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My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

-Critical Element Paper #1
Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership
And Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
-In Partial Fulfillment
Of the requirements for the
Master of Arts or Advanced Studies Certificate
-By
Kevin Petersen
Davenport Central High School
December 4, 2013
-Charles McNulty

My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

When considering my philosophy of educational leadership I started thinking about my
years of teaching and what I thought of my leaders and what I liked about them and what they
could have done better for me. I have always believed that the students have to be first priority
as a teacher and as a leader. This is why I have decided to pursue educational leadership. I want
to make a bigger impact on students and feel I have a bigger role as an educational leader than
with the students I see come through my gymnasium each day. I have done my best to teach kids
the value of physical fitness and health and want to help kids in every subject excel through my
instructional leadership. I also want to do more for my family and my own children. If my
vision at my school can be carried over and implemented where my kids attend school than I can
feel good knowing I tried to give them the best education they could receive.
An educational leader must have strong communication skills in order to be effective.
Clearly stating what is your vision for the school and what is expected can help teachers build a
trusting relationship with their principal. According to Robbins and Alvy (2009) principals
must model in all their relationships the behavior that they expect throughout the school and the
community (p. 11). I believe this to be an integral part of being an educational leader.
Building relationships is a key component to constructing the vision of the school.
Robbins and Alvy state The leader who is skillful in human relations has the power to influence
organizational members emotions in a variety of ways (p.45). To build this relationship a
principal must be motivated and be a motivator. A principal must be able to rally the troops
and lead the group towards the vision they see for the school. A principal must be friendly and
approachable to be trusted by students and staff.

Stakeholders are not always going to agree with the vision of a principal. An educational
leader must be a little stubborn and find ways to make the vision the desired outcome of all
stakeholders. According to Wilmore (2002) it is up to everyone to nurture and support each
other, sustain the vision, enrich the culture, and see to it that all students have every opportunity
to grow, learn, and succeed (p. 34). Collaboration will be the key to having all stakeholders
working towards the same vision. When all stakeholders feel like they are a part of the decision
making they are likely to work harder to reach the ultimate goal.
Wilmore (2002) states a school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the
success of all students by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner (p.80). An
educational leader must be ethical and find ways to solve problems in a timely, professional
manner. I have been working with the associate principal and have found myself in tough
situations, but pride myself on how I reacted and how I handled situations in an ethical manner.
A school can expect a few things from me. First thing is there will not be anyone that
will work harder than myself to ensure my students are receiving the best education they can in
the healthiest, safest environment possible. I have been coaching for ten years along with
teaching and I feel I will bring my motivation skills with me into educational leadership. I feel I
am a great motivator and can use these skills to bring my staff and students together in making
our school the best it can be. I will also bring my enthusiasm and nurturing personality to build
relationships and develop trust with all stakeholders. My level of commitment will never be
questioned with any validity and I will be the most approachable administrator staff members
have ever had.

I also plan to be very visible with in my school and community. I feel that just being seen
can lead to trust and faith in the vision I have. If teachers see that I want to be in their classroom
and have a genuine interest in what they are doing they will be motivated to work hard for me
and most importantly their students.
Wilmore (2002) states schools will not be successful having principals filled with
passion and vision but who cannot make data-driven decisions based on facts and equity instead
of presumption, bias, wrong information (p.53). After coaching for ten years I have become
very good at deciphering stats and film to make adjustments to improve team performance. I
plan to use these skills to be a very data-driven educational leader. I feel teachers can really get
an idea of where their students stand by examining data and can make tough curriculum
decisions based on that data. They can really become better teachers by using data and
differentiated instruction with their students.
I will try to solve problems ethically and in a timely manner. Whitaker (2012) states
great principals work hard to keep relationships in good repair-to avoid personal hurt and to
repair any possible damage (p.120). I am a good communicator and am very organized and
these traits will help me solve these problems in a manner that will keep good relationships.
I will expect my staff to be hard-working and motivated to see their students succeed. I
will expect them to work collaboratively with myself and their departments to use data and state
standards to adapt their curriculum to meet all the needs of their students. If this takes extra time
I expect them to put in that time. Leithwood and Louis (2012) state that highly influential
schools have a high level of involvement in decision making and professionalism among
teachers (p. 69).

I want all my staff and students to enjoy coming to work or school. I want to create an
inviting environment where all stakeholders feel like they are an integral part of the vision. I will
expect staff to act ethically and professionally when dealing with students, parents, and all other
stakeholders. I want all my staff to be good role models to students. Many of todays students
dont have role models at home and can go down the wrong path because of this. I want my staff
to help steer them down the right path. I know not every student can be saved, but I will expect
my staff to work hard to try.
I want my staff to feel like they are part of a team. I will expect my staff to be a huge
part of reaching our shared goal and vision. I feel like I will still be coaching like I have for the
last ten years. The only difference is now the team is bigger and the end result is much more
important because it isnt just a high school sport, it is my students entire future on the line.
I expect my staff to look at professional development as an opportunity and not a burden.
Too many times over the last ten years I have seen teachers get upset or put little effort into
initiatives sent down from administration. They feel like they know more or that theyve seen
multiple initiatives come through the years and nothing works. Robbins and Alvy (2009) state
building-based professional development, by design, provides opportunities for members of the
school community to grow professionally in ways that will ultimately benefit both teacher and
student (p.121).
Communicating values and beliefs in daily routines and behaviors (Robbins, Alvy,
2009, p. 34). This statement was short, but powerful to me because I believe this will be one of
the most important things I do as an administrator. This follows ISSL standard 2 and is essential
because how I carry myself and what I do on a daily basis will mold the culture of the school.

Everything I do inside and outside of school will reflect on the school (I am the face of the
school).
Good leaders make the organization move forward to greater successLeadership is a
means of marshaling the proper emotion or convictions in others to enable and encourage them
to do what needs to be done (Dunklee,1999, p. 92). This statement by Sterling really covers
ISSL 5 in that it reminds us educational leaders that our main job is to demonstrate values,
beliefs, and attitudes that inspire others to a higher level of performance. Going forward in my
pursuit of educational leadership I will strive to educate myself while observing those before me
to find the best way possible to give every student the best chance for success in life they can
receive.

References
Dunklee, D. (1999). You Sound Taller on the Telephone: A Practitioners View of the
Principalship. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
Leithwood, K., Louis, K. (2012). Linking Leadership to Student Learning. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Robbins, P., Alvy, H.B. (2009). The Principals Companion (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press, Inc.
Whitaker, T. (2012). What Great Principals do Differently. Larchnont, NY: Eye On Education.
Wilmore, E. (2002). Principal Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.