The principal in question was able to begin helping teachers identify activities and assessments that were more challenging and provided more substantive feedback for faculty concerning student performance, and there was the added bonus of additional opportunities for this educational leader to work one-on-one with the school's teachers to help formulate professional growth plans that address their specific needs and interests. The author concludes that the principal.".. also gets to know students well by being in classrooms so often. She asks them probing questions and extends their thinking because she has an intimate knowledge of what they're studying. - She knows the kids academically as well as personally" (quoted in Holland, 2008 at p. 5).
There are alternative models for teacher collaboration. In the Japanese model, it is the teachers themselves who initiate and maintain the process. However, a supportive administration would be required to create the proper development environment. As Mcghan (2002) advises, "Groups of teachers routinely and voluntarily undertake projects to improve the way they teach various subjects. This process of continuous improvement (called kounaikenshuu) takes place in virtually every elementary and middle school in Japan" (p. 538). Educational institutions are not dissimilar to other types of organizations in that almost all substantive achievements are accomplished by groups rather than individuals is isolation from others. In this regard, O'Neill and his colleagues advise:
Teams, not individuals, change schools. Universities and leadership academies have worked exclusively to prepare individual leaders and have ignored research indicating that school-based leadership teams are the best way to improve student learning. Programs that cultivate school leadership teams create more voices for change in the schools. Whether the programs prepare teams in academy settings, work with them in the schools or both, the goal is to establish knowledgeable groups within the schools that will lead others to improve student achievement. By focusing on teams, rather than on individuals, these programs help sustain long-term improvement. If principals leave, other school leaders can step up and continue the efforts. (O'Neill, Fry, Hill and Bottoms, 2003, p. 24)
The effective use of a principal's time is not as the "do-er" but rather as the facilitator. Again the concept of the principal as a leader / collaborator / facilitator can be seen in from this excerpt: "Teaching and learning are viewed as highly individualized and fluid processes that require teachers to make hundreds of decisions each day. And decision makers can and gladly do accept responsibility and accountability when they are free to provide learning experiences that make sense in their individual classrooms and that best fit learners' individual needs" (Mcghan, 2002, p. 538).
Additionally, effective leadership and collaboration skills are required in a different fashion when seeking the agreement and support of teacher unions. Some of these approaches might be formal and require open meeting notices or other special consideration; however, some effective approaches might involve highly informal techniques that are based on longstanding arrangements. In this regard, Mcghan (2002) advises, "Other approaches can be found within the existing hierarchy. These usually involve special arrangements between superintendents and union officials. Teachers in such districts as Cincinnati and Rochester, New York, have also entered into agreements in recent years that allow them to alter the leadership dynamics of their schools and so create more home-grown, school-based reform...
Educational Leadership Select five empirical articles from peer-reviewed journals that you consider critical to your understanding of your specialization In the last several years, educational leadership has become an integral part of helping schools to outperform their peers. This is because the techniques which are utilized will have a dramatic impact on the teacher's ability to connect with stakeholders. To achieve these objectives, they will often turn to those who can inspire
Leadership for Technology Enhanced Education Organization of paper This paper is divided into 4 sections. In section one, the paper begins by presenting a brief overview that includes how the paper is organized. Following this, the paper presents and defines the construct, Technology Education Leadership, and discusses the significance of the chosen concept. Then, the paper presents and describes the one seminal article identified, which is most central to Technology Education Leadership. Thereafter
There is also sharp line between teachers and the community. Abbot and Ryan decry the exclusion of individuals from the classroom with life experiences and knowledge that might be useful to students, even though they are not professional educators. A frequently-used example of how schools draw upon the experience of members in the community might be found in 'career days,' for example, where professionals come to speak to students.
Alex Johnson, is an education consultant and executive coach for leaders within the private-school system. He has worked with administrators, principles and even legislatures around the country to help improve student outcomes. His focus is primarily K- schools along with grades 5 through 9. From the interview, he focuses primary on transactional leadership theory. As a leader, he focuses on supervision, organization and performance as it relates student outcomes (Bennis,
Policy assessments must be based on the most appropriate data sets. Qualitative data is the most appropriate data set in educational research. Interactions abound in education. Those interactions create a complex matrix of issues affecting education effectiveness: class, gender, and learning style all impact learning but those variables also interact with classroom environment and peer group issues. Education is a process of communication, communication between the learner and his or
Fullan, et al.'s approach is to employ "greater specificity without suffering the downside of prescription," (9) meaning that curriculum design must teach people how to do something within the proper context and that all details must be included without the complicating and ineffective method of saying that all children must be taught the same subjects in the same manner ("prescription"). The attending result, then, would be that curriculum would be
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