elizabeth a. clark, ed.d. associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction
TRANSCRIPT
MASTERING THE ART AND SCIENCE
OF LEADING: A HEROIC JOURNEY
Elizabeth A. Clark, Ed.D.Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
LEADERSHIPis a
LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The complexity of the current educational reform agenda demands courageous, responsible, determined action on the part of all who believe that preparing our children for life in
the 21st Century is both a national priority and a moral responsibility.
“The Heroes Journey” John Brown and Cerylle A. Moffett
Soaring Beyond Expectation
“What we know is that the “principal is the critical ingredient without which K-12 public schools cannot improve.”
English
ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH
The ability of the organization to function effectively, to cope adequately, to change appropriately, and to grow within.
Marvin FairmanOHDDC
MOVING FROM CURRENT STATUS TO PREFERRED FUTURE
Current Status
Vision of Preferred
Future
Strategic Action
Birdville ISD
We are creating environments where learning is not optional but required.
Learning is the new guarantee.
The world is now the classroom and ourStudents must compete globally.
Too many students are not learning at the required levels of rigor and developing 21st Century skills.
WHAT ARE THE NEW REQUIREMENTS?
SCHOOL STRUCTURES VS. STUDENTS AND STAFF
Our current structures for schooling are
exhausted. Today, it is becoming “agonizingly
difficult” (Hargreaves & Fullan, 1998) for
educators at all levels to respond to the
needs of children as well as adults in the
system.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE
OUR WORK SO DIFFICULT?
National, State, and Local Standards
Assessments (STAAR, Common Assessments, Benchmarks)
Emerging Technology
Researched-based Practices Cultural Changes Political Issues
Demographic Changes Structural Changes Policies and
Mandates
Community Perceptions
Organizational Changes Budget Issues
WHAT ARE THE DRAGONS AT THE GATE?
HOW DO WE SLAY THE DRAGONS?
Any attempts at addressing these issues will not succeed without fundamental and heroic changes in the: way we perceive each
other, way we work together,
and manner in which we
respond to change both internally and externally.
Research Information Europa Science Ltd
HOW DO WE GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL?
In times of darkness and confusion that test our minds, hearts, and spirits, we have often looked to heroes of other times and places to give us courage and hope.
We do not have to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us.
THE PATRIOT
1. What was heroic about what you just saw?
2. Discuss with your elbow partner.
Fight for the right thing
Ability to persevere even in the tough times
Willingness to take action in the face
of oppositio
n
Leads to success in a spiritual, if not physical way with strength and
courage
Moral Greatness
Perseverance
Leadership
Takes Action
FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF HEROISM
WHO ARE THE HEROES?Heroes are those who:
Find or create a vision of a preferred future
Take other people to a place they would not have gone by themselves—lift people up to a high place
Create a climate for others to prosper to be inspired, supported, and encouraged
Act boldly and courageously
Build new coalitions around the new vision
WHO IS THE HEROIC EDUCATOR?
The heroic educator is not an isolated, charismatic, or superhuman individual
who hands down miraculous answers from on high.
IRONMAN scifistudios
INSTEAD, THIS IS A PERSON LIKE US, WHO MIGHT SAY:
“Come with me. We can do this together.”
He or she could be a colleague who, by virtue of being a
little farther down the road, can look back
and say:
“I’ve been there, and it’s not so bad around the bend.
Don’t worry.
I know it feels pretty dark right here. But there is light up ahead.”
In effect, we are all heroes immersed in a quest to
help each other, to help children, to help our schools
and school systems respond to the increasingly
complex demands of the world in which we now live.
Could I Possibly be a Hero?
The definition of heroism in modern education is the act and process involving collective will and vision.
Educators working in isolation can, at times, perform miracles. But what is the toll, and how long can isolated heroism be sustained?
Heroes of Modern Education
Each of us is in a position to influence the experiences children have in schools.
Together, we have embarked on a spiritual, intellectual, and social journey, a quest for personal and organizational transformation in the face of mounting problems and contradictions.
Heroes of Modern Education
To take the hero’s journey is to: expose ourselves to risk and
opportunity.
open ourselves up to the possibilities of hope and despair.
be the vehicle that helps students discover the best in themselves, in others, and in the world they inhabit.
embrace the challenge of regaining our sense of shared purpose and recognizing the power of WE.
Heroic Leadership: A Hero’s Journey
“Transformative movement requires
immense individual effort,
communication, training, and
cooperation, plus some luck. Although
some groups or organizations reach
their goals consistently, this level of
effort is difficult to sustain. Excellence
is a dynamic process.”
Robert Quinn
HERO’S JOURNEY
COMPETING PRIORITIES
The essence of leadership is charting out the
work with both the SystemsWorld and the
LifeWorld in check, not competing or over-
shadowing one another, but rather
balanced so that the moral and
ethical imperatives of educating
our youth are not lost.
SYSTEMS WORLD LIFE
WORLD
Managing the Tasks: The Systemsworld in Balance with the Lifeworld of Schools, Tx ASCD Learders of Learners by Elizabeth A. Clark
MAJOR TENETS
• The heartbeat (leadership and followship) of the educational enterprise forms the foundation from which all other functions derive meaning.
• Community happens as a result of people moving from compliance to commitment and ultimately to “roles of covenants.”
• Transformation is a metamorphic process resulting from communities of learning, discourse, creativity, and shared commitments.
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
Adopting a systems perspective
Applying the essential statistical methods
Providing leadership to create, provide, and maintain a healthy environment for work, learning, and continuous improvement
Understanding that what we do must be based on knowledge of the teaching and learning process
Requires pedagogically centered leaders who know and can develop teachers to understand and do what is involved to dramatically improve teaching and learning. They accomplish this by establishing high expectations and by constructing systems that promote learning. Such leaders have the depth of understanding to mentor and guide teachers to practice the craft at exemplary levels.
E.A.Clark
TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS
PEDAGOGICALLY-CENTERED LEADERSHIP
CLARIFYExpectations for staff
FOCUSStaff on the improving the core work of teaching and learning using the curricular standards, lesson design, data, and collaboration
CONNECTThe work of the PLC to continuous improvement
Pedagogy
In Birdville ISD, this translates to principals doing the following:
1. Ensure that the curricular standards are taught
2. Have a strong core instructional delivery system (Tier 1)
3. Implement appropriate interventions (Tier 2 &3) with fidelity
4. Use data in a continuous improvement process (PLC) for making instructional decisions
Heroes Among UsWritten by: Elizabeth A. Clark, Ed.D.
What brings you here to do your workI ask you today?
Was it by accident that we met or were you sent my way?
You have been called into this serviceA hero’s journey you did take.
The road is long and often fraught with confusion and debateBut always resolved, as heroes are, a legend you will make.
Your toil is long and exhaustiveYour work is never done.
You touch the heart, you nourish the mind You create a better way.
Oh, to you who work against all odds,A legacy you will leave.
You take the child the way he comes and teach him every day.It’s not for pay or notoriety, that keeps you steadfast and true.
But rather it’s the hero’s journey and the difference you will make.
