On School Leadership

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/opinion/school-principals.html

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To the Editor:

In “Good Leaders Make Good Schools” (column, March 13), David Brooks rightly highlights the critical role that the leadership of principals plays in influencing school success. There are two main lessons to be drawn.

First, the performance of any institution begins with the quality of the leadership. And second, a leader’s most important task is to be a culture-setter and shaper, constantly driving toward an organizational culture that is grounded in high expectations and genuine accountability, and that puts a premium on trust, collaboration, mutual respect and inclusivity.

Those are lessons that are just as applicable to business and government as they are to schools. Both our chief executives and our president would do well to take them to heart.

RICHARD STOPOLLONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS

The writer is president of NYC Outward Bound Schools.