How Principals Should Apply Instructional Leadership Skills While Performing Their Jobs Essay

The ever-changing landscape of education and school accountability has given rise to a renewed focus on shared leadership. In the past, the principal was viewed as the primary decision maker within a school. However, Glickman (1989) points out that it is impossible for school principals to effectively complete all the necessary instructional and managerial tasks within schools. He contends that some teachers have more leadership abilities than the actual administrators and that “in successful schools, principals aren’t threatened by the wisdom of others, instead, they cherish it by distributing leadership” (Glickman, 1989, p. 8).

In this chapter, Fullan begins by maintaining that principals who are effective lead learners are necessarily also good managers, because they understand that having clear routines is essential for school improvement.” (57) He quotes from Viviane Robinson’s Student-Centered Leadership to both underscore the previous point and emphasize that successful principals take an active learning stance: “The principal who makes the biggest impact on learning is the one who attends to other matters as well, but, most important, ‘participates as a learner’ with teachers in helping move the school forward.” (58) Fullan also borrows from Helen Timperley’s work in responding to the question, Who is in a principal’s class? The principal’s class consists of “team leaders who in turn can leverage the learning of other teachers in their group”

Additionally, the mean was determined for both elementary and secondary survey responses. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare differences among means (Spatz, 2008). The variance between and within samples was measured by the ANOVA. Independent t-tests were conducted to determine in which groups the differences occurred if a statistically significant difference existed. Research compared principal and teacher perceptions of leadership styles among elementary and secondary school settings.

The following information was gathered during a discussion with Dr. Clayton Mork from the Crescent School District. He shared his personal view of the role of an instructional leader. Also his view of how instructional leadership practices relate to student achievement. Dr. Mork shared two instructional leadership actions and outcomes he implemented at Crescent School District related to student achievement. Dr. Mork also explained his philosophy of curriculum development regarding involvement of teaching staff.

There is a great volume of literature on the need for effective leadership skills among tutors in order to promote student learning through quality instruction. As mentioned in the previous chapter, this realization is significant for many reasons. As such, this chapter reinforces the research question through a critical analysis of the existing literature with the aim of coming up with a different line of thought. As such, the study could offer a new dimension of leadership perception that is appropriate in fostering student learning in the modern and changing school setting. Although such characteristics are common across various sectors, the findings of this research put focus specifically on educators with the purpose of improving the quality of education and improved curriculum outcomes. The study could also employ various leadership theories to ensure the achievement of reliable findings.

Teachers as leaders. Crowther, Ferguson and Hann (2009) in their book, Developing Teacher Leaders (2nd ed.) defined that “Teacher leadership is essentially an ethical stance that is based on views of both a better world and the power of teachers to shape meaning systems. It manifests in new forms of understanding and practice that contribute to school success and to the quality of life of the community in the long term.” They also described the six elements of Teachers as Leaders Framework. (Crowther, F., Ferguson, M., and Hann, L. (2009). P.

Currently, I am not an employee of any learning organization, school district or educational system. However, I am involved and Chair the School Advisory Council (SAC) of Greenland Pines Elementary. This opportunity granted me a unique opportunity to observe the management of two different principals with their individual leadership styles. Furthermore, I contrasted my business practices from my own company and military service to coincide with this case study. The purpose of this paper is a comprehensive written outlining the processes presented by the educational leadership at Greenland Pines Elementary. With this in mind, we need to understand the concept of educational leadership.

Palmer Lake Elementary School refers to a public elementary school located in Brooklyn Park. The school has 678 students with majority being Whites and non-Hispanics. The teachers; population is between 40 and 50 teachers: 6 speech teacher, two reading teacher, 3 gym physical, two music teachers, 28 for regular classes, one media. Accordingly, the ratio of students to teachers is approximately 15:1. Each class has varying number of students ranging from 19 to 28 students. Approximately 54 percent of the students are male and 46 percent are female. The percentage of students eligible for subsidized lunch is 65. This essay examines the leadership skills and styles of Dr. Tim Brown after an interview in his office. Dr. Tim is the principal of Palmer Lake Elementary School and plays the following roles. First, he shapes the vision of academic success and instructional competence for all students and teachers respectively. Second, he plays the role of creating a climate and environment that is hospitable for learning. Third, he cultivates leadership in other teachers. Fourth, he is answerable to external stakeholders such as parents and state education authorities concerning the school’s performances and use of resources. Effective educational leadership is a continuous process that involves self-examination, learning from others, collaboration and sustainable use of resources to accomplish the goals and

Educational leadership has changed and evolved through the years as a result of dramatic changes in the school culture, student demographics, environment, science, technology, and economy. Given the complexity and unpredictability of the demanding challenges to educate all children, prospective school leaders may find it desirable to define their own beliefs about instructional supervision and evaluation as they prepare for the rigor of school leadership practice. While enacting supervision, a supervisor is guided by certain values, assumptions, beliefs, and opinions that support the purpose and process of supervision (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 2006). This can be described as the supervisor’s

In the Article, The Reflective Principal: Foundations of a Strong School Culture, Peggy Scott illustrated many ways in which effective leadership teams can keep their teachers growing

A great leader creates an environment in which teachers feel a sense of empowerment. This means that the leader is able to recognize the different strengths and weaknesses that each individual staff member has. The leader is then able to provide the teacher with opportunities to better themselves through staff development or with other empowering trainings. Secondly, a great leader is able to identify when the morale is low within the school. Low morale can become very toxic in a school if it is not properly addressed. A great leader is able to ensure that all teachers feel that they are valued and highly respected. It is important that the principal is aware of all past and current procedures that promote professional compliance. TEA Principal Stand I; Competency 003 states: “Standard I: Learner-Center Values and Ethics of Leadership: A Principal is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by acting in an ethical manner. The Principal knows how to: (B) Implement policies and procedures that promote professional educator compliance with The Code of Ethics and standard Practices for Texas Educators.” (Texas Education Agency2010)

U.S. Department of Education provides a definition of what it considers to be the most important elements of Instructional Leadership. The first is teaching and learning. The Department expects that most of a leader’s time be allocated to the oversight of instruction. The second element is scientifically based research. Instructional leadrs should be well versed of effective instructional methods and ensure that instructional materials and methids are being implemented in the classrooms. The monitoring of instruction is also in the forefront of ensuring implementation. Third, an instructional leader puts much emphasis on the alignment of curriculum,

According to the authors of this article (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009), principals need to concentrate on the development of skills and behaviors in order to be successful in motivating, leading, and changing the direction of a school. The successful principal understands that there exists a fine balance of caring for others and the need to accomplish specific tasks (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).

Those who learn to be instructional leaders acquire many characteristics that are beneficial to their schools and communities. The writer concurs that Instructional leaders exhibit a clear sense of direction for their schools and prioritize and focus attention on the things that really

The concept and practice of teacher leadership have gained momentum in the past two decades. Teachers are assuming more leadership functions at both instructional and organizational levels of practice. Empirical literature reveals effects of teacher leadership practice, teacher leader characteristics, and conditions that promote and challenge teacher leadership.