The course, Organization and
Administration of Schools, has given me an opportunity to practice a range of
leadership strategies. I had to think
politically and orchestrate collaboration among stakeholders, all while
maintaining my original vision. This is
very difficult to do, but I believe that it is
possible in the “real world.”
Someday, I may be a first-year principal, facing the challenges that I could only imagine and partially observe during the Action Plan culminating project during this course. I envision many pitfalls, and I envision feeling overwhelmed and skill-less. However, any first year principal will have to overcome these challenges and move forward, keeping the best interests of the students in mind. Imagining I were the new principal at the school I studied during this course, major pitfalls loom large for me that first year. Historical artifacts such as “the way we’ve always done things around here,” an unwieldy vision statement in need of overhaul, past student achievement data showing flat-lined and/or declining improvement, and low morale among all stakeholders in the school and community would be at the top of my list of pitfalls.
How would I respond to these
challenges? During this Organization and
Administration of Schools course, I was able to role-play the various players
present in any school community, so I could get a sense of what issues each
particular player must experience in a school improvement plan. I learned that, as a leader, understanding
all of the stakeholders’ concerns is of utmost importance. I need to listen to all of the concerns and
help the school community develop their own strategies for improving the
culture and student learning. Developing
a new vision for a school is NOT something a principal does in isolation. I need to engage the stakeholders in
conversations and exercises that help the community develop the vision
together. Then, I need to develop
leaders throughout the school to help bring that vision to reality. As I mentioned frequently in my Action Plan
project, professional learning communities with focused goals and activities
are fundamental in effecting school reform, and I would need to be the
“conductor” that brings out the best from these rich communities.
This course
has prepared me to use twenty-first century leadership skills as I model a new
culture for collaborating, analyzing student performance, and continually
reflecting on instructional practices, school climate, and quality
decision-making. Modeling this new
culture is a good way to gain the trust and understanding of all of the
stakeholders in any school community.
Using technology efficiently to analyze data, to organize the school and
to maintain progress benchmarks, is what needs to happen in any school
today. As the teachers and students
learn how to reflect on teaching and learning, my role is to continually
challenge everyone to stay the course. Everyone must be familiar with the data, and
look deeper into the root causes of poor achievement. I will encourage everyone to participate in
professional learning communities that focus on student learning to help all
students achieve. Most importantly, I
will work with the whole school community to face the challenges and overcome
them, to the best of my ability, with the help of all stakeholders, focused on
the clear vision.
