How Great Principals Drive High Expectations

As school leaders, you’ve no doubt uttered some version of this sentence: “We have high expectations for student learning at our school.” But when we say that, what do we mean, exactly? Let’s agree on a simple definition: that having high expectations means we believe all students can learn at exceedingly high levels. 

When there’s a high expectation for our staff and students, it instills the confidence and agency that’s needed to strive for higher levels of performance. And, when everyone’s working together to achieve those high expectations, it creates an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, cared for, and seen. Most of all, it shows that ambitious goals for learning can truly be met and exceeded. 

Great principals recognize the importance of having high expectations—it’s putting it into practice that’s slightly more challenging. The key to creating a high-expectations culture is to understand that “high expectations” is both believing in the capabilities of the students and adults in your building—and engaging in the actions that turn those beliefs into truths.

The key to creating a high-expectations culture is to understand that “high expectations” is both believing in the capabilities of the students and adults in your building—and engaging in the actions that turn those beliefs into truths.

Here are a few thoughts around how school leaders can establish a high-expectations culture, where belief in achievement and taking action to build the environment are equally important.

Balance high expectations with compassion

Often, there’s an assumption that we can either be compassionate educators or rigorous educators. It’s not only possible to be both—it’s necessary. When we ask students to be the best versions of themselves, it’s important to have equal parts encouragement and challenge in their learning environments.

Senior Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education and New Leaders alum Joaquin Tamayo says it best: “Every young person and adult connected to any learning community in this country needs to understand at a visceral level that they belong there. Not just because they were told they do, but because the relationships, experiences, and environments give them what they need, when they need it, in the way they need it.” 

Infusing the kind of compassion and belonging that Tamayo talks about into our schools and classrooms can be accomplished in several ways. One big way is to prioritize student voices and ideas. The courage to take initiative and voice opinions is crucial for success in the real world beyond schooling—and yet, many K-12 students don’t get a say in how their education is delivered. Inviting students to take agency over their learning not only increases engagement, but also the speed of learning—both important aspects of a high-expectations culture.

When we ask students to be the best versions of themselves, it’s important to have equal parts encouragement and challenge in their learning environments.

Another way can be found with how we handle student overwhelm. Here, the key is to set high expectations while also expressing confidence that students can succeed in the task they’ve been given. Being able to say to your students—alongside their teachers—that you know this might be challenging for them, but you know they’ll be able to create something impressive with their knowledge creates a balance of rigor and understanding that makes it clear to students they have the resilience necessary to do what’s needed. 

The goal is to use both in equal measure, building a team of “warm demanders.” Writer and former teacher Zarettea Hammonds uses this phrase to define teachers, staff, and school leaders who focus on building strong relationships with students, and then draw on that trust to hold students to high standards. 

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Examine and counteract implicit bias around student achievement

Even if we don’t mean to, education leaders can often hold unspoken beliefs around what the students in their schools can achieve, and these thoughts and biases can often impact student performance. Several studies have found that students know and understand when their teachers and principals have high expectations for them, and they perform better academically as a result—something referred to as “The Pygmalion Effect.” Or, conversely, what is called the opportunity myth happens when expectations are too low for students. 

One way to check our biases is to recognize they are real—and understand that while professional development might help to tackle our actions as educators, we also need to recognize that our thoughts and emotions drive our actions too. As one educator astutely says, “If your perception is off, your reality is off.” Acknowledging we have implicit biases is the first step to changing our mindset and getting to a place where we truly believe all students can learn at a high level.

School leaders can be a part of the solution by understanding their own biases and helping their teachers and staff to also see theirs. For example, there might be teachers who make accommodations for a specific group of students by not placing the same rigorous demands on them or teaching core content. A school leader’s role is to help teachers understand that these accommodations, while well-intentioned, may be sending students the wrong message about their learning capabilities.

Create the same high-expectation environment for teachers, staff, and parents

So much of what builds a high-expectation culture for students—a supportive climate, peer cooperation and collaboration, showing trust by giving students responsibility for their learning, taking the time to get to know students and their interests—is the same for the adults in your school building.

When teachers and staff are held to their own set of high expectations, they’re not only more engaged, but they’re also more focused on creating the same rigor for their students. Setting this similar environment begins with these leadership actions:

• Giving teachers autonomy and agency when it comes to their professional learning. Co-developing PD plans that help teachers align with how they want to grow in their careers shows you value and trust their expertise.
• Creating time for teachers and staff to collaborate with and learn from one another. Talent multiplies talent—and students need the best of everything your team has to offer.
• Expanding leadership opportunities and engaging teams in driving continuous improvement efforts, also known as distributed leadership. School leaders identifying and cultivating nascent leadership for the good of driving a shared vision of excellence across their school community can lead to breakthrough results.

When teachers and staff are held to their own set of high expectations, they’re not only more engaged, but they’re also more focused on creating the same rigor for their students.

These leadership actions and high expectations can also be true for parents and families. We love this story in which a Michigan principal knew his students could do better. So, he  introduced parents at his school to research on the effects of parent involvement on student achievement. He showed them data from schools with similar backgrounds—and made it apparent that their school could get the same results. 

Today, parents at his school actively attend parenting workshops—and use school-provided resources like math manipulatives—to help their children at home. Working together, they forged a bridge between home-to-school built on both belief and leadership actions. 

High-expectation cultures are holistic

Having high expectations for your school is equal parts belief and action. You can’t have one without the other. And, as education leaders, you have high expectations for all students because you know with the right environment—the one you’re working hard to create alongside your teachers and staff—they’ll meet them.

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