Quality in Education

My wife and I have gotten in the habit of enjoying warm summer nights on our deck reading and winding down from the day. After a fair amount of ribbing from her about my choice of  “summer” reading material, I chose to set down The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey and picked up a copy of “Men’s Health” magazine (a gift subscription from her as her subtle form of setting and communicating direction for me . . .) I found an article in the magazine which I thought related quite well to Continuous Improvement. Below are the five qualities of a successful leader (with my definitions) the author wrote about:

• Ambition - aspiring to reach adn exceed out goals.
• Intuition - knowing the probable impact of our actions before we act.
• Courage - being able to face difficulty and uncertainty without faltering.
• Focus - maintaining sharp concentratino on intended goals.
• Leadership - possessing the skill of setting and communicating common direstion.

The above qualitites are described in the article as the keys to success for 5 different businessmen. If you would like to read The Pillars of Success by Mike Zimmerman, I included the link below. However, I chose to only skim the text of the article because the 5 qualities listed above jumped out at me as being the same things that we as educators must possess in order to effectively meet the challenge of successfully transforming our schools and classrooms. At the same time, these qualities are what we must be instilling in our students as we charge them with being successful in the face of all the challenges they will likely encounter.
Men's Health  http://www.menshealth.com/cda/homepage.do
The Pillars of Success by  Mike Zimmerman

Paul

Posted by Becky Martin at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the top of the list of characteristics of effective leaders is the concept of vision.  It is referred to by many descriptors including clear and shared focus, moral purpose, and core values.  This idea is at the top of the list in research of effective business communities as well as education.  A vision is a picture of the future. It defines what we want to become. It is the basis for decision-making. In a previous blog by Jay Marino, he shared the definition of clear and shared focus from a study in Washington State.

The description of "Clear and Shared Focus" reads "Everybody knows where they are going and why. The focus is on achieving a shared vision, and all understand their role in achieving the vision. The focus and vision are developed from common beliefs and values, creating a consistent direction for all involved."

Vision as explained in the book Failure is Not an Option, "It should provide a compelling sense of where the school is headed and, in broad terms, what must be accomplished in the future to fulfill the school's purpose.  every decision made, every program implemented, every policy instituted, and all goals should align with this vision."  Alan M. Blankstein, Failure is Not an Option

It seems to me the task of achieving a meaningful vision is three-fold: communicating the vision, achieving buy-in to the vision, alignment of efforts towards the vision. Research indicates that the key is in the clear communication of the vision. In order for others to believe and align there must be a clear picture of the vision.

A picture that includes/is:

• a definition
• an understanding of what the vision is and is not
• an image of what it looks like
• specific enough to be vivid
• inspiring and compelling
• adaptable enough for individuals to envision their contribution
• identification of the drivers and preventors of the vision

Does your district have a clear and shared focus or vision?

Apply this to the concept of visionary leadership.  How have you defined your vision? Do you lead with your vision?  Are your decisions based on your vision? Do you consider yourself a visionary leader in your school?  in your classroom?

Becky

Posted by Becky Martin at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As I prepare for the next level of professional development, I have been focusing on the issue of the teacher leader within the culture of continuous improvement and have found it to be a complex issue.  As I peel back the layers, I find not only the principles of leadership and but also the connection with varied roles of teacher leaders, the art of effective collaboration, the importance of professional development, and sustaining the culture of quality and continuous improvement.

I began my search looking for the common characteristics of effective leaders.  Much is written and there no shortage models for the role and responsibility of leadership that can be applied to education and found in the descriptions of effective and high performing schools.   I selected the research and work of Michel Collins, Robert Marzano, Stephen Covey, Jim Collins, and professional education organizations such as the Association for Curriculum and Development (ASCD).

At this point I have narrowed the list of common charactereistics of effective and visionary leaders of education to include:

• Vision/Moral Purpose/Core Values
• Organizational Meaning/Systems Thinking
• Culture
• Courage
• Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment
• Change Process
• Relationships
• Professional Development
• Modeling, ALigning, Empowering (Covey)

Have you defined the characteristics of effective and visionary leaders and/or the complex role teacher leaders play in the school?  Please join us the next weeks as we walk this path of leadership in a culture of continuous improvement.

A few of my resources:
Alan M. Blankstein, Failure is Not an Option
Jim Collins, Good to Great
Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The 8th Habit
Michael Fullan, Leading in a Culture of Change, The Moral Imperative of School Leadership
Robert Marzano,  Timothy Waters, Brian McNulty, School Leadership that Works from Research to Results

Becky

Posted by Becky Martin at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)