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Florida Educational Leadership Standard 3: Managing the Learning Environment 1

Florida Educational Leadership Standards

Standard 3: Managing the Learning Environment

Standard 3: Managing the Learning Environment – High Performing Leaders manage the organization, facilities, and resources in ways that maximize the use of resources in an instructional organization and promote a safe, efficient, legal, and effective learning environment.

Knowledge

I have the knowledge and understanding of:

Theories and models of organizations and the principles of organizational development Operational procedures at the school and district level Principles and issues relating to school safety and security Human resources management and development Principles and issues relating to fiscal operations of school management Principles and issues relating to school facilities and use of space Legal issues impacting school operations Current technologies that support management functions

Dispositions

I believe in, value and am committed to:

Making management decisions to enhance learning and teaching Taking risks to improve schools Trusting people and their judgments Accepting responsibility High-quality standards, expectations, and performances Involving stakeholders in management process A safe environment

Skills

Throughout my internship experience and coursework at FGCU I have learned and evidenced through integrated essays and artifacts the following list. As an administrator I will facilitate processes and engage in activities ensuring that:


Knowledge of learning, teaching, and student development is used to inform management decisions

Operational procedures are designed and managed to maximize opportunities for successful learning

Emerging trends are recognized , studied, and applied as appropriate Operational plans and procedures to achieve the vision and goals of the school are in

place Collective bargaining and other contractual agreements related to the school are

effectively managed The school plant, equipment, and support systems operate safely, efficiently, and

effectively Time is managed to maximize attainment of organizational goals Potential problems and opportunities are identified Problems are confronted and resolved in a timely manner Financial, human, and material resources are aligned to the goals of schools The school acts entrepreneurially to support continuous improvement Organizational systems are regularly monitored and modified as needed Stakeholders are involved in decisions affecting schools Responsibility is shared to maximize ownership and accountability Effective problem-framing and problem-solving skills are used Effective conflict resolutions kills are used Effective group-process and consensus-building skills are used Effective communication skills are used There is effective use of technology to manage school operations Fiscal resources of the school are managed responsibly, efficiently, and effectively A safe, clean, and aesthetically pleasing school environment is created and maintained Human resource functions support the attainment of school goals Confidentiality and privacy of school records are maintained

Florida Educational Leadership Standard 3: Managing the Learning Environment

Organizational culture refers to the behavior norms, assumptions and beliefs of an

organization. It’s the “way we do things around here”. At the helm of the organization is the


school leader. The school leader acts in ways that promote a certain organizational culture, as

well as climate which is how the culture is perceived by those in the organization.

Organizational climate stems from an overlapping and interaction of four key organizational

factors; ecology, organization, culture, and milieu. Everyone involved in the school community

experiences this interaction, which leads to the perceptions of individuals being molded by

these experiences. Each of these components are levers for change that are available to the

school leaders who seek change in school climate. Because of the way these systems interact, a

change in one area will result in a change in the others. Managing the learning environment

becomes a critical component of creating and upholding a positive student focused

organizational climate (Owens & Valesky, 2007).

Theory is systematically organized knowledge thought to explain observed phenomena.

Theory enables us to systematically think about an organization and its nature. We can use

theory to describe what is going on, explain it, predict future events, and come up with ways to

exercise control over events (Owens & Valesky, 2007).

There are two major perspective theories on educational organizations. The classical

view of organizational theory is the bureaucratic perspective, where an organization functions

mechanically with top-down authority enforcing a set of prescribed rules. The alternative

perspective is often referred to as “human resources development”. In human resource

development the individual is considered, and their thinking emphasized as a means of

involving their commitment, their abilities, and their energies in achieving the goals of the

organization. Members have a personal investment in the organization as the values and goals


of the organization are shared amongst the group. The culture of the organization clearly

depicts the organizations core values, beliefs, and true goals (Owens & Valesky, 2007).

In the course Organizational Development, I was part of a team that developed a

proposition for a school district that was in need of change. The organization was struggling

and had been functioning under bureaucratic principles for some time. Our goal was to write a

plan of action for this school district. Our team utilized the Reinventing Education Change

Toolkit, a website based on the work of Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter created by

IBM to aid education professionals and leading and implementing effective change in their

organizations (IBM, 2002). The principles of implementing change as shared on this website,

led us to develop a Site-based management system for this school district. The problem-based

learning project, leads the school district through the change process. is the

project itself.

In studying the models of organizational theory I learned some things about myself and my

own beliefs as a leader. I believe in the theory of Human Relations, while accepting that some

situations will better call for an alternative approach. I am a proponent of true collaboration.

When people feel valued and respected as contributing members of a team, I believe they

exhibit traits that a Theory Y leader believes in. People will view work as satisfying, exercise

initiative and self direction, accept responsibility and seek it, and will have the ability to make

good decisions. As a leader, this means my behavior toward others in our school will need to

be one which involves high levels of trust and respect. With this I am optimistic that mutual


respect and trust will develop, opening the door for effective collaboration towards our

mutually shared objectives. With this formed relationship between school community

members and work ethic, a commitment to organizational goals is heightened. This allows for

group members, particularly the leader, to be demanding, explicit, and realistic, without group

resentment, but instead a shared sense of dedication to realizing our organizational goals. To

read more about my beliefs on organizational theory see , a reflective activity

from the course Organizational Development.

Making management decisions is a key component of managing the learning environment.

Decisions made by the school administrator must be made on the basis of enhancing learning

and teaching. The school environment is fast-paced, requiring timely responses to change in

the daily events while at the same time managing the greater issues in which outcomes of

possible alternative solutions are not always available. There are many decisions made in the

day to day workings of a school administrator that demand quick attention without needless

discussion. Speed and efficiency in decision making for some choices is useful, as there is

always much to be done in order to meet an organization’s goals. However, healthy

organizations involve the stakeholders in the decision making process. Empowering people to

participate in important decisions is highly motivating, and it also makes available an

opportunity to receive the knowledge and ideas of those who may be best qualified to provide

input. Trusting in the judgment of the members of the school organization increases the

human resources available to the organization as the members are motivated and invested in


the goals of the organization. This brings the organization up to a level of high-quality

standards, expectations, and performance (Owens & Valesky, 2007).

For the school principal, management is a dimension of leadership. Management

responsibilities are not glorified, the success of a school principal will not be based on how

much business is accomplished. However, these managerial responsibilities are critical to the

school climate as organization (structure) and ecology are two of the four overlapping and

interacting key organizational factors that build school climate (Owens & Valesky, 2007).

The school principal is primarily responsible for the managerial functions of the budget,

physical plant, resources, safety, hiring of teachers, and supervision of instruction. Principals

must keep accurate records, complete forms and coordinate human, material, and space

resources in order to run an effective school (Florida Department of Education, 2006).

To effectively provide resources for teaching and learning the school principal must have an

understanding of school governance, school funding, centralization and decentralization,

district level resourcing, school level resourcing, and providing human resources (FLDOE, 2006).

In Florida public schools are governed by local school boards established in each county,

under general oversight from the State Board of Education. The State Board is identified as the

chief policymaking and coordinating body of public education under Florida Statute. The

Commissioner of education oversees the Florida Department of Education, which is the

administrative agency responsible for providing professional leadership and guidance to school


boards in carrying out the policies established by the legislature, State Board, and the

Commissioner (Beckham & Raiford, 2003).

The local school board is the governing body for each of Florida’s school districts. General

powers of the local school board include determining policies and programs to efficiently

operate and improve the district school system and to adopt rules, adopt standards, and

perform duties and exercise responsibilities consistent with the powers assigned to the board

by law, by rules of the State Board of Education, and the Commissioner of Education. The

school district superintendent is either elected or appointed by the school board. The general

responsibilities of the superintendent involve exercising general oversight over the district

school system and working with the school board as an advisor and counsel on all educational

matters (Beckham & Raiford, 2003).

As part of my introduction to the study of administration, in the course Principals of

Educational Leadership, I attended a local school board meeting in which I was able to observe

firsthand the dynamics of the education system. The following is an account

of this observation.

The school principal is the formal leader at the school site and reports to the

superintendent. The principal is the administrative and instructional leader, responsible for the

performance of all school personnel. All Florida principals must ethically and effectively apply

the personnel assessment system approved by the board and also be accountable for all school


reports being processed accurately and in a timely manner. Florida law also requires principals

to be responsible for proper administration and account of internal funds, school safety, and

other statutory duties. Local district may adopt rules and policies specifying administrative

responsibilities in relation to instructional leadership, authority over personnel, administration

of discipline, and the development of the school improvement plan (Beckham & Raiford, 2003).

All public schools in Florida are also required to have a school advisory council (SAC). SAC

members represent teachers, education support personnel, parents, and students. The SAC

assists in the preparation and evaluation of the school improvement plan as well as in the

preparation of the school’s annual budget (Beckham & Raiford, 2003).

Goals of the school district determine how resources are allocated. When all parties

support the same initiative the best use of resources occurs. Resourcing refers to materials,

equipment, space, time, and access to expertise or staff. Districts allocation formulas vary, but

typically incorporate student criteria such as grade level, special needs type, and program type

(FLDOE, 2006).

A school district budget is a numerical translation of the educational program of a district.

The budget takes the educational needs that a community decides to support, and puts it into a

financial plan. School districts must justify the expenditure of public funds, as the budget it a

legal document once approved by the school board. This provides a means to evaluate the

fiscal performance of a school district (Valesky, 2008).


There are many methods of budgeting, and when working with a school district and schools

those methods are can be grouped into categories of good vs. bad. High-quality methods of

budgeting include functional, continuous, participatory, and decentralized budgets. Poor

methods of budgeting for school districts include mechanical, yearly, administrator dominated,

and centralized (Valesky, 2008).

There are three main components of school budgets. The educational program is the

foundation of the budget. From there is the expenditures, the amount of finance needed to

care out the educational program. Finally revenues, the raising of a sufficient amount of money

to meet the expenditure needs (Valesky, 2008).

There are four major steps in budget preparation. The first step is the planning of who is

involved, how programs will be determined and approved, guidelines to follow, deadlines,

estimated costs, etc. The second step is development of the budget, determining the

educational programs and cost estimates. Effective organizations will run this as a bottom up

procedure, where school sites submit budget requests which are then put together by the

central office. The budget is modified to insure that expenditures do not exceed revenues by

reducing expenditures or increasing revenues. The superintendent them submits the budget

recommendation to the school board for approval. Implementation of the budget is the third

step. The budget is administered and the expenditures and revenues are monitored through

accounting. Finally, evaluation of the budgeting process is the fourth step. The budget is

analyzed to see that it is meeting the needs of the district (Valesky, 2008).


As part of my educational leadership practicum, I participated in a budget meeting at

Osceola Elementary School. In this meeting the principal and office manger reviewed the

proposed school budget for 2009-2010 based on the funding allocations from the district.

Included in the report was the projected FTE translated into dollar amounts. The budget is then

broken down into grade level, related arts program, media, custodial, guidance, Positive

Behavior Support, ESE/Speech/Reading Coach, ELL, transportation, and administrative

allocations. This report was paired with a checklist for submitting the 2010 budget plan, from

the school district office of management and budget. This was prepared by the office manager

in which the proper function and object codes were reported. Both reports can be viewed here

.

As an assignment for the educational leadership course School Finance, I comprised a

fictional budget for Osceola Elementary School which was based on state base funding

allocations and school FTE counts. This project-based learning activity breaks down the budget

into salaries/benefits, purchased services, materials/supplies, capital outlay, other expenses,

and indirect costs.

Florida schools are financed through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). The

FEFP is designed to provide equalized funding to guarantee to each student the availability of

programs and services appropriate to his or her educational needs that are substantially equal

to those available to any similar student. The FEFP formula recognizes: (1) varying local


property tax bases; (2) varying education program costs; (3) varying costs of living; and (4)

varying costs for equivalent educational programs due to sparsity and dispersion of the student

population. The FEFP bases its financial support for education upon the individual student

participating in a particular educational program rather than on the number of teachers or

classrooms. The FEFP is generated by multiplying the number of full time equivalent students

(FTE) in each of the funded education programs by cost factors to obtain weighted FTE

students. That number is then multiplied by a base student allocation and by a district cost

differential to determine the base funding from state and local FEFP funds. Supplemental

Academic Instruction Allocation and Exceptional Student Education Guaranteed Allocation are

two major allocations within the FEFP that are an addition to the base funding allocation

(Florida Department of Education, 2009).

In the course School Finance, I completed a course module in which I took the student FTE

data from my current school of employ and calculated the FEFP funding that would apply. This

can be view as .

A final element in operational procedures that is a responsibility of the school administrator

is safety and security. Feeling safe at school is a right of students and staff. In order to support

excellence within the learning environment, students and staff must feel safe as they engage in

their educational responsibilities. Five key safety initiatives that administrators needs to

address in schools are violence prevention and intervention, school standards, site safety

checks, monitoring and supervision of students, and crisis plans. Developing procedures and


strategies for dealing with various crises may eliminate a great deal of unforeseen effects that

may happen in a crisis. Proper training and execution of such plans is a necessity, as students

and staff must be able to act on the protocols when necessary. Networking with essential

community contacts such as the local law enforcement and fire marshal is also a priority

(FLDOE, 2006).

The organization and ecology subsystems of an organization are dynamically interactive

within the organization. They are key components in the foundation of school climate. An

effective school organization must have the components secure and stable in order to allow for

the ultimate purpose of schooling, student learning.


References

Beckham, J.C. & Raiford, S.A. (2003). The Florida school administrator’s legal guide. Bulverde,

TX: Omni Publishers, Inc.

Florida Department of Education. (2009). 2008-2009 Funding for Florida school districts:

Statistical report. http://www.fldoe.org/fefp/pdf/fefpdist.pdf

Florida Department of Education. (2006). Florida school leaders: The William Cecil Golden

school leadership development program. https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/

IBM. (2002). Change toolkit. http://www.reinventingeducation.org

Owens, R.G. & Valesky, T.C. (2007). Organizational behavior in education: Adaptive leadership

and school reform (9th ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Valesky, T. C. (2008). Budgeting [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from

http://elearning.fgcu.edu/section/default.asp?id=200801-10870

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