Phase One of Instructional Leadership

Phase One of Instructional Leadership

  1. The Instructional Leader is on who is very capable of setting goals for student learning; goals that are achievable and realistic. Leaders can do this by understanding their curriculum, providing the appropriate resources to support that curriculum, and understanding the historical data for the community they serve.  
  2. The Instructional Leader knows how to employee staff that supports the goals they are trying to accomplish. They employee teachers who are dedicated to teaching students, who are willing to work tirelessly for the cause, who understand the psychology of teaching and learning, teachers who believe in second chances for students, who understand how to differentiate the instruction, and teachers who work hard but smart.
  3. The Instructional Leader sets the foundation for the school by: creating procedures and processes for every situation that might arise. Procedures serve as the foundation for any organization. A good school-wide discipline plan is an exceptional way to provide needed structure for schools. Set procedures for grades, homework, attendance, assessments, parent communication, and any other area that might become an area of concern for the staff and students during the school year. Harry Wong’s book, “The First Days of School” can be helpful to leaders as they set the foundation for schools.
  4. The Instructional Leader is an exceptional communicator. Communication is the most important part of leadership in any organization. Make sure that all communication begins at the top and is monitored for compliance. Therefore, the first month of school should be designed to set the foundation for the remainder of the year; to communicate those processes and procedures clear and often; to practice and reinforce those processes until they become habit.  Inspect what you expect. Now, it is time to move to the next phase.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer Leadership – What principals should do during the summer? Part 2

Image
What is the work for next year? Before beginning the planning process for the next year, principals should spend time reviewing what happened during the year that ended. They should begin with registration of the previous year and go through school closing at the end of the year.  Take a minute to write down each activity, each program, each strategy that was implemented and review how to make those processes better, what you might want to add for the next year, and who will be responsible for each of those areas. After completing this written activity, take each activity; strategy, and program develop a short-term plan as to how it can be better and more effective for the upcoming school year. Review the materials, textbooks, supplies, and equipment and place orders as needed to replace broken items, order additional for possible new students,, and make sure teachers have the supplies they need to begin the year. Remember to review your operational processes: fire and tornado dr...
Read more

What Should You Focus Your Attention On Between October - December

Image
What should school administrator’s focus on between October and December to impact the classroom-learning environment in a positive manner? Complete multiple 3-5 minute focus walks in classrooms. These walks are designed to target specific areas of teaching and give teachers immediate feedback. The following should be among the things administrators should assess during these walks. Time on task and transition – teachers should have all materials laid out and ready to go before class begins. There should be little time spent getting settled and ready for the days lesson. Class procedures – students should know the procedure of the classroom and should walk in understanding what they should do to get prepared for learning. Few to no questions on procedures should be asked at this time. Check the lesson plan – teachers should be teaching from a planned, organized set of standards, with activities and assessments outlined. Lesson – if administrators come in at the beginning of...
Read more

Spending Tax Dollars On A System That Is Not Producing

Image
1983, President Ronald Reagan commissioned a study of education called, “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform”. This report cited dismal effects for future growth in closing the gap of student achievement between poor and middle-class Americans.  The authors of this study began from the assumption that public schools were failing and since education is function of the state and not the federal government, who are we to offer suggestions on how to fix the failing schools.  Due to the lack of improvement in education, President Regan cut many of the funds previously allocated to schools. His belief was if the money is not helpful, there is no need to spend so much money. Even though there was a substantial cut in funds, President Reagan did keep all the programs in place, simply cutting back on staff to implement the programs. There was no difference in the achievement levels after Reagan cut the funding than it was before. Why continue to spend ta...
Read more