Leadership Case Study

Leadership Case Study

Greg Sloan

EDAD 614
Leadership Case Study

Leadership Case Study

The leader I have focused on is the principal of Del Oro High School. Opened in 1959

and located in Loomis, California it is one of four comprehensive high schools in the Placer

Union High School District where I work. Loomis is located in Placer County and is a semi-rural

town with 6733 inhabitants. The campus is about 56 acres with an enrollment for the 2016-2017

school year of 1,715. Del Oro students come from seven K-8 elementary schools, but

approximately 350 of its students are on inter-district agreements from surrounding districts. In

2011, Del Oro was named a California Distinguished School by the Department of Education

(Del Oro High School, 2016)). Sports are a big part of the campus culture. The varsity football

team has played in the state championship game four times in the last six years, with one state

championship victory. Many other sports teams have won section championships over the past

few years.

The principal previously taught social and physical education and coached football and

basketball at Del Oro for 19 years, while serving as athletic director for the last five of those. He

became the principal eight years ago after three years as an assistant principal. Del Oro has 74

teachers, 3 assistant principals, 3.5 counselors, 2 psychologists, and 1 mental health specialist

among its certificated staff. With 30 years at the school, he has seniority over every staff

member except one. He and his family have strong roots in the community as business owners

and city council members (Meet the New Big Man on Campus, 2009). He is now at the stage of

considering retirement at the end of the next school year but will wait to make an official

decision.

Test scores in ELA and Math on the CAASPP at Del Oro are the highest in the district

and well above state averages for each year of this testing, including 82% having met or
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exceeded standards in ELA and 68% in math this most recent school year. The principal often

talks about the greatness and challenges of tradition for Del Oro. Newer opportunities have

emerged to build upon a strong foundation. In the last few years, Del Oro has provided a

Chromebook to every student for their full-time use until graduation. This transition has

changed professional development, teaching, and learning at the school. Attempts have also

been made to lower large class sizes, but without space on campus, teachers are sharing and

traveling to multiple classrooms. The school also has a PLC schedule for weekly teacher

collaboration and instituted an intervention and enrichment period last school year. This has

allowed teachers to work with students with Ds and Fs to raise their grades within the school

day.

My experiences with the principal go back over four years ago starting with my visit to

Del Oro as part of a WASC accreditation committee. I was impressed by the school and its

leadership enough to apply for a teaching job three months later. I worked as a teacher at Del

Oro for 2 years and for the district office for 1 years now. While my time with this leader

has been short, Ive been able to work with many leaders as a point of comparison and I have a

unique perspective to examine him from. The principal hired me to teach, has worked with me

on all of my field studies, and helped me to get the position of district instructional coach. I

would describe the style as hands off but takes full responsibility. He is not the most visible but

makes his presence known. He allows others to grow and learn through experiences but wants to

know what is going on so the school is properly represented.

Kouzes and Posner have developed Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership described in

the book The Leadership Challenge (2012). I will examine the leadership qualities of the

principal of Del Oro through these practices:

Leadership Case Study

Model the Way

In The Leadership Challenge (2012), Kouzes and Posner describe modeling the way as

affirming and living the shared values of the organization. The principal will joke at meetings

about how he gets choked up in front of large groups while speaking. He lets others know how

he is feeling on a regular basis, so his words and actions come from a place of passion and

emotion. He isnt afraid or ashamed to be human and relate to others. The principal will

frequently say family comes first at Del Oro. Staff who are having difficulties with children or

personal situations are given flexibility and time to handle situations. This can be through

scheduling prep periods, approving time off, or allowing situations where a younger child of a

staff member accompanies them to work. Because of the sincerity in which he operates, staff do

not take advantage of these situations but work to help each support each other. He models the

way through showing respect for students, staff, and parents.

Inspire a Shared Vision

Once an organizations values are known and shared, they can move forward with a vision

for the future. Exciting others in possibilities they believe in results in teams that work for each

other (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). The characteristic most valued by staff, parents, and students at

Del Oro is the culture of strong relationships. Anyone you ask will give you the same answer

and the principal knows this better than anyone. The principal considers any changes or

initiatives through this lens. What affect will it have on relationships and school culture? A

concern with having laptops for daily student use was the potential for reduced human

interaction. Consequently, this last year the focus was on speaking and listening through student

conversations. Staff were allowed to vote to put the intervention schedule into effect last year

and were then given a vote at the end of the year on whether to keep it. After a few years of the
Leadership Case Study

principal leading the discussion on interventions and ways to reduce Ds and Fs, those values

became the teachers. If they didnt share in the belief, then it wasnt going to happen because it

wouldnt have the intended effect. Data has shown Ds and Fs declining last year even with the

growing pains of a new system.

Challenge the Process

Despite the tradition of the school, change is happening. Like in any organization there

are those who fear it and have the instinct to resist. The way in which the principal helps

teachers along is through a safe environment that allows for failures. While there are certainly

expectations of professionalism and behavior with students, taking risks in teaching is

encouraged. The innovations in instruction and strategies come from the district or teachers

themselves, but he doesnt get in the way and impede the progress. He is interested in seeing

how it may work and how it can be shared with others. Like the way Nadia Lopez encourages

Mr. Principal at Mott Hall Bridges Academy, challenging ourselves to improve results in even

good veteran teachers continuing to grow and learn (Lopez & Paley, 2016).

Enable Others to Act

The principal trusts the people he has hired and makes proper hiring a huge priority.

Every year there are teachers who are non-reelected because the importance placed on having the

right people. This is a small number of the overall staff, but like Nadia Lopezs experiences in

staffing, the right fit is important (Lopez & Paley, 2016). Much of the work at Del Oro is done

by committees, leadership teams, and cohorts involving teachers and administrators together. He

wants others to work out their problems first and wont play favorites. I was taken back as a new

employee in this school with the freedom we were given. I was able to take leaps in my teaching
Leadership Case Study

within just a few years and I credit the freedom to innovate and work with colleagues for the rush

of new ideas and personal growth.

Encourage the Heart

Del Oro doesnt have formal recognitions or awards for teachers, but staff are recognized

and saluted at staff and school board meetings by the principal. While I dont feel I was publicly

praised often, I knew I was appreciated as a teacher through direct interactions with the principal.

Taking the time to speak with someone personally is probably more genuine and less likely to

lead to resentment by those not recognized publicly. The staff as a group is promoted and

praised frequently and that leads to the feeling of a team. Celebrations are organized by the

principal with his administrative staff in the winter and at the end of the school year. These are

fun events that allow families to share in camaraderie that goes on at Del Oro. So many of the

celebrations at the school are for students, but the principal recognizes those staff who make the

experiences possible. Students also genuinely appreciate how they are encouraged, recognized,

and treated by the principal and in turn other staff members of the school. In these ways, the

principal exhibits leadership standard 3 Element C (Moving Leadership Standards into Everyday

Work: Descriptions of Practice, 2003).

Reflection

I found after analysis the five practices that there are connections among the behaviors

described by Kouzes and Posner. Everything the principal does is about the climate and culture.

Establishing relationships while seeking excellence is the goal. After five principals in 11 years

in my prior school, I greatly appreciate what Ive learned from the principal. I work with four

other principals in the district who are all capable leaders but manage smaller and lower profile

school sites. The greater number of staff and students along with dedicated alumni puts a
Leadership Case Study

microscope on every big decision. I cant pretend I would do a better job because Ive read a

book on leadership. However, no one is immune to critique and not every staff member will be

affected equally by a leaders style.

The principals reputation was that of an average teacher and he is not an active

instructional leader. This role has been delegated to assistant principals, coaches, and site

coordinators. In this area, while I would still delegate and enable others, I would talk about

instructional practices and try to build a common vision around quality instruction. I would also

model these practices in staff meetings and professional development and make references to the

strong teaching that aligns to the practices that I see in walkthroughs. This would help show

teachers who are doing things the right way that it is noticed and they are appreciated.

There is a department with a large internal conflict. The principals actions were initially

to attend a PLC and speak to the department with the message to work it out themselves. While

admirable that he isnt micromanaging or taking sides, there are personalities that dont mesh

and that are unwilling to take the steps to improve relations. His next step was to change the

department chair to a nice, everyone get along type teacher, but one without leadership skills or

credibility as a strong teacher. So now two years later, these teachers engage in avoidance and

have given up speaking to the principal on the matter. I would not allow this matter to continue

because it inhibits effective collaboration and undermines the general climate of the school. Its

not about whos right and whos wrong, but how can they find common purpose and vision in

the ways an exemplary leader can provide. The principal does well in general with staff in these

areas, but when there are more specific faults like this among veteran teachers they are not

addressed.
Leadership Case Study

Working in the district office, I know the plans and initiatives the educational services

team would like to implement at the school sites. The principal will publicly resist and work to

slow down these changes to be on the side of his staff. I see the us vs. district mentality at

school sites and I think it is very counterproductive. Instead of looking at the site as a

collaborative partner with others in a larger group, there is tribalism and competition. Instead of

waiting to be told what the district wants, I would want to partner and give input. When I dont

understand or agree with an idea, I would ask for clarity. Ultimately if I didnt agree, I would

want to continue a strong relationship and be a team player. This is modeling proper behavior for

staff because it is what I would want them to do with me.

Its easy to hold the principal responsible for anything at a school that isnt perfect. The

fact is that Del Oro is an extraordinary place. The superintendent came in four years

emphasizing the work of Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. There is a different challenge in

a successful school. One is to not get worse, but staying the same is not an aspirational goal

either. My challenge, if I were the leader at this school, would be to tackle where our

weaknesses are while leading a cohesive staff that believed in the same goals and were willing to

put in their time and effort along with me. Instead of accepting that most students graduate and

most staff are good teachers, replace that with all and dont ever stop. I suppose if I knew I

would retire in the next year or two that would affect my goals.
Leadership Case Study

References

Del Oro High School (2016) Retrieved June 15, 2017, from

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3VTr6ztH7T1RlBQSHotek42SGJUaDQxbUxsOTBn

cldOdDFN

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary

things happen in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lopez, N., & Paley, R. (2016). The bridge to brilliance: How one principal in a tough

community is inspiring the world. NY, NY: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House

LLC.

Meet the New Big Man on Campus. (2009). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from

http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/meet-new-big-man-campus

Moving Leadership Standards into Everyday Work: Descriptions of Practice. (2003). WestEd.