Leadership And Effective Leadership For Learning

The responsibility of preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s future involves more than orchestrating the curriculum students learn and the teachers who teach it. It involves the ability to employ the leadership styles fluently based on the everyday demands of running a school (Goleman, 2000). Informed by both research and real-world application, the Wallace Foundation identified five key functions of a successful leader: “shaping a vision of academic success for all students, creating a climate hospitable to education, cultivating leadership in others, improving instruction, [and] managing people, data, and processes to foster school improvement” (Harvey, 2013, pg. 4). To be an effective 21st century educational leader, one must cultivate a sustainable vision and school culture which are globally-minded, yet locally applicable to the community they serve.

As a teacher-leader, I have been assigned a number of wide-ranging and important informal roles in my career thus far that have enabled me to support and contribute towards the success of not only my students, but also my department and my school as a whole. By assuming these diverse leadership roles, I have been able to develop professionally, improve student attainment, positively influence the teaching and learning practice of my peers and contribute towards the culture and ethos of the schools I have worked in.

Who school leaders are – what they do, attend to, or seem to appreciate is constantly watched by students, teachers, parents, and members of the community. Their interests and actions send powerful messages. They signal the values they hold. Above all else, leaders are cultural “teachers” in the best sense of the word. (Deal & Peterson, 1990, p. 201)

Servant leadership is key- Educational leaders must have the interests of the children as their main concern. Hall’s use of fear to achieve results created a bigger problem within the school district rather than solving it. Listening to teachers’ difficulties and working directly with those inside individual schools will help leaders identify and solve problems, as Errol and Castarphen have done and will continue doing.

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.

In the book, The Moral Imperative of School Leadership, the author, Michael Fullan explains how school leadership should

The concepts of “curriculum and pedagogy begins with an examination of the underlying philosophies theories and principles” (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012, p. 98). These concepts help to shape an individuals idea of how they can create an environment that better suits themselves, their team of workers, the children and their families. Pratt (as cited in Davis, 2015, p. 80) offers to readers that the importance of developing a culture for equity, positive relationships and community adopts the importance of being valued in any contributions you make to sustain a collective body of learners. Being a leader is one who works together with their team and achieving their goals as well as promoting reflection and learning. The meeting that has been organised is to guide educators to “shape and influence what happens in the future” (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012, p. 98), by discussing what it means to work together as a team providing alternatives in the way we all can communicate and develop endless outcomes for children's

Using positive values teachers and the school faculty can aid the student’s parents in the formation of the student’s values.

Using the 21 leadership responsibilities, which are based in research as being correlated with student achievement as the basis for a strong and balanced leadership framework. What has become clear to me is that just as we ask teachers to be intentional and show the purpose of their lessons, we too as leaders need to be very clear about creating a purposeful learning community. In their interviews with principals, it was said that none were outstanding leaders when they started. It was the only attained by working hard overtime. Patters started to emerge across these highly successful leaders and through qualitative analysis six common traits were identified: deep conviction & moral purpose, a selfless, iron will to improve performance, a deep reservoir of optimism, emotional intelligence & relationship building, a commitment to self-improvement and less mystery, more

Effective followership is an essential component of effective leadership in that, without good followers, the leader’s work is difficult and cumbersome. The role of the follower is many times understated. As illustrated by Kelley (1998), “effective followers are thinkers; energetic and assertive, self-starters, independent problem solvers, and carry out their tasks with these characteristics (p. 143). Effective followers also are characterized by their ability to perform tasks with little supervision, their intelligence, and ability to think for themselves. We are all followers, even those who consider themselves leaders; so to encourage this effectiveness in others; we must be role models for those under us, so that they may also be effective at following. Chaleff (2009) observed that “all important social accomplishments require complex

According to the author in the introduction of the book, this work was basically intended to serve as a guide for developing moral leadership in schools geared toward superintendents, supervisors, principals, and any other persons at the upper levels of school management. The author's design was to provoke thoughts and raise questions in the minds of these people to help them analyze the leadership processes in their schools and help them make adjustments to the leadership process that will in the end reduce the need for "direct" leadership in favor of "moral" leadership. He

Leadership roles are designed to initiate change quickly in a school district. The leadership team has answer to the community and stakeholders. The challenge for closing the achievement gaps is the responsibility of everyone. We all have a moral and legal responsibility for the future of education. As leaders we have an obligation to continue to ensure that all students are equally educated. Each identity of the education should share in closing the achievement gap. Teachers should reflect on their passion to teach.

It is vital to the success of our schools, including student learning, that school leaders have the skills, abilities and knowledge to lead effectively throughout the school environment. There is a limited amount of research available to assist school districts with the selection of appropriate professional development activities for administrators (Grissom & Harrington, 2010). The Wallace Foundation has researched the area of school leadership since 2000 and has published more than 70 reports on the subject (2013, p.5). Through their research work the Wallace Foundation is clear on the depths of the school leadership role and its complexities. The work through the Wallace Foundation states leadership is only second to classroom instruction among factors which impact student learning (Wallace Foundation, 2013, p. 5). Harvey and Holland (2012) in another Wallace Foundation research paper found improving school leadership ranks high on the list of priorities for school reform.

The work of Dinham, et al (2012) entitled "Breakthroughs in School Leadership Development in Australia" reports that school leadership has been "increasingly in the spotlight in Australia due to an array of changing contexts and shifts in our understanding of the roles of school leaders, teachers, and schooling. The quality of leadership and effectiveness of schools to deliver an appropriate education through quality teaching have been 'hot' topics within education and more widely for several decades." (p.139) The role of the school principal is characterized by continuous change, "complexity, diversity, and intensity." (Mulford, 2002, p.1025 cited in Dinham, et al, 2012, p.139) Five factors cited for school effectiveness in the work of Dinham, et al (2012) are the following: (1) strong educational leadership; (2) emphasis on basic skills acquisition; (3) an environment that is both orderly and secure; (4) high expectations for achievement of students; and (5) frequent assessment of the progress of students. (Scheerens, 2000, p.44 cited in Dinham, 2012, p.141) Distributed leadership theory is one that is becoming prominent in the context of education and is defined as being mainly concerned with "the co-performance of leadership practice and the nature of the interactions that contribute to that co-performance." (Harris, 2009, p.3 cited in Dinham, et al, 2012, p.142) Resources that are needed by a school to achieve

There are always chances and possibilities to become a good leader regardless the odds against you, gender, age, race, education, previous experience, etc. This paper defines what leadership is and it explains the relationship between leadership and influence. It also highlights the importance of finding opportunities to develop skills and creating strong to become a good leader. It is also emphasized the power of influence that comes from motivating your team, to improve performance and satisfaction and that setting a clear goal is mandatory for good leadership. The conclusion summarizes all the topics under discussion.