The School Administration Manager or SAM project is a strategy designed to change the role of the
principal from the managerial leader to the instructional leader, resulting in an increase in time spent
on improving teaching and learning.
Educators acknowledge, and research confirms, that administrative duties greatly reduce the time and
focus that principals can devote to instruction; however, principals have so far been unable to find a way
to eliminate time as a barrier. The SAM initiative shows promise in penetrating this “time barrier.”
In 2002, with Wallace funding, three Louisville, KY schools received and pilot tested a SAM, whose job
is to assume school operations functions (such as ordering textbooks, overseeing fire drills and filing
reports on compliance with regulations) and thereby enable the principal to focus more time on
improving instruction. Time-use studies during the pilot period showed that once principals were given
guidance on how to shift their priorities away from more accustomed non-instructional routines, the new
SAM position did, in fact, result in a dramatic shift in the amount of time principals spent on instruction.
The promising early results of the initial study prompted The Wallace Foundation to support the
development and diffusion of SAMs: work is underway to replicate SAM projects in 176 schools in
eight states. Currently there are 57 SAMs’ schools in Kentucky: 30 in Jefferson County and 27 from eight additional school districts.
What is “SAMs?”
1. SAMs is a process to focus principal time on instructional leadership, teaching practice, student
learning and school improvement.
2. SAMs is not primarily a person, but a function.
3. SAMs is primarily a change process where the principal uses daily time/task data and reflection
to influence his/her own practice.
4. There are a variety of SAM models: creating a new position, converting an existing position or
adding duties to an existing position.
What do SAMs do?
1. SAMs help principals use time/task data to reflect on their practice.
2. SAMs help principals increase the time they spend as instructional leaders.
3. SAMs help principals strengthen relationships with teachers, parents and students to improve
teaching and learning.
4. SAMs help principals distribute management responsibilities and work with classified, or
support staff, to keep routine management administration work from pulling the principal away
from instructional leadership work.