The Values And Beliefs Of The Staff

2). The authors explain that in the 1990s when the first edition of their book was published, the term “teacher leadership” was generally unfamiliar within the educational community. The authors state that “by helping teachers recognize that they are leaders, by offering opportunities to develop their leadership skills, and by creating school cultures that honor their leadership, we can awaken this sleeping giant of teacher leadership” (Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009, p. 3). During their study of teacher leadership, Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009), discovered that teachers are unwilling to be identified as teacher leaders due to the following: 1) lack of a supportive environment for the development of teacher leaders, 2) insecurities about their abilities to provide leadership for adults, and 3) at some schools, the tendency to treat all teachers alike, which can dishearten teachers from assuming leadership roles. Based on this information, the need to provide support and recognition for those teachers who are willing to step up and undertake leadership roles is important for schools and districts that wish to enhance the development of teacher leaders. Without these elements in place, one would assume that teacher leadership practices would not be prevalent. Nevertheless, providing a supportive environment and tapping into the numerous areas of expertise of those who make up the largest portion of the educational workforce, one can understand the potential impact of what Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009) refer to as “the sleeping giant” of teacher leadership. However, to determine if this is

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.

The Kentucky Leadership Framework defines teacher leaders as those who “transform their classrooms, schools, and profession, activating teacher growth and achieving equity and excellence for students” (Kentucky Teacher Leadership Work Team, 2015, p. 4). Therefore, the definition of what it means to be a teacher leader can be found in a review of relevant literature; yet, their roles can be unclear within the schools (Angelle and Schmid, 2007). Jacobs, Gordon, and Solis (2016) point out that when “teacher-leaders’ roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined, misunderstanding, conflict, and resentment can result” (p. 399). In addition, a study of 672 participants revealed that teacher perceptions regarding teacher leadership can vary based on school grade configurations—elementary, middle, and high (Angelle and DeHart, 2011). According to Angelle and Schmidt (2007), “As we work to provide precision to the term teacher leadership, we look to widen the level of understanding of this critical component of school reform at all levels” (p.

One will examine the underlying philosophies, theories and principles that shape their professional beliefs about children’s learning (Brown, et al., 2012; Waniganayake et al., 2012; Duignan, 2006). For any obstacles they may encounter, through the contingency theory, an educational leader will work with the appropriate style of leadership most suitable in that circumstance (Rodd, 2006), and respond to various situations in times of change by critically reflecting on the purposes they see for their setting and the goals they are aiming to achieve with children and families. Understanding from the transformational theory, an educational leader will be inspiring others with visions that can enable the team to be directed and motivated toward creating ‘a culture of learning and professional growth’ (Duignan, 2006; Waniganayake et al., 2012; Sinclair, 2007; Rodd, 2006; Siraj-Blatchford and Manni, 2006; ACECQA, 2013). Moreover, distributed leadership approach, which falls under the transformational theory, is seen in the educational leader as they work collaboratively with others towards the same vision (Rodd, 2006). For instance, taken from ACEQA (2013), the educational leader would examine routines with each of the room leaders, and how to make them more effective for children’s learning experiences. Here, the educational leader is not only guiding staff along, but also problem-solving

Teacher leaders and administrators play a vital role in the overall organizational structure of a school. As discussed in Educational Leadership, there are ten roles that teacher leaders tend to gravitate towards. The roles of teacher leaders vary according to duties and responsibilities placed on the teacher leader, they include the following: resource provider, instructional specialist, curriculum specialist, classroom supporter, learning facilitator, mentor, school leader, data coach, catalyst for change, and learner (Harrison & Killion, 2007, pg. 74-77). As a teacher leadership at Lake Oconee Academy, I personally see my duties and responsibilities covering several of these roles. Since the beginning of my employment at Lake Oconee

The staff doesn’t feel appreciated, and the building leaders are on different pages when it comes to the success and direction of the school. According to Standard four, “A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.” In contrast, the article, Building Community-Schools Relationship, states that “School-community partnerships can interconnect together many resources and strategies to enhance communities that support all youth and their families. They could improve schools, strengthen neighborhoods and lead to a noticeable reduction in young people's problems. Building such partnerships requires visioning, strategic planning, creative leadership and new multifaceted roles for professionals who work in schools and communities.” In order to address or anticipate pressure groups, the building leader needs to effectively finds ways to manage conflict and build relationships among the administrative staff first. As a building leader, I would assess the current climate and culture first by meeting individually with assistant principals to ensure that we are all on the same page before addressing staff issues. The current communication

20). Without a clear understanding of expectations, followers will have a difficult time making sense of goals, anticipated outcomes, and success criteria. As evidenced in observation data, Mr. Smith, Director of Elementary Education, provided direction for school administration, teachers, and instructional leaders at central office. He outlined professional development plans for elementary leadership for the 2016-2017 school year, developed a roll-out plan for standards-based reporting K-5, coordinated next steps for observation data related to school improvement planning, and established expectations for reporting student growth in literacy on a quarterly basis. Evident in his dialogue with teachers, administrators, and central office staff was his ability to listen to those in the trenches at the school level. While outlining expectations, goals, and success criteria, Mr. Smith understood that building a sense of community was critical; this leads to the next task of leadership – creating

During my second preclinical experience at Westview Hills Middle School, I learned the importance of cooperation and collaboration among teachers at a school. I was able to observe team and department meetings during this experience. It became clear that it is important for teachers to work together in order to provide a positive atmosphere at a school and in a specific department. Although it became obvious that personalities and teaching styles were different throughout the school, the teachers still acted professionally and used each other as resources in

Values and believes decides personnel priorities and our actions follows those significances. Nursing profession builds upon on specific human values such as honesty, kindness as the cornerstone of the profession since the beginning (Gokenbach, 2012). In this paper, the writer discusses the personal values, beliefs, and differentiates personal beliefs with the health care policy using cost, quality aspects, analyze the religious, personal, political ideology and how it affects the perspective of health care policy and finally examines the inconsistency between the personal beliefs and the current health care policy.

Administrators and teachers must work together to develop the PLC plan addressing the needs of their students. This means administrators need to trust teachers and allow them to work in a way that is autonomous from leadership. Delegating more responsibilities to staff was a way of creating a more knowledgeable community that could cope with the diversity of demands created by schools moving from being relatively simple organizations to highly complex ones. It was also recognized as in accord with the rhetoric of distributed leadership recommended as a strategy for school improvement and raising pupil attainment (Bolam et al. 2005, Webb, et al.

At Rowe Elementary Charter School, I directly educate 30 scholars from the Chicagoland area. I serve as the only Special Education teacher for the Kindergarten grade. The Kindergarten team is comprised of seven additional female teachers and one male educator, all of whom are stakeholders practicing under political pressures and technical limitations. As a fairly new educator and new employee to the school, I am metacognitively aware of my development as a leader in regards to the previously established team in which I am a joining member. In regards to daily operations, I consider myself at the co-creator leader leveI. My reflective attention is devoted to learning the procedures of a new school environment. I actively take part in deep collaborations with my veteran co-teacher and experienced team. I am cognizant of my surroundings and take action with the mindset that I do not have all the answers. Due to the nature of joining an established team with well practiced staff members, I accommodate to their needs and ideas to better the development of our shared vision and collaboration

After volunteering at Orchard Hill Elementary school, I have recognized many different aspects about the overarching climate and culture of the district, staff, and students. Both of these characteristics play a strong role in how faculty operate and report the satisfaction of their jobs. In order to fully understand the descriptions of these aspects, it is important to dissect their definitions and generate specific examples of how my organization fits into this environment.

In reflecting on the assignment, I believe a school should function like a large family praying for students, teachers, spouses and their children. The family structure is important both in and out of the workplace. If there is distress in the home it will often carry over into the school. Leaders must be able to hone in on problems of their employees and provide an encouraging word and support. Showing compassion is the one observable character trait that I want to exhibit.

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.

Procedure: A qualitative method was used to conduct a descriptive case study of twelve K-5 teachers in two North Carolina public schools. Although the researcher sought 20 participants for the sample size, only 12 teachers from two schools (pre-K through second and third