My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership

and Postsecondary Education

University of Northern Iowa

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the

Advanced Studies Certificate

by

Matthew I. Jenkins

Thomas Jefferson High School

Cedar Rapids, IA

(December 13, 2015)

Dr. Tim Gilson

 2

I have learned that people will forget what you said, will forget what you did but people will
never forget the way you made them feel.

~ Maya Angelou

Whether I acknowledge it or not, I am a leader. I embrace it, live it, and share it. There is

nothing that is more gratifying as an educator than to be able to share the responsibility of having

the blueprint in which prepares our young people for student achievement. Everyday I am

energized to work with teachers with various experiences, students and families from a diverse

background and serve the community that provides opportunities for young people. I am

committed to educating people. Receiving an education has given me opportunities and

experiences that I will share with people the rest of my life. My Philosophy of Educational

Leadership can be defined by four essential core attributes; Relationships, Competence,

Commitment, and Courage.

Relationships

The first essential part of my philosophy of educational leadership is relationships. By

developing positive meaningful relationships with all stakeholders in education, trust can be

gained. When that occurs, others buy into the vision of the leader. In the school that I will lead I

will be the example I want our students, faculty, and staff to foster. According to Robbins and

Alvy (2014), When positive human relations skills are manifested, people feel comfortable

taking risk, experimenting, collaborating, and communicating ideas and feelings. These

behaviors enable students and staff to perform at high levels (p. 61).

As a leader, it is not enough that I just have a vision to promote high student

achievement. If we as leaders do not develop a trusting relationship we will never be able to

empower others around us to be exceptional. We must build strong bridges to foster positive
 3

relationships between people so that it can withstand the weight of truth and the action of the

performance in the mission of education. Concurring with Robbins and Alvy (2014) Trust is the

most critical attribute in building relationships among professional colleagues and the learning

organization (p. 67). Building positive meaningful relationships is congruent with Iowa

Standard for School Leaders (ISSL) Standard 4 that provides illustrations of promoting student

success of all students by collaborating with families and community members (School

Administrators of Iowa [SAI], 2007).

If principals are true leaders, they never lead alone. Building meaningful relationships

will also give leaders the opportunity to develop other leaders within the school. Developing

leaders within the school that have the same clear and shared focus can promote student

achievement. As a leader I want to develop relationships and watch other leaders grow. Whitaker

(2012) discusses, that effective principals most important work is to improve the people in our

schools (p. 10). I am passionate and enthusiastic about the education profession that I have

dedicated my life to, and to see others share the same passion inspires me to be better. Providing

leadership, encouragement, and education opportunities is an essential characteristic of ISSL

Standard 2 (SAI, 2007).

Competence

When building trusting relationships, competence gives people the confidence to trust

what leaders are doing. As a leader, I have a self-awareness of my weaknesses and chances are

others do too. But being a principal competence is an expectation that many take for granted

until they are exposed to their lack of not knowing. One of the skill sets of being an instructional
 4

leader is being competent as a principal. I want the students, faculty, and staff to buy into my

vision it is imperative that I show my competency in their areas of need.

Effectively evaluating staff to help promote student achievement will provide specific

instructional leadership and help build confidence from the educational leader in me to show my

competency. According to Robbins and Alvy (2014) Research demonstrates that student

achievement is related to intentional classroom visits by the principal and a principals

knowledge of and ability to assist teachers with regard to curriculum, instruction, and

assessment (p. 126). If I am expecting competency from our teachers in instruction, then there

must be clearly modeled examples from myself. ISSL Standard two defines this as enhancing

teacher performance and improve student learning through professional development

opportunities (SAI, 2007).

Commitment

To be committed to a purpose there will always be a period of sacrifice. As a leader I will

be fully committed to the achievement of my students. I am fully committed to the belief that

every student can learn and achieve. It is with that determination that I will attack relentlessly,

any academic achievement gap with the most recent research-based strategies. I am loyal to the

students and families of our community. I am in agreement with Whitaker (2013) when he says,

The most effective principals also insist on loyalty-to the students. Great principals believe that

if you are loyal to the students, you are loyal to the principal (p. 77).

As a leader I will model the commitment attribute that I want our school to promote. If all

stakeholders see and experience how committed I am to educating the total student, they we will

have no choice but to raise their level of commitment because the school culture will promote
 5

this specific attitude and focus of achievement. Robbins and Alvy (2014) provide, More than

anything else, it is the culture of the school that determines the achievement of teacher and

student alike (p. 3) In many ways commitment is a direct result of what being a leader and what

leadership is. As a principal I know I will have to remind our community of the commitment

level we need to have if we are to prepare our young people for this advance world we live in

today. Our shared commitment will give value in the eyes of our youth and in return they to will

commit holding themselves to high standards that we set for them.

Courage

Courage is in the heart of every effective principal. Courage is in me. As a leader I will be

able to stand in the presences of curious doubters and well-read professionals and fight for what

is best for all students. Why? Because two men, a principal and my father did that for me. Clancy

Simmons was my middle school principal. He was the first man that looked like me and spoke

like me. Mr. Simmons displayed courage, commitment, competence, and develop relationship

with everyone that walked through the doors of Sudlow Intermediate. He fought for all students

that came from poverty and marginalized conditions and in so doing changed peoples lives.

My father was born in 1932. As a black boy from Hogansville, Georgia throughout his

life all he knew was to have courage and fight against the odds. His quiet strength, resilience and

love stood in between me and those professionals who said that I would never graduate from

high school or go to college. My father knew the value of education and its power. But it was

with his courage to make a tough decision when it was not popular. This gave me a chance to be

something greater than I thought I was. It is with that same courage that I have seen and am born

with, that I will make unpopular decisions when needed to contest and promote good for all
 6

students. Cannon and Cannon (2003) remind us, If you dont hold the line, then everyone is

going to suffer because you dont have the courage to enforce your own standards (p. 217)

I have never been more passionate about being a leader that represents our students, our

families and our community. I have been in the trenches discussing and planning researched

based strategies that promote student achievement. Leaders that have never accepted anything

less than excellence have mentored me. I have collaborated with all stakeholders in education

specific to my building. I have taught in the school that has resources and a school that has

limited resources. I have seen growth happen in both schools. I understand the responsibility that

I will hold as an administrator and leader. I have developed the skill sets necessary to lead and to

lead at a high level for student achievement. I am ready for this next step and I embrace the

opportunity. I am excited to get better and surround myself with individuals that have the same

share focused and passion for students to achieve.

References
 7

Cannon, J., & Cannon, J. (2003). The leadership lessons of the U.S. Navy seals. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.

Robbins, P., & Alvy, H. (2014). The principals companion: Strategies to lead schools for

student and teacher success (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

School Administration of Iowa. (2007). Iowa school leadership standards for school leaders.

Retrieved fromhttp://www.sai-iowa.org/iowa-standards.cfm

Whitaker, T. (2012). What great principals do differently: 18 things that matter most (2nd ed.).

Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.