Essay on "Leadership and School Management"

Essay 10 pages (2854 words) Sources: 5 Style: Harvard

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Educational Leadership Issues

Leadership and Management in Education;

That schools in the United States in particular have generally experienced a decline in standards, in performance and in personnel commitment is evidenced throughout the field. To many theorists in the last decade, this is indicative of a core problem relating to the orientation and distribution of leadership. Overly centralized ways of designing curriculum, of engaging students and of evaluating performance of teachers and students, some will argue has had the impact of disassociating school leadership from the environment which it impacts. This is why "in the view of many analysts, the task of transforming a school is too complex for one person to accomplish alone. Consequently, a new model of leadership is developing." (Lashway, 6)

The leadership of the school administration or principalship is often looked upon as the sole determining factoring the curricular standardization and approach which pervades a learning institution. As the Davies & Davies text reveals, the perceived singularity of this leadership is both a product of a fundamental misapprehension of the opportunities for in-school leadership and may be a contributor to a negative educational experience all around. At the heart of this primary text on educational leadership is the notion that too much vested authority in this position will tend to create what he refers to as a 'wall,' which reinforces an improper notion that administration exists above principalship and teaching on a hierarchical scale. A perception which may be shared by all parties, it is likely to cause an improperly aloof administrative approach to leadership which is more dominated by bureaucracy than a true and inquiring interest in the improvement of education. Equally as destructive, such an attitude imperils the security of the teaching faculty, which tends to respond to being undervalued with resentment, occupational antipathy and diminished morale. This is why it has become increasingly imperative for the discussion on educational leadership to revolve on both distinguishing from one another and finding balance between the concepts of management and leadership.

To the point, according to the Davies & Davies text, there is a critical shortcoming in many educational contexts where the emphasis appears to be on test scores and other such quantitative indicators of effectiveness. This is because the demand to refine leadership approaches at the administrative, principal and educator levels is often left unrealized in this scenario, meaning that many intended curricular and logistical improvements are not critically sustainable. Accordingly, the text argues "that renewed attention needs to be paid to the strategic dimension of leadership to ensure this sustainability." (Davies & Davies, 10) it is within the framework of this understanding that we are given a clearer impression of that which is meant by differentiating leadership and management.

Where school administration or oversight is concerned, the primary text makes a refined argument in favor of an approach which combines significant elements of both concepts. In terms of both the structural importance of one's role as a leader in whom accountability, decision-making and organizational stewardship are placed and one's role as a manager, in whom the tasks of daily oversight, responsibility delegation and implementation of vision are vested, we find that these are complimentary rather than identical concepts. To the point, Davies & Davies identify the value in integrating the two forms in some balance, telling that "much of the orthodox perspective of leadership development suggests that new leaders tend first to address current administrative and managerial issues to build confidence and organizational ability before moving to a more strategic and futures activity... what is needed is a concurrent or parallel view of leadership development in which leaders not only improve on the 'now' of school improvement but concurrently build strategic capability within the school." (Davies & Davies, 10)

This is to denote a focus on extending the reach of leadership in such a manner as to promote consistency and clarity of mission. To paraphrase that which is proposed by Davies & Davies, leadership should be understood at its most basic as descending from a leader who provides a vision and offers positive example in guiding the organization and its members thereto. Management is the more concretely defined assumption of authority and administrative delegation in the operational aspects of an organization. In a school, there must be many individuals who meet the implications of both. This means that many of the traditional emphases on highly centralized leadership and hierarchical structuring are being supplanted by more organizationally sound approaches.

To this end, the underlying theoretical presumption that renewed approaches to leadership will ultimately produce positive performance outcomes for a school is underscored by heretofore existent positive evidence as to the impact of effective leadership overall as a determinant of student outcomes. According to Spillane (2003), "over the past few decades researchers have consistently reported that school leadership, principal leadership in particular, is critical in developing and sustaining those school-level conditions believed essential for instructional improvement." (Spillane, 343)

In the context where I work, this has proven true, as we have worked collectively to approach education from a standpoint of shared responsibility. The private all-girls school is a uniquely advantageous context insofar as we often have the resource and curricular freedom to be more flexible in making structural changes. Indeed, this is a counterpart to the circumstance which is described by the primary text. Here, it is denoted that "the confluence of forces pressing on schools during this period resulted in a combination of heightened expectations for improved student performance, highly aggressive state and national policies for holding schools much more publicly accountable for such improvement, and diminished financial resources." (Davies & Davies, 34) This means that the ability of a leader, from any position within the school, will hinge considerably on this person's wherewithal to choose with pragmatism and flexibility the appropriate form which leadership strategy should take. At our school, this has been the case, and to the advantage of students.

The administration and principal work closely with one another to define procedures, policies, limitations and latitudes as they will effect teachers, faculty, students and the leaders themselves. Once defined, responsibilities to this structure and delegated and various leadership roles are filled in different ways at every level of the school. Teachers are not considered lower in a hierarchy but are considered leaders in shaping the use of curriculum and classroom time in ways that achieve core educational goals. This speaks to the concept of our leaders serving as managers, for whom sustainable success is only possible through the best possible training, coordination and independent skill of organizational members, in this case the teachers.

Both within and without the context of our school, there are myriad political aspects of teaching which tend also to differentiate these practical managerial functions from leadership roles which are quite often shaped by larger systemic forces. This points to the distinction in leadership accountability implied by those at positions with the greatest range of responsibilities.

Such is to say that a core reality impacting educational leadership at the superintendent and administration level, and to a real extent the principalship as well, is the impingement of the political upon the fulfillment of one's practical responsibilities, making it often challenging to work in an environment where one's hands are tied both by the challenges inherent to improvement of troubled school districts and the requirement to answer to various stakeholders such as teachers, parents, communities and local public officials. With the difficulties of resolving budget controversies, contending with myriad resource shortfalls and enduring a federal economic perspective toward education that has been inconsistent at best, criminally negligent at worst, in recent years, the educational leader must sometimes make decisions which are responsible but reprehensible to those without a full appreciation for the centricity required of the position.

It is therefore incumbent upon the effective educational leader to outwardly pursue a leadership role that is politically savvy while remaining steadfast in the managerial soundness of the approach taken to maintaining and improving the school district or state system in its day-to-day operational practicalities. This means that a truly effective approach to leadership in a school such as ours is one which employs pragmatism in selecting strategic orientation. The intercession of sound leadership and managerial principals will help to promote a system which is both stable and sustainable, with the intended outcome being the better achievement of educational goals and the improvement teaching strategies.

Forms of Leadership

As the nature of education changes and evolves, so too does the role of leadership and that which is implied by it. In many ways though, there remains a great philosophical divide on how educational leadership is to be pursued. To the perspective of this discussion, this divide is based on varying conceptions of how leadership and education might best be integrated for practical roles. In this regard, we will consider the role of the principal as the chief leader in the context of the individual school, particularly as this is the case with the school where… READ MORE

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