in Urban Schools: Shifting Paradigms for Administration and Supervision in the New Millennium says three principals may be better than one for some schools.

Alston suggests in the book that a triumvirate of school leaders who collaborate with a common goal of improving their school may help to create an enhanced learning community in which students’ opportunities to excel are maximized.

“The bottom line is student achievement,” Alston said.

The triumvirate could include a chief operating officer, a chief financial officer and a chief knowledge officer, all experts in their respective areas. Such a plan would re-conceptualize urban schools as we know them, Alston says in the book, noting that the new paradigm of leadership would promote teamwork, reduce the stress on a single principal and enhance student performance.

“Being a principal is often too much for one person. It’s a tough job,” she said. “This is not for every school, but for some schools it might be the answer.”

Noting the national shortage of teachers who are willing to step into an administrative role, even when they have the necessary license and certification, Alston said often there is no financial incentive to do so, and the overwhelming demands of a principalship further discourage prospective administrators from pursuing the role.

“Dividing the position might encourage people to do that,” she said, adding that even for the chief financial and chief operating officers, a background in education would be important. “The business of education is very different from running a company that produces a product,” the former high school English teacher cautioned.

Widely published in the field of school administration, Alston joined the BGSU faculty in 1999. She serves as both chair and graduate coordinator for the EDAS master’s degree program in the School of Leadership Studies, and teaches in the University’s doctoral program in leadership studies.