Interstate School Leader Licensure Situation Analysis

Achieving a school district’s mission and vision requires the commitment of its stakeholders. In order to involve them in the process, it is necessary for educational leaders to “motivate staff, parents, students, board and community members” (Educational Leadership Constituencies Council, 2002, p. 4). The transformational leadership theory emphasizes the importance of educational leaders acting as role-models in order to motivate and inspire the school community. This approach has the potential to involve all stakeholders, leading to increased student success (Bush, 2007). The Assistant Director of Special Education in Northwest ISD directly supervised the school district’s assessment staff. Her education, experience, and passion set an example for her subordinates, stimulating them to achieve more, leading to her promotion to Executive Director of Student Services.

Cordeiro and Cunningham (2013) provide several self-assessment tools that are valuable in determining the ethics that guide one 's thinking and practice and identifying leadership traits that affect one 's effectiveness in an educational organization. One such tool is a comprehensive list of statements pertaining to ethics in the first chapter of the authors ' textbook that may prompt one to think about his or her own beliefs about a variety of topics in education, including vision, school culture, learning environment, interpersonal communication, and accountability, among other topics (Cordeiro & Cunningham, 2013). These statements directly relate to the six standards of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium.

Effective leadership requires purpose and direction. Planning and preparation are vital when evaluating the success of the institution. The course reading states: ?As a new principal, you must assess the capacity of delivery mechanisms, facilities, and equipment before you make recommendations for enhancements? (WGU Student Portal, January 5, 2017). Attention to detail, being flexible and problem solving are at the core of school leadership. This paper will discuss two types of delivery mechanisms as it relates to learning and provide specific examples of how programs are used. Next, examine school facilities, technology and equipment, including use and specifications. Finally, discuss process improvement as it relates to the educational institution.

The ISLLC standards provide high-level guidance and insight about the traits, functions of work, and responsibilities expected of school and district leaders (ISLCC, 2008). Their main purpose is to increase understanding of how educational administrators can enhance teaching practices and student learning. As future school leaders it is imperative that we use these standards as tools in assisting us when making a decision regarding our stakeholders. However, applying the ISLLC standards in a school setting does not guarantee success for a school leader, but it does facilitate the process in creating a positive school culture in a learning

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.

Since its development in 1994 the standards of Educational Leadership have pursued promoting an understanding on what is expected from the educational administration field.1 The goal of this paper is to present a personal appraisal of a connection between the ELCC standards and my own experiences in district leadership and a reflection on my professional practice of the standards. It is implicit that an educational leader should promote the success of every student by advocating and effectively implementing the 6 standards of Educational Leadership. 2

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

School leaders should talk with relevant parties about their views and concerns, and ensure that others understand the precise problems and issues involved. Listening carefully to the stakeholders involved, allows their personal and cultural perspectives to be understood. Gathering cultural and empirical information, facts, and data that have a bearing on the issue. Ensuring that the consequences of possible solutions of all parties are considered, helps to examine both the potential positive and negative outcomes of perceived solutions. An ethically responsible educational leader will focus on the primacy of relationships and the understanding of the interrelatedness of all the stakeholders within the community. A responsible leader also

Normally, the principal or school head will be recognized as the school leader, nevertheless, the school leader can be anyone in the school community who support and strengthen the goals of the school. The purpose of leadership is the improvement of instructional practice and performance, regardless of role (Elmore 2000). School leadership of the 90’s requires facilitative leadership that empowers others and values diverse discourse as a means of reaching better decision (Logan 1998). There is the tremendous stress toward the school leaders because the futures of all students depend their responsibilities to perform their abilities of leadership. Leaders can spell the difference between being good and being great (Thomas & Cheese 2005). The school leaders should know the students needs and provide them the best.

Overview: Standard four focuses on educational leaders understanding educational policies and the legal responsibilities of adhering to and or applying the laws, standards, and policies. Leaders are responsible for collecting and evaluating the needs of the school and its community through collaborating with all stakeholders, including community members. Moreover, they must encourage the same collaborative atmosphere among staff, students, parents, and community members. Through the ability of sharing successes and concerns with all stakeholders and making use of resources within the community, they are better able to promote student growth.

Marzano, McNulty and Waters propose five steps for a plan of effective school leadership. The first step is developing a leadership team with purpose. The definition used for a purposeful community is one with the collective efficacy and capability to develop and use assets to accomplish goals that mater to all community members through agreed-upon process (Marzano, et. al, 2005). The second step is distributing some responsibilities throughout the leadership team. The third step is to select the right work. The fourth step is to identify the order of magnitude implied by the selected work. The last step is to match the management style to the order of magnitude of the change initiative. The last step incorporates whether this is first or second order change.

In a traditional and stagnant educational environment leadership relies heavily on power and control. In this context a primary administrator has the power to assign tasks and monitor progress while also controlling the distribution of positive or negative performance based incentives. When leadership is merely a series of transactions the primary administrator is able to stake claim to independently creating a school mission and appropriate action steps. After conducting my interview it is evident that now, more than ever, educational leaders must avoid these tactics in order to appropriately address organizational challenges. The context and type of challenges within an organization will dictate what alternative strategies will be most

Organizations need ideas, energy, and talent; people need careers, salaries, and opportunities. Political- views organization as a complex web of individual and group interests. Symbolic- embodies and express an organizations culture: the interwoven pattern of beliefs, values, practices, and artifacts that define for members who they are and how they are to do things (Bolman & Deal, 2003). The leadership component concentrates on the principals’ role in executing the strategic plan. Phase I (symbolic) will focus on a needs assessment of the school. Phase II (structural) aligns the planning and development around the needs of the school. Phase III (human resource) covers the implementation of the areas covered in the planning and development stage. Phase IV (political) is centered on the accountability component.

In a traditional, stagnant educational environment leadership relies heavily on power and control. In this context a primary administrator has the power to assign tasks and monitor progress while also controlling the distribution of positive or negative performance based incentives. When leadership is merely a series of transactions the primary administrator is able to stake claim to independently creating a school mission and appropriate action steps. After conducting my interview it is evident that now, more than ever, educational leaders must avoid these tactics in order to appropriately address organizational challenges. The context and type of challenges within an organization will dictate what alternative strategies will be most

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