To bring a change in education we need leaders to be ambitious, inspirational, transformative and visionary. Leaders who consider bringing hope and empowerment to create a fair social society have to work within a political and bureaucratic system of the 21st century (Shields 2010). There is a vast amount of literature available regarding leadership in education, in term of policies and roles of leadership in schools (Gunter 2009). Gunter (2009) believes leadership in education lies within four different positions e.g. critical, humanistic, instrumental and scientific.
Instrumental and Scientific leadership position in educational settings is very closely linked. The education reform act introduced in 1988, the reform focused heavily on management
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There is a clear difference between transaction, transformative and transformational leadership. Transformational leadership has the potential to satisfy the academics and the social justice to meet the complexity of diverse society and our education system by challenging inappropriate use of power in search to create equality and justice society rather than inequality and injustice, whereas transaction leadership foundations are based on a mutual agreement of exchange between leadership and other organisational members and transformational leadership focuses on improving process, organisational functions to improve effectiveness and outcomes (Gunter 2009 and Shields …show more content…
Transactional and transformational leadership looks to bring a change without considering social transformation hence transformative leadership shows a strong connection in educational leadership within the society it serves (Shields 2010). Inclusive leadership to create a learning environment for all is part of transformative leadership. Over the years, there have been several studies on transformative leadership but their definition of transformative leadership varies in its meaning (Shields 2010, Theoharis 2007, Liou and Hermanns 2017). The aim of the school leader is to offer inclusive leadership, which looks to eliminate social exclusion, social class, ethnicity, religion, gender, and ability (Vitello and Mithaug 1998) and democratically linked to transformative leadership. According to UNESCO (1994) the most effective way of eliminating discrimination, attitudes, building an inclusive society, and inclusive education is to build an inclusive orientated schools. Transformative leaders will consider diversity and will look to appoint leaders as part of leadership team from diverse backgrounds and will look to have male and female
In today’s highly litigious society it is of utmost importance for an education leader to have a good understanding of rules and regulations pertaining to the field of education. Knowledge of constitutional provisions and a handle on up to date local, state and federal requirements is a must for someone in educational leadership role. The nature of the population we serve is changing continuously. Educators need to be mindful of the rights of people protected by the constitution and make an effort to develop policies designed to protect those rights.
The Transformational Leadership theory states that this process is by which a person interacts with others and can create a solid relationship that results in a high percentage of trust, that will later result in an increase of motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, in both leaders and follower. Rules and regulations are flexible, guided by group norms. These attributes provide a sense of belonging for the followers as they can easily identify with the leader and its purpose. There are certain skills a leader must acquire to lead and delegate properly. Respect is one thing that must be displayed, just because one is a leader it does not mean they have all the power and authority over any individual.
Two of the theories of leadership are transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership is setting clear expectations of an individual and using rewards or punishment to achieve results, while transformational leadership is identifying the need for change and trying to achieve the change. Two Canadian public administrative leaders who show these leadership skills were Tommy Douglas and Sir George Arthur French. Tommy Douglas was able to show transformational leadership through creating healthcare, Canada-wide pension plan and bargaining rights for civil servants; while Sir George Arthur French was able to show transactional leadership by leading his men across western |Canada, and he showed transformation leadership by challenging the Canadian government. Tommy Douglas would have been seen as a great leader in the Behavioural Era due to his ability to identify the need for change and the betterment of society; however, he would have not been seen as a great leader in the Personality Era due to him alienating the Saskatchewan doctors in his healthcare implementation.
Over the past three decades’ educational leadership has been in search of ways to increase student literacy in urban middle schools in the southeast sections of the District of Columbia. The quest to closing achievement gaps in urban school districts have and will always be an on-going issue for educational leadership (Daly & Chrispells, 2008). Findings from research studies suggest that school leadership accounts for fully one quarter of total school effects on pupils, making it second only to classroom instruction among school-based factors affecting student achievement (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson & Wahlstrom, 2004). There are certain challenges that middle school principals face that pertain only to these middle school principals due to
As a leader, he/she should know how to communicate with the decision makers as well as with the families of the students, and his/her faculty and staff. With the growing diversity of students within our school and community, as an educational leader I will need to be able to understand the relationship between social justice, school culture, and the community. I will determine what opportunities are available within our community, discuss with the stakeholders our beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes that will shape and influence the way our school will be run. I will have to learn how to recognize the differences of
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP Transformational Leadership is defined as leadership style focused on effecting revolutionary change in organizations through a commitment to the organization’s vision. (Sullivan & Decker, 2001) Transformational leaders are usually given higher position and are known for their charismatic sense and ability to develop high visions and regards in the work they do. They often give their best performances due to the low morale or self esteem Example: Steve Job, Bill Gates and Ratan Tata. As the existentialist rightly said, we always have a choice, in doing what we already have done or doing that which we have never done.
Leadership is an innovative process that aligns professionals with a goal, objective or vision statement. Leadership is defined as emerging and supporting a vision for instructing by learning and communicating a visional statement effectively. Leadership exemplifies the art of leading others to deliberately create a result. In leadership, leaders display themselves as a guiding tool for others in this case for teachers. In leadership, it is important that leaders coordinate the effective management of resources, namely time, material and people, to ensure that they are conveying an effective teaching and learning environment.
Leaders have a deeper understanding and influence on schools by providing comprehensive leadership that targets and extends high standards. Another purpose is social responsibility and making a difference in children’s lives. Educational leaders of change focus on developing teachers both individually and collectively, school climate, parent and community ties (Fullan, 2015). Equally important, a change leader needs to close the achievement gap between high and low-performance schools. Change Leaders need to be: Engage, and practice Coherence: building relationships, and diverse knowledge
Leadership is a process of interactions between leader and other staff, where a leader is as a guidance that inspires other staff with vision (Marquis & Houston, 2012). A well known type of leadership theory are transformational leadership which were said has a positive
Transformational Approach Transformational leadership style work towards high levels of communication from a management to meet goals. Leaders are meant to motivate employees and augment productivity and efficiency through communication and high visibility. This style of leadership really does need the involvement of management to meet goals. Leaders focus on the big picture within an organization and delegate smaller tasks to the team to accomplish goals. Transformational leadership proves to be efficient not only in business, but in all other sectors where it is used.
Reflective Journal Leadership, Professional Knowledge and Ethical Practice What is one prevalent issue in early childhood education today? Explain both sides of the debate regarding this time. When I begin teaching at Head Start 18 years ago I only needed a high school diploma.
(2010: 16) claim, ‘There is a connection between the increased distribution of leadership roles and responsibilities and the improvement of pupil outcomes.’ Distributed leadership has become an intentional practice and one that is promoted to improve schools. (Lumby, 2013, 583). Distributed leadership creates broader opportunities for everyone. This implies that the opportunities are open to all.
As a result leaders, teacher leaders and teacher would be offered more opportunities to undertake responsibilities to implement education
Leadership is a construct that stretches across every aspect of life. Within the educational system, the majority of decisions about schools are made by upper administration at both the state and district level. High-stakes testing, unfunded educational mandates, and tight budgets have been guiding administrators to make extensive, critical, and impactful decisions in districts, at times, without input from essential stakeholders such as teachers. McCombs and Miller (2009) described results in the following way, “what began as an effort to create a culture of achievement for all has resulted instead in a culture in which achievement has been subverted, leaving teacher and school leaders weary and demoralized” (p. 13). This type of culture
The next section examines research-based realizations of empowering teachers as leaders, looking at barriers and