Shelley Frey

ED 545
10/22/14
Visionary Leadership
Part 1

One of the main reasons I am drawn to the position of a school or district

administrator is that I want to have a profound impact on the success of students. In order
to make that happen I must be a visionary leader. The Oregon State Administrator
Standard states, A School administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success
of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship
of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. Every facet of
this standard is important and should be executed in order to effectively lead and bring
about change within a school and a district.
There is an important reason why the first part of the standard states that an
administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students. As a
leader in the field of education you have to believe that everyone is capable of learning,
whether it is teachers or students. According to Carol Dweck, a professor of Psychology at
Stanford, when teachers decide that certain students are not capable (or when principals
decide that certain teachers are not capable) the steps to help develop potential is not
taken and growth does not occur (Dweck, 2007). Therefore the first step is to believe that
anyone can be successful and then find ways to empower them. Maintaining this mind-set
in all interactions will lead to more positive culture and learning environment.
As a school it is important to establish what success looks like. Success is usually
defined in a vision statement. Often times this is done at a district level, and then
something very similar is created at the building level. For instance the Beaverton School

District Vision or Goal Statement states that, All students will show continuous progress
toward their personal learning goals, developed in collaboration with teachers and parents,
and will be prepared for post-secondary education and career success. In order to make
this vision a reality, a leader must ensure that the entire staff shares and supports these
same values. It is important to remember that you must be a learner and always aware;
you need to always be on top of what your community is saying to you.
Beyond collaborating in the creation of the vision statement, or just having
discussions about it, the vision should also be embedded within the culture of the school.
This is where the administrator can really act as a steward of the vision, by carefully
developing and monitoring the culture within the school. In an Educational Leadership
article, Terrence Deal, specifies that in schools the only way to improve performance is
through the creation of a shared system of norms, values, and tradition. He claims this will
infuse the enterprise with passion, purpose, and a sense of spirit (Deal 1990). By
ensuring that the culture consistently reflects the vision, an administrator will begin to see
the vision carried out. In addition through the careful attention to the culture, the
administrator will have various opportunities to implement the vision.
Part 2:
There is a lot of research and theory that supports the characteristics mentioned in
the Visionary Leader Standard. According to a report that was released by the Pew
Research Center in 2013, 66% of the public state that the education system in this
country needs to be completely rebuilt or requires major changes. This signifies the
majority of the public is in agreement; the education system needs to be either renewed

or revamped. In order to make change happen, there must be leaders. Having a solid
definition of what a visionary leader should look like is imperative.
According to the Center for Visionary Leadership, visionary leaders are: The
builders of a new dawn, working with imagination, insight, and boldness. They present a
challenge that calls forth the best in people and brings them together around a shared
sense of purpose. They work with the power of intentionality and alignment with a higher
purpose. This definition fits a visionary leader in education and ties in with the standard
and leadership theory. The definition and the standard both ascertain that the leader
needs to bring in people to share in and support the vision. One of the only ways to bring
people together is through the building of relationships. The relationship between the
teacher and his/her immediate superior is crucial to the success of the organization and
central to the attainment of the models objective (Fullan, 2007).
In addition to building a relationship with people in the organization, a leader
should work to empower their staff. According to Betty Steffy, in her book The Teacher
Career Stages Model, The visionary leader recognizes that they cant do it alone. They need
to develop their staff. She states that teachers want to be confident contributing adults.
Therefore, as an administrator you need to be aware of the stage at which your teachers
are at, and support teachers in their effort to become and remain expert teachers (Steffy,
1989).
As part of empowering your teachers, resistance to the steps you are trying to take
in carrying out the vision may need to be addressed. Research shows that resistance is a
natural part of any change. The only effective way to deal with resistance is to invite and
work with (rather than against) those who resist. One benefit from engaging others can be
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discovering ways to learn from those who resist, which can lead to common ground. The
results can be very rewarding. You will build excitement for change, stronger
relationships, and a foundation for future change (Fullan, 2007). Resistance should not be
discouraging when initiating change, since in the end stronger relationships and more
authentic support for the vision can occur.
There are several theories about the skill set that leaders should possess. In his
book the Nature of Leadership, Gardner ascertains that leaders distinguish themselves in
several ways. First of all, they are able to think long term. They look beyond the immediate
crisis and imminent needs. They also possess political skill, and are able to reach beyond
their staff. If a building administrator is going to be effective in accomplishing change they
will need the support of the community, school board members, and superiors at central
office. Furthermore, Gardener says, they put heavy emphasis on visions, values, and
motivations. Through the possession of these abilities, the empowerment of staff, and the
relational piece intact, the initial steps toward being a visionary leader will be met.

Part 3
Through experience, research, leadership lectures, and discussions with my peers I
have further defined my practices related to visionary leadership. Within my current
position as an instructional technology TOSA I am able to engage in activities almost daily
that relate to this standard. First of all, as an educational leader, I adhere to Reynolds
School Districts vision that, All students are prepared for a world yet to be imagined. I also
follow their mission: Each graduate embraces lifelong learning and applies skills in
technology, global literacy, creativity, and critical-thinking to enhance family, career, and
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community. With every staff training I do, and every software, tool, or App I recommend I
have the districts ultimate vision in mind.
My hope is that the teachers across the district are already fully aware of the
districts vision. However, when I am working with teachers I try to refer back to the vision,
so that they know my intent. The world has changed profoundly in the last few decades as a
result of the technological advances that have occurred. Sadly, in the world of education,
there has not been enough of a transformation to meet the workplace demands of the
twenty-first century. I believe that we need to prepare students for the jobs. With that in
mind I try to promote digital citizenship curriculum, coding, and technology use that
requires creativity, and critical thinking skills.

According to Michael Fullan, Leading in a culture of change does not mean

adopting innovations, one after another. It does mean producing the capacity to seek,
critically assess, and selectively incorporate new ideas and practices (Fullan, 2007). In
technology you are always coming across new technologies. I consistently try to be aware
of the big pictures and not get sucked into the newest technologies, but rather stay
focused on assessing and recommending the most useful and efficient tools that support
the overall vision.
One of the primary lessons that I have learned these last few years is all of my
intentions and goals related to instructional technology improvements, cannot be
accomplished beyond my own classroom, without having established relationships first.
It takes trust to get teachers to open up their classrooms to you. They must have respect
for your abilities and knowledge in order to be open to trying new things. They must find
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credence that you share the same vision.

Works Cited
Deal, T.E. (1990). Reframing reform. Educational Leadership, 47(8), 6+.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: the New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books.
Fullan, M. (2007). The New Meaning of Educational Change. New York: Teachers College
Press.
McGlaughlin, C. (2001). The Center For Visionary Leadership. Retrieved October 18, 2014,
from http://www.visionarylead.org/articles/vislead.htm
Steffy, Betty E. (1989). Career Stages of Classroom Teachers. New York: Technomic
Publishing Co.
Tyson, A. (2013, August 13). Many Americans say educational system in need of overhaul.
Retrieved October 15, 2014, from Pew Research Center website:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/08/13/many-americans-sayeducational-system-in-need-of-overhaul/