Leadership IdeasLeadership Ideas

Effective LeadershipEffective Leadership

Ashland UniversityAshland University

Ronald L. Victor Ed.DRonald L. Victor Ed.D..Kirtland High Graduate Kirtland High Graduate

TeacherTeacher

CoachCoach

Guidance CounselorGuidance Counselor

Assistant PrincipalAssistant Principal

Area Coordinator Ohio,Area Coordinator Ohio,

Department of EducationDepartment of Education

Business ManagerBusiness Manager

SuperintendentSuperintendent

President Leadership IdeasPresident Leadership Ideas

Leadership IdeasLeadership Ideas

A company providing custom-built leadership A company providing custom-built leadership models designed to meet models designed to meet The Needs of the The Needs of the HeartHeart, provide , provide Appropriate ConditionsAppropriate Conditions, and , and achieve achieve Successful Outcomes Successful Outcomes throughthrough::

Leadership and Organizational ConsultingLeadership and Organizational Consulting

Motivational PresentationsMotivational Presentations

Staff TrainingStaff Training

Teacher Education Curriculums Teacher Education Curriculums

The Needs of the HeartThe Needs of the Heart

Appropriate ConditionsAppropriate Conditions

Successful OutcomesSuccessful Outcomes

PurposePurpose

To engage in a discussion about To engage in a discussion about superintendent leadership.superintendent leadership.

The Superintendency or the Political The Superintendency or the Political ChurnChurn

A relatively unstable political faction that advances new reforms as ways of satisfying their electoral constituencies, pausing only long enough to take credit for having acted, and quickly moving on to new reforms, with no attention to the institutionalization or implementation of previous reforms or initiatives. (Hess, 1999)

Defining the SuperintendentDefining the Superintendent

The superintendency is political in the best sense of the The superintendency is political in the best sense of the word--rich with the possibility of engaging the public word--rich with the possibility of engaging the public and fraught with the tensions of public responsibility and fraught with the tensions of public responsibility and accountability. The superintendent serves as the and accountability. The superintendent serves as the gatherer of data, analyzer of their constituencies, gatherer of data, analyzer of their constituencies, influencer of others, taker of initiatives, negotiator of influencer of others, taker of initiatives, negotiator of solutions, and steerer of a course for change. solutions, and steerer of a course for change. Superintendents serve as facilitators, introducers of Superintendents serve as facilitators, introducers of policy, implementers, decision makers, and policy, implementers, decision makers, and

managers. (Greyser, 1999)managers. (Greyser, 1999)

Superintendent-A Change Agent?Superintendent-A Change Agent?

Most reports emphasize the principal’s role and ignore Most reports emphasize the principal’s role and ignore the superintendent’s role in the change process, the superintendent’s role in the change process, suggesting that the change in schools can occur suggesting that the change in schools can occur without the superintendent (Madylon, 1992). In without the superintendent (Madylon, 1992). In contrast, there has been a growing body of literature contrast, there has been a growing body of literature that suggests that leadership by the superintendent of that suggests that leadership by the superintendent of schools is a critical component in institutionalizing schools is a critical component in institutionalizing educational change. Research indicates that change educational change. Research indicates that change efforts are more likely to succeed when the efforts are more likely to succeed when the superintendent is an active supporter (Fullan, 1982; superintendent is an active supporter (Fullan, 1982; Paulu, 1988). Paulu, 1988).

Superintendent TenureSuperintendent Tenure

With the average tenure of a superintendent being only With the average tenure of a superintendent being only 2-1/2 years (Elmore, 2000), board majorities only 2-1/2 years (Elmore, 2000), board majorities only held on to their superintendent long enough to held on to their superintendent long enough to advance their own educational initiatives. Frequent advance their own educational initiatives. Frequent changes in superintendents’ positions may then changes in superintendents’ positions may then contribute to the failure of school districts to contribute to the failure of school districts to implement educational initiatives. Hess contended implement educational initiatives. Hess contended that superintendents were skillfully tailored to that superintendents were skillfully tailored to obtaining their next job; after all, they are also obtaining their next job; after all, they are also rational actors that at the first sign of opposition rational actors that at the first sign of opposition move on to their next job (Hess, 1999).move on to their next job (Hess, 1999).

ChangingChanging Future FutureFOR

THE

Educate the Community and Win Their Support

Leading in a Culture of Change- Michael FullanLeading in a Culture of Change- Michael Fullan

Change is a double-edged sword. Its relentless pace Change is a double-edged sword. Its relentless pace these days runs us off our feet. Yet when things are these days runs us off our feet. Yet when things are unsettled, we can find new ways to move ahead and unsettled, we can find new ways to move ahead and to create breakthroughs not possible in stagnant to create breakthroughs not possible in stagnant societies. If you ask people to brainstorm words to societies. If you ask people to brainstorm words to describe change, they come up with a mixture of describe change, they come up with a mixture of negative and positive terms. On the one side, fear, negative and positive terms. On the one side, fear, anxiety, loss, danger, panic; on the other, anxiety, loss, danger, panic; on the other, exhilaration, risk-taking, excitement, improvements, exhilaration, risk-taking, excitement, improvements, energizing. For better or for worse, change arouses energizing. For better or for worse, change arouses emotions, and when emotions intensify, emotions, and when emotions intensify, leadership is leadership is key.key.

Leadership for Incremental Change

• Emphasize relationships.• Establish strong lines of communication.• Be an advocate for the school.• Provide resources.• Maintain visibility.• Protect teachers from distractions.• Create culture of collaboration.• Look for and celebrate successes.

Leadership for Second Order Change

• Shake up the status quo.• Hold everyone’s feet to the fire.• Propose new ideas.• Operate from strong beliefs.• Tolerate ambiguity and dissent.• Talk research and theory.• Create explicit goals for change.• Define success in terms of goals.

Factors Influencing Achievement

School

Teacher

Student

1. Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum

2. Challenging Goals and Effective Feedback

3. Parent and Community Involvement

4. Safe and Orderly Environment

5. Collegiality and Professionalism

6. Instructional Strategies

7. Classroom Management

8. Classroom Curriculum Design

9. Home Environment

10. Learned Intelligence/ Background Knowledge

11 Motivation

Leadership

Lead

ership

Leadership

Lea

der

ship

Administration LeadershipAdministration Leadership

Teachers KnowledgeTeachers Knowledge

Parents CommitmentParents Commitment

Students DesireStudents Desire

= = SuccessSuccess

Student Improvement

Schools today must…Schools today must…

Culture-Relationships

Conditionsof learning &

teaching forstudents &

adults

Competencies of Adults-/Content

Improvement

Tony Wagner, Harvard UniversityLeadership Ideas

Meet the Needs of the Heart

Provide Appropriate Conditions

Achieve Successful Outcomes

Meeting the Needs of the Heart!Meeting the Needs of the Heart!

How you operateHow you operate

How you act and respondHow you act and respond

Your sense of familyYour sense of family

Your way of beingYour way of being

Teacher-Student RelationshipsTeacher-Student Relationships

Teacher-student relationships are often mired by Teacher-student relationships are often mired by bureaucratic roles that lead to a lack of bureaucratic roles that lead to a lack of empathy and sensitivity to student needs. empathy and sensitivity to student needs.

Teacher MoraleTeacher Morale

Teacher morale in many schools is low. They are Teacher morale in many schools is low. They are being asked to do things they know are not being asked to do things they know are not sound educational practices, teach to tests, sound educational practices, teach to tests, and cover knowledge in lock-step, thoughtless and cover knowledge in lock-step, thoughtless ways. ways.

For Kids and Families!For Kids and Families!

Meeting the needs of the heart…Meeting the needs of the heart…

As one high school student, Reginald, said to me As one high school student, Reginald, said to me recently: “I’d rather be defiant and stupid in recently: “I’d rather be defiant and stupid in school than let the teacher call me a failure. school than let the teacher call me a failure. My friends know I’m not dumb, and we laugh My friends know I’m not dumb, and we laugh at the teacher together.”at the teacher together.”

““Stupidity and Tears,” Herbert Kohl 2003Stupidity and Tears,” Herbert Kohl 2003

Bringing parents, teachers, students and administrators Bringing parents, teachers, students and administrators together with innovative programs like:together with innovative programs like:

Instructional Focus TeamsInstructional Focus Teams: Enabling teachers and administrators : Enabling teachers and administrators to work together and build a stronger more effective curriculum.to work together and build a stronger more effective curriculum.

Priority One: The Cycle of SuccessPriority One: The Cycle of Success: The design plan to support : The design plan to support improved instruction. improved instruction.

ImagineImagine: A forum where students can communicate issues : A forum where students can communicate issues important to the community.important to the community.

Leadership ConferencesLeadership Conferences: Providing members of our Learning : Providing members of our Learning Community leadership resources and tools to help guide and Community leadership resources and tools to help guide and create positive change.create positive change.

Priority One: A Parent Contract for SuccessPriority One: A Parent Contract for Success: Encouraging : Encouraging parental involvement and commitment to the students and the parental involvement and commitment to the students and the schools.schools.

Appropriate Conditions!Appropriate Conditions!

Your environment Your environment

How you see, react and analyze changeHow you see, react and analyze change

How you implement prioritiesHow you implement priorities

Your continuous evaluationYour continuous evaluation

Successful Outcomes!Successful Outcomes!

Return on your investmentReturn on your investment

How to achieve and improveHow to achieve and improve

How to manage continuous changeHow to manage continuous change

Your results Your results

Outcomes for adults and kids!Outcomes for adults and kids!

Must be fostered, respected and explored. Emotionally Must be fostered, respected and explored. Emotionally intelligent schools are successful schools. Much of intelligent schools are successful schools. Much of what we do in schools is based on what teachers what we do in schools is based on what teachers think is important for future development. Seldom do think is important for future development. Seldom do students see the need to learn for today and students see the need to learn for today and immediately see a present use for what has happened immediately see a present use for what has happened in the classroom. We need to ask this important in the classroom. We need to ask this important question: question: What do I want students to remember What do I want students to remember about my class five years from now? about my class five years from now?

The Bargain Students make with TeachersThe Bargain Students make with Teachers

If you will…If you will… Than we will…Than we will…

Show you care about the Believe the Show you care about the Believe the materialmaterial material can be important for us material can be important for us

Model how to act when Learn how to takeModel how to act when Learn how to takeyou or we make mistakes intellectual risksyou or we make mistakes intellectual risks

Keep private anything Trust you with Keep private anything Trust you with Personal information thatPersonal information that

could help you better teach uscould help you better teach us ““Fires in the Bathroom,” Kathleen CushmanFires in the Bathroom,” Kathleen Cushman

Lesson and Curriculum DesignLesson and Curriculum Design

Our state standards have over 90 thousand Our state standards have over 90 thousand words of discrete bench marks that often lead words of discrete bench marks that often lead teachers to the notion that they are in a time teachers to the notion that they are in a time crunch to cover material. “Coverage” leads crunch to cover material. “Coverage” leads to lots of classroom activities and discrete to lots of classroom activities and discrete lessons but little understanding. We need to lessons but little understanding. We need to teach teachers a curriculum design process teach teachers a curriculum design process that focuses on what is essential and builds that focuses on what is essential and builds conceptual understanding.conceptual understanding.

1. Identify desired results

2. Determine acceptable evidence

3. Plan learning experiences & instruction

3 Stages of 3 Stages of (“Backward”) Design(“Backward”) Design

ContentContent

Content is the key to curiosity in the classroom Content is the key to curiosity in the classroom and the textbook approach to learning is not and the textbook approach to learning is not only expensive; it is uninteresting to students, only expensive; it is uninteresting to students, boring and often not accurate. Creating boring and often not accurate. Creating essential questions increases the likely hood essential questions increases the likely hood students will remember content.students will remember content.

Thank you!Thank you!