How We Approach Leadership in a High-Performing Schools

Dr. Akram M. ZayourDubai International School

AlQuoz Branch

04/19/23 1

• To be a Great principal you have to be a great manager and a great leader

Middle School Principal • True leaders are not born but made and not

made as much by others as by themselves. Bennis (1989, p.37)• There is nothing more satisfying than seeing

hordes of people engaged to do good together because of the leadership you helped to produce. Fullan (2005, p.104)

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Definition of Terms• Leadership and administration means working with

and through people to achieve organizational goals. (Owen, 2003)

• Management is about “ Doing Things Right” i.e. Working in a given paradigm to make things better.

• Leadership is about “Doing the Right Thing” i.e. Shifting a paradigm from “What is” to “What should be”.

(Lick, 2002 )

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What is Management?• Management is about the “hard skills”. It focuses on the business of the organization; it involves planning and budgeting, organizing and staffing, and controlling and measuring. (Dembowski, 2005) )

• A manager is a person whose power is derived from the positions he or she holds and who is accountable for achieving organizational objectives through the actions of subordinates. (Handbook of the American Management Association)

• A manager’s role is to plan, implement, monitor, and control activities over relatively short time frames from few months to a few years.

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What is Leadership?• Leadership is a set of processes that creates organizations in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles. (Kotter, 1990)

• Leaders are change agents. Effective leaders are often described as

dynamic which is regarded as beneficial because it denotes movement and change.

• Leaders create the vision, or the overriding strategic goals and objectives; they specify the direction for the organization.

( Zeeck, 1999)

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Leadership versus Management

Leadership

Leadership is about change and movement_ perceiving the need for a new direction, figuring out where the organization needs to go, formulating a strategy to get there and motivating employeesto make it happen.

ManagementManagement is a matter of consistency and order_ setting goals, laying out specific plansand budgets, organizing and staffing with qualified people, and controlling deviations

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Leadership versus Management Summary

Management

• Planning and budgeting

• Organizing and staffing

• Controlling and problem solving

Leadership

• Setting a direction

• Aligning people

• Motivating and inspiring

( Kotter, 1998)

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A systems-Development Approach to Administrative And Instructional Leadership for Creating High Performing Schools

Administrative LeadershipAction Foci

• Be a model of learning.• Be an exemplar of leadership

standards.• Focus on Practices associated with

increased student achievement.• Lead for maximum impact on

achievement.• Work with teachers on the mission:

Ongoing , collaborative study of schoolwide instructional improvement.

• Use a systems-development approach.

• Take an empowering approach to create a learning community.

• Hire strong people• Use data to inform instructional

decisions

Instructional LeadershipGoals

• Maintain a focus on teaching and learning.

• Develop a culture that supports and sustains instruction

• Establish a context for dialogue about instruction

• Reference research-based instructional elements

• Provide ongoing, effective professional development

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What Is A High-Performing SchoolA solid body of highly respected research demonstrates that the components that

matter most for school improvement include:

School Conditions1. Safe and orderly school environment2. Strong administrative leadership3. Primary focus on learning4. Maximizing learning time5. Monitoring student progress6. Academically heterogeneous class

assignment7. Flexible in-class groups8. Small class size9. Supportive classroom climate10. Parent and community involvement

Teaching Strategies1. Careful orientation to lessons2. Effective questioning techniques3. Feedback and reinforcement4. Review and reteaching as needed

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What is a High-Performing Principal/LeaderA high performing principal/Leader exhibits behavior(Best Practices) that yield

statistically greater student learning than if leader did not engage in those behaviors

1. Situational Awareness: The principal is aware of details and occurrences in the school and uses information to address current and potential problems.

2. Intellectual Simulation: The principal ensures that faculty and staff know current theories and practices and make related discussions a regular part of the school culture.

3. Change Agent: The principal is willing to and actively does challenge the status quo.

4. Input: The principal involves teachers in the design and implementation of important decisions and policies.

5. Culture: the principal fosters shared beliefs, a sense of community and cooperation.

6. Monitors/Evaluates: The principal monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning.

(Waters, Marzano, & McNulty. 2003)

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Principals/Leaders who create high performing schools

High-Performing School Principals improve teaching and Student learning by Creating accountable Learning Subsystems:1. Are models of learning;2. Are exemplars of the field’s standards of leadership;3. Focus on school and teacher practices associated with increased student

achievement;4. Lead in ways that have maximum impact on student achievement;5. Work with teachers on the school mission: They engage in ongoing ,

collaborative study of school wide instructional improvement efforts;6. Use a systems approach to dispatch with managerial responsibilities and

to organize instructional aspects of work;7. Take an empowering team approach to almost everything, and create

learning communities in their schools;8. Hire strong people for administrative, faculty, and staff positions; and9. Insist on using data to inform instructional decisions.04/19/23 11