One of the most important contributions the principal can make is to present and clearly define the role of the M&R teacher to the members of the school staff and communicate his or her support of the M&R program. Principals also need to be involved sufficiently to show ownership of integration efforts. This will motivate other staff members to do the same:
The principal has to really know what is going on. He has to be behind it and believe in the program. Because if you have little breakdowns you have to have the support. You have to have the back up all the way down the line, otherwise the system will fail.
This level of support is not always present, however. Some M&R teachers reported that they found principals treating the program with what might be called benign neglect, out of either lack of confidence or lack of interest:
If [the principal] was interested, [in the prgram] it would help. But since the beginning of the year there has been nothing said. If the principal brought it up, teachers would see that he’s monitoring it. He could even go into the classes where special needs students are and see how things are going and ask the teachers for copies of the objectives. He could ask the teachers how they’re doing with the program. It would be so much more effective if he was [monitoring the programs].
Principals have a strong influence on the efforts of the M&R teacher and can seriously undermine the program. With the principal’s positive support and collaboration the M&R teacher can act confidently to help teachers meet student needs.
The M&R teacher also needs the principal to listen to his or her concerns and take action when required. Issues of authority sometimes come up when teachers are asked to collaborate with M&R teachers.
