Secondary School Department Chair Roles: Principal Expectations

Abstract

The literature on the principalship is extensive, revealing ways in which principals can foster or impede school success. At the same time, another formal secondary school-level position, the department chair, has garnered little scholarly attention. Thus far, the literature offers a limited account of the roles that chairs should or do perform in schools. Our purpose here is to draw much-needed attention to the position by examining the relative level of importance that principals assign to various chair roles. Specifically, we report findings from a survey of New York State secondary school principals indicating that principals assign a high, though varied, level of importance to chair roles, some of which are associated with the structural characteristics of the position. We discuss the implications of this and other findings.

A Content Analysis of Secondary School Department Leader Position Descriptions

“…Part of this support is to give department leaders enough autonomy. The principal defines the role of department chairs in practice; therefore, the role of department chair can vary widely from school to school (Brent et al, 2014;Klar, 2013). The principal's decisions about delegating authority affect the ways in which the department leader applies their official position description in practice.…”

“…The changes to the delegation of authority from one principal to another can cause substantial shifts in role expansion that can take a year or two to clarify. Principals who see the department chairs as partners in instructional leadership and acknowledge their content area expertise as well as their position as teacher leaders are more likely to foster a collaborative approach (Brent et al, 2014). Principals who structure leadership as rigidly hierarchical with little input from teachers tend to have department chairs who mirror this approach, though this is context-dependent on the dynamics of the department and school culture (Bartanen et al, 2021;DeAngelis, 2013;Ghamrawi, 2013).…”

Department chairs as change agents

“…Since this organizational structure first gained prominence in the 1930s (Tyack, 1974), department chairs have evolved into content-focused educational leaders, often supplanting school principals who earlier served that role (Brown et al, 2000; Pellicer, 1990; Peterson, 1989). Based on their position in the school hierarchy, department chair numbers likely exceed those of other administrative leaders within their school systems (Brent et al, 2014); however, despite their numbers, prevalence, and potential to lead school change, relatively few studies have focused on the role of the department chair in school leadership.…”

“…Wettersten (1994) examined secondary school department chairs and identified their tasks additionally included developing curricula, supervising and evaluating teachers within their departments, and contributing to school policies through their interactions with administrators. Recent research has determined that in addition to these multifaceted tasks, department chairs play, and are expected to play, the role of change agent in school systems (e.g., Brent et al, 2014; Peacock, 2014). The idea of the department chair as an agent of change is not new: Rinker (1950) believed department chairs should be promoters of change.…”

“…This positioning allows department chairs to interact with faculty one-on-one and in groups, as well as with administrators as they make organization decisions and plan for the future. This access to various players in the school hierarchy positions the department chair for the benefits of distributed leadership (e.g., Brent et al, 2014; Spillane, 2005), which views leadership as most effective when it is diffused throughout a system and when it moves in multiple directions through multiple stakeholders. Given the movement toward distributed leadership within schools and the role department chairs have within the structure of schools, department chairs are in a prime locus to facilitate top-down and promote bottom-up change in schools.…”