A Look Back on Management in Schools and the Leadership Standards

To be honest, I entered this course without much understanding of the "management" side of educational leadership. While I knew there were numerous tasks to be completed by an administrator, I really had no idea what that portion of the job entailed. My first clinical assignment - while eye-opening and meaningful - really didn't delve in to the "day-to-day" operations of a building. Thus I am looking to for some "real world" exposure in my second clinical this year.

The administrative standards for Iowa certainly pack a huge list of responsibility. Of course I understand the motive is to clarify roles and even hold accountable leaders in education. I have a definite understanding of the importance of promoting a healthy and positive climate within a building - in hopes of stimulating a welcoming and enthusiastic learning culture. Although the task sounds rather daunting - especially when your first job may very well be in a struggling district - I can understand the immediate effect a positive culture and climate can have on student achievement. Yes, I'm willing to put in the time and energy to generate such an environment. But I am afraid I may flounder before I encounter much success.

Where I continue to struggle the most is the idea of a "shared vision." Honestly, I am totally put off by the jargon of education. If one more person talks to me about "vision" without a legitimate plan for implementation, I may vomit. To have a picture of the your "quality world picture" is one thing. To yap about it to people but not know how to achieve it is more disheartening than inspiring. If and when I embark into the world of the "shared vision", I will be sure I have logistics to back up my claims. For an analyzer-controller like myself, this abstract concept is more irritating than motivating. I hope to find my own niche in motivating my staff without buying into the buzzwords of education.

That's all for this rant...

Professional Development - How Can I Make Teachers Love Learning?

There was recently a tweet from a fellow educator in Conneticut that provided some suggestions for improving professional development initiatives for staff. His blog made me think about my role in developing meaningful initiatives as an effective instructional leader. So my brain starting churning...

When I consider the role of an instructional leader, the white elephant in the room - at least for me - is professional development. Over and over we as teachers have complained about the irrelevance, the boring presentation style, and the mandatory learning opportunity. So as an aspiring leader, how will I transform those school improvement and staff development sessions into something meaningful and - dare I say - FUN for all of my staff? (And of course I need to assure the initiatives will also positively impact learning and student achievement.)

Time and time again leaders, researchers, and professional organizations have openly stated that professional development in education MUST change. Yet I have not come across a "best practice" for engaging staff in PD initiatives. Thus I am left wondering what I will do when faced with designing the development plan as an instructional leader... And my best solution is this...

I WILL ASK MY TEACHERS WHAT THEY WANT AND NEED AS LEARNERS AND EDUCATORS.

Of course this will enhance my own accountability because if I ask for their input, I definitely need to use the feedback to guide my decisions. It is my hope as a future instructional leader that I can tailor learning opportunities to the needs of my staff - just like we differentiate for our students interests and needs.

Until next time...

Parents & Guardians - What Do They Expect from School Leadership?

I recently had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference in which the President of the International Center for Leadership in Education presented the organization's current beliefs and initiatives. (See the following link for more information: http://www.leadered.com/.) While I am not convinced the message was entirely "on point", I did find some interesting snippets that apply to the management side - as well as the instructional aspect.

One of the more thought-provoking comments made during the session was in regards to parental expectations. To put it simply, President McNulty said, "Parents want a BETTER school but not a DIFFERENT school." Just think on that concept for a moment...

After some consideration and reflection, I find this statement to be so plausible. As administrators we are faced with making improvements. Naturally change seems to be part of the improvement process. But the greatest obstacle is persuading all the stakeholders to "get on board" with the movement. Parents and guardians will filter into our offices demanding something "better", yet they won't be in favor of dramatic change. Thus we will be faced with the task of conveying the relevance of such changes even though we may be the only one who can clearly see the benefits of the predicted outcomes. Thus public relations and communication skills will emerge as necessary attributes of effective leadership.

So as we embark on the difficult road of improvement, it is important to recognize the predisposition that many stakeholders possess. And then remind yourself that it is often easy to avoid the disgruntled parents and make time for the happy ones.  In the end, however, you might learn more from those who have a valid criticism or suggestion than from those who are comfortable with the status quo.

Until next time...

Public Relations - Can You Take the Heat?

After the press conference simulation this past weekend, I have a greater appreciation for school leaders who can maintain their composure and professionalism in even the most stressful situations. While I felt Scott and I handled ourselves well, there is no way to diminish how intimidating even a pretend scenario can be. What is the most terrifying concept to me is that a person's credibility could be completely destroyed if he or she mishandled a significant situation. For example, losing control of one's emotions and firing back when others verbally attack would certainly impact the public's perception. Then to try and recover from an emotional "hiccup" would be an incredibly daunting task.

The reality is, we will all encounter such situations at some point in our careers. Some of us will have to thicken our skin. Some might need to learn to hold their tongues and suppress their emotions. Others may need to stop, think, and even anticipate before responding to media pressures. While I actually enjoyed the pressure of the mock press conference, I know my brain was swirling the entire time. It is important to remember the message, to not be tricked by strategic - and sometimes repeated - questioning, and to not let the situation become personal. If we can all learn to follow those "rules of survival", then we should be able to reduce the likelihood of misrepresentation by media.

The other solution would be to work in a district that contains its own PR department. =)

Until next time...

Online Schools - Progressive or Perfunctory?

Over the last three years I have been a graduate student in both a traditional and an online learning environment. Setting aside the subject matter, I can easily recognize which pedagogy was more meaningful for me. On several occasions I settled down in front of the computer with a glass of wine and my cell phone, determined to catch up with my friends. Needless to say I did not absorb much content on those Thursday evenings. When I began the Drake program, I must admit I was not too excited about the accountability that accompanies face-to-face instruction. Yet there is no doubt I have learned far more during this program. The interactions with my cohort members alone have vastly enhanced my learning. So then I started to ask myself, if as an adult I struggle to remain engaged in an online environment, how well can adolescents focus?

My interest in the concept of online public schools surfaced after Jerrid Kruse mentioned the movement during his presentation to our cohort. While I knew this was happening, I did comprehend how commonplace the trend was actually becoming. Honestly, my gut reaction was that will NEVER work. It isolates students, depends on technological savviness and access, and lacks accountability. Plus as a teacher I started to wonder, could I be replaced rather easily by such a system?

So I went in search of articles about online schooling and found a great article (which I tweeted) from The Wall Street Journal entitled "My Teacher Is an App." While the article seemed to possess an underlying opinion that this trend is detrimental to student learning, it did take the time to highlight a few benefits of the online approach. The most telling segment of the article was the collected data that revealed little to no support for improved student achievement. All of this makes me go back to the idea of technology being embedded in the content and instruction. Is online schooling really a means for enhancing learning? (My thought is possibly yes, for some driven students.) Or is it just another way to perpetuate the "technology movement" schools are expected to pursue?

The final line of the article expresses a desire to have a blended environment with both face-to-face and online instruction. If teachers are effectively implementing technology in their "traditional" classrooms, then don't we already have a balance? It seems the bigger challenge is to monitor implementation...

No thank you, online schools. The cyber classroom is not for me.

Until next time...

Tackling Management Tasks: Who Do You Want in Your Corner?

After listening to current educational leaders and their management roles in schools, I really began to realize the importance of a strong and competent building leadership team. Take the learning activity we completed in large groups at Urbandale MS. Our group was charged with developing a list of considerations for a scenario about building construction/remodeling efforts. Just from that 20 minute discussion, I realized I had little knowledge of the construction process. My mind tended to focus on the public relations aspect of the project, while many of my colleagues were identifying logistical aspects like safety, interruption of instruction, classroom relocation, and traffic flow. Simply hearing the ideas of others made it clear that I would need to surround myself with knowledgeable and experienced professionals.

Now the resulting question is how to you identify the best people for the job?
Do you create one BLT that is involved - to some capacity - in all major initiatives?
Or do you identify team members based on the project?
Is it best to have a consistent team who builds camaraderie and trust?
Or do you promote leadership involvement by selecting different people to contribute to different initiatives?

This topic also raises the question of volunteerism vs. appointment. Do you open up the opportunity for people to volunteer their time or do you actively seek out (and extend an invitation) to serve in a greater capacity? Which strategy would best serve your staff and your building?

And yes, I love the power of the rhetorical question...

Until next time...

Counseling vs. Discipline: Is Blurring the Line Dangerous?

In my small, rural high school, there is one administrator. He is the manager. He is the instructional leader. He is in his first administrative position. Now, let me preface this by saying I have complete confidence in his abilities and total respect for his professionalism. But the nature of our building has created an interesting dynamic that - as a future leader - makes me wonder and even worry.

Without a designated Dean of Students, there tends to be a shortage of supplemental "authority" in the building. Basically the principal is the be all, end all in discipline. As the year continues, however, our new and young (but very passionate and effective) guidance counselor has occasionally been involved with disciplinary matters. From a management standpoint, I can understand that sometimes a leader just needs another person to help. Yet I have strong reservations about those occasional responsibilities falling on the shoulders of the person in a counseling position. I guess I am left with several questions:

Is it appropriate for the guidance counselor to be involved in disciplinary matters?
Will his or her involvement eventually be detrimental to effectively forging relationships with students?
Or would a less "top down" approach to discipline be more productive for students?

Until next time...