Education Leadership

As education leaders, we realize that we are only as good as the leadership team that we have around us. But how do you spot potential education leaders within your organization? We have a few thoughts on the matter. Let’s look at the characteristics of employees who would make great education leaders.

People trust them. As an education leader, you want to create a culture of trust, so you want the members of your leadership team to be trustworthy. Look for people who have the trust of not only people below them in the leadership hierarchy but also those above them. For instance, an effective teacher that avoids gossip, keeps their word, and respects the rules of confidentiality.

They are emotionally intelligent. You need someone who is even-keeled emotionally and can manage their emotions during a crisis or stressful situations. They are in tune with their own feelings and those of others, which leads to healthy working relationships. The ability to be emotionally intelligent and agile is a prerequisite for school leadership positions.

They have a unique skill set. You are looking for individuals who have amazing skills that either you are the rest of your leadership team lack. For instance, if your school is located in a city like Philadelphia, New York, or Los Angeles, having someone on your team that speaks multiple languages would be an asset.

They mentor colleagues. If you see employees mentoring other colleagues simply because they want to see them succeed, that is the sign of a potential leader. Since one of the primary jobs of a leader is to mentor subordinates when they become a part of your leadership team their ability to inspire and empower others will have a positive impact.

They make their boss look good. Potential leaders seek to protect the company’s reputation and work in it’s best interest. Their productivity and informal leadership make their boss look good. If they believe that their boss is about to make a huge mistake, they speak up and offer a better way.

They provide informal leadership during difficult times. You are looking for people who can be positive influences during times of crisis and difficulty. Instead of complaining, they use their expertise and influence to help their bosses right the ship.

They are proactive. The informal leaders that you want to elevate to your leadership team are proactive. When they see a potential problem, they create solutions. They don’t need to be told to do this, it just comes naturally.

What did we miss? What are some additional ways to spot potential education leaders within your school district?

Back when I was a special education teacher, my principal ended up losing her mother and father in a car accident, all while she was going through chemotherapy and working feverishly to improve our school’s state test scores. Not only did she rise to the occasion, she exceeds expectations, beating cancer, and improving state test scores. Seeing here work 10-12-hour days with all of the challenges that she faced inspired everyone in the school building to dig deep and follow her lead.

My principal had a defining moment in leadership that revealed how resilient she could be. But that’s what effective leaders do. They turn their personal and career challenges into a source of strength and resilience. Therein lies the power of defining moments.

Defining moments help us find our life’s compass, which guides us successfully throughout our lives. Want to learn how to use your defining moments to make you a better school leader? Let’s look at the 3 steps that you need to follow.

Recognize. The first step is recognizing when you are experiencing a defining leadership moment. Start by reflecting on significant milestones that have occurred throughout your life. These include transitions, significant influences, challenges and pivotal events that changed and defined who you are today. Then we can begin to recognize that these major milestones and challenges were defining moments that helped us become resilient and build meaning in our lives.

Transform. Now moving forward, you have to decide how you will use defining moments in the future. Will you use them as an excuse to give up, or will you power through and use them to build resilience? Defining moments can have a positive or negative effect on our lives, but we get to choose. Most people will want to use them to fuel their desire to examine the past and work actively for a better future.

Disseminate. The last step in using defining moments to make you a better leader is by sharing your stories with others. How does that help? Many of your subordinates may find you intimidating, but when you share your defining moments and how you used them to become the person you are today, it will make you more relatable and inspirational. Also, talking our your journey can be cathartic for you, helping you to process the emotions that you felt, and find strength in your ability to stay resilient.

As we have discussed in this article, defining moments are what make school leaders great. If you follow the 3 steps that I outlined in this article, you will be able to use your defining moments to make you the best school leader that you can be. Do you have any tips for using pivotal moments to inspire future success? If so, post them in the comments section below.

American school boards are central to the successful operation of their school districts, but why are so many of them poorly trained and what can be done about this? Before we delve into this question, let’s discuss what a school board is and how it operates.

What is a local school board, and what does it do?

A school board is an administrative body that is responsible for the oversight of its school district, interpreting state regulations and setting similar policies for its district while creating strategic plans for the advancement of education in its district. The local school board represents the state in educational matters as well as advocates for the concerns and rights of the local citizenry.

Local school boards are also directly responsible for hiring school personnel, implementing programs, and evaluating the overall effectiveness of staff performance. They approve final budgets as well as the purchase of capital items. Furthermore, they are charged with the task of informing the public about issues and events that impact schools. Some local school boards even have the authority to increase their revenues by raising the taxes of the residents in their district.

Why are many school boards poorly trained?

As laid out by state law, members of the local school board are typically elected, although they can also be appointed by the mayor or a combination of both. Any interested adult can serve on a local school board: specific educational background or expertise is not a requirement.

Once appointed, members receive an orientation that usually amounts to one or two training sessions. Even if the training sessions were well constructed, members walk away thinking that they understand the PreK-12 education system and all of its nuances, but they do not. It takes most educators 10 years of in-service experience and an advanced degree to truly understand the complexities of the American education system. So why do we think a couple of training sessions will help school board members come up to speed?

Because of our inability to properly train school board members, our students suffer. Our schools are being micromanaged by incompetent school board members who interfere in educational matters best left to the discretion of the professional educators they have themselves hired. Due to a lack of training, their actions tend to be ineffective and hamper the educational progress of the schools and pupils under the board’s charge.

How should we prepare school board members?

The process of training school board members to serve is not as complicated as it seems. The effort school should be spearheaded by the school superintendent, even though the bulk of the work will be done by the director of professional learning and their staff. Here are the steps that you should follow.

1. Form a committee that consists of the superintendent, one or more school board members, the director of professional learning, an education leader, and a teacher.
2. Once you have a committee in place, set up a series of meetings that are meant to develop a professional development plan for school board members. My suggestion is that the curriculum should focus on essential skills, framed by critical questions. For example: How do school boards align mission and goals? How do they lead for performance and results? How do they strengthen governance capacity? Make sure that you develop a plan that provisions for the orientation and continuing education of board members.
3. After the professional development plan is created, have it approved by the school board and then get to work. Now the orientation and continuing education experience will be uniform for all board members you can be sure that they are prepared to lead your school district.

What did we miss? 

As leaders in the education arena, we take a leadership role with many stakeholders: teachers, students, parents, and the community. All of these people feel our presence as a leader in different ways—from the teachers who interact with us in the lounge or through classroom observations, to the students who might give us a high five in the hallway or dread coming to our office. Also, our leadership presence is felt by the parents and community members who see us greeting kids at the doorway or speaking at an assembly. 

I recently heard a leader comment to a teacher, “You may not like it, but you have to respect my position and authority.” This type of comment burns bridges instead of building them and decreases the positive presence of the leader. Instead of expecting respect because of the title or the position, work on increasing your leadership presence and inspire those you wish to lead to follow you regardless of the title. 

• Avoid power trips.

The difference between having a leadership title and having leadership presence is what Baldoni calls earned authority. A mistake that many leaders make is expecting, even demanding, respect because of the title. At the end of the day, the only real authority that you have as a leader is the authority that you earn. So, be humble about that nameplate on the office door. Alone, it is worth very little.

• Work alongside teachers, parents, and students to co-construct a vision for learning.

As leaders, we earn authority and develop presence through our daily interactions.  One of the best ways for a leader to develop presence and begin building authority in a school community is to work collaboratively to develop a vision for the school and set goals for what learning looks like. You aren’t a leader if no one follows you, so from the beginning, use words like “our” school, “our” vision, “our” community, and work with stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the future.

• Listen and talk with, not at, others.

Stephen Covey points out that listening and seeking to understand others is one of the core habits of highly effective individuals.  Listening and dialoguing with stakeholders is an essential skill for leaders in education.  Leaders must be willing to let down their guard, invite open dialogue, and truly listen to other stakeholders who are working toward the same goals for students.

• Prioritize your time and energy around things that matter most.

If you ask a school leader what matters most, the answer will likely have to do with the children—their learning, their growth.  But, many leaders spend more time each day dealing with administrative issues and “adult issues” than focusing on students and their learning.  Want to build respect and a positive presence with teachers who are on the front line in classrooms every day?  Devote more time to focusing on students and learning by being present where students are.  Informal visits to classrooms to engage with students as they learn or daily trips to talk with students in the cafeteria or at recess go a long way.

• Harness the conviction that the work is important.

Do you believe the work that you do every day as a school leader is important?  Is it critical?  Do you believe that what we do in schools has the power to change the trajectory of a life?  If you don’t believe those things, you might be in the wrong profession.  But, if you do believe those things, harness that conviction.  Share that conviction with your staff, with parents, with the community.  Let them all see your heart for kids and your belief in the life-changing power of education.  It is this conviction and heart for the work that will increase your presence.

• Realize the power of asking for input and feedback.

If you believe in building a collective vision and goals for the future, then you realize the importance of asking for input and feedback from stakeholders.  This goes along with seeking to understand.  When you don’t ask stakeholders for input or feedback, you send the message that you don’t understand, or care, about any concerns or ideas that they may have.  While it may seem counter-intuitive to allow your plans as a leader to be influenced by the ideas of others, building collective buy-in and inspiring others to follow begins with being open to their ideas so that you create a vision they will follow.

• Be willing to admit to a mistake.

This is harder for some leaders than others.  Some see admitting to a mistake as a sign of weakness; however, pretending that a mistake did not happen or blaming others when things go wrong is the quickest way to undermine your presence as a leader.  Being the leader is difficult, and at the end of the day, responsibility rests on your shoulders.  The best leaders realize that they build trust and inspire confidence when they can admit that they made a mistake—tried something that did not work, reacted out of emotion in a situation—are willing to apologize for the mistake, and can articulate a clear way forward.  It sends the message that we are human, but our characters are big enough to accept responsibility when we are wrong, and we care enough about our stakeholders to own our choices.

You may think that strong leaders are born, not made. True, some people are just more charismatic than others. But, good leaders know that their presence as a leader is not just about their innate personality. A leader’s presence is built a day at a time, and interaction by interaction. Increase your leadership presence by prioritizing things that matter most, working collaboratively with others, and making sure those around you know that you are more than a nameplate on the door.

As a leader in education, you know you have an important job, but at times it can be a very demanding and difficult job. Continue reading about our 11 Educational Leadership Secrets to help ease the burden of your multi-faceted position.

1. Forever Learning- As a member of the educational field, and more specifically, someone whose students, teachers, and colleagues look to for advice, you should model that you are always trying to improve. Go out and complete a continuing education course based on current research, bring it back to your team, and let the growth of your teachers and students flourish.
2. Positive School Culture- With everything that is happening in the world, it is important to portray and embody positivity in your educational leadership role. Professors at Northwestern University support the idea of an “ecosystem of experiences.” There is a reason that “school culture” has become a hot topic, and it is because if a positive environment is built in our schools, school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and even the community will be able to reap the benefits of the many positive experiences that happen in school.
3. Attainable Expectations- We have all had the educational leader who says, “this is what we are doing” but provides no guidance. This leads to confusion and frustration among everyone in the school. Instead, set clear goals with soft and hard deadlines for both individuals and groups within your school. Thomas Hoerr, the author of Principal Connections/Four Tips on Leading Adults, says clear expectations are a must because it allows everyone to be on the same page. Being a united team will allow you and your staff to complete goals in a more timely and efficient manner.
4. Put Your Foot Down- To go along with #3, there are always going to be people who don’t agree on any given policy or reform . In the education world, this tends to be because many teachers and staff are very passionate about what they think education should look like. If you feel strongly about a new grading policy or style of pedagogy, implement it! Put a clear plan into place, assign your staff roles, and have proper feedback mechanisms put in place. Thomas Hoerr put it best, “Particularly on important issues, if everyone is happy, chances are we aren’t doing our job.”
5. Listen to Teachers… and Students!- Now, this may seem like a direct opposition to #4, but indeed it is not. Teachers need guidance, but also want the chance to teach you, their principal! You can see this in the direct quotes from teachers in this “Dear School Leaders” article. When you actively listen to teachers and their positive ideas for school improvement, you might be surprised by what you learn! So approach your teachers with the idea that you want to hear positive discussions of ways to improve your school or community, and to leave the negative Nancy attitudes at the front doors.
6. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback- Feedback is arguably one of the most crucial components of education as a whole. Students need both positive feedback and critical criticism to truly complete the learning process, and the same is true for everyone in an educational environment. Be sure to provide feedback to your teachers on what they can improve upon, but also what they are doing well! Encourage your staff members to visit the classrooms of those teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Never underestimate the power of verbal or written encouragement to a teacher, most of the time, it is all they need to keep growing as an educator!
7. Open Door Policy- Just as you expect your staff to be open to your opinions about their work, you too need to be open to constructive criticism. In 2014, the website Cult of Pedagogy ran a survey of teachers where one of their findings was that “70 percent [of teachers] said they would not feel comfortable going to their principals with a concern about something the administrator had done.” This is an issue, because communication is a two-way street. All educational leaders can probably agree, that if they have done something wrong, they would want to know and correct the issue. This problem can easily be solved by using a survey where teachers can provide honest feedback, without fear of repercussions. You can find example feedback questions and prompts on the “Principals: Are you brave enough to ask for staff feedback” article on the Cult of Pedagogy website.
8. Communication is Key- One could argue that #7 could be avoidable with one simple step: clear and consistent communication. In today’s technological world, there is no excuse for lack of communication. A simple solution could be sending out weekly emails listing out the important events within the school and community. Or create a “Teacher of the Week” awards program so that teachers, administrators, and students can nominate someone who is creating a positive impact on your school. Most importantly of all, if there is a problem, be sure to communicate with the person(s) involved and provide clear expectations of how you want the problem solved.
9. It’s Always For the Students- Remember why you got into this field? Most likely, it was for those students who need you most. Even though you are no longer a teacher who sees the same students every day, you can still get to know each kid on a personal level. When they know that all of the adults in their school are there to support them, their learning experience will be that much more meaningful.
10. Check-In On Yourself- There is a lot to do. You have checklists galore, you want your staff to try this new platform, you need to send out all of those positive emails and notes, and overall you are swamped. Make sure you take a step back and allow yourself to reflect on how you are doing professionally. Are you setting and making progress towards the goals you set? Are you taking the time to do what you think is most important while being an educational leader? If not, do it! You got into this position for a reason, make sure you are being true to your inner educator!
11. It’s Okay, You Aren’t a SuperHero- Along with #10, guess what, you can’t do it all! And that is okay! You wear many hats in one day, and you are doing your best. On the days where all you can think about is criticism and negativity do as Tom Vander Ark says, “Take care of your family” and yourself because if you are burnt out, it will show. When you put your needs first, it will allow you to better serve all of those that matter most.

Here is to hoping you read about a tip or trick that you can take back to your school to make your year as an educational leader run a little smoother, while also benefiting everyone around you!