One understands that effective school
leadership requires twenty-one responsibilities, but that the mastery of all
twenty-one is beyond the capacity of most people (Marzano, Waters, &
McNulty, 2005, p. 99). Pitfalls that one would need to be aware of as a first
year principal as mentioned by Marzano, Waters, & McNulty (2005) include
developing a strong leadership team, selecting the right work, distributing
some responsibilities throughout the leadership team, identifying the order of
magnitude implied by the selected work, and matching the management style to
the order of magnitude change initiative. Many of the strategies and action
steps identified in the action plan would help to support these five steps.
Developing a strong leadership team
is the only way to address all twenty-one responsibilities. Nurturing a shared vision
and belief system among different groups of individuals is paramount to raising
student achievement. “Shared vision is essential
to a successful change process and an absolute requisite for any learning
organization” (DuFour & Eaker, 2008). The leadership team must
actively and collaboratively pursue the implementation of the vision on a daily
basis. Distribution of responsibilities through the leadership team allows all stakeholders
to have a voice in the school improvement process. Additionally, buy-in by the
school community is more likely to occur.
The leadership team
must also select the right work that has the greatest chance of raising student
achievement. Marzano, Walters, & McNulty (2005) identified thirty-nine
action steps at both the school level and the teacher level. These action steps
are based on a foundation of gathering school data from a variety of sources
such as state assessments, quarterly benchmarks, and student work.
Additionally, the inclusion of climate survey data is also critical for
gathering feedback from students, teachers, and parents. Bernhardt (2000) notes
that implementing an effective data analysis process helps to replace hunches
and hypothesis with facts; identify root causes of problems not symptoms;
assess needs and target resources to address them; set goals and determine
whether they are being accomplished; and focus staff development efforts and
track their impact (p. 34).
The Organization and Administration course
has helped to heighten my belief in the inclusion of
an honest discussion of integrity, fairness, and ethical behavior in one’s practice.
Senge (2007) speaks about a movement within learning organizations where
individuals seek the intrinsic benefits of their work. He speaks of the
importance of personal mastery in one’s job and the need to continually
reflect, clarify and deepen one’s personal vision. More importantly, he asks
individuals to question their “mental models” and note the effects it has on
their teaching practice. This act of continual personal reflection helps to
bring to the surface internal viewpoints
and hold them to rigorous scrutiny. In a time where increased an increasingly diverse population of students continually streams into the public school setting, educators must reflect on their practice to ensure that their actions are based on fairness and integrity for all students.
