Important Aspects Of A Good School Leader

The vision was not created in isolation by key players within the school but it was a shared vision created by all staff members. So many times educational leaders create school vision’s in isolation and then try to sell their vision to school stakeholders and it doesn’t work well. By creating the shared vision it gave each faculty member a voice in the process. The members of the staff have a sense of ownership to this vision and are more likely to believe it and live it and help sell it to the students. The community stakeholders also share in this vision because they had a voice in the process of selecting a vision for the school as well. Each school is different in student make up, staff members, school leaders, community partners and a pleather of other features but each schools vision must be learning centered with the 21st century workforce as a driving factor in its

In order to move forward in producing good leaders, one must enhance their capabilities and knowledge among the embedded mission and vision that is tailored towards the school. Betty believes that her school’s mission and vision statement is very broad and generic. She believes that the mission and vision statement is very weak and ineffective. In order to move forward and make a difference in children’s life, Betty stated that she will conduct 3 effective practices that will be used by her personally. She stated that these practices will enhance her capabilities of accomplishing her institution’s stated mission and/or vision. First, she plans to go back to school to retain higher education and knowledge toward education and producing effective

Principals are the driving force behind schools; therefore, it is crucial that they adopt a shared vision that focuses on student achievement. It is important that they clearly communicate their vision to staff, parents, students, and community members. Stronge, Richard, and Catano (2008) explain, “the development of a clear vision and goals for learning is emphasized by principals of high-achieving schools (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). They hold high expectations that teachers and students will meet these goals and hold themselves accountable for the success of the school (p. 5). A well-defined vision without commitment from all stakeholders does little to create a positive school culture. Consequently, school leaders must strive to build trusting relationships. Robinson (2011) points out:

The term leadership has many different definitions and is perceived in different ways. Common core concepts of leaderships are that it “involves a process of intentional influence that is exerted by one person over other people to guide or facilitate activities in a group or organization” (Yukl, 2006). A leader is defined as a “person or thing that leads” or “a guiding or directing head” while leadership “is a person who guides or directs a group” (Webster). Leaders influence individuals in order to accomplish a common goal. Qualities found in effective leaders are that have exemplary character, analytically thinkers, enthusiastic about their work, function in an orderly manner, remain calm in situations, and are committed to the main purpose, and to excellence (White, B., 2014). Leaders are able to influence other individuals which result in a commitment by the followers. They inspire followers to sacrifice their own interest for a higher cause. These higher causes can be for the purpose of a group as a whole or for the sole purpose of the leader. Leadership can be a specialized role or a shared influence. It can be direct and indirect. While a direct leadership is shown by the transmitting or information to an individual, the cascading effect it has is seen as the indirect leadership (Yukl, 2006).

As an educational leader, I must have a vision and mission statement for the school that is known by the staff, students, and parents. The vision will address the needs of the students academically, emotionally, and socially. According to DuFour (1998), “ Those who seek to transform their school into a professional learning community as characterized by an environment fostering mutual cooperation, emotional support, personal growth, and a synergy of efforts.” The leader must implement a plan that will cultivate the success of all students. The mission will speak to the direction of the school community stating what the desire goals are. The building leader will lead by example. High expectations will be communicated and encourage by staff and students. The educational leader of a school must develop a culture of team work to create a climate that is student friendly. The vision mission and goals of the leader should be transparent. The establishment of common goals is the first step. Without common goals, sustainable progress will be impossible and thus everyone will have lower expectations. The students, parents, and staff should be commented to the goals of every child reaching their full academic potential. The school environment should speak to goal setting and high expectations for all students and staff.

When an opportunity for leadership presents itself, it puts a person in a position of influence where they then inherit the responsibility of using their influence for the betterment of the organization. Education in the 20th century has brought with it reforms and initiatives such as No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Read to Succeed, and thus the need for leadership which holds its responsibilities in the highest regard. Each of these initiative have come with added pressures and accountability for school leaders to show adequate progress and performance on rigorous standardized tests taken by students (Allen, Grisby & Peters, 2015).

Leadership is defined as the art of getting people to do what they may not want to do on their own. It may involve getting people do things that seem to be against their own self-interest and a leader uses various tools to achieve their goals. Yet another definition of leadership is from the US Army, for over two hundred years the US Army has produced leaders who have led its organization and later gone on to become President of the United States. They continue to produce leaders for the nation and define leadership as “influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.” (US Army) A more refined definition of leadership is offered by B. Wintson and K. Patterson, “The leader throughout each leader-follower-audience interaction demonstrates his/her commitment to the values of (a) humility, (b) concern for others, (c) controlled discipline, (d) seeking what is right and good for the organization, (e) showing mercy in beliefs and actions with all people, (f) focusing on the purpose of the organization and on the well-being of the followers, and (g) creating and sustaining peace in the organization–not a lack of conflict but a place where peace grows.” (Winston and Patterson, 2006) For our uses in this paper we will use a combination of definition of leadership is the art of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while accomplishing

All schools must have a vision and a mission statement. Words that can be seen in a schools office or hallways that tell people what this school is all about. How the school views learning and how it plans to go about it. The mission should also let people know that the school is a safe environment and that the students will be safe in the school. I would make sure that all stakeholders in the community and the parents that come into the school saw the vision that I have for the school. My vision for a wonderful school is to create a school for the 21st century. I would take the all or none approach to this. By this I mean that I would have the latest technology and be completely green.

If a person was to ponder about where leadership is found they would eventually conclude it is everywhere. Leadership could be argued that when God made the earth and all of its creatures that he gave us the capability to lead. We see this from Adam and Eve, Noah, Sampson, Abraham, David, Sara, Mary, Jesus and all of his disciples. Anyone can be an effective leader if they are educated on how to be one. Leaders are found everywhere in both historically and in today’s time. One can see leaders in action by simply watching the news and analyzing politics. Other examples that one can see and study in today’s times are religious organization leaders, coaches, Principals and teachers, their parents, family members, children and even military personnel. Throughout this paper we will analyze multiple definitions of leadership, my philosophy, my leadership style, how I think and react to situations.

Broadly speaking, “leadership” can be defined as a process in which an individual influences a group of individuals to work towards the achievement of a common goal or vision (Lussier, 1996; Northouse, 2001; Stogdill, 1974). Moreover, Bush and Coleman (2000) note that since most of what has been written about leadership draws upon western cultural models, it should be borne in mind that leadership might well be viewed differently in different cultures.

To be an effective teacher leader they need to be able to inspire others, they need to be able to create a vision of the future that is vibrant and captivating to help motivate other teachers and students to achieve their full potential. A teacher leader must have an unusually high level of integrity and honesty. It is important to be honest and transparent. Although not everyone may always like your answers it is important to be honest and not try to hide things. Leaders must be able to foresee and solve any arising problems and help analyze potential issues. As the leader it is their responsibility to take care of your followers and requires strong analytical skills. These educational leaders need to be goal oriented, they must strive for results and realize people are expecting you to make things happen. As the leader you must have a greater level of determination and resilience that can be counted on to get things done.

As a school leader whose duties and responsibilities are to govern the school, establish and develop its strategic direction, guiding and developing research and teaching, guiding and developing staff and managing issues related to staff and encouraging the pursuit of teaching excellence, it would be important to adopt the culture of curriculum leadership as my own personal leadership style in making sure that all the affairs of the school run smoothly and successfully and that the curriculum is well covered in time. In chapter one of Reason?s book Stop Leading Like It?s yesterday!, the author encourages the leaders to create a vision that is shared instead of the traditional way of having a vision set primarily by the building leader ?sadly, many schools operate with

All the way from Alice Paul, women’s right activist and primary leader of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to Martin Luther King Jr., social activist who led the Civil Rights Movement, the true definition of leadership has most definitely been defined. Everyday, citizens help the elderly cross the street and strangers pass by one another giving a friendly nod which can make a person feel secure from all harm. Some may wonder, how did these people become so well-mannered and considerate? While most people think such marvelous attributes come from the type of performances done by parents, school organizations can provide many affirmative benefits to personalities, with only a few downfalls.

Leadership is a process with which a person influences a group of people towards the accomplishment of a common goal. While there are various descriptions for leadership, some of its central components include being a process, involving influence, functions in the context of a group, and incorporates the achievement of a common goal (Ricketts, 2009). However, the components play a minimal role in the utilized description or theory despite of how leadership is operationalized. Since leadership involves the establishment of a new direction or vision for a group, leaders

The Vision Development Plan provided an amazing opportunity for me to enhance my knowledge and understanding of how to truly create a vision of excellence and student success. As educators, we must be readily available to meet the demands of today’s educational system. It is important that we implement a comprehensive approach that includes all stakeholders in an effort to increase student achievement and school success. There is a substantial amount of evidence that demonstrates the benefits that family and community participation have on student achievement as well as catalyzing and sustaining school improvement and building school culture that support all students. It is our responsibility to keep the community members informed and seek their participation. We should show the community that we value their input and service. We should also implement programs that require community involvement. In addition, school leaders need to participate in activities outside of the school that allows school officials and students to establish partnerships with community leaders. School administrators must be committed to keeping the community engaged in the school activities throughout the year.