Role of Instructional Leader

It has been debated for years what the role of a school administrator should look like and how much time they should spend on curriculum verses time in an office away from the daily routine of a classroom. In my case study school the administrator I interviewed believes his role it to first and fore most be a facilitator to his stakeholders. He describes himself as a leader who needs to support his stakeholders by empowering them to be good at what they do. He believes he has to have a vision of where we need to go; however, he feels his job is to share that vision with others and help them make that vision come to life. He believes that leadership requires a synergistic approach, support those who need support, redirect those who are being negative, and slow down those who are moving too fast. He referred to himself as a leader of a rescue line needing to make sure everyone was working together for the greater good as team players. He believes that in order to act as an instructional leader he needs to draw from experiences he has had in order to promote student and stakeholder success. He needs to have his stakeholders involved in the process of creating the vision, developing and choosing curriculum; therefore they will buy into it and teach and adapt it to their specific style and classroom situation.

Instructional Leadership Actions and Outcomes

My case study administrator has taken several actions to create gains in student achievement. He has created committees to analyze data, committees to review and choose curriculum, supported curriculum alignment from kindergarten through grade twelve, shared state mandates for curriculum, as well as offer professional development to improve our skills. For the purpose ...

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...h has resulted in our scores on state test being higher and teachers being happier at the involvement with curriculum, a win-win situation.

Impact on Leadership Style

My case study interview has impacted me a great deal. I respect this administrator and his approach and the feeling that he gives to the faculty. Under his leadership we are team players with positive attitudes which have not always been the case, nor is it the case at other building levels within my school. I believe that I will model my style much like his and be at team player who listens to their stakeholders and allows them to learn from mistakes with great leadership at the helm.

References

Glickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2001). Supervision and instructional leadership (5th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.