The Principal and Machiavelli

We have just marked the quincentennial anniversary of Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the greatest, if not the greatest of political theorists. His views and observations on the art of political leadership have direct relevance to the problems of democratic government today and his writings are being read with renewed interest. In this article the writer (who may or may not have his tongue in his cheek) sets forth a direct interpretation of Machiavellian philosophy as it may be applied to the “real life” political role of the school principal. Principals and other practising school administrators will have strong reactions to the position set forth in this article which was written expressly for this purpose. The article has been used by the Author for several years in his graduate course at the University of Alberta, “The Social and Political Environment of Educational Administration.”