The document discusses implementing postmodern strategic planning in educational organizations. It argues that traditional modernist strategic planning focuses too narrowly on academic achievement and universal truths. Postmodern strategic planning embraces flexible approaches tailored to each organization and recognizes multiple perspectives. The author advocates that educational leaders abandon rigid "one best way" thinking and instead create strategic plans that empower communities, apply knowledge practically, and make continuous improvements. To do so, organizations should view data individually and make human-centered decisions rather than relying solely on quantitative metrics. Overall, the document promotes postmodern strategic planning as an innovative way to better guide educational organizations in the 21st century.

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Educational Philosophy
Implementing Postmodern Strategic Planning Creates
Innovative Leadership for 21st
Century Educational
Organizations
Introduction
Educational leadership is the vision, skills, and leadership capabilities that leaders
have to build and maintain their educational organization. Educational organizations must
develop strategic plans that mobilize the organizations, avoid past mistakes, and guide the
organizations to excellence. Fenwick English and his book, The Postmodern Challenge
to the Theory and Practice of Educational Administration (2003), offers an excellent
conceptual frame to strategic planning. Fenwick English believes, “Postmodernism has
many implications for the theory and practice of educational administration” (English,
2003, p. 235). Postmodernism marks the end of the idea of a singular, unitary field of
study that asserts that there is only one, unchanging truth. Postmodernism encourages
strategic plans that are flexible and practical to each individual educational organization.
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to discuss the evolution of strategic planning and
methods in which educational organizations can effectively implement postmodernism in
strategic planning. Dr. Fenwick English, in his book The Postmodern Challenge to the
Theory and Practice of Educational Administration (2003), discusses his views on
modernism, postmodernism, and the ways postmodernism may benefit educational
practice today.
Strategic planning is essential to educational leadership. Strategic planning serves
as a guiding document for an educational organization. Strategic planning enables an
educational organization to declare its direction. Dr. English (2003) believes that

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educational organizations need to abandon the “one best way” thinking but we can adopt
and refine old ideas. The old idea can be utilized but the old context may not continue to
be relevant. Dr. English (2003) reiterated his point by using Frederick Taylor and
Edward Deming as examples. Frederick Taylor is the father of the scientific management
movement (Hoy & Miskel, 2005, p. 9). Taylor focused on physical production, time and
motion studies, and the division of labor (Hoy & Miskel, 2005, p. 9-10). Edward Deming
denied his notion of “quality” was Taylorism, but his model incorporated all of Taylor’s
attitudes toward change and the idea no organization could change itself. The same ideas
were introduced with different approaches. Educator’s need to abandon the modernistic
metanarrative and seek different perspectives resulting in a paradigm shift.
Modernist school leadership does not believe that anything other than academic
learning should take place in schools (English, 2005). Modernists fail to make the
connection between student achievement and issues of social class, race, and gender. Dr.
William Kritsonis (2007) in the Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning states
that educational organizations are obligated to the development of the whole child.
Modernism is based on the notion of rationality, prediction and one universal truth.
Proponents of postmodernism find inherent weakness in modernist philosophy and offer
a more inclusive perspective. Dr. English (2003) believes that postmodernism begins
with a paradigm shift from traditional modernism.
The dichotomy between management and leadership is a point of contestation that
affects performance in educational administration (English, 2005). The structure of
schools as a social system is that of the modern bureaucracy. According to Dr. English
(2005), educational administration was infatuated by the rhetoric surrounding the work

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by Taylor and the new “mission” for educational leaders to set about the task of creating
a science of school leadership. Strategic plans in educational organizations must embrace
the concept of learning organizations becoming learning communities within the
postmodernism context (Glanz & Behar-Horenstein, 2000). Educational organizations
must become learning environments that empower self and others; transcend superficial
understanding; apply knowledge to practical problems; and make the future better than
the present (Glanz & Behar-Horenstein, 2000).
Dr. English (2003) challenges the Interstate Leaders Licensure Consortium
(ISLLC) standards. They are a set of universal, generic, work standards that claim to be
research based. “Each of the standard are then developed more fully by indicating under
each what the critical knowledges, dispositions (values) and performances would
comprise the standard” (English, 2003, p. 104). The Interstate Leaders Licensure
Consortium standards have strong ties to Frederick Taylor’s principles of implementing
strategic plans. His method was a plan of “deskilling” by restructuring, reducing, and
simplifying work tasks. These standards are stated to be “scientific” and “best practice”.
The Interstate Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards do not deal with
alternative conceptions of knowing other than competency-based assessment which
excludes knowledge unrelated to the workplace (English, 2003). Postmodernism believes
that knowledge includes life experiences such as culture and daily interactions that sculpt
human beings.
The development, articulation, and implementation of a vision of learning that is
shared and supported by the members of the educational organization is the best plan for
strategic planning. A postmodern educational administrator is an educational leader who

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advocates nurturing and sustaining culture in addition to academic learning within the
educational organization. The postmodern educational organization emphasizes a shared
vision which guides the direction of the organization. The educational organization’s
mission must clearly and succinctly describe the business of the organization.
Educational data is vital for strategic planning in organizations. Strategic
planning must provide an understanding of the design of the educational organization’s
assessment of needs and provide some direction for future aspirations. Postmodernism
requires the educational organization to view data individually to the specific
organization and according to specific circumstances. Dr. English states, “The human
decision maker can take into account sources of data beyond information stored in binary
codes” (English, 2003, p. 206). Effective decision making must take that particular
organizations environment into account. Data-driven decisions limit educational
organizations and lack the human experience. Educational leaders must be able to
approach relevant issues, problems, or concerns specific to their educational organization.
Concluding Remarks
In conclusion, the need for effective strategic planning is critical for all
educational organizations. It is time for a change from the traditional one size fits all
view. Educational leaders must challenge current theory and develop innovative
strategies while continuing to meet current student needs. Dr. Fenwick English and his
book, The Postmodern Challenge to the Theory and Practice of Educational
Administration (2003), provides strategies that educational organizations can use to
create postmodern strategic plans today.

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References
English, F., (2003). The postmodern challenge to the theory and practice of educational
Administration. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, LTD.
English, F., (2005). The Sage Handbook of Educational Leadership: Advances in
Theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.
Glanz, J., & Behar-Horenstein, L. S., (2000). Paradigm debates in curriculum and
supervision: Modernism and postmodernism perspectives. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Hoy, W.K., & Miskel, C. G., (2005). Educational administration: Theory, research, and
Practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Kritsonis, W. (2007). Ways of knowing through the realms of meaning. Houston, TX:
National Forum Press.
Stowe, D. E., (1996). Postmodern view of advisement in higher education. National
Academic Advising Association, 16(2), 16-18.
Townsell, R. (2008). A national look: Epistemology applied to postmodernism for the
improvement and development of public education. National Forum of
Educational Administration and Supervision Journal, 26(4), 1-5.