In the highly politicized education climate of modern public schooling, a superintendent is charged with moving a school system forward in terms of academic achievement, community building, and operational functions. Managing to accomplish this multifaceted task requires leadership that transcends oneself and moves the stakeholders of a system to embrace change with the leaders of an organization. Moving a school district toward its goals can be accomplished through uniting the components of the organization through a vision for the future. Leaders who are able to accomplish are described as Visionary Leaders.
Superintendents often lead their communities through a vision setting process but there seems to be a disconnection between theory and practice in many schools at the site level. As an educator, I have noticed a lack of understanding of the district vision at the site level. My perception is that having every school site align their mission and goals with district vision will benefit teachers and students. The goal of this synthetic research paper is to understand how a superintendent can cast a vision of the future that sets a coherent and inspiring direction, moving a school district toward an achievable mission and related goals. This paper will attempt to answer the
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Rothman (DATE) argues that leadership is often mythological in proportion and compares modern leader to heroes that the public desires to save them from their problems. A single definition, feature, or behavior of leadership has yet to draw consensus. Theories exist about the inherent traits that make one a natural leaders. Other theories contend that the situation determines the style of leadership. More recently, leadership theories focus on the actions of leaders and define leadership as a process of engaging others in relationships and decision making (Amanchukwu, Stanley, Ololube,
As retired teachers, we know it is important to stand up and support what we believe is best for our community. That is why we support Michael N. Smith for the office of Superintendent for Regional Office of Education #11. We cannot afford the status quo. We need someone who can build and foster a positive working relationship with all schools within our region where an honest exchange of ideas and concerns can take place without consequences. We need someone who has the support of area administrators who respect the office and the person who holds that office.
“In addition to organizational structure, the people within an organization determine how the organization functions. The values and perspectives of these individuals can influence how programs are implemented, how the organization obtains money and other resources, who is hired by the organization, and what services the organization provides,” (Hardina, Middleton, Montana & Simpson, 2007 pg. 29). The following will analyze the Saginaw Intermediate School District (Saginaw ISD) and their ability to meet the needs of those people it serves as well as those individuals they employ. Stakeholder Groups Recruiting and retaining active stakeholders increases, “Greater community support and buy-in, varied perspectives, a better understanding of the community context and an overall, more effective effort,” (Morgan, Stakeholders and Collaborators, 2018).
Leadership is a significant role in civilization. When there is no leadership present, savagery takes over and causes chaos. Since leadership remains a key responsibility, there are qualities that the leader must have. Leaders who are capable of making decisions for those who are afraid show courage. They also must be responsible because they are liable for things in their power, and in the efforts, they must consistently express good intentions that benefit everyone.
A leader is a person with the power or the ability to lead others, this relates to being a hero because a hero cannot do all work on their own. A hero must have help from others who are willing to follow them and help them with their final goal. This is shown is John C. Maxwell’s quote “A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”. What he means is that someone who is considered a leader can know the right path, and be able to help someone else on that same path, and continue on that path with that person.
The authors note that in small districts, superintendents do not have a separate support staff operating the business division of the organization. To put it bluntly, they do not have the luxury to hire individuals who are skilled in school finance. Therefore, superintendents in small districts must acquire the knowledge to assume the role of the business manager. Superintendents in small districts must have a direct role in ensuring completion of activities associated with the annual budget as well as overseeing the distribution of resources in support of district priorities. These superintendents receive little to no help in developing contingency plans to address anticipated and unanticipated budgetary necessities.
Community building includes working closely with teachers and administrators, the school board, and the various citizen groups that comprise the larger community. This work requires both the political acumen implied in the role of superintendent as democratic leader and the academic skills of the applied social scientist. An important responsibility of democratic leadership is to garner the resources to support district initiatives (Grogan & Brunner, 2005b). Scholars in public education (e.g., Hanson, 2003; Wirt & Kirst, 2001) recognize that even the best education policies usually prove to be ineffective when they are unacceptable to the public. Kowalski (2005a) argue that policy and politics are inextricably joined in a democracy; a reality that promotes democratic administration.
As I reflect on the process employed for completion of this action research project I think about the process that principals and other educational leaders use to promote school improvement. As a future educational leader I must promote the success of every student by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by all stakeholders (The Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2008). When I first started the principalship program I was amazed to find out that Firestone High School did not have a vision statement in place and when I asked several of the current administrators about our vision, often I was told our mission statement. As I continue on with my internship program next year, it will be my goal to ensure that by the time we are in our new building in 2016 the school will have a vision statement to guide our focus.
The other element of the course standard is Developing Shared Vision. This element emphasizes leaders’ engagement and collaborative process to develop a vision of teaching, and learning that is shared and supported by all stakeholders (CPSELs, 2016). The article Requiring Collaboration or Distributing Leadership? underlines that “when teachers and principals share leadership in school, both the adults and students win” (Kennedy, Deuel, Nelson & Slavit, 2011). From this article I learned the importance of seeking, recognizing and using teachers’ expertise through differentiated top-down and the lateral decision-making process, as well as culture building through dialogue and collaborative inquiry (Kennedy, Deuel, Nelson & Slavit, 2011, p.21).
I aspire to be like Jim Ludlow, long-time assistant principal at Avon High School. His calm presence and quiet dignity force our administration team to put events, people, and decisions into perspective so that our school continues to focus on what is important, or rather, who is important - our students and staff. Although the requirements of this paper are to focus on a special education leader within the school or school corporation, it will often be impossible to do so because Mr. Ludlow has a holistic view of the school as a system; he does not limit himself to the departments, including special education, he oversees. All students benefit as a result of Mr. Ludlow’s panoramic view of the school. Mr. Ludlow assumes as his responsibility
As a leader, he/she should know how to communicate with the decision makers as well as with the families of the students, and his/her faculty and staff. With the growing diversity of students within our school and community, as an educational leader I will need to be able to understand the relationship between social justice, school culture, and the community. I will determine what opportunities are available within our community, discuss with the stakeholders our beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes that will shape and influence the way our school will be run. I will have to learn how to recognize the differences of
Successful principals understand the amount of stakeholders that need to be in place to achieve this level of success. Principals must be knowledgeable in communicating the type of organization the school is to be. This message helps all parties involved focus on the projected outcome while doing the things necessary to achieve the
The text states, “The superintendent did have enormous power of initiative in virtually all matters concerning the schools: the appointment of staff, the selection of textbooks, plans and contracts for buildings, the determination of the curriculum, and normal decisions about everyday running of the schools” (159). When examining the formal education of our current educational institutions, it is evident that the power structure lies with superintendents, school boards and principals who share expectations on how classrooms should be run as well as decision making for the betterment of the institution and students. Overall, formal education has evolved and will continue to evolve as educators search for their perception of the “one best system” for their students. Throughout the history of education, power structure and social class matters have influenced how educators implement regulations, interact with community members and fellow educators, but most importantly, the education of students so that they may be instilled with the skills and confidence to further themselves as
Those individuals who were believed to have these inherent skills were people of very influential status, wartime heroes and those of great wealth. The people who emerge or are most picked to lead have distinctive drives and character profiles (Nicholson, 2013, p.16). Leadership Thought Development from 1900 – 1970 The thought of leadership evolved from the Great Man Theory to Trait Theory and Behavior Theory. The trait theory focuses on identifying distinctive personality traits and characteristics that are associated to successful leadership.
Leadership Analysis Introduction One of the popular definitions of a leader is, "The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers." ( ) A more comprehensive definition that highlights striking features of a leader is, "A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.” ( ) A closer scrutiny of the characteristics of an influential leader would many ways assist one, in recognizing those attributes in an attempt to assimilate the best in others.
This paper will examine the three leadership theories, identify how they apply to my practice, and explore how these theories interact with each other. The Trait Leadership Theory is based on the belief that a person is born with special traits contributing to natural leadership abilities. Studies of famous historical leaders have been used to identify various traits for this theory. Although the list of traits differs from study to study, there are five major traits that are consistent throughout most studies.