The Moral Temperative Of School Leadership Summary

In the documentary The Principal Story Ms. Purcell discussed how all decisions made at the school were data driven; monthly assessments were given and the resulting data would determine what areas were in need of improvement. These areas needing improvement would then be discussed amongst the staff members in order to determine how they were going to go about improving the areas of weakness. Ms. Purcell contributed to the success of the campus by providing time for teachers to collaborate and take on leadership roles. In the documentary we see Ms. Purcell allowing teachers the opportunity to grow in their leadership skills by having them lead in curriculum discussions and campus based committees; participating in what Fullan (2007) would

Moral purpose is extremely valuable when building leadership capacity and a shared mission and vision that focuses on student learning. Fullan (2001), indicates that if leaders are unable to create a collaborative learning environment and a shared mutual purpose, it is unlikely that change will be sustainable. Moral purpose drives sustainable change, way past a leaders’ tenure at a specific organization, and without it—change will dwindle and dissipate. “Educational leaders in complex times find themselves constantly engaged in discerning the moral purpose of a community, and how best to bring it alive and nurture it in a way that will allow it to shape the educational experience” (Bezzina, 2012). Moreover, if principals do not create a clear-shared vision and mission for the learning community, than the inference of a non-morally purposeful leader can be made. Without having moral purpose,

Numerous people in today’s society believe that a principal’s only occupation is to “be in charge" of the school where he/she is employed. In reality, the principal of a school is considered to be the “leader of the pack”. “Leadership, as moral action, is a struggle to do the right thing according to a sense of values and what it means to be a human being” (Sergiovanni, T.J. 2005). The leadership that a principal provides should demonstrate that he/she cares about the staff/students, that he/she learns daily from their accomplishments/failures, that he/she is willing to take risks that could lead to school improvement, and that he/she is a trustworthy person. Based on past experiences, the previous discussion, and the review of literature,

Purpose statement: The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how principals have implemented The Leader in Me (TLIM) program in large, urban, elementary schools. Through interviews with 10-15 principals, I will gather information about their experiences with implementing the TLIM program, including why and how the principals have implemented the program, how they are measuring success, what they have learned, how they have adapted the TLIM program for their own school environments and cultures, what they would change, and what advice they would give to other school leaders. The insights gained from this study will inform and assist other schools leaders in implementing TLIM and other character education programs.

The principal’s job comes with lots of responsibilities and issues that seem to never end. However depending on location, a school leader could be faced with more challenges or obstacles that they must overcome. The geomorphic area can have an effect on the overall school functions. These include student’s social economic, poverty level, and population. The three main geographical areas are suburban, urban and rural. Each of which have their own pros and cons. Whether it’s the support of the community or state funding, principals are faced with challenges regardless of the demographics. While all three have similarities and differences, the main contributing factor to an effective school is having a good principal.

Owens and Valesky (2015) admonish readers that “those who want to be effective educational leaders must have a clear grasp of the essentials of organizational behavior in deciding how to engage in the practice of leadership.” (p. 1). As leaders in Catholic schools, we have an inherent hierarchy of governance and organization, enjoying a degree of autonomy, answering solely to the pastor at the elementary level, or to the diocesan bishop or to a religious order at the high school level. On our own campuses, we have unique organizations, and while a hierarchy, in some form exists, we can “ethically and honestly…share power and distribute it more equitably in efforts to minimize its deleterious effects on the behavior of people…and make the school a more growth-enhancing environment.” (Owens and Valesky, 2015, p. 2). Several organizational theories exist that describe the way individuals within the organization relate to each other.

After reading chapter 1 of School Leadership that Works, it is evident that leadership is considered to be vital to the successful functioning of many schools. A few aspects of schooling that have been linked to leadership are clear mission and goals, overall climate, attitude of teachers, classroom practices of teachers, organization of curriculum and instructions, and students' opportunity to learn. “Students in effective schools as opposed to ineffective schools have a 44 percent difference in their expected passing rate on a test that has a typical passing rate of 50 percent.” (Marzano 3) Because leadership is perceived to be important to the successful performance of schools, no wonder that an effective principal is thought as a necessary

In order to create an environment where all members of the school community can strive to achieve a campus vision, a devoted educational leader has to start with the end in mind. That is, to initiate plans and develop a more effective school means that leaders can visualize what the prospective campus can become, and then work towards it. By recognizing where the ultimate goal is in relation to the starting point is crucial in identifying the areas needing improvement. It is also important to ensure the vision is shared amongst students, parents, teachers, the administrative staff, faculty, and the community at large. This can be done based on a set of core beliefs that all parties can dedicate themselves to following. In addition, campus goals

The principal of the school is considered a figurehead. They have many responsibilities that involve all stakeholders in the district. Not only do principals have to understand the school, community, and students, they must relate well to the teachers and staff to be successful. Principals as leaders, have to be able to communicate effectively and openly to create a collaborative environment which is the single most important factor in creating school improvement. (Halawah, 2004, pg. 335). Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon (2004), state “The supervisor who knows about characteristics of successful schools, the norms that mediate against success, and the ways teacher development contrasts with optimal adult development can begin to formulate

A great leader creates an environment in which teachers feel a sense of empowerment. This means that the leader is able to recognize the different strengths and weaknesses that each individual staff member has. The leader is then able to provide the teacher with opportunities to better themselves through staff development or with other empowering trainings. Secondly, a great leader is able to identify when the morale is low within the school. Low morale can become very toxic in a school if it is not properly addressed. A great leader is able to ensure that all teachers feel that they are valued and highly respected. It is important that the principal is aware of all past and current procedures that promote professional compliance. TEA Principal Stand I; Competency 003 states: “Standard I: Learner-Center Values and Ethics of Leadership: A Principal is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by acting in an ethical manner. The Principal knows how to: (B) Implement policies and procedures that promote professional educator compliance with The Code of Ethics and standard Practices for Texas Educators.” (Texas Education Agency2010)

The other three roles of transformational leadership, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation, are heavily researched and meet the primary goal of kindergarten through 12th grade education, but this does not explain the lack of research for individualized consideration. In this paper, I addressed the need for further research on the role of individualized consideration and its use of completing the secondary goal of education. We have seen how it can be used by looking at the Lone Jack school district and how successful it can be when implementing by school leader. The Lone Jack school leaders showed how transformational leadership can be impactful when all four roles are embraced. In order to meet the primary and secondary goals of the kindergarten through 12th grade education system, school leaders need to embrace all four roles of transformational leadership and implement them into their

Public school districts in Illinois are facing ever rising challenges from a lack of funding, a shortage of teachers, an ever increasing danger of traumatic events occurring on school grounds, a decline teacher moral, an increase in at-risk students, and others. During this difficult time it is imperative that the leaders of districts are providing their stakeholders the leadership necessary to move the district forward in educating all of its students. Transformational leaders are best suited to deal with the multiple and diverse challenges that face districts.

Finally, great principals have certain things they believe or do that are the cornerstones of their success. These cornerstones embrace the actions required to ensure the success of the school. They are the lens through which the strategic objectives or plans of the school are continuously reviewed, studied, and acted upon. They are the action plans for success. (Part III of this book is devoted to discussion of these cornerstones to success.) The cornerstones are non-negotiable pillars of the principal’s and school’s commitment to success.

The closer examination into the relationship between school results and school leadership opened the discussion of new principles of leadership. Thomas Sergiovanni and Robert Starratt (who worked as a graduate assistant for Sergiovanni) were two leading advocates of usage of ethics and/or moral principles in the school administration. Sergiovanni (1986) and Starratt (1991) disseminated their adoption of moral and ethical perspectives to educational school leadership theory in their respective works, Moral Leadership: Getting to the Heart of School Improvement and “Building an Ethical School: A theory for Practice in Educational Leadership.” The following is further arguments of the significance of an ethical lens to school leadership and a more comprehensive understanding of the ethical and/or moral theoretical perspectives proposed by Starratt and Sergiovanni.

As the leader of a 21st century school one must embody the qualities that best reflect the ever-changing face of education. Traditionally, the leader of a school focused a large portion of time and energy on typical managerial functions within the school. These tasks, although important, will not propel a school to achieve excellence. Today’s school leaders must be visionaries who create a sense of purpose driven unity. As a transformational leader, one must also be the beacon of learning in establishing and effectively cultivating professional learning communities. One must recognize and further develop the leadership skills of those within the school in order to ensure the vision and mission of the school is achieved. Keeping in mind that student achievement is the core of vision and purpose of a school, a school leader must also ensure that the structure of the organization is centered on student driven instruction, which reflect the high expectations for all stakeholders. In order to be a leader of leaders one must also be on the cutting edge of technologies available, have a deep understanding of the rigorous curriculum and assessment requirements, all the while exhibiting the highest of moral and ethical system of values on a daily basis.