Leadership, Culture, & Change: Forces Within Schools

1. Leadership, Culture, & Change: Forces Within Schools EDG 640 – The Principalship Dr. Robert Salladino, Jr.

2. Essential Questions • What is Leadership? • What traits, qualities, and actions reflect strong, successful, and effective leadership in schools? What makes successful leaders successful? • What is meant by “culture” in schools and how do principals influence this variable? • What conditions must exist and what aspects must be addressed in order for principals to successfully navigate the waters of change?

3. Leadership “We believe that, above all else, strategic leaders must have a sense of vision – an ability to set broad, lofty goals and steer a course toward them, but with the insight and flexibility to adjust both the course and the goals as the horizon becomes clearer. They must be able to communicate the goals and the course to well-educated, technically skilled colleagues. And they must develop the internal and external alliances and supporting communication and reward structures that will ensure that appropriate resources are brought to bear on achieving the organization’s strategic objective.”

4. Leadership Essentials • Dissatisfied with the status quo • DISSATISFACTION does not equal DISCONTENT Good to Great – Jim Collins “No matter how much you have achieved, you will always be merely good relative to what you can become. Greatness is an inherently dynamic process, not an end point. The moment that you think of yourself as great, your slide towards mediocrity will have already begun.”

5. Leadership Essentials Effective Leaders… • Remain true to core values – even if the “customer” is not always happy. • Seek to understand the antecedents of excellence. • Strive for enduring impact – what people do even when they are not being told to do so. • Must be both general and soldier

6. Forces of Leadership • Technical Force • Management, day-to-day functioning and operation. • Human Force • Human relations – tending to the needs of students and teachers. • Educational Force • Principal as “clinical practitioner” – expert professional knowledge regarding teaching, learning, & schooling. • Symbolic Force • Modeling important goals and behaviors. Providing a unified vision for the school in words and actions.

7. Forces of Leadership • Cultural Force • Bonding students, teachers, and others together and binding them to the work of the school as believers. Development of habits, norms, expectations, and shared assumptions that guide “how we do things here.”

8. School Culture How we do things around here… • What is important here? • What do we believe in? • Why do we function the way we do? • How are we unique? • How do I fit into the scheme of things?

9. School Culture Culture Norms That Affect School Improvement • Collegiality – Professional Collaboration • Experimentation • High Expectations – Students & Teachers • Trust & Confidence • Tangible Support of Teaching & Learning • Reaching Out to Knowledge Base – Data, Professional Development • Appreciation & Recognition

10. School Culture Culture Norms That Affect School Improvement Continued… • Caring, Celebration, & Humor • Involvement in Decision Making • Protection of What’s Important – Schools goals and priorities • Honest, Open Communication From Countdown to the Principalship School Culture Survey - Discussion

11. Our Vision at OJRMS - PRIDE Promoting a caring environment I will treat others as I wish to be treated. I will be nonjudgmental of others’ opinions and differences. I will stand up for what is right. Responsible for our learning I will always put forth my best effort. I will contribute to a classroom environment that supports everyone’s learning. I will ask for help when I need it. Interacting collaboratively I will contribute positively toward a common goal. I will value the input of my peers. I will support the members of my team. Devoted to challenging our minds I will persevere when my learning activities are difficult. I will work to my highest potential and not take the easy way out. I will welcome new challenges and stretch my thinking. Excellence in all that we do I will set high and attainable goals for myself. I will strive to produce quality work of which I can be proud. I will work to make everyday a great day.

12. The “Dark Side” of School Culture “A coherent statement of who we are makes it harder for us to become something else.” -Weick, 1985

13. Stages of Leadership • Bartering (Push) Principals and teachers strike a bargain – give to get • Building (Support) Emphasis on teachers feeling personal fulfillment • Bonding (Inspire) Principals and teachers sharing a set of values – mutual caring and interdependence. Emphasis shifts from what principal wants to obligations that we feel towards one another. • Binding (Sustain) Moral authority…self-managing

14. Sources of Authority • Bureaucratic (Rules) Direct supervision and monitoring – “Expect & Inspect” • Personal (Relationships) Congeniality between teachers and supervisors – “Expect & Reward” • Moral Respond to shared commitments to values and to one another “True leadership only exists if people follow when they have the freedom not to.”Jim Collins

15. Change Theory “As lifelong learners, there is always distance between our achievement today and our potential tomorrow.” • Continuous Improvement – Good to Great “Change is sometimes desirable, often necessary, but always inevitable.”

16. Change Theory When thinking about change, principals need to understand… • Change, like life, is difficult. • Some will say change is unnecessary, others that it is not possible. • Change will make people uncomfortable. • Some decisions are ALWAYS going to be unpopular. • Consensus is not always best – or possible. • Be able to admit that you were wrong. • Celebrate small wins. • “The Last Ten Minutes”

17. Change Theory Ready, Fire, Aim! • Relationships First – Going too slow/too fast • Entry Plan – Assessing culture, listening, engaging • Implementation Dip – Building Capacity • Persistence with Flexibility – Never Stray from Core • Fat Plans – Keep It Simple • Behavior Before Beliefs • Seeing is Believing… • Communication

18. Change Theory • Learn From One Another • Provide an opportunity for teachers to hear from and to learn from each other • Take Risks – and Learn • It’s Okay To Be Assertive • Leadership is a mixture of AUTHORITY & DEMOCRACY. • Leaders can be assertive when… • Good relationships exist • They are knowledgeable – have a good idea • They empower others

19. The Skinny on Change According to Fullan… • To get anywhere, you have to do something. • In doing something, you will need to focus on developing skills. • Acquisition of skills increases clarity. • Clarity results in ownership. • Doing this together with others generates shared ownership. • Persist no matter what. Resilience is your best friend.