The following information was gathered during an interview with Dr. Clayton Mork from the Crescent School District. Dr. Mork shared information about his leadership style and characteristics as an administrator. This discussion assisted me in the development of a personal theory-based model of school leadership. Leadership Style of Administrator Seyfarth reports the conditions which produce engaging, effective work environments generally have the following essential qualities. First condition is an administrator that provides supportive leadership. Second condition is an administrator that allows collaboration within the work environment. Another condition is an administrator that displays respect for each person as individuals. An additional …show more content…
Mork admitted that feeling comfortable with the various types of leadership theories have greatly impacted his leadership style. Dr. Mork, being more of a “laid back” person, is able to be a relaxed administrator due to his feeling comfortable with the strategies of the leadership styles. Dr. Mork shared at the beginning of his administration career it was very difficult to not be as directive, given his military background. As he had more and more experience as an administrator, Dr. Mork learned to feel more and more comfortable with his leadership style. Being one of the staff members under his current leadership position, I have observed Dr. Mork’s leadership at the Crescent School District. Due to the education program that I am completing, I understand the different leadership styles that Dr. Mork uses in certain circumstances. However, there are several of my co-workers that do not understand why and have spoken about how certain people at Crescent School are treated differently than others. Personal Leadership …show more content…
Mork taking the time to share his views of administration leadership styles and strategies allowed me to gain knowledge of the reasons why certain decisions were made at Crescent School and why information was presented in the manner it was. This discussion also helped me to develop some of my own thoughts about how I would like to have things run when I am an administrator. Dr. Mork has worked as an administrator at Crescent School for the past four years. During that time there have been many instances that I have wondered why things happened the way they did. For instance, when Dr. Mork shared the requirements of the Washington State’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Program (TPEP), a new evaluation program for teachers and principals, Dr. Mork presented general information about the program to the teaching staff. I was able to question his decision to present the information this way. I learned that Dr. Mork wanted to allow the teachers to have some freedom to complete the TPEP as they wanted to. The program was a new set-up and was open ended. Dr. Mork mentioned he did not want to stress his staff out by setting strict parameters on TPEP completion. In order to help teachers to feel comfortable with the program, Dr. Mork allowed teachers to learn the program at their pace and gently guide them to the finish
I had the pleasure of being able to shadow Superintendent Shirley Hall of the Maplewood School District. Ms. Hall took the reins of the district over in 2012 from a very popular superintendent who was credited with making great strides within the district. Although Ms. Hall had very large shoes to fill, she seems to be doing it with grace and enthusiasm. She credits the previous superintendent with making systemic changes and establishing the overall forward momentum of the district, but recognizes that she cannot rest on past success. Her goal is to take the district to the next level of educational excellence by focusing her and her administrative team's efforts on the P.E.L.P. coherence model from Harvard University.
“Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow” (Kouzes and Posner, p. 30). Over the past two years, Sunshine Elementary School has experienced an extremely high turnover rate. To reduce and improve past destruction, staff will learn to model the way by demonstrating the values set forth by myself. The values are the standard that will assist in the development of an organization filled with a variety of leadership that will create an atmosphere of a superb leadership growth school wide. Sunshine Elementary School (SES) is the pilot for this leadership development blueprint for Pflugerville Independent
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).
According to standard two of the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (2015), educational leaders should act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner to promote the success of every student. In the scenario, a new assistant superintendent in a school district is head of curriculum and instruction. The school district services 15 schools, 12 elementary schools and 3 junior high schools. The assistant superintendent has prior experience in a previous school district with curriculum and instruction, but seemed much happier in the new district’s atmosphere. The district seems to be more goal-oriented and focused on the upholding the vision and mission of the district. There is also a strong value on self-evaluation
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.
The last issue to address is leadership. This role is challenging, but with commitment and determination it can be done. Strategies that I can take to encourage great leadership is to first build trust and confidence by fulfilling the school’s mission, vision, policy, and working environment (Drexler, 2007) on a daily basis. To be involved in school activities, in the classroom, at PTO meetings, and community affiliations will establish strong leadership skills. Providing valuable feedback, strategically planning to improve the school, and encouraging community support are other strategies that can be used to enhance leadership.
Working with Principal Jason Bloom for the 2015-2016 school year I have the opportunity to attest to his effective educational leadership and analyze the factors that contribute to his success as a leader. Due to his vast experience and knowledge of educational leadership I decided to ask him for insight on his expertise. When asked varies educational leadership questions his response were identical to "best practice" and theories of educational leadership.
Yarbrough, R., & Gilman, D. A. (2006, October). From five days to four. Educational Leadership, 64(2), 80-85.
This type of relationship is essential in the educational arena; everyone must be a leader and accountable for their roles, because the principal’s success is contingent on the teacher’s success (Gardner, 2013; Murphy, 2013). Good leaders understand that they must depend on their followers for success and share their power to propel the organization towards the organizational goals (Murphy, 2013). Similar to a football coach, principals set the tone for the school (Tschannen-Moran, 2013). A true leader understands that they are only a component of the process. Unfortunately, when leaders believe that they are the most important part of the system, they do not value the opinions and suggestions of others (Murphy, 2013). I have worked for leaders with this type of mentality, and I contemplated leaving the profession due to the stressful working conditions. Leadership is most effective when they are able to get the most out of each person. An effective leader will assess the situation and make the correct decision to push the person forward or back off. To accomplish this, it begins with a trusting relationship; when a leader shows genuine concern for the constituent’s well-being as much as the task that is desired (Tschannen-Moran, 2013). In conclusion, I aim to be an inclusive leader who allows my constituents to have a “voice” within our organization. I want to provide them with adequate support so they feel appreciated and a part of something bigger than
Clark, D. R. (2004).The Art and Science of Leadership. Retrieved Sept 25, 2011 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadled.html
For the assignment, I interviewed Mr. David Sable. Mr. Sable is the Executive Director of Student Services for Radford City School. Mr. Sable oversees Special Education programs, 504 programs, food services programs, homelessness, and he is the division testing coordinator. My leadership journey began after I attended an initial special education eligibility meeting in 2011. Before the eligibility meeting, I never even thought about educational leadership. I envisioned myself as always being a teacher, and nothing more. My decision to attend this particular eligibility meeting was the best professional decision I have ever made. This eligibility meeting was the first time I witnessed Exemplary Leadership.
“The way of teaching demands a long journey that does not have any easily identifiable destination ... It is a journey that I believe must include a backward step into the self and it is a journey that is its own destination” (p. 456). The process of reflecting on learning ideals from this program has helped me analyze my own educational beliefs and practices through the lens of research, collaboration, and discussion. Each time class meets, I often wonder what new processes will apply to me this week. The learning expectations have been set very high and I always walk away with new understanding of leadership concepts that I had not considered. After each session, I ask myself what I can do differently at my school this week! I also question myself as to how I can make learning more practical at my school and how I can strengthen and support my staff based on the learning and sharing from the
I was initially skeptical about interviewing a school administrator concerning leadership qualities because she is consistently ridiculed about the decisions she has made for the school. However, after conducting my interview, I was happy to hear that her views of leadership were consistent with a lot of our readings. I also learned that despite what I have seen in the past, my principal recognizes important leadership characteristics and works to be an ideal leader. Despite my concerns, my principal was excited to talk with me about leadership qualities and how she viewed herself as a leader.
Over the course of my twenty-two years as an educator, I have had many people to thank for shaping me into the leader I am today. Over the course of a career, you have many people giving you advice on how to be effective. The best set of lessons I learned about leadership came from my mentor from New York, Dr. Norman Wechsler. His philosophy was simple: No one rises to low expectations. His job was to empower his school community to make decisions based on data and research. He did not micromanage; he supported his staff, even when he sometimes disagreed. You never entered his office with a problem without a viable solution. He trusted his staff and they, in turn, trusted him to lead. His staff got better because he taught us how to think and solve major issues by ensuring we had the proper data to support an idea. Because of his leadership, DeWitt Clinton High School went from a school ready to close to one of the nation’s most improved high schools.
There are a few different types of well known leadership styles, authoritarian, delegative, and democratic. To assess my leadership style I used two online tests to help me determine my style. I felt the results were accurate and I fall into a democratic style/participative style. If I am leading I prefer to include the group and get their feedback on solving issues. However, I still make the final decision after listening to the thoughts of the group on a particular topic. This is considered to be a positive style of leadership that is inspiring to the group involved. The leaders decision making tends to be more accurate due to the input of other experts. (Cite)