reflections on educational leadership

Reflections on Educational Leadership

How leaders can create a school culture conducive for learning

Essential Question

"As an educational leader, what principles of leadership and organization do you draw upon as you develop and implement a vision of learning, positive

school culture, and connections to the wider community?"

Agenda

•Definition of Leadership

•What does leadership look like?

•A Leader’s Resources

•Effective ways to lead well

•Expectations for success

•Personal experiences in leading others

Definition of LeadershipLeadership can be defined as a personal natural/nurtured capability to influence, inspire and band together a group of people to achieve a personal or group goal.

Supporting websites for Leadership definition*

Leadership, in my own view, is how we can organize and inspire a group of people through spoken and unspoken influence. Having the ability to clearly articulate a direction and a purposeful mission statement. Leadership evolves through experience,training and practice.

Definition of Leadership (2)Ability to lead/execute

Influence

Possessing Strong Vision and Idea’s

Ability to Motivate

Strong Communicator

Ability to bring people together

Initiating and Managing Change

Energize Others

Humility

Good Role Model

Effective Problem Solving Strategies

Encourages Dialogue

Ability to Inspire

People Oriented

Capacity to listen and observe

Tough Decision Maker

Accountability

Ability to Celebrate Others

Definition of Leadership (3)Leaders exhibit vision, passion, decisiveness, the ability to build a team and possesses humility and compassion for others.

Good leaders help create the desire within members of the team to want to change in order to achieve the teams common goals and efforts.

Leadership Resources (1)What areas should a leader develop in order to create positive

school culture and implement a vision of learning? I have identified 5 keys elements that I would use to motivate and

inspire my team as their educational leader. I have provided an overview and a personal experience for each key element.

1. Clearly States a Mission Statement and Identifies its Purpose

2. Possesses the Ability to Organize and Inspire a Team

3. Encourages Dialogue and Communication Among the Team

4. Supplies Development Opportunities for the Staff to Grow

5. Possesses to Ability to Mobilize the Local Community

Leadership Resources (2)Clearly Stating a Mission Statement and Identifying its Purpose

A good leader must possess the

ability to articulate the goals

and objectives for the school. A

leader should also identifying

reasons for why the goals are

important and attainable. A

good leader will also allow room

for growth and provide

opportunities for the goals to

develop over time.

In the beginning of every school

year our leadership team puts

together a presentation or

shows a movie that

demonstrates team work and

collaboration. This is a time

when the school can rally

together around a central

mission statement and focus on

the goals for our school

Overview Personal Experience

Leadership Resources (3)Possessing the Ability to Organize and Inspire a Team

Knowing your staffs strengths

and weaknesses will allow a

good leader to delegate

responsibility to the appropriate

people. A good leader inspires

team members through positive

motivation and increases the

opportunities for staff members

to take responsibility for

projects.

In a curriculum meeting, my

principal had asked us what we

thought about putting on a show

at the end of a marking period.

Initially people were hesitate. It

was only through her inspiring

words and thoughtful comments

on our practice, that collectively

we agreed to organize this

effort.


Leadership Resources (4)Encourages Dialogue and Communication Among the Team

Being able to communicate well

with your colleagues is probably

one of the most important

aspects of being a good leader.

Encouraging collaboration

among different grade levels

and allowing time for teachers

to share ideas and thoughts

should be a priority for an

educational leader.

We have engaged in a new

collaborative effort among

specials teachers and classroom

teachers. This system allows

the classroom teacher to fill out

a form with info on what the

class is learning. This

communication has proven to be

extremely beneficial for student

achievement and encourages

teamwork.


Leadership Resources (5)Suppling Development Opportunities for the Staff to Grow

It is the educational leader’s

responsibility to organize

opportunities for the staff to

grow and learn in their field.

This will allow for teachers to be

at the top of their game and

illustrates the importance of

continuous learning process for

teachers.

Throughout the year we have at

least 6 opportunities for staff

development in the form of on-

site workshops. The most

inspiring staff development

workshop for me was on how to

infuse technology and literacy

into visual art.


Leadership Resources (6)Possessing to Ability to Mobilize the Local Community

The local community can have

an extremely powerful influence

on student achievement.

Utilizing parents, community

leaders, and local volunteer

organizations should be a major

priority for any educational

leader.

Every year our School

Leadership Council organizes 1-

2 community events per month.

The last events in our school

were the Clothing Drive and

Thanksgiving Day Basket Raffle.

These events have bridged the

community with the school

creating a school environment

conducive for learning.
