Sound Decision Making (Day 5)

Day 5 of my month of blog-a-day (Spilling Ink http://tinyurl.com/nc7gg3) continues with answering the following job application question: Describe the knowledge, skills, and qualities one should embody to be an effective educational leader.

... Of the dozens of skills used in any given week by the leader of a school there are three main categories that will make that leader more effective.

•  Sound Decision Making
•  Regular, Two-way Communication
•  Fostering Relationships

An effective educational leader needs to keep two principles in mind while making decisions. First, the process used to make any decision needs to be based on an explicit, usually inclusive, process. It helps to tell the staff exactly what kind of decision the leader is about to make: the principal could be delegating or facilitating or collaborating on a staff driven decision, the principal could be consulting before a decision is reached or testing a preliminary decision, finally, the principal must sometimes directly make a decision with little or no input. This structure of decision making (and associated staff roles) is one that I use with the staff when working on a large decision for the school. I have a chart posted in my office and bring a copy to the Faculty Advisory Committee meetings. I seek to make very few decisions without an explicit, inclusive process. ...


As always, your comments will earn you points!

5 down, 25 to go.

This Principal needs a PLN (Day 4)

Day 4 of my month of blog-a-day (Spilling Ink http://tinyurl.com/nc7gg3) continues with answering the following job application question: Describe the knowledge, skills, and qualities one should embody to be an effective educational leader.

... With all of this knowledge comes the realization that even the most veteran principal cannot know everything and must know how to find information and create knowledge. The best source of information is the expertise of the staff in the building. An effective educational leader models lifelong learning by engaging in professional development with and by the teachers. I attend as many of the teacher-taught sessions as I can, including Reader’s Workshop, Read Naturally, and Tips for Teaching Basic Math Skills during the last couple of years. In the last year, I have grown my own Personal Learning Network. I have never met most of my PLN face to face, but we exchange teaching and leading tips and opinions about ideas in education - all online. My PLN has provided some of the best informal professional development I’ve yet encountered. Gaining all of this knowledge is very important; knowing what to do with all the information, a foundation of strong skills, is even more so. ...


Your comment and feedback would be awesome.

4 down, 26 to go.

Law, Budget, and Discipline (Day 3)

Day 3 of my month of blog-a-day (Spilling Ink http://tinyurl.com/nc7gg3) continues with answering the following job application question: Describe the knowledge, skills, and qualities one should embody to be an effective educational leader.

... A principal needs to know many aspects of the law as it relates to student records, special education, and student discipline. I have attended trainings and workshops, and I know when to ask the Superintendent and Director of Special Education for advice or review. Only with proper knowledge of budget management, can an educational leader also be the manager that he needs to be. I am very proud of the group effort that has gone into creating and maintaining the budget in the last few years. From starting with a needs-based proposal to creating a fair process for the inevitable reductions, I have managed several budgets that support the core program even in difficult financial times. For the past seven years, I have been the lead disciplinarian with a fair and firm policy. My experiences include handling running in the halls, antics in the cafeteria, bullying, harassment, and more. Of course, a thorough understanding of such areas as the health office, the kitchen, the school bus, the boiler, and the custodian’s closet comes in handy from time to time. ...


I would love to know what you think, please add a comment.

3 down, 27 to go.

A Good Principal Needs to Know Pedagogy (Day 2)

Day 2 of my month of blog-a-day (Spilling Ink http://tinyurl.com/nc7gg3) continues with answering the following job application question: Describe the knowledge, skills, and qualities one should embody to be an effective educational leader.

...  The most important knowledge for an effective educational leader is the insight that he doesn’t know it all. Of course, it is vital that the leader know the best pedagogical practices of a vibrant learning environment such as differentiating instruction, creating hands-on activities, and designing interdisciplinary units that complement state and local standards. When I taught seventh grade social studies, I created a learning environment that was engaging and differentiated. My lessons often allowed for a layered approach or a hands-on style to help all types of learners. My four-teacher team created engaging interdisciplinary units. I have studied and led study-groups of Turning Points 2000 (Jackson and Davis, 2000) to increase my understanding of the best practices of middle school. As an administrator, I have had the opportunity to create a mental catalog of the skills of dozens of fantastic teachers. While pedagogy comes closest to the core of what an educational leader needs to know, there is also much practical knowledge required.  ...

If you have a comment about pedagogy or what a principal needs to know, please leave a note here. Thank you.

2 down, 28 to go.

Spilling Ink: Day 1 & To Be An Effective Leader

On Monday, May 31, Melinda Miller (@mmiller7571) retweeted the following:
“@teachergirl89: "Spilling Ink" challenge... blogging every day in June...Who's up for it? http://tinyurl.com/nc7gg3” anyone?“

Well, I told Melinda that I would if she would and she told me that she would if I would. So, I guess that settles it. We both will.

I’ve decided to start my month of blog-a-day by answering the following job application question that I recently wrote. Here is part one:
Describe the knowledge, skills, and qualities one should embody to be an effective educational leader.

Being an effective educational leader requires a complex set of knowledge, skills, and qualities. There is a temptation to think that the principal must know it all, be able to do it all, and be everything to everyone. While this is not possible, the effective educational leader must never stop acquiring knowledge; the principal must use that knowledge with a variety of skills to create the conditions for learning; and the effective educational leader must embody a diverse set of qualities so that his vision is inclusive and attainable. Effective educational leadership starts with a wide-ranging knowledge.
...

Tune in tomorrow for more about the knowledge that an effective educational leader needs.

As always, I would love to hear your comments.

1 down, 29 to go.