The Heart Head, And Hands Of Leadership

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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. 1. Describe Principal Pettis’ Heart Principal Pettis believes in strong academic programs that address the needs …show more content…

5. Strengthen the School’s Heartbeat Sergiovanni suggests that schools with strong heartbeats are “stronger and more resilient,” (2015, p.11), collaborative in nature, and led cooperatively. Principals and teachers are constantly learning and finding solutions for areas of need. At Tri-State High School, strengthening the heartbeat begins with a more equitable distribution of resources. Collaboration between the principal and teachers allows the team to develop a common vision for the success of the students and a plan for equitable distribution of resources to meet the purpose of the school. Principal Pettis has to come to the realization that it is not possible to “have all the competence, all the time, and all the information needed at any one time to get the job done.” (Sergiovanni, 2015, p. 12). She will have to empower and cultivate leadership skills in teacher-leaders to give her an equitable perspective on the needs of her school. In this way, learning is ongoing for all, making the important connection between leadership and learning that is so powerful in successful schools. With these few changes, the heartbeat of the school is

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