Personal Statement: Administrative Philosophy

Educational leadership and management are considered as one of the most effective operation for schools particularly during the twenty-first century. Although management is highlighted as an elementary requirement for schools, leadership is perceived to be even more important (Bush 2003:1).

In the schools and also the community we need more leaders. Being a freshman of Lower Richland High school, I want to see students demonstrating more leadership. Often, I see student afraid to say no to peer pressure from other students. I want to see students leading by example. We need more leaders in this community, and less followers. In this essay I will discuss characteristic that describe a good leader, and what I want to see change in my community. .

Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. This quote by Tom Peters best summarizes my philosophy of teacher leadership. As a teacher leader, it is up to me to inspire, direct, and encourage others so that stronger teacher, administrative, and student leaders may be born from the process. Teacher leadership involves collaboration between teachers, administrators, and teacher leaders with the goal of positively impacting the student learning environment. With student learning as the ultimate objective, teacher leadership “becomes an indispensable avenue for school improvement” (Coggins & McGovern, 2014, p. 21). So how do I as a teacher leader begin this process? I believe that teacher leadership can be achieved through three means: modeling, mentoring, and collaborating.

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.

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.

It is in looking back that we can see the future; SANKOFA. This African symbol derived from the Akan Tribe in Ghana best describes my Administrative Philosophy. Translated, the word and the symbol mean, “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.” (Carter G. Center for Education). Therefore, It is upon this strong belief that I stand unwavering in experiences, leadership, management style and values. Specifically, the genesis of my statement of administrative philosophy is derived from my gratitude to my elders and ancestors that paved the way for access to equal education. The impact of their courage and leadership has created a legacy that lives forever. At the center of my philosophy is the belief that it is my altruistic calling as well as duty to be a catalyst for student success. Academia is where I not only make a living but “Live my making!” Simply put, I am called to this profession and have a duty to serve unselfishly. To that end, as a theoretical underpinning of my practices, my preferred leadership style is servant and transformational leadership. Student Affairs is the department where my philosophy and leadership capacity can make the greatest impact.

Above all else, I view leadership within the school system as essential for its success. My cumulative experiences provide a strong background that will allow me to excel as a school leader. I possess an understanding of the challenges and intricacies of a wide variety of school systems, ranging from small rural programs to inner-city and sub-urban high schools to research universities. My experience teaching at the college level gives me a unique perspective that will allow me to guide a program aimed at cultivating high school students capable of excelling in their educational endeavors. In addition, I believe that to be a truly successful leader, one must have a clear understanding of the challenges faced by educators. My years as a high school teacher have provided me a keen perspective in this regard. University of Northern Colorado’s Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Program will be an invaluable avenue for me to learn from experienced educators as I hone my leadership abilities with the goal of using my life to lead improvements in the public education system. I look forward to the opportunity to develop as an educator,

Leadership is a privilege that carries with it many responsibilities to inspire others, and to direct individuals to attain the vision and goals of an organization. As an effective leader it is my job to be flexible, be an excellent communicator, be a person who leads by example, and is an individual who is committed, resourceful, and reflective. Achieving the characteristics above, I have developed a definite purpose in mind; one that is shared and modeled in and outside of my school environment. With such growth mindset, I teach, present workshops and empowers others to make decisions that will develop future leaders. To lead by example, I became a mentor for first-year teachers. Furthermore, I orchestrate educational committees, encouraging

I think and every successful teacher will agree with me that promoting the success of every student is the main value of any educational professional and it is very important for a leader to demonstrate these traits. What is leadership? Some people think that it is good to be a boss and it is easy to rule any organization. Leadership is more than just to rule any organization. It is the development of a practice around a mission or vision and an ability to inspire others to do the same. There are three sets of practices make up this basic core of successful leadership practices: setting directions, developing people and redesigning the organization. Foster (1989) says, “Leadership differs from conventional administration in much the same way that education differs from training (p.10).” This speaks to results- to the why of teaching. And the value of a leader can be determined by their results. If their aim is high-quality education (an admittedly vague term), academic success, and well-being of each student then this is the standard by which they should be judged. Burns admonishes that “power and leadership are measured by the degree of

The role of principal has evolved over time just as our education system has. No longer is the leader of a school a mere manager of teachers and students. The current body of research shows that principals have great impact as instructional leaders when working within frameworks that inspire and support teacher growth. Student achievement is the ultimate focus and goal within any education community. We are promising families, post-secondary schools and the workforce that we will increase each child’s strengths and skills so they can be contributing members of their larger community. The goal is simple even though the road there in filled with many barriers and complexities. This is why powerful instructional leadership is essential for promoting growth and development in both teachers and students. I want to build meaningful processes that support this type of teacher growth and ensure that students do not fall through the cracks and reach their potential.

There have been times in my life in which I have sat back and watched things happen. I often wondered why they happened. I now realize that it is important to be a leader. Effective teachers need to take charge and make things happen. I am becoming a teacher to make things happen and not sit back and let them happen as I used to do. This is very important for a teacher to realize. I will take charge and make wonderful things happen in my classroom.

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read this essay. The opportunity to apply for the Public Service Institute at the Bush School of Government and Public Service has brought me great joy. It has come to my attention that public service should not be considered a temporary job or a way to make money. Rather, seeking to serve others should be a way of life. A service-oriented lifestyle is one that I constantly seek after. I see myself as a Bush Fellow because the Bush School seeks to equip people called to public service with the tools and knowledge necessary to effectively serve others.

Exactly how these teacher leaders might be selected, or otherwise identified, and how they might begin to achieve the goals (briefly) set out above, is more difficult to establish. There are, however some broad recommendations for teacher leaders presented in related literature that sketch out a roadmap for educational leaders to guide them toward effective leadership (and describe what effective leaders should be expected to competently achieve). Teacher leaders should, for example, help to organize learning institutions in such a way as to emphasize instructional improvement and support this with a jointly developed and clearly articulated vision of quality instruction (Supovitz, Sirinides, & May, 2010). The most effective educational leaders, one can assume, would be those who are able to act judiciously and sensitively, tempering the need for progress with a genuine concern for the wellbeing of educators – taking contextual peculiarities and the unique challenges accompanying any local educational enterprise into account.

Effective school leadership today must combine the traditional school leadership duties such as teacher evaluation, budgeting, scheduling, and facilities maintenance with a deep involvement with specific aspects of teaching and learning. Effective instructional leaders are intensely involved in curricular and instructional issues that directly affect student achievement (Cotton, 2003). The writer of this paper acknowledges that school principals should play the role of instructional leaders, not just a school manager. The reality is that are many demands on a principals time and management skills making it difficult for most of them to spend time in classrooms, when performing teacher evaluation. Principals often make sure that teachers

Effective School Leaders are key to continuous school improvement. School districts are required to be fiscally responsible in decisions made to improve schools and districts. Principals are given instructional professional development in their career; however, limited resources are spent developing principals’ leadership skills as an individual. The concept of coaching for the principal is to have the guide on the side to develop leaders who are able to step back and take a bird’s eye view for their organization, focus on the greater goals so leaders can see the road ahead and not just their feet in front of them. It is crucial for school districts to develop their leaders for districts to have highly