2. High engagement with others coupled with abundant two way communication, ultimately leads to shared leadership and commitment at all levels. An educational leader must have a strong, concrete understanding of the concepts of leadership and sustainability in order to see that they are carried out with fidelity.
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4. An educational leader will identify a coalition of leaders who understand the system and the importance of each component. An educational leader will ensure that the leaders in the right positions focus on curriculum, teaching, and learning. Empowering the right leaders means managing in a way that allows school system leaders to focus on the important issue of learning.
6. A daily habit of working together and constantly developing leadership for the future is necessary. This means job-embedded learning and reflection, and time to do so for those involved in the system. In addition, this means developing leaders within the system so that there is a constant flow of people who can continuously move forward.
8. An educational leader will engage teams from a wider group of peers (such as across schools or across districts). Learning from one another allows for a broader pool of ideas and the development of stronger learning communities. Educators who have the opportunity to work with colleagues from differing districts and school settings can benefit through outside influence which may offer a new perspective.
10. An educational leader will constantly assess the systems at hand through feedback from experience and make adjustments as necessary. This may mean surveys, discussions, self-review and adjusting in order to improve glitches in the system, policies, or strategies.
12. The ability to distinguish between good and bad conflict is an asset to an educational leader. A strong leader understands that collaboration sometimes drives difficult conversations. When working through change, mistakes will be made. Valuing mistakes, being disciplined about learning, and being willing to work through differences makes for productive conflict.
14. An educational leader will develop a high-pressure and high-support work environment so as to nurture a balance of high expectations alongside high support in on-going learning. Ineffective teaching has a negative effect on everyone in a school (students and staff alike), therefore it is not tolerated. Likewise, a teacher who struggles is provided with a non-threatening opportunity to improve instructional practices.
16. An educational leader will work to build a strategic involvement of business groups, foundations, community-based organizations, universities, networks, federations, or any other outside group which can help to build a district’s professional capacity.
27. Stick with the process and refuse to quit when things get tough
28. Nurture and shape a new culture to support the emerging innovative ways
29. (Bolman and Deal, 394)The change process includes the systematic factors within a model coupled with the human feeling factors of motivation and action. Daniel Cohen explains, “Too many change initiatives fail because they rely too much on data gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations instead of a more creative approach aimed at grabbing the feelings that motivate useful action. In other words change agents fail when they rely mostly on reason and structure while neglecting human, political, and symbolic elements” (Bolman and Deal, 394). An educational leader must remember to balance systematic factors and feelings in order to continue to move forward through the change process.<br />Leadership Attitude:<br />As an educational leader, I believe the following approach describes a necessary attitude for keeping, maintaining, and developing leadership skills within an organization: <br /> Strive to be an energy creator:<br />Always enthusiastic and positive<br />Use critical thinking, creativity, and imagination<br />Stimulate and spark others<br />Practice leadership at all levels<br />Able and willing to scrutinize practice and willing to make practice accessible to others<br />Wish to improve upon my best<br />(Fullan, 38)<br />By maintaining a balance and managing energy wisely, a strong educational leader can avoid burnout by overuse or, worse yet, atrophy through underuse. As a leader, I strive to work toward being an energy creator, and to aid the staff(s) I influence to invest in the same beliefs. <br />As I begin my leadership journey with the foundational skills obtained through my Educational Specialist Degree, I feel confident. I look forward to independent studies, more practical application, and ongoing professional reflection. Synthesis will continue to lift me to a new level of learning. <br />Works Cited<br />Bolman, Lee G. & Deal, Terrence E. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and <br /> Leadership. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.<br />Fullan, Michael (2005). Leadership &Sustainability: System Thinkers In Action. Thousand Oaks, <br /> CA: Corwin Press.<br />Reeves, Douglas (2010). Transforming Professional Development Into Student Results. <br /> Alexandria, VA: ASCD Publications.<br />Rouse/Muenning (2005). www.centerforpubliceducation.org<br />Vollmer, Jamie (2010). Schools Cannot Do It Alone. Fairfield, IA: Enlightenment Press.<br />
![This I believe…my educational platform<br />My realizations after completing my educational specialist degree-- I’ve been pushed outside of my comfort zone, empowered in community advocacy, propelled by the catalyst of academia. My professional ideology has grown, and there is no doubt in my mind that I, along with those I serve, will be better for it.<br />Purpose of Education and Schools:<br />I believe the purpose of education is to build productive community members who employ the necessary critical thinking skills needed to successfully approach life’s next step. Our nation’s school systems have a vital impact on the success of our society. As an example, consider the staggering statistics concerning dropouts. On average, dropouts earn about $12,000.00 per year. This computes to 50% less than those who have a diploma (Rouse/Muenning). Struggles in school can often mean a life of poverty, incarceration, or a dependence on society’s welfare systems. Schools provide students the necessary tools to build a better life. <br />Effective Leadership:<br />I believe a strong educational leader must understand that leadership does not come from position, but rather by the ability to influence. “Leadership does not come automatically with high position; conversely, it is possible to be a leader without a position of formal authority” (Bolman and Deal, 345). Leadership, for me, is not a position, but rather a knowledge-based influence arena in which I share expertise in the area of reading and writing with practitioners. From an ESD perspective, leadership expectations often occur at the district level as much of the work is done laterally across local constituents. As Fullan explains, “We can’t change the system without lateral (cross-school and cross-district) sharing and capacity development” (Fullan, 66). With cross-school and cross-district sharing some of the most powerful conversations and learning can take place as educators are allowed a forum to share and expand their knowledge base.<br /> I believe that being a strong educational leader includes employing a systematic foundation for effectiveness. Grounding oneself in these concepts can help to navigate territory that can be quite complex and overwhelming. The key foundational concepts I prescribe to come from Michael Fullan’s text, leadership &sustainability (67).<br />,[object Object]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/julieseducationalplatformbastow-110324095503-phpapp02/85/Educational-Platform-1-320.jpg)
