My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

Promoting Change Through Communication, Culture, and Passion

-Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership
and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
-In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Masters of Arts Education
-By
Tatum D. Starcevich
Waukee High School
Waukee, IA
(December 2015)
-Dr. Nicholas Pace

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John Quincy Adams once stated, If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn
more, do more and become more you are a leader (Luttrell, 2011). When compiling research
over the topic of educational leadership my natural inclination, as a social studies teacher, was to
research great leaders of the past for insight and inspiration. Whether one is the president of a
nation, the general of an army, the coach of a team, the CEO of a fortune 500 company, or the
leader of a school, all must exude characteristics of leadership to be effective.
Along with researching theories of leadership styles, experience and personality play
significant roles in developing ones educational philosophy of leadership. Every future leader
will have a different approach and place different value on points of importance when making
the decisions on effective school management. In creating my philosophy of educational
leadership I focused on three areas that best aligned with my experience, personality,
expectations, and values. As a leader it is essential to implement a vision with complete
authenticity, which is why my themes center on communication, culture, and passion.
Clear and frequent communication of the vision and mission of the school is essential for
success. Communication is critical when looking at school leadership. The principal must be the
driving force in the building that articulates and endorses high expectations for not only teaching
but also the learning that is occurring (ISSL 1c, 2007). Schools that do not have a defined and
implemented vision and mission are not giving students the best education possible. Classroom
teachers are encouraged to always state the purpose of the lesson for the benefit of the students
learning. Administrators must share the districts vision and mission statement that outlines the
purpose for the building. If that is not communicated to students accurately, then the mission
cannot possibly be effective or implemented with fidelity.

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An important aspect of being the building principal comes with making sure all
stakeholders in the district receive effective communication. This group encompasses people in
the building, faculty, staff and students. All the individuals outside the building that have a
connection to the school should be included as well. School board members, parents, district
office, support staff, residence of the district and the public are classified as stakeholder in a
district. In the book The Principals Companion: Strategies to Lead Schools for Student and
Teacher Success, authors Pam Robbins and Harvey Alvy (2014) discuss how to link effectively
coordinating communication between central office and the building. Communication must be a
two-way street but the principal is the key to coordinating that connection successfully. District
office sees the principal as the main contact person at the school but many times the principal
must be proactive in positive communication otherwise typical interaction with district office
occurs when something is wrong (Robbins & Alvy, 2014). Clearly, effective communication is
the responsibility of the principal. Communication with other stakeholders can be achieved in a
variety of ways and it is the principals mission to find those effective methods of
communication to reach all stakeholders. Traditional means of communication that are still
effective and relevant center on emails, phone calls, parent teacher conferences, weekly
newsletters, and signs outside the building. However, one of the biggest forms of
communication that districts have turned to in recent years comes in the form of social media.
Networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Blogger are quick efficient means to reach a
large portion of our stakeholder population with immediate information regarding the school.
One of the biggest responsibilities that correlate with students academic achievement centers on
establishing strong lines of communication among teachers and students (Marzano, Waters, &
McNulty, 2005). Reaching out to teenagers with their chosen method of communication is a

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great luxury for Twenty-First Century administrators. Students are constantly on social media, as
are many parents, community members, and teachers. The ability to share or retweet information
with just a click increases the efficiency of dispersing the information. The flaws that come with
these methods can include Internet access of people you are trying to reach, posts taken out of
context or misconstrued, important information being missed because not everyone uses these
sites and so on. I believe for fast relevant information social media is one of the best tools
principals in the twenty-first century posses to connecting all stakeholder to what is happening
inside the school building they are supervising (ISSL 4a, 2007).
The culture of a building can either make or break a principal. Culture is often referred to
as the way things are done around here. This phrase resonates with me because it is something
that everyone can understand, identify with, and relate to in terms of task and job completion.
Applying this concept to the atmosphere of a school indicates the impression we want people to
take away after visiting our building (ISSL 2k, 2007). I intend to create a positive and
productive culture in the building through collaboration and empowering teacher leaders.
Collaboration is one of the greatest tools an educator has at their disposal. The
opportunity to learn and grow from other professionals is something that many professionals in
other fields outside of education will never experience. Professional Learning Communities are
one of best examples of this collaboration in school buildings. Giving teachers designated time
to exclusively collaborate is something that is extremely effective and efficient. I intend to
protect this time as a building administrator. School districts vary in size and therefore vary in
the resources immediately available. Some schools will have multiple people teaching the same
courses allowing for close collaboration on areas of common assessments, sharing lesson plans,
or implementing standard based grading unit. There are also schools where one person will

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serve as the entire department, which does not leave very many options for standard PLC
collaboration. As someone who has been employed by districts small and large, I will use that
experience to promote collaboration in a variety of settings. Small schools have the ability to
create cross-curricular PLCs because they will share the majority of their students.
Technological advancements also give educators the ability to connect with people all over the
world through programs like Skype, Adobe Connect, and social media. Collaboration
opportunities are one of the greatest tools principals have to shape school culture and bring
everyone in the building together.
Teacher empowerment is essential in creating a school culture. The State of Iowa has
recently implemented a Teacher Leadership and Compensation System to districts all over the
state that apply and are approved for the grant. According to the Iowa Department of Education
the TLC grant, rewards effective teachers with leadership opportunities and higher pay, attracts
promising new teachers with competitive starting salaries and more support, and fosters greater
collaboration for all teachers to learn from each other (Department of Education, 2015).
Allowing teachers to take on greater leadership positions in the building not only creates an
authentic culture that staff will be invested in, but also delegates responsibilities that would
otherwise fall on the principal. This can open time for the principal to focus on instructional
leadership, and student success while still empowering teachers. As a future principal I will
advocate the teacher leadership model even if the district I am employed is not a TLC school. It
is my obligation to implement this shared culture with whatever resources are at my disposal for
the betterment of the school.
The simple definition of passion is, a powerful, compelling feeling or emotion (Agnes,
2012). When analyzing this definition it is easy to assume that the majority of educators do not

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get into this profession unless they are truly passionate about it. As an administrator, my main
goal will be reaching all stakeholders to ignite passion for the school. This statement is easier
said than done in theory. By combining communication and culture, along with many positive
outside factors, passion will naturally follow. One of the biggest attributes of the principal that
will help with this is the determination to authentically implement what is best for your school.
When interviewing the current Waukee High School principal, Kirk Johnson, he stated, The
school was here long before me, and will be here long after I am gone. All I can do is what is
best for the school while I am here (K. Johnson, personal communication, September 17, 2015).
This significantly resonated with me because as a principal I might not be in one school
for my entire career. All I can do is put in the time and effort needed for my career and owed to
future stakeholders for when I am gone. The visibility and influence of the principal allows for
that passion to permeate throughout the district and create a legacy of excellence that focuses on
student achievement.
Philosophies of education are difficult for me to put into words because they are always
evolving. To meet and exceed the needs of students, the focus of the school needs to be on
instructional leadership. The characteristics and expectations of the principal should mold to
match that evolution. As principal, stakeholders can expect the main themes discussed to be my
guiding ideologies. In regards to communication, I will be visible, engaged, and promote
instructional and managerial leadership. With culture, the constructing of relationships,
empowering teachers, and creating a welcoming environment will all be evident in my building.
Passion will encompass commitment, follow through, and resolution on all initiatives within the
school and the district. Lastly, I will always promote learning in regards to myself and the
people in the building. An effective change leader actively partakes as a learner in facilitating

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the improvement of the organization (Fullan, 2011). That change comes from me, and I will
implement it with complete fidelity to leave a lasting legacy.

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Bibliography
Agnes, M. (2012). Webster's new world college dictionary, 4th Edition. New York, NY:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Fullan, M. (2011). Change leader: Learning to do what matters most. San Francisco: JosseyBass/Wiley.
Iowa Standards for School Leaders. (2007, November 1). Retrieved November 27, 2015, from
http://www.sai-iowa.org/iowa-standards.cfm
Luttrell, Mary. (2011, October 24). John Quincy Adams Perfectly Defined Leadership. North
Bay Business Journal. Retrieved from
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/csp/mediapool/sites/NBBJ/IndustryNews/story.
csp?cid=4180440&sid=778&fid=181#pYekcsYFcs1b4l06.97
Marzano, R., Waters, T., & McNulty. (2005). School leadership that works. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
Robbins, P. & Alvy, H. (2014). The principals companion: Strategies to lead schools for student
and teacher success. (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Teacher Leadership and Compensation System. (2015). Retrieved November 27, 2015, from
https://www.educateiowa.gov/teacher-leadership-and-compensation-system