Teacher Pursuing Post Graduate Studies in Education Essays

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.

My philosophy of education is correlated to my vision of education and my role as an instructional leader. Excellent administrators possess personal characteristics of exemplary leadership talent in analysis of data, organizational constructs, leadership decisiveness, oral and written communication, technological confidence, personal motivation and educational integrity within school systems. Educational leadership is a vital position in which I persistently evaluate every decision I make on behalf of students; what is the educational value? Will all students benefit? Is it fiscally responsible? How do we sustain success? In order for students to be competitive locally, nationally and internationally, I am committed to providing effective,

I was born in a city with one of the nation’s worst public school systems. The District of Columbia Public School district has been under an education reform for the past decade and there has been a lot of work to bring justice to the students there. That is where I started – and from there I still found myself enrolled in low performing schools without a solid budget or plan. Regardless of the status of my school and the budget it’s district has created, I was able to graduate from high school and attend a four-year university in one of the most ethically diverse cities in our country. This is the kind of opportunity I want for all children that come from the city like me. I have been inspired by all of my educators to pursue a career in teaching and I am motivated to create this opportunity for all students in my classroom.

Leadership is an essential component of a schools’ success or failure. Learning By Heart, by Ronald S. Barth provokes teachers and administrators to reflect on their practices and contributions to their school. Roland Barth offers us different viewpoints on educational reform from his own experiences in education from being a public school teacher and principal to being a Harvard University faculty member. He mentions how school improvement and restructuring will come from within every teacher and administrator not from any program because “schools are not capable of improving themselves”.

Since August of 2015, I have had the privilege of working with an incredible leader in Andrea Williams, principal of Theresa Bunker Elementary School. She is the epitome of a well-rounded leader who exemplifies all of the qualities of a leader as described by House’s path-goal theory of leadership. Mrs. Williams works diligently each day to create a productive work environment. She is direct when she needs to be and is extremely respected by her faculty as a fair leader. As I have observed her over the past two years I have seen her leadership skills in action. I have been extremely impressed with her drive, passion, fairness, supportiveness and ability to create a positive climate and culture that makes work a

I am an excellent candidate to assist school leadership with surpassing its annual goal. As a Turn Around administrator, I developed the skills and systems to review school improvement plans, analyze and disaggregate data, look for trends and gaps and implement scientific researched based intervention. I worked with principals to implement Response to Intervention (RtI) program. At the end of the program was a significant increase in student proficiency rate on formative and summative assessments. I used different strategies to address concerns with achievement gaps on formative and summative assessment, student and staff discipline and attendance and community involvement. I supported and implemented several mentoring programs. Several lives

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

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

The concept of transformational leadership and contingency theory (Chance, 2009) resonated with me for this tenet because it involves “engagement between leaders and followers bound by common purpose” (Chance, p. 94) and the importance of strong open communication between leader and followers in addition to the interactions with other systems that are internal or external. As a school leader, it is essential that I not only see where the school is now, but likewise develop a shared vision between all stakeholders within the school community on where we would like to see it in the future and on how to get there by setting clear, specific goals through collaboration. It is vital to foster participation in school decisions, which embodies participatory leadership. Encouraging participation in school decisions from staff, parents, students and the community at large will require that I, as an effective school leader, to be a good listener, communicator, motivator and collaborator as well as lead by example. According to DuFour and Marzano (2011), “Through their actions and words, effective leaders convey their conviction in their personal efficacy and the collective efficacy of those the

educational leadership." Journal of School Leadership 23.4 (2013): 664+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

Today, I am taking a vital step in the pursuit of a significant professional goal by submitting an application to the Graduate School at the University of Montana. I want to earn an Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership. As a Montana educational leader since 1991, I have been privileged to serve as an elementary principal, middle school principal, curriculum director, a superintendent and an assistant superintendent. Serving in these leadership roles were met professional goals that I set for myself and have shaped who I am as a leader today. I feel blessed to have worked in five school districts in Western Montana – Class AA, A, B, and C, in part due to the quality colleagues I have worked with in our state. Prior to earning my Master of Education Degree in Educational Administration, I taught grades seven, three and six. Personally, I have always set new goals in my life and pursued worthy goals. Once I achieve one, I pursue another. I firmly believe that earning a doctorate will be a capstone experience for my life – personally and professionally.

My leadership can be seen in my experience as the Director of Resource in my school of 600 students, Preschool through the eighth grade. I supported parents, teachers and administrators as they maneuvered the obstacles involved in identifying learning needs as well as the challenges that follow after identification. I worked directly with teacher and families to complete the necessary paperwork and advocated on their behalf with the public school system. Under the role as director, I was solely responsible for

I think reading, writing, and math should be the main topics taught in school. Because with the way society is today, if you can’t read or write then you can’t get a job. And without a job, you don’t have much of a life. You won’t be able to