This blog has been created as a space for graduate students to discuss educational leadership theories and practice among themselves and with their professor. Some of the sharing may be personal, as it is within a face to face course. But on a blog we also need to remember that anyone may have access. Best to email more personal thoughts directly.
Which of the leadership mindsets resonates most with you?
Monday, October 25, 2010
PQ- Clear Direction and sustainability
Kaser and Halbert talk about it being a leader's responsibility to develop a clear direction for the school. Who comes up with the clear direction? Is it the principal? Is it the staff? Is it the students? Is it the community? Is the clear direction decided upon ever really clear even if all parties are involved? How can one ensure that a vision encompassing all parties really exists in a school? I believe that an answer to this is essential in developing trust in the school community. Sustainability is another issue that I am also struggling with. At my school last year I helped to implement 2 school initiatives including Parent Reading Power and being a part of the the Network of Performance Based Schools. Both of these initiative were heavily supported by the Administration. However, since I moved away, both of these initiatives have been abandoned. I am concerned that the progess the students and staff had made last year has been lost. What could have been done differently to ensure sustainability in these two initiatives?
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Is it too simplistic to say that the a clear vision could be "to deliver the best student learning possibilities available?" As Dweck (Mindsets) points out this would be a growth mindset and Kaser & Halbert (Leadership Mindsets) point out this would be a shift from a sorting to a learning system. Which is a really a radical shift in mindset.
ReplyDeleteThe direction then needs to be established by the school community as a whole and needs to utilize the wisest current knowledge. This needs to be established by the 'roots' of the school (teachers) because lasting change does not occur without a change in understanding. I believe this understanding needs to involve our current personal educational theories. Without this change we are simply applying a bandaid to a injury we do not understand.
That has been my current leadership approach for the past few years.