Dr. Tanisha L. Heaston, principal of Treadwell Elementary talks to me about educational change. In my first meeting and interview with her, she displays many if not all the leadership benchmarks of a Change Master and Facilitator. Defined by McEwan (2003), a Change Master is a highly effective principal who is flexible and futuristic. A realistic leader who is able to both motivate and manage change in an organized, positive, and enduring fashion. As a Change Master, she uses a situational approach since every school community requires somewhat different skills. Dr. Heaston respects change resisters, procures resources for her school, and trusts her teams which aligns with ISLLC Standard Six.
Being a Facilitator, Dr. Heaston is a leader
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Taking it back some, as a teacher how did you deal with change?
A: At that point in my career, I did know who Michael Fullan was (laughs). But if I did it probably would have helped me. As a teacher I made as much sense of it as I could. I listened to what my school leadership team told me. I thought about the change in terms of how it would affect me personally. And how would it affect the students I taught. Currently, as an administrator, we are taught and expected to see change differently. I see my knowledge as a teacher was limited. Narrow lens. Administrators have a much broader view. Now, I look at change as how will it affect the whole
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This school has had 5 principals in 4 years. I spoke earlier about this school being a part of the I-zone. The I-zone is a special subset of schools within Shelby County that are given the task of leading a school from the bottom 5% to the top 25%. In that there is a high turnover rate with administrators and teachers. I was selected to be a turnaround principal given a certain amount of time with the authority to make necessary changes. The community asked for a principal they could relate to. They wanted to be involved with the school and wanted resources given back to them so they could help their children. I listen to community concerns and established a parent power committee so they could be partners in education with us. We reached out into the community to garner some wrap around services to help and support our students. We gained seven (7) new Adopters who have formally taken the charge to provide resources that all students will need to achieve academically. Life Church gives us food. Bellview Baptist Church comes in and tutors all our 2nd grade students. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity has volunteered to come in and work with our students on STEM projects. We have Omega Psi Phi who comes in an exposes our kids to social and character development. And the list goes on. There just so many programs and organizations ready to work with us because they know
Leading organizations of school administrators offer educators various opportunities to encourage educators to become leaders. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has mandated that leaders be better prepared for the task of providing quality education to all. NCLB “… is forcing all educational stakeholders to face the weakness of contemporary school leadership and is making it impossible to ignore the need for higher quality principals” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). It is believed that all educators can be and are leaders in their own right. A leader is a visionary and has the ability to inspire others to aspire to greatness. Of the numerous opportunities that are offered, those that are most beneficial include but are not limited to leadership training programs, professional development, and creating shared leadership opportunities for teachers to become leaders. The systems “…that produce our nation’s principals are complex and interrelated – and governed by the states. Each state establishes licensing, certification and re-certification” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). States use the ISLLC standards “…as the framework for preparation programs and in service professional development of school superintendents, principals, and other leaders” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.3).
Students need to be able to come to school, feel welcome, and receive the best education that their teacher can provide. To be able to do this the principal needs to make the decisions that supports his/her school. Principals need to be role models and responsible decision makers. Policies and procedures need to be updated regularly and should be reviewed by multiple parties.
1. What are some ways that you connect with your school community? (Fostering Effective Relationships) – When asking a principal this question, it is important to look for answers that go beyond the basic answers like staff meetings, emails, etc. I would look for answers that go above and beyond what is expected. For example, one of the best principals that I knew spent every morning welcoming staff and students to the school at the main doorway. He would ask questions about their family, talk to them about their lives, and get to know them in a much deeper way than what was expected. Although this principal has been retired for a few years, many of his staff refer to him as legendary because of the way that he would go above and beyond connecting with kids and community, before and after school.
Slavitch and Zimbardo (2012) assert that adult learners desire to improve their understandings by adjusting their “frames of reference,” including their points of view and habits of mind. In the case of the grade change initiative, the frames of reference were shaped by the parents, students, and administration. The committee entered the situation already having used instrumental learning to arrive at a solution. Their jobs to “reframe” the teachers’ beliefs and practices was able to work through the committee’s use of modified andragogy, allowing the teachers to discover their own truths as educators (Mezirow, 1997). Although entering the situation with an already-decided, seemingly autocratic decision in place, the committee was able to use their passionate transformative skills to win the teachers over to their side. The teachers’ self-discovery then enabled them to believe their decision was a wholly democratic one, which was not quite the case. As cited in Slavitch and Zimbardo (2012), Bass and Riggio’s (2010) explanation of transformational leadership perfectly embdodies DKJA’s grade change initiative: the follows were inspired to be a part of a shared vision, they had to challenge themselves to be problem solvers, and their leaders both challenged and supported them at all times. The teachers’ decision to “put themselves on the line” and “take one for the team” showed their allegiance to the group and their desire to be a part of something authentic, fulfilling, and true to themselves as both humans and
A leader can be described as a person who gives direction, inspiration and cause to a group of people who are striving to achieve a common or similar goal (Eacott, 2011; Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2013). As there are many types of leaders within an early childhood education setting, such as director, room leader and educational leader, it is important to define and dissect what each role requires (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2013). An educational leader is defined in the National Quality Framework (NQF), where they have support from other documentation and literature to identify what an educational leader is (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2014). This essay will examine the key factors that influence the education leader with links to the theories of leadership, such as contingency and transformational theories, and what being an educational leader entails.
C: Leading Change - Principals solicit input and collaborate with staff and their school community to implement strategies for change and improvements that result in improved achievement and developmental outcomes for all students.
As a leader candidate, I can understand the challenges and multiplicity of complications that administrators must face each day. However, I will not accept any remote possibility that the students must be affected by some flaws of the school organization. We all as leaders, must be strategic with people, time, and money to guide our students towards an academic success.
Principal B talked about her evolution as a leader. She discussed her early career as being overwhelming in the extent and challenges associated with student discipline. To overcome this challenge, this principal talked about some of the programs she was involved with to help reduce the challenges associated with students
The role of a principal is a vital function of the school. The manner in which a principal performs determines that success of the school. Being in the position as an assistant principal has allowed me to view this role totally different from I did when I was a teacher. I am grateful to intern, full time trusting that I will gain the most out of this experience. However, there are a number of lessons that I have learned within these first quarter of my internship that will vastly impact my leadership as a new leader.
Chapter five speaks about the change master trait. A change master is a person who is flexible, futuristic, and realistic, also able to motivate and manage change in an organized, positive, and enduring fashion. Change masters are take control leaders who are willing to share the power pie to ensure changes are beneficial to all stakeholders. During the 2014-2015 school year, Mississippi Department of Education Office of Special Education adopted new Individualized Education Plan (IEP) forms for all Mississippi schools. These forms were created to provide a better educational experience and assist with an easy transition for special needs students to other schools within the state and neighboring states.
Summary of the Exercise Transformational change project (TCP) leadership team met to analyze and prioritize all of the information to identify specific issues. Team member’s input was gathered for the successful implementation of project based learning in Alternative Education for Riverside County office of Education. Key points were discussed and clarified to select five critical areas that need to be addressed. Not all members of the original TCP leadership team were available.
Parent and community involvement does not occur overnight, it takes time and work to build a trusting, visionary driven environment. When people walk into a school, they can immediately get a sense of the school
Thomas Sergiovanni (2015) describes three essential dimensions of leadership as “the heart, head, and hand of leadership.” The heart describes those characteristics within the school leader that reflect personal “beliefs, values, and dreams.” The head of leadership refers to the practice of teaching and educating. The hand of leadership reflects actions taken by school leaders with respect to management behaviors. (p. 5) Within these elements, there is room for personal choice in how leadership is practiced and it is incumbent on new principals to find an individual leadership style that responds to the uniqueness of each school.
First, all great teachers strive to make a connection to their students like how Mr. Keating did. I believe that to make students do great things, teachers must have a relationship with the students. If I want to have a successful teaching career, I must shape minds like Mr. Keating, and not be an authoritarian like Mr. Nolan or the other administration. Obviously, the result of the movie is extremely sad and not ideal, I believe students should be taught to think for themselves and taught to keep learning throughout life. Although society may be resistant, I must help students become self-determining people who stand up for what is right, and aren’t afraid of going against the status quo. As the movie shows, sometimes the fate of teachers who do this is grim. Yet, I still believe that it is a teacher’s duty to give students the resources to be their own people. True change in this world can only happen if teachers are fostering a classroom of personal growth and acceptance. I am focused on making sure I urge my future students to leave their mark and seize the day. Although I may not do it in such a dramatic way as Mr. Keating, I hope that all the students that leave my classroom will feel confident that they can take on the world, and life self-fulfilled
Change is not always viewed as an opportunity, it is frequently observed by teachers, students, and administrators as a burden rather than an avenue to success (Graff, 2011). There are a vast number of elements that ...