Educational Leadership a Leader in the Field

Educational Leadership

A leader in the field of education -- whether a teacher, counselor or an administrator -- has certain specific obligations and moral duties to carry out. What about the ability to show leadership? In this paper a review of two books that present examples of how educational leadership should be carried out for the best possible results.

Literature on Leadership in Educational Fields

A leader must be able to manage conflict in the classroom and elsewhere in the school (between teachers and staff or between teachers and other teachers, for example). In the book Educational Leadership: Personal Growth for Professional Development, author Harry Tomlinson points to two types of behavior that are related to the handling of conflict. There is cooperativeness, which relates to the "extent to which one party wishes to satisfy the other" (Tomlinson, 2004, p. 81). And the other type of response to conflict is through a policy of assertiveness (this approach determines the degree to which "a party wishes to satisfy his/her own concerns") (Tomlinson, 81).

Tomlinson explains that a "positive" way to manage conflict for leaders is first clarify the issue that is at hand and is causing conflict. Secondly, a leader should try to "problem-solving" through "spontaneity in communication" and through the use of negotiating skills. The "negative" approach to conflict resolution causes polarization, diverts "energy from the task at hand," "deepens differences…creates suspicion and distrust," and tends to produce "irresponsible behavior" (Tomlinson, 81).

The use of one's time is particularly important in educational environments. Tomlinson offers a checklist of steps for a leader to manage time effectively. He suggests the following: a) "establish how your time is spent"; b) "determine your problem areas"; c) set your own priorities but agree with your supervisor and colleagues that your time priorities work within their schedules; d) "plan for things to go wrong"; and e) keep a "daily log" of how you use time (82).

Meanwhile Pat Williams-Boyd explains in the Educational Leadership: A Reference Handbook, that corporate leadership styles and leadership approaches in the educational field are worlds apart. "True leadership is even more complex" in the education field (Williams-Boyd, 2002, p. 4). Teacher expertise (what teachers are able to accomplish) is the most dramatic aspect as far as student performance is concerned, Williams-Boyd explains; but teachers can't really be leaders unless "they have a voice in the direct work of the school" (28). That means that for teachers to be leaders in the truest sense of the word they must be in on the school's "…goal setting, personnel hiring, environmental decision-making, and instructional operation" -- this is referred to as "shared governance" and every alert and competent administrator understands the importance of shared governance in terms of teachers being able to fulfill their mission.