Please post your answer to the following questions:
1) What do you believe are the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader? 2) What leadership topics/skills are you most interested in exploring during EDLE 610?
Throughout my journey as an educator, I have worked under several different principals and vice principals. I have had very positive experiences as well as extremely negative experiences. With that, I have grown to understand some of the qualities a leader needs to be successful and effective. One quality I believe is needed is organization. Without organization, a school can seem chaotic and having worked with an unorganized principal, I always felt like we were playing catch up and never meeting our goals. In addition, a good leader needs to be transparent. They need to be able to effectively communicate to teachers, staff, students, and the community about expectations, policies, and initiatives. A good leader needs to be able to share leadership responsibilities with those around them. It has been my experience that micromanagers become overwhelmed with day to day tasks and burn out. Also, a good leader needs to be involved beyond the office. A good leader needs to be seen throughout the school and in classrooms. They need to stay current with the realities of the classroom, to be able to set realistic standards with measurable goals that teachers can meet. Although there are numerous qualities that a good leader needs to have to be successful these highlight a few of the important dispositions.
During EDLE 610, I hope to learn how to get communities involved and on board, especially if you are a new principal coming in after a beloved principal has retired. Also, I would like to learn strategies to get parents positively involved in lower socioeconomic areas. Since these parents often work several jobs, have no transportation, and lack child care and sometimes language, it is hard to get them to be an active member of the school community. I would really like to discover new ways to get them involved in their child’s education.
I agree with all the qualities Leigh posted in her blog. I have worked under 6 different principals in over 20 years of teaching, and most have had a very positive impact on myself and others in the building. However, I believe because Loudoun has experienced such rapid growth in the past few years, they have let their guard down and bit in the hiring process. I have seen more and more principals hired that lack the leadership styles I have learned so far in the EDSE/EDLE courses. I feel the most important leadership quality one can exhibit is in the area of communication - clear, concise, transparent, and passionate - able to change according to the group they are working with. Also, being able to find strengths in others to share leadership is key - to encourage others to assume more responsibility. Also - to be able to find the positive in every siutation - and not be the negative "Nelly" in the group.
I also agree with Leigh regarding the expectations I have for EDLE 610. Being able to reach and connect with the parents who work several jobs and don't speak English I feel is key to having and maintaining a successful community school.
Good leaders need to be able to communicate with all stake holders. They need to be accessible, consistent, and strong. Some of the best leaders I know have open door policies and can bee seen in and out of classes daily. I think it is very important to know names of students and parents.
In EDLE 610, I hope to learn how to encourage parents to volunteer at events and in school. We have a lot of very out spoken parents who like to give their opinions, but very few who actually want to help. For example, we have parents who want to attend special events, but they do not want to volunteer to help.
I feel that a good leader is someone who is trustworthy, honesty, listens to their staff, is transparent and gets the job done! I think these qualities don't always have to be reflected daily but there needs to be feeling or sense that the administrator values their staff and will listen to concerns with an open mind and make the best decision possible for the children and school. I feel that a leader should be open to their staff and explain some of the decisions that are being made even if they were made by uptown so the staff understands the reasoning behind why they are being asked to do something. In my experience, using the "c" word, change, carries a negative connection and should never ever be used by a new leader! It seems to put people on the defensive side instead of offense. No leader is/will be perfect but having open communication and a sense of trust can help create an effect learning and teaching community to help the students.
In EDLE 610 I would really like to know how to continue parents to be involved in their child's learning. We all know that parents that live at the school are extremely involved but often times, its the parents we rarely or never see that we need to reach out more to. I know this is a difficult challenge due to parents working multiple jobs or are not educated themselves, but they still play a huge role in their child's academic career. I would also like to learn strategies to help strength a school community (more outside the school), especially when there was a strong relationship in the past and was destroyed by an incoming principal.
A good leader needs to be visible, approachable, willing to ask for help and totally committed to doing what's best for the kids. By visible I mean they need to be in classrooms everyday seeing what's going on and interacting with the kids. I think you can handle difficult situations best when you know what is truly happening in each classroom. A leader who is approachable is more likely to have open communication with their staff and community members than one who separates themsleves by either staying tucked inside their office or putting themslves up on a pedestal. Approachable and visible tend to go hand in hand - if you are seen and respected as someone who truly is invested, then your staff is more likely to share all the good and maybe not so good things happening. Being willing to ask for help - saying "I don't know" - is huge to me in terms of building trust. All school leaders started out as teachers and typically within one or two grades/programs. No one can possibly say they have taught every grade/subject, so it's OK not to know everything. I would expect a good leader to know where and be willing to seek out help when needed. I really liked the statement in last week's article about the principal who was not in it for his career advancement, but for the benefit for the kids. Having worked for princiapls and even AP's for whom this job was just a "stepping stone" to further positions, I think has a negative influence on the school as a whole. If youre constantly looking upwards are you really focusing as much energy on the job at hand? Whether you're a teacher or an administrator, give 100% of yourself to the kids and you will get every ounce of it back! In EDLE 610 I would like to look at ways of involving the low-incidence groups - like special ed, ELL (in my school at least) and low-SES - in my school. I know for my students, where my school is not their base school, I have tons of support, but no involvement of them or even the kids in after school activities. Being in a very affluent community we have lots of support in terms of donations and monetary contributions from our parents, but lack the same support when it comes to volunteering time. I would also like to know how we can get more business/cororate partnerships - maybe to come tutor or talk to the kids about careers, etc. I think that is a untapped resource at least at my school.
Leaders need to have a clear vision of the goals of the organization and provide the framework for the members to work collaboratively to meet those goals. You need to be able to analyze situations from multiple lenses
Trying one more time....keyboard keeps freezing. A leader needs to consider all stakeholders and include them in the decision making process in the organization. Additionally, it is important to trust your stakeholders and allow them the freedom to complete tasks in their own way as long as thy are working toward the vision - avoid micromanaging. Also, it is important to know people - both for their strengths and areas of growthtilizing their strengths and fostering growth where needed.
I agree with Colleen. A strong educational leader considers the need of all of the stakeholders and exhibits strong collaboration and communication skills with all groups. They are often involved in the classrooms and develop personal relationships with the students and their staff. A strong leader will be open to speaking with any and all who have concerns and will consider all sides of a problem before making a decision.
In this class, I would love to get some more information about working with a different variety of communities. I have worked in two very different sections of Loudoun County and feel that my approach as an administrator would be different depending on the nature of the community that I would work in.
Everyone has made valid points so I feel that my post will seem repetitive, but here it goes! I feel a strong educational leader has to keep student success at the forefront of their responsibilities. While there are multiple stakeholders within a school community, the students are those that we impact the most, therefore, this is extremely important. This means that teachers and administration should share the same vision for student learning/success. Parents and community members should share this vision as well. A strong educational leader should encourage their staff to be creative and think outside the box in order to ensure that all students are reached and able to learn. Just as important, a strong educational leader should be a good communicator, able to speak/share a message and listen at the same time, as well as remaining in touch and involved in what is occurring in the classroom and not getting caught up only in what is happening in their office.
During this class, I would like to learn strategies that may be tried and true for community involvement in the school. I'd like to know how to reach a larger population of parents and community members and have them become and remain involved in the school.
I feel a good instructional leader needs to be firm, yet flexible. To make a really bad quote, you have to "know when to hold 'em/know when to fold 'em." Another quality would be transparency (my school's buzzword for the year). By being transparent, you also help to earn the trust of your school community. Going behind the backs of any stakeholders can lead to nothing but trouble. Finally, a good instructional leader needs to be visible in the school community. Too often, administrators are holed up behind their doors. Being out in the school and the school community allows parents to create relationships that will, hopefully, open the doors of communication.
In this class, I hope to learn how to approach a variety of stakeholders in the community. I would like to know any strategies that help to bring the stakeholders in and have them become involved in their schools on a regular basis.
What do you believe are the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader?
My classmates have done an exceptional job of summarizing the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader. As Jenna indicated, while there are multiple stakeholders within the school community, it is the leader’s responsibility to keep the main thing the main thing- that is, the student’s (and students’) needs front and center. Karin makes a good point, one which is difficult for leaders at times, and that is avoiding micromanaging others. As was indicated in Chapter 2 of WSMC, Build Trust, a good leader needs to establish trust among his/her peers/colleagues, and have confidence in “their integrity and in their abilities.” What also resonated with me in that same chapter, was Steven Covey’s statement that trust has two components, character and competence, and without trust, you are suspicious of people- which leads to micromanaging them when you do not believe in their capabilities, don’t trust their agenda or integrity and are suspicious of their track record.
I like the way that Kim and Leigh reflected on their own experiences with principals they have had, and were able to draw on those experiences to outline qualities of those individuals that they saw as positive role models in the area of leadership. Sarah mentioned transparency, trustworthiness and someone who listens to their staff, and Liz indicated the need to be committed to doing what is “best for the kids” which is my belief as well.
When I reread Chapter 1, Reinventing Leadership, in Sergiovanni’s Moral Leadership, I connected with the author’s belief that leadership that is packaged for consumption becomes little more than a buzzword- big promises without much substance. I loved the analogy of separating the hand of leadership from its head and heart, and I believe that the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader are the abilities to be reflective, intuitive, transformative and inspirational.
2) What leadership topics/skills are you most interested in exploring during EDLE 610?
The leadership topics/skills that I would like to explore include immersing myself in Sergiovanni’s teachings, and to become a more reflective, transformational and inspirational leader. I am interested in learning more about the dynamics involved in communities of people, whether they be teaching staff, central office staff, students, parents, etc.
I feel that an effective instructional leader needs to have the success of the students at the forefront. That should be the top priority. The leader must be flexible in achieving this and must work diligently to communicate with all stakeholders involved. Without all of these qualities working together, an instructional leader cannot achieve what is necessary for success. When they do work in sync, I feel the trust level increases and the buy in among all stakeholders will be high.
During this course, I would like to learn ways an instructional leader can build a community, with the school at the center. Knowing different ways to increase community involvement is a benefit all leaders need to know.
When I think about the educational leaders in my life that inspire me, trust and integrity come to mind. The leaders I don't like, lack these qualities. I trust the effective leaders because they are visible, have a strong vision, make good decisions and know what to do to "get the job done." They also balance their leadership role with meeting the needs of people around them. They are respectful of parents, teachers, and student needs. It is amazing to watch and when I grow up I want to be just like them :)
I am interested in learning more about how to work with community partners. In both of internship placements in Head Start and Dominion High, their respective PTOs work with a lot of community partners. I have had a little bit of experience working with one community partner and this work has been challenging. Can't wait to learn more...
I believe the most important quality a good leader will possess is trust, especially in the field of education. When a teacher or staff member is hired, the leader trusted that this person was a good fit for the school, and they are doing things to benefit the students. When a leader does not trust their staff, they start to micro-manage the way things are done, and it leads to lower morale and much more work for everyone. In addition to trust, I believe that a good leader should be receptive to new ideas. A good leader will listen to their staff and community in order to make major decisions within the school. There is no one person who knows what is best for everyone that has interest in the school, therefore no one person should be making the majority of decisions.
In this course, I would be interested in exploring effective way to fundraise. I would be interested in looking at school which had a larger budget due to fundraising and how they were able to do it.
Successful leaders all have their own leadership style and presence, however, these effective administrators can also share similar characteristics. I believe that the most important characteristics seen in successful leaders is the belief of doing what's best for children. The leaders that are truly great have the ability to do this through clearly communicating their vision to all of the school's stakeholders, establishing collaborative working environments where innovation is encouraged and praised, and providing a safe learning environment for the students and staff. In addition to these main qualities, I also believe a principal should be intelligent, humble, present, and someone who develops leaders within his/her school. All of these characteristics may seem difficult to find, but the ones who can utilize all of these qualities can leave a strong impact on his/her community.
Throughout this semester, I hope to learn more about the strategies that help increase participation among all stakeholders. My school has a number of students with different backgrounds. These students range from very affluent families to families with students on free and reduced lunch programs. Knowing this, I hope to develop strategies that encourage and engage families of all backgrounds to help make our school a better and stronger community.
To be a successful leader you need to have the vision to look at the needs of all the players. By looking at the overall picture and making (and communicating) decisions based on research (both scholarly and informal) an administrator has a stronger possibility of support from the group. I also believe that successful administrators need to be transparent but also realize that not all decisions they make will be popular or make all staff/parents happy. I hope that this semester I will learn ways to increase parent involvement at lower income schools.
In evaluating the traits of an effective instructional leader, it’s important to consider that leader’s role/purpose, presumably within the school, as well as the context in which the leader is meant to function. Is the instructional leader a sole position? A team? The principal? Are there instructional and academic standards already in place? Do expectations exist? Are they clear? Do they make sense? Is it time to reevaluate the school’s mission? Whatever the answers, the instructional leader must be prepared and able to consider, reconsider, and then implement how the school tackles its ultimate purpose: equipping students for a lifetime of civic duty.
Essential qualities of an instructional leader include prioritizing, observing, monitoring and reevaluating, encouraging learning; furthermore, all of these are related and even cyclical in nature regarding approaches for an effective instructional leader. Developing a learning environment requires that everybody involved has a common interest in the goal/mission, so there needs to be a sound mission. The leader must prioritize educational goals while aligning with academic standards to narrow the goal/mission, which then must be communicated to all school community members in order for each student, teacher, and parent is working toward the same goal. Another factor required for the increased likelihood of success with instructional goals is that those being asked to support them agree that the goals are relevant, so the leader must examine the culture and community as part of aligning goals and priorities. Additionally, an effective instructional leader works to develop leadership capacity within the school. An investment in one’s own faculty builds trust and continued buy-in as well as increased morale and furthered commitment of teachers (instead of potentially insulting them with another consultant or “outsider” being brought in to “fix” whatever must be wrong). Teachers who feel empowered to lead likely are more satisfied with their employment, enhancing their willingness to trust the school’s decisions and contributing to positive relationships that trickle down to students and families and out to the community. An effective instructional leader should be a trusted resource/go-to, but in order for that to work, the leader needs to model high expectations for him/herself and the process of continual learning. Though not personally viewed as negative because education is key to opportunity and social mobility, continual growth and learning isn’t limited to or synonymous with upward motility/advancement opportunities, rather it embraces the importance of illustrating the learning process, showing staff and students alike that you are part of that process, too, and that as the leader, you take your responsibilities for the school’s success seriously. You consult literature, other leaders and resources, and stay current with practices and policies in order to provide optimal experiences within your building. Furthermore, creating a learning-oriented culture should encourage all members of the school community to set goals toward which they strive, learn, and grow, whether the goals are within a current position or aspiring toward another. There should be no shame in continuous self-learning and improvement, particularly since that is what is asked of students and teachers. Besides, if teacher leaders are being nurtured, there should be others prepared for an opportunity to lead, having been encouraged and grown in the school. What better resource for succession planning than educators that already understand and are on board with the school’s mission?
While I am interested in leadership theory and development, I am fascinated with processes inherent in schools/education as well as how trends in education become such. I am highly curious about the leadership programming GMU is considering with a focus for independent school leaders, but being “here and now”, I look forward to gaining more insight to educational systems/their structures as a means to knowledgably question current systems. Ultimately, I dream of creating a school that could better serve students in preparation for future goals, but my vantage point, admittedly limited in scope, only accounts for what I’ve witnessed as hindrances to education. I want to understand educational history paired with projected needs to start a school that allows teachers to guide students through a world-preparatory education program, but I have much to research and map out and would love to explore many related topics (if even start-ups/charters and/or school reformation).
I agree with everyone's comments particularly Karin's comments regarding vision and mission. This is essentially what I believe to be a critical characteristic of a good leader. Last school year, our school had a committee mixed of various stakeholders’ parents, students, teachers, and administrative staff develops and created a mission statement. The condense version is work, honor, strive. This is stated at the end of the daily announcements. Another key characteristic of a good leader is trust and building relationships and connections with staff and students. Being visible and trusting the staff in the building to do the right thing aligned with the mission statement is vital. When you have strong connections and relationships with staff and students typically open communication flows, folks enjoy coming to work, and instruction takes take of itself. During the class would like to learn more methods of reaching parents and getting them information. Also, I’d like to learn how to fundraise and working more effectively with the PTSO and community.
What do you believe are the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader?
Everyone has described what qualities are necessary to be a effective leader. I think one of the key characteristic's is trust and building a relationship with all members in the school. I believe that once this is achieved the mission and vision statements of the school will fall into place. Another important characteristic is having a active community/school relationship. This is difficult since we have so many students who have parents that work two jobs or English is not spoken. These gaps are visible in PTO meetings, class parties, and school/community events. Administrators need to be transparent, trustworthy, honest, social within the school and the community, and visible and have a open door policy. Having these qualities allow the staff to feel worthy and empowered. I feel if the administrator posses these qualities the moral of the school with be positive. From my personal experience I have worked with a principal who is not visible, seems to be withdrawn from the school, and has different standards for teachers.
This semester I would like to learn work more with the teams and PTSO. Being a early childhood teacher I do not get the exposure to other teams. This year I volunteered to be on the Progress Monitoring team so I can expand my knowledge within the school.
Please post your answer to the following questions:
Throughout my journey as an educator, I have worked under several different principals and vice principals. I have had very positive experiences as well as extremely negative experiences. With that, I have grown to understand some of the qualities a leader needs to be successful and effective. One quality I believe is needed is organization. Without organization, a school can seem chaotic and having worked with an unorganized principal, I always felt like we were playing catch up and never meeting our goals. In addition, a good leader needs to be transparent. They need to be able to effectively communicate to teachers, staff, students, and the community about expectations, policies, and initiatives. A good leader needs to be able to share leadership responsibilities with those around them. It has been my experience that micromanagers become overwhelmed with day to day tasks and burn out. Also, a good leader needs to be involved beyond the office. A good leader needs to be seen throughout the school and in classrooms. They need to stay current with the realities of the classroom, to be able to set realistic standards with measurable goals that teachers can meet. Although there are numerous qualities that a good leader needs to have to be successful these highlight a few of the important dispositions.
ReplyDeleteDuring EDLE 610, I hope to learn how to get communities involved and on board, especially if you are a new principal coming in after a beloved principal has retired. Also, I would like to learn strategies to get parents positively involved in lower socioeconomic areas. Since these parents often work several jobs, have no transportation, and lack child care and sometimes language, it is hard to get them to be an active member of the school community. I would really like to discover new ways to get them involved in their child’s education.
I agree with all the qualities Leigh posted in her blog. I have worked under 6 different principals in over 20 years of teaching, and most have had a very positive impact on myself and others in the building. However, I believe because Loudoun has experienced such rapid growth in the past few years, they have let their guard down and bit in the hiring process. I have seen more and more principals hired that lack the leadership styles I have learned so far in the EDSE/EDLE courses. I feel the most important leadership quality one can exhibit is in the area of communication - clear, concise, transparent, and passionate - able to change according to the group they are working with. Also, being able to find strengths in others to share leadership is key - to encourage others to assume more responsibility. Also - to be able to find the positive in every siutation - and not be the negative "Nelly" in the group.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Leigh regarding the expectations I have for EDLE 610. Being able to reach and connect with the parents who work several jobs and don't speak English I feel is key to having and maintaining a successful community school.
Good leaders need to be able to communicate with all stake holders. They need to be accessible, consistent, and strong. Some of the best leaders I know have open door policies and can bee seen in and out of classes daily. I think it is very important to know names of students and parents.
ReplyDeleteIn EDLE 610, I hope to learn how to encourage parents to volunteer at events and in school. We have a lot of very out spoken parents who like to give their opinions, but very few who actually want to help. For example, we have parents who want to attend special events, but they do not want to volunteer to help.
This is Sarah Rees :)
ReplyDeleteI feel that a good leader is someone who is trustworthy, honesty, listens to their staff, is transparent and gets the job done! I think these qualities don't always have to be reflected daily but there needs to be feeling or sense that the administrator values their staff and will listen to concerns with an open mind and make the best decision possible for the children and school. I feel that a leader should be open to their staff and explain some of the decisions that are being made even if they were made by uptown so the staff understands the reasoning behind why they are being asked to do something. In my experience, using the "c" word, change, carries a negative connection and should never ever be used by a new leader! It seems to put people on the defensive side instead of offense. No leader is/will be perfect but having open communication and a sense of trust can help create an effect learning and teaching community to help the students.
In EDLE 610 I would really like to know how to continue parents to be involved in their child's learning. We all know that parents that live at the school are extremely involved but often times, its the parents we rarely or never see that we need to reach out more to. I know this is a difficult challenge due to parents working multiple jobs or are not educated themselves, but they still play a huge role in their child's academic career. I would also like to learn strategies to help strength a school community (more outside the school), especially when there was a strong relationship in the past and was destroyed by an incoming principal.
A good leader needs to be visible, approachable, willing to ask for help and totally committed to doing what's best for the kids. By visible I mean they need to be in classrooms everyday seeing what's going on and interacting with the kids. I think you can handle difficult situations best when you know what is truly happening in each classroom. A leader who is approachable is more likely to have open communication with their staff and community members than one who separates themsleves by either staying tucked inside their office or putting themslves up on a pedestal. Approachable and visible tend to go hand in hand - if you are seen and respected as someone who truly is invested, then your staff is more likely to share all the good and maybe not so good things happening. Being willing to ask for help - saying "I don't know" - is huge to me in terms of building trust. All school leaders started out as teachers and typically within one or two grades/programs. No one can possibly say they have taught every grade/subject, so it's OK not to know everything. I would expect a good leader to know where and be willing to seek out help when needed. I really liked the statement in last week's article about the principal who was not in it for his career advancement, but for the benefit for the kids. Having worked for princiapls and even AP's for whom this job was just a "stepping stone" to further positions, I think has a negative influence on the school as a whole. If youre constantly looking upwards are you really focusing as much energy on the job at hand? Whether you're a teacher or an administrator, give 100% of yourself to the kids and you will get every ounce of it back!
ReplyDeleteIn EDLE 610 I would like to look at ways of involving the low-incidence groups - like special ed, ELL (in my school at least) and low-SES - in my school. I know for my students, where my school is not their base school, I have tons of support, but no involvement of them or even the kids in after school activities. Being in a very affluent community we have lots of support in terms of donations and monetary contributions from our parents, but lack the same support when it comes to volunteering time. I would also like to know how we can get more business/cororate partnerships - maybe to come tutor or talk to the kids about careers, etc. I think that is a untapped resource at least at my school.
Leaders need to have a clear vision of the goals of the organization and provide the framework for the members to work collaboratively to meet those goals. You need to be able to analyze situations from multiple lenses
ReplyDeleteTechnical difficulties::) ,keeping the vision of the school in mind.
DeleteTrying one more time....keyboard keeps freezing. A leader needs to consider all stakeholders and include them in the decision making process in the organization. Additionally, it is important to trust your stakeholders and allow them the freedom to complete tasks in their own way as long as thy are working toward the vision - avoid micromanaging. Also, it is important to know people - both for their strengths and areas of growthtilizing their strengths and fostering growth where needed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Colleen. A strong educational leader considers the need of all of the stakeholders and exhibits strong collaboration and communication skills with all groups. They are often involved in the classrooms and develop personal relationships with the students and their staff. A strong leader will be open to speaking with any and all who have concerns and will consider all sides of a problem before making a decision.
ReplyDeleteIn this class, I would love to get some more information about working with a different variety of communities. I have worked in two very different sections of Loudoun County and feel that my approach as an administrator would be different depending on the nature of the community that I would work in.
Everyone has made valid points so I feel that my post will seem repetitive, but here it goes! I feel a strong educational leader has to keep student success at the forefront of their responsibilities. While there are multiple stakeholders within a school community, the students are those that we impact the most, therefore, this is extremely important. This means that teachers and administration should share the same vision for student learning/success. Parents and community members should share this vision as well. A strong educational leader should encourage their staff to be creative and think outside the box in order to ensure that all students are reached and able to learn. Just as important, a strong educational leader should be a good communicator, able to speak/share a message and listen at the same time, as well as remaining in touch and involved in what is occurring in the classroom and not getting caught up only in what is happening in their office.
ReplyDeleteDuring this class, I would like to learn strategies that may be tried and true for community involvement in the school. I'd like to know how to reach a larger population of parents and community members and have them become and remain involved in the school.
I feel a good instructional leader needs to be firm, yet flexible. To make a really bad quote, you have to "know when to hold 'em/know when to fold 'em." Another quality would be transparency (my school's buzzword for the year). By being transparent, you also help to earn the trust of your school community. Going behind the backs of any stakeholders can lead to nothing but trouble. Finally, a good instructional leader needs to be visible in the school community. Too often, administrators are holed up behind their doors. Being out in the school and the school community allows parents to create relationships that will, hopefully, open the doors of communication.
ReplyDeleteIn this class, I hope to learn how to approach a variety of stakeholders in the community. I would like to know any strategies that help to bring the stakeholders in and have them become involved in their schools on a regular basis.
Whoops...This is Angie. :-)
DeleteWhat do you believe are the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader?
ReplyDeleteMy classmates have done an exceptional job of summarizing the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader. As Jenna indicated, while there are multiple stakeholders within the school community, it is the leader’s responsibility to keep the main thing the main thing- that is, the student’s (and students’) needs front and center. Karin makes a good point, one which is difficult for leaders at times, and that is avoiding micromanaging others. As was indicated in Chapter 2 of WSMC, Build Trust, a good leader needs to establish trust among his/her peers/colleagues, and have confidence in “their integrity and in their abilities.” What also resonated with me in that same chapter, was Steven Covey’s statement that trust has two components, character and competence, and without trust, you are suspicious of people- which leads to micromanaging them when you do not believe in their capabilities, don’t trust their agenda or integrity and are suspicious of their track record.
I like the way that Kim and Leigh reflected on their own experiences with principals they have had, and were able to draw on those experiences to outline qualities of those individuals that they saw as positive role models in the area of leadership. Sarah mentioned transparency, trustworthiness and someone who listens to their staff, and Liz indicated the need to be committed to doing what is “best for the kids” which is my belief as well.
When I reread Chapter 1, Reinventing Leadership, in Sergiovanni’s Moral Leadership, I connected with the author’s belief that leadership that is packaged for consumption becomes little more than a buzzword- big promises without much substance. I loved the analogy of separating the hand of leadership from its head and heart, and I believe that the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader are the abilities to be reflective, intuitive, transformative and inspirational.
2) What leadership topics/skills are you most interested in exploring during EDLE 610?
The leadership topics/skills that I would like to explore include immersing myself in Sergiovanni’s teachings, and to become a more reflective, transformational and inspirational leader. I am interested in learning more about the dynamics involved in communities of people, whether they be teaching staff, central office staff, students, parents, etc.
I feel that an effective instructional leader needs to have the success of the students at the forefront. That should be the top priority. The leader must be flexible in achieving this and must work diligently to communicate with all stakeholders involved. Without all of these qualities working together, an instructional leader cannot achieve what is necessary for success. When they do work in sync, I feel the trust level increases and the buy in among all stakeholders will be high.
ReplyDeleteDuring this course, I would like to learn ways an instructional leader can build a community, with the school at the center. Knowing different ways to increase community involvement is a benefit all leaders need to know.
When I think about the educational leaders in my life that inspire me, trust and integrity come to mind. The leaders I don't like, lack these qualities. I trust the effective leaders because they are visible, have a strong vision, make good decisions and know what to do to "get the job done." They also balance their leadership role with meeting the needs of people around them. They are respectful of parents, teachers, and student needs. It is amazing to watch and when I grow up I want to be just like them :)
ReplyDeleteI am interested in learning more about how to work with community partners. In both of internship placements in Head Start and Dominion High, their respective PTOs work with a lot of community partners. I have had a little bit of experience working with one community partner and this work has been challenging. Can't wait to learn more...
I believe the most important quality a good leader will possess is trust, especially in the field of education. When a teacher or staff member is hired, the leader trusted that this person was a good fit for the school, and they are doing things to benefit the students. When a leader does not trust their staff, they start to micro-manage the way things are done, and it leads to lower morale and much more work for everyone. In addition to trust, I believe that a good leader should be receptive to new ideas. A good leader will listen to their staff and community in order to make major decisions within the school. There is no one person who knows what is best for everyone that has interest in the school, therefore no one person should be making the majority of decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn this course, I would be interested in exploring effective way to fundraise. I would be interested in looking at school which had a larger budget due to fundraising and how they were able to do it.
Successful leaders all have their own leadership style and presence, however, these effective administrators can also share similar characteristics. I believe that the most important characteristics seen in successful leaders is the belief of doing what's best for children. The leaders that are truly great have the ability to do this through clearly communicating their vision to all of the school's stakeholders, establishing collaborative working environments where innovation is encouraged and praised, and providing a safe learning environment for the students and staff. In addition to these main qualities, I also believe a principal should be intelligent, humble, present, and someone who develops leaders within his/her school. All of these characteristics may seem difficult to find, but the ones who can utilize all of these qualities can leave a strong impact on his/her community.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this semester, I hope to learn more about the strategies that help increase participation among all stakeholders. My school has a number of students with different backgrounds. These students range from very affluent families to families with students on free and reduced lunch programs. Knowing this, I hope to develop strategies that encourage and engage families of all backgrounds to help make our school a better and stronger community.
To be a successful leader you need to have the vision to look at the needs of all the players. By looking at the overall picture and making (and communicating) decisions based on research (both scholarly and informal) an administrator has a stronger possibility of support from the group. I also believe that successful administrators need to be transparent but also realize that not all decisions they make will be popular or make all staff/parents happy.
ReplyDeleteI hope that this semester I will learn ways to increase parent involvement at lower income schools.
In evaluating the traits of an effective instructional leader, it’s important to consider that leader’s role/purpose, presumably within the school, as well as the context in which the leader is meant to function. Is the instructional leader a sole position? A team? The principal? Are there instructional and academic standards already in place? Do expectations exist? Are they clear? Do they make sense? Is it time to reevaluate the school’s mission? Whatever the answers, the instructional leader must be prepared and able to consider, reconsider, and then implement how the school tackles its ultimate purpose: equipping students for a lifetime of civic duty.
ReplyDeleteEssential qualities of an instructional leader include prioritizing, observing, monitoring and reevaluating, encouraging learning; furthermore, all of these are related and even cyclical in nature regarding approaches for an effective instructional leader. Developing a learning environment requires that everybody involved has a common interest in the goal/mission, so there needs to be a sound mission. The leader must prioritize educational goals while aligning with academic standards to narrow the goal/mission, which then must be communicated to all school community members in order for each student, teacher, and parent is working toward the same goal. Another factor required for the increased likelihood of success with instructional goals is that those being asked to support them agree that the goals are relevant, so the leader must examine the culture and community as part of aligning goals and priorities.
DeleteAdditionally, an effective instructional leader works to develop leadership capacity within the school. An investment in one’s own faculty builds trust and continued buy-in as well as increased morale and furthered commitment of teachers (instead of potentially insulting them with another consultant or “outsider” being brought in to “fix” whatever must be wrong). Teachers who feel empowered to lead likely are more satisfied with their employment, enhancing their willingness to trust the school’s decisions and contributing to positive relationships that trickle down to students and families and out to the community.
An effective instructional leader should be a trusted resource/go-to, but in order for that to work, the leader needs to model high expectations for him/herself and the process of continual learning. Though not personally viewed as negative because education is key to opportunity and social mobility, continual growth and learning isn’t limited to or synonymous with upward motility/advancement opportunities, rather it embraces the importance of illustrating the learning process, showing staff and students alike that you are part of that process, too, and that as the leader, you take your responsibilities for the school’s success seriously. You consult literature, other leaders and resources, and stay current with practices and policies in order to provide optimal experiences within your building. Furthermore, creating a learning-oriented culture should encourage all members of the school community to set goals toward which they strive, learn, and grow, whether the goals are within a current position or aspiring toward another. There should be no shame in continuous self-learning and improvement, particularly since that is what is asked of students and teachers. Besides, if teacher leaders are being nurtured, there should be others prepared for an opportunity to lead, having been encouraged and grown in the school. What better resource for succession planning than educators that already understand and are on board with the school’s mission?
While I am interested in leadership theory and development, I am fascinated with processes inherent in schools/education as well as how trends in education become such. I am highly curious about the leadership programming GMU is considering with a focus for independent school leaders, but being “here and now”, I look forward to gaining more insight to educational systems/their structures as a means to knowledgably question current systems. Ultimately, I dream of creating a school that could better serve students in preparation for future goals, but my vantage point, admittedly limited in scope, only accounts for what I’ve witnessed as hindrances to education. I want to understand educational history paired with projected needs to start a school that allows teachers to guide students through a world-preparatory education program, but I have much to research and map out and would love to explore many related topics (if even start-ups/charters and/or school reformation).
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone's comments particularly Karin's comments regarding vision and mission. This is essentially what I believe to be a critical characteristic of a good leader. Last school year, our school had a committee mixed of various stakeholders’ parents, students, teachers, and administrative staff develops and created a mission statement. The condense version is work, honor, strive. This is stated at the end of the daily announcements. Another key characteristic of a good leader is trust and building relationships and connections with staff and students. Being visible and trusting the staff in the building to do the right thing aligned with the mission statement is vital. When you have strong connections and relationships with staff and students typically open communication flows, folks enjoy coming to work, and instruction takes take of itself.
ReplyDeleteDuring the class would like to learn more methods of reaching parents and getting them information. Also, I’d like to learn how to fundraise and working more effectively with the PTSO and community.
What do you believe are the essential qualities/dispositions of an effective instructional leader?
ReplyDeleteEveryone has described what qualities are necessary to be a effective leader. I think one of the key characteristic's is trust and building a relationship with all members in the school. I believe that once this is achieved the mission and vision statements of the school will fall into place. Another important characteristic is having a active community/school relationship. This is difficult since we have so many students who have parents that work two jobs or English is not spoken. These gaps are visible in PTO meetings, class parties, and school/community events.
Administrators need to be transparent, trustworthy, honest, social within the school and the community, and visible and have a open door policy. Having these qualities allow the staff to feel worthy and empowered. I feel if the administrator posses these qualities the moral of the school with be positive. From my personal experience I have worked with a principal who is not visible, seems to be withdrawn from the school, and has different standards for teachers.
This semester I would like to learn work more with the teams and PTSO. Being a early childhood teacher I do not get the exposure to other teams. This year I volunteered to be on the Progress Monitoring team so I can expand my knowledge within the school.