As a high school head of department, it’s important to possess a diverse set of skills and attributes in order to lead an effective team, develop curriculum, and ultimately improve student results. Here is a brief rundown on some key areas to focus on:
- Communication: Effective communication is essential for any leader, but particularly for someone in charge of a department. You will need to be able to clearly and consistently communicate with your team, as well as other stakeholders such as parents, students, and administrators. This includes being a good listener and being able to adapt your communication style to different audiences. You will need to be creative here as you’ll find, as I did, many teachers don’t read their emails regularly. A couple of solutions I have used include a weekly learning area update that I print out and place on each teacher’s desk. Another method is to have a television installed in the office that is set up to allow you to put key information and reminders on a continuous loop. Just remember, relying on meetings and email probably won’t cut it.
- Organization: As head of department, you will be responsible for managing a lot of moving parts, from developing and implementing curriculum to overseeing teacher performance and student outcomes. Being organized is key to ensuring that everything runs smoothly and nothing falls through the cracks. My key tip in this area is to get to inbox zero with your email. So much time is wasted searching for and re-reading emails. Deal with them then get rid of them – it will save you hours. I have a link here to an excellent book that will help you get on top of this. Another tip I strongly recommend is to develop a reputation for being super organized. Every week you’ll get assigned tasks from associate principals, admin staff or the finance office. They’ll usually give you a timeline of 7-10 days to get the task done. Wherever possible, I made the effort to get the task done within an hour of being given it (most tasks are very simple). This impressed the hell out of the task issuers and made their jobs much easier, something they don’t forget. I soon established the reputation of being much more organized than my fellow HODs and this made a big difference when asking for favors or resources from the school executive team.
- Leadership: Leadership skills are crucial for any head of department. This includes being able to motivate and inspire your team, delegate tasks effectively, and create a positive and inclusive work environment. A good leader also leads by example, modeling the behaviors and values they want to see in their team. Don’t get too obsessed about the theory of leadership – good leaders are competent at their job and treat their people with respect and genuine interest. The second part of that is often the most difficult and many struggle to make genuine connections with all members of their team. If that’s the case with you, there’s an excellent book called Emotional Intelligence 2.0 that provides 66 proven strategies to improve your ability to lead others. Just as a matter of full disclosure – if you click on the link and buy the book, I will get a small commission. However, I don’t recommend products I haven’t used personally and am genuinely impressed by.
- Curriculum Development: Developing and updating curriculum is a key responsibility of a head of department. This requires a deep understanding of the subject matter, as well as an ability to stay up-to-date with current research and best practices. It also requires being able to work collaboratively with teachers and other stakeholders to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of all students. If you have taken the time to get to know your staff, you’ll know who the aspiring go-getters are. They will often welcome the chance to take responsibility for designing courses. It develops their skills and looks good on their resumes. All you need to do is keep an eye on their curriculum to ensure it meets legislated requirements.
- Data Analysis: Improving student outcomes requires a data-driven approach. As head of department, you will need to be able to analyze student data, identify areas for improvement, and work with your team to develop strategies for addressing these issues. Most jurisdictions provide system level data to schools. This data is useful to the system and the school executive team and lets them know how they are performing against other schools. It will have uses at your level but will often lack the fine-grained detail that you need to make informed decisions about curriculum, resourcing, teaching methodology and so on. Where successful HODs stand out is in their ability to produce their own data relevant to their subject area. It means being able to determine what things you really need to know to ascertain how your students are performing. This is a great topic for discussion at faculty meetings – draw upon the collective wisdom of your team. If data analysis is a weak area for you, find a mentor who can help you. I was part of a network of HODs who all taught the same subject in our district. We met once a term to discuss matters like this and you soon find out who the experts are.
- Flexibility: The education landscape is constantly evolving, and as head of department, you will need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. This includes being open to new ideas and approaches, as well as being able to pivot quickly when necessary. Most jurisdictions have a strategy document released or updated each year by those at the very top of the organization. Whilst much of it may not be of direct concern to you, it generally provides clues about the direction education will take in coming years and the potential areas for growth and development. Take some tome toy examine these strategic documents to ensure you know where things are headed.
- Empathy: Finally, empathy is an essential attribute for any head of department. This includes being able to put yourself in the shoes of your team members, students, and other stakeholders, and being able to respond to their needs and concerns with compassion and understanding (see Leadership above).
In summary, being an effective head of department requires a diverse set of skills and attributes. By focusing on communication, organization, leadership, curriculum development, data analysis, flexibility, and empathy, you can create a positive and productive work environment that ultimately benefits your students. This has been very brief and I will deal with some of these with their own posts. Can you think of anything else that’s important? Please leave a comment below.
