Running Head: Leadership Platform Paper

Sarah Hornung

EDL 515

Leadership Platform Paper

December 12, 2014

St. Bonaventure University

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Abstract

Throughout the course of this semester I have developed a deeper understanding of

leadership in an administrative role. A leadership platform is formed from exploring case studies,

discussions with professionals and colleagues, reflecting on field experience, reading the works

and writings of experts in the field, as well as exploring the standards that drive the leadership

roles in education. This leadership platform will inform readers of my own personal beliefs and

philosophies of leadership, as well as explore some of the most important aspects of a leader.

The main theme for this platform is vision and how different roles of an administrator can work

toward making the vision of a school a reality. This paper will demonstrate a deeper

understanding of school culture, school community, the community as a whole and decision

making, as well as how these topics directly correlate to the Interstate School Leaders Licensure

Consortium (ISLLC) Standards for Administrators.

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The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that

gets people to do the greatest things. -Ronald Reagan

Developing a Vision

Leadership is not a one size fits all model. It takes a certain person to be a leader. Many

would argue that people are born leaders and that your ability to have leadership potential is

something that cannot be learned but is rather programmed inside you. While I agree that there

are certain personalities and character traits that make great leaders, I believe that everyone has

the potential to be a leader in some way, shape or form. It is when somebody has been inspired

by a leader, that he can then become a leader himself. A leader is quite simply somebody that

others learn from and somebody that inspires and guides others to reach their potential. When

you look around the world, there are leaders in every home, every school, every business, every

industry. In all of these places, the leaders have one thing in common: they are teachers. Leaders

are responsible for teaching others through their leadership model. After all, the world begins

with teachers.

Being a leader in 21st century education is no walk in the park. Presently, education in

the United States is controversial, contradicted and complicated. It is an extremely difficult time

to be a student, a parent, a teacher and an administrator in the age of standardized tests,

technology growth, teacher evaluation and accountability. To help guide the educational leaders

of the 21st century, the Educational Leadership Consortium Council (ELCC) and the Interstate

School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) have developed a list of standards to guide

educational leaders, as well as create an outline for educational leadership preparation programs

that prepare individuals to become leaders in todays schools. These standards, along with the

expertise and thoughts of authors such as Gerald C. Ubben, Larry W. Hughes and Cynthia J.
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Norris, help guide new leaders as they identify with a leadership platform. My background in

special education has led me to develop a philosophy and platform of leadership that

encompasses a positive school culture and a learning community in which all individuals and

students are valued and put first. I have a distinct interest and firm belief that all individuals

deserve the best education possible and that begins with a shared vision by all members of the

community. I have worked in a school that segregated the special education students and

teachers and did not value their time and role in the building. I currently work in a school that

values my expertise in behavior management and interventions. I am often called upon as an

expert in this area to assist the general education teachers, and it truly makes me feel that my

principal values what I do each day. My platform has developed through my personal

experiences as well as my understanding of the material that was explored this semester.

School Culture and Shared Vision

The first area in which I have developed a stronger understanding of leadership is in the

development of a school culture that has a shared vision for success. Standard 2 of the ISLLC

Administrator Standards describes 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. Through this standard,

the ISLLC requires that administrators have knowledge and understanding of learning goals,

developing and implementing strategic plans, systems theory, information sources, data

collection, data analysis strategies, effective communication, consensus-building and negotiation

skills. Additionally, the ISLLC Standard 2 requires that administrators have a vision that believes

in, values and is committed to the educability of all, a school vision of high standards of learning,

continuous school improvement, the inclusion of all members of the school community, ensuring
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that students have the knowledge, skills, and values needed to become successful adults, and a

willingness to continuously examine ones own assumptions, beliefs, and practices (ISLLC,

2011).

Ubben, Hughes, and Norris (2011) support the idea that vision has been defined as the

capacity to create and communicate a view of the desired state of affairs that induces

commitment among those working in the organization. Ubben et al. also discusses that

organizational study after study, whether that organization is in the public sector or the private

sector, a school or a business, reveals that leaders have vision. Ubben et al. also discusses that

effective leadership and emotional intelligence are directly linked. Emotional intelligence is

comprised of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skill. These

emotional intelligences have different impacts on others in the organization and lend themselves

to different leadership styles. The different leadership styles are coercive, authoritative,

affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching. Ubben et al. explains that the most effective

leaders are those who possess and practice all six of the leadership styles and use each one

appropriately. The most effective style is known to be the authoritative style of leadership in

which leaders are visionaries who inspire people and gain their commitment by showing them

how their work fits into a larger purpose for the organization. This type of leader applies the

emotional intelligences to identify when changes are needed in an organization and can meet the

evolving needs of an organization (Ubben et al., 2011). In order to accomplish this, I would have

to be reflective in nature and notice and embrace changes. When leaders are resistant to change

they are unable to react to situations and guide their organizations through changes.

Learning Communities and Shared Vision

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I believe that as an administrator I would most closely follow an authoritative leadership

style in which I would be able to use my self-confidence, empathy and vision to lead my school

organization and to develop a powerful learning community. As a teacher I firmly believe in

explaining to my students why their presence and hard work is part of a greater picture. I think a

powerful leader is able to convince the individuals in their culture and community to see how

they fit in the community and how their participation and hard work benefits the community or

organization. As Ubben et al. discusses, learning communities are concerned with growth and

continuous self-renewal of both the individuals and the organization. Learning communities

never fully arrive. Within a learning community, I believe that the key to the most effective

leadership is to connect individuals in the community tightly to ends but only loosely to means.

In a public school today, I believe that the administrator must develop a trust with teachers so

that the teachers feel empowered and understood. When teachers feel that they are on a different

team than the administrator, then the school culture changes and the students feel the impact.

Teachers should become part of the vision and have their voices heard within the learning

community. Ubben suggests that the best learning communities are small and foster teacher

empowerment. Teacher empowerment comes from giving individuals the authority and

responsibility to apply their own expertise and knowledge to the decisions that relate to their

responsibilities.

Executing learning communities in a school not only aligns with ISLLC

Standard 2, but it also encompasses Standard 3. Standard 3 describes an administrator that

manages by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining school culture and instructional programs

conducive to pupil learning and professional staff growth (ISLLC, 2011). I have been a member

of many professional learning communities and have experienced first-hand how powerful they
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can be. As an administrator, I would develop a staffing situation that empowered teachers and

was comprised of smaller learning communities within the school community. Grade level

teams, student intervention and support teams and topic based teams can benefit the learning

community and build a stronger culture of individuals working toward the same vision. In the

past I have worked in a school that had common team planning time built into each day. The

team of teachers were able to collaborate, plan and discuss the vision for their grade level. Ubben

et al. describes the variety of team planning tasks that take place on an effective team. These

tasks can include goal-setting meetings, design meetings, grouping or scheduling meetings,

situational meetings and evaluation meetings.

When I envision my leadership of a learning community, I envision Ubben et al.s

metaphor that the small clusters of teachers and staff linked with students and parents are the

nucleus of a learning community (Ubben et al., 2011). Smaller learning communities include

parent-teacher organizations, Committees on Special Education, clubs and organizations. All of

these smaller clusters create the larger community and pave the way for student success.

The Community and Shared Vision

I have always been a firm believer in strong home-school communication. As a special

educator, my involvement with families and my communication can truly make the difference in

a school year for a child. Consistent and clear communication is valued by parents and teachers

because parents and teachers share the task of raising a child together. ISLLC Standard 5

describes an administrator that models collaborating with families and community members,

responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources

(ISLLC, 2011). Ubben et al. supports this standard by discussing the crucial role that an

administrator plays in a community. Ubben et al. believes that no single school district person is
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in a position to influence and inform community members more than the principal. Regardless of

how much money a district spends on appearing to be well-functioning, it is truly the building

principals that can be most influential on a day-to-day basis. Ubben et al. suggests frequent face-

to-face contact with community members and families and an open door policy. As an

administrator I would want parents to understand that I was approachable and available to help

with their childs education. Being approachable is presented by being seen in the community:

attending sporting events, concerts and meetings. I had a principal who went to an event most

nights of the week. This went very far in the community as parents saw him as a supporter of all

students and a true believer in the school community. I believe that a great principal recognizes

the reason we are all here: for the students.

In addition to community exposure and influence, I believe that a great principal must

also be able to make a tough decision, a hard phone call or host an unpleasant conference. I have

seen many administrators who dont want to be the bad guy and just want to appear to be doing a

good job. It is through difficult times that a school community can really flourish and it is crucial

that administrators have a strong platform on decision making. Ubben et al. identifies problems

in two general decision settings: structured settings (these include routine and recurring issues)

and multialternative, unstructured, or innovative settings. He suggests that to properly and

professionally deal with structured decisions, there is a need for written policies and a routine

decision making process. As an administrator, I would have clear, written expectations for staff

as well as students. Having clear, written expectations and guidelines can also help when dealing

with difficult parents and unusual circumstances. The idea behind having written policies and a

good routine for decision making is that most operations run smoothly without the interference

of the principal. The individuals in the learning community should all have a clear understanding
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of rules and routines and can carry out this process within their smaller learning community (the

classroom). The multialternative, unstructured, or innovative settings confront principals with

more choices for how to handle a problem. During these problems, principals must make use of

creative and rational decision making processes. The way that principals react during times of

difficulty affect the way that the community perceives the school. Parents can and will be the

greatest obstacle that many administrators deal with. If a principal does not make fair and

rational decisions, she jeopardizes her influence and trust within the community.

Conclusion

Educational administration is complicated and complex, just like teaching. Through

teaching I have learned that with each year brings new students, new challenges and a new

juggling act to make a well-oiled machine run smoothly. In order to run the machine, a leader

must be willing to always remain a student and be ever-evolving. A leader is never fully-arrived

and can never have it all figured out because a school is not a one size fits all organization. An

urban community demands much different leadership from a principal than a rural or suburban

community. An elementary school demands much different leadership from a principal than a

middle school or a high school. A leader must look within the organization to guide her platform

and decide how she can be the most effective and inspiring leader as possible and carry out her

vision with the members of the community.

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References

Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium. (2011) ISLLC* Administrator Standards.

Washington, DC: Authors.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2011) Educational Leadership

Consortium Council Standards.

Ubben, G.C., Hughes, L.W., & Norris, C.J. (2011). The principal: Creative leadership for

excellence in schools. Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.