What is Leadership?

EDL 5200: Leadership Paper

Compose a complete paper using 7th Edition APA format with a minimum of 15 peer-reviewed journals. Sources cannot be older than 10 years, preferably 5 years. You can access the NSU library to locate articles for this paper. Begin your paper with a clear definition of leadership. Next focus on how school leaders become empowered. How do school leaders become savvy enough to not only build capacity within their school, but also to impact the school community as a whole? Think of the current state of education and address the second component of the empowered principal component with a focus on schooling during and post Covid. Discuss the concept of a good school. What is a good school? Finally, reflect on how your perceptions of yourself as an empowered principal leading a good school. Describe what this school will look like. Be sure to attempt to address all components within each subheading. A rubric will be used to score this paper. The rubric will be posted on Moodle later this week.

The Empowered Principal – Part 1

If it’s true, as Simon Sinek says, that leadership is a way of thinking and a way of acting, what do effective school principals look like in action—and how do they get that way? What training, system supports, and school structures help principals feel empowered, capable of leading schoolwide instruction, and equipped to create thriving learning environments? How can we strengthen school leadership pipelines, build capacity, and support principals at all career stages? How school colleges and universities assist school districts in developing empowered school leaders? How can instructional leaders/school principals continue to develop through professional development? What are the professional development needs of leaders?

The Empowered Principal – Part 2

Simon Sinek says that leadership is a way of thinking and a way of acting, what do effective school principals look like in action and how do they get that way? Think about the leadership styles and behaviors that we learned about throughout the semester. Also, consider the challenges that principals will have to address over the next few weeks and months. What training, system supports, and school structures help principals feel empowered, capable of leading schoolwide instruction, and equipped to create thriving learning environments? Will these be sufficient as they navigate strategies for leading schools once we return to a state of normalcy post COVID-19? How important will time management become? How will principals create a work-life balance? What will and what should be the principals most significant priorities for the upcoming school year? Should school districts rethink school start times, reconfigure the school year, etc. to create healthy environments? Should social distancing practices be considered? If so, how? How can we incorporate strategies to keep all students, faculty, etc. safe?

What is a good school?

Americans have become increasingly skeptical of the simplistic idea that the higher the student test scores, the “better” the school. Under No Child Left Behind, the public was encouraged also to consider factors such as subgroup performance, graduation rates, and test score improvement over time. And under the Every Student Succeeds Act, many states and districts have expanded their accountability systems to include school climate, student attendance, and other new indicators of school quality. But what else shapes (or should shape) the public’s image of a good school? Are test scores the most valid metric to use in determining what makes a good school? What are the assumptions and implications about race, wealth, and school quality; what it takes for a school to shake off a bad reputation, and what other factors (e.g., moral integrity, community engagement, counseling services) should be incorporated into definitions of school quality? In the midst of a pandemic, how have the qualities of a good school changed?

Equity in Action

As we consider the qualities of a good school, consider the role of school leaders in creating equitable spaces for all students. The final component of this paper is to address equity and equality in schools especially as it relates to non-White, African-American, Hispanic, or black indigenous people of color (BIPOC), also include Native American students in this discussion as these students are often underrepresented in such discussions.

Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” We know what the data says about inequities in education – now we need to do better. How do educators actually change their practices to be more equitable? Considering the pandemic, we are now facing, how can educators support those students who did not have access to technology to continue learning? How can school leaders help to unpack the biases and legacy policies that have shaped everything in education from pedagogy to curriculum to assessments to relationships and expectations to support all students and offer real and practical ways to take action at the school and classroom level. What strategic steps will have to be put in place to improve learning opportunities and support for all students once schools are reopened? Consider those students who are going to be impacted greatest from school closures. Students in poor, minority, non-English speaking, rural communities, etc. Students who have limited or no access to technology to participate in virtual learning.