As school leaders, principals have responsibilities related to teachers, staff, families, and students. It’s a complex job that can be filled with both joy and frustration. And needless to say, the ongoing pandemic has made it even more complicated.

But how much influence do principals actually have on school policies, procedures, and overall climate? The short answer is A LOT!

One study done by the National Center for Educational Statistics finds that principals play a major role in almost every key area — from discipline to curriculum to learning formats to hiring effective staff. They can even have a significant impact on the social-emotional well-being of their communities.

The article also points out that research by the Wallace Foundation estimates replacing a below-average elementary school principal (25th percentile of effectiveness) with an above-average principal (75th percentile) would result in “an additional 2.9 months of learning for math and 2.7 months for reading each year for students in that school.” The research also found that the impact on student achievement of having an effective principal is nearly as significant as the impact of having a similarly effective teacher.

As a result of the pandemic and ongoing interruptions to “normal” schooling, many are concerned about learning lost and disengagement … and rightly so! However, one new report finds that both parents and teachers overwhelmingly demand a holistic view of education that prepares students for life, via both social and emotional learning (SEL) and service-learning. And therein may lie a possible solution.

In this article, Atwell and Schlund (2021) argue that the holistic approach described above can help offset the negatives of remote learning. They offer 5 strategies to tie learning to the real world.

In their words, “The evidence and perspectives of teachers, parents, and youth are clear: We need to work together to ensure SEL and service learning positively impact next school year and beyond for students everywhere. These are the kinds of learning we cannot afford to lose.”