Transcript Slide 1

How We Approach Leadership in
a High-Performing Schools
Dr. Akram M. Zayour
Dubai International School
AlQuoz Branch
7/21/2015
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)
7/21/2015
2
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 )
7/21/2015
3
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.
7/21/2015
4
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)
7/21/2015
5
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 employees
to make it happen.
7/21/2015
Management
Management is a matter of
consistency and order_ setting
goals, laying out specific plans
and budgets, organizing and
staffing with qualified
people, and controlling
deviations
6
Leadership versus Management
Summary
Management
Leadership
• Planning and budgeting
• Setting a direction
• Organizing and staffing
• Aligning people
• Controlling and problem
solving
• Motivating and inspiring
7/21/2015
( Kotter, 1998)
7
A systems-Development Approach to Administrative And Instructional
Leadership for Creating High Performing Schools
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Administrative Leadership
Action 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
7/21/2015
•
•
•
•
•
Instructional Leadership
Goals
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
8
What Is A High-Performing School
A solid body of highly respected research demonstrates that the components that
matter most for school improvement include:
School Conditions
1. Safe and orderly school environment
2. Strong administrative leadership
3. Primary focus on learning
4. Maximizing learning time
5. Monitoring student progress
6. Academically heterogeneous class
assignment
7. Flexible in-class groups
8. Small class size
9. Supportive classroom climate
10. Parent and community involvement
7/21/2015
1.
2.
3.
4.
Teaching Strategies
Careful orientation to lessons
Effective questioning techniques
Feedback and reinforcement
Review and reteaching as needed
9
What is a High-Performing Principal/Leader
A high performing principal/Leader exhibits behavior(Best Practices) that yield
statistically greater student learning than if leader did not engage in those behaviors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Situational Awareness: The principal is aware of details and occurrences
in the school and uses information to address current and potential
problems.
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.
Change Agent: The principal is willing to and actively does challenge the
status quo.
Input: The principal involves teachers in the design and implementation
of important decisions and policies.
Culture: the principal fosters shared beliefs, a sense of community and
cooperation.
Monitors/Evaluates: The principal monitors the effectiveness of school
practices and their impact on student learning.
(Waters, Marzano, & McNulty. 2003)
7/21/2015
10
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; and
9. Insist on using data to inform instructional decisions.
7/21/2015
11