Philosophy of Educational Leadership

I consider the superintendent the educational leader of the district. I believe that it is important that my philosophy of educational leadership is in line with the district’s philosophy.  My values, purpose and passion drive my actions as an educational leader.

My core values guide everything I do. I will not do anything which contradicts these values. I agree with the African proverb stating that it takes a village to raise a child and my actions will exemplify how much I value community partnerships and participation. I will be honest, fair, and respectful and will seek those values in others employed by the district. I believe that a safe and welcoming environment is an essential element for learning. As a life-long learner, I value education and the pursuit of excellence. The district’s vision, mission and goals should reflect the priorities and beliefs of the greater community and there should be ongoing community involvement in the continuous improvement of the district.

I believe in starting with the end in mind. The superintendent of the school district must have a strong purpose. Ideally that purpose should align with the district’s vision, mission, and goals. The school community must provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students, staff, and stakeholders. I list this purpose first because students won’t learn if they don't feel safe. Student learning is the primary purpose of my leadership. Students reaching their full potential academically, socially, and emotionally propels my leadership decisions and actions. In order to promote this learning, a superintendent must orchestrate effective and efficient operations.

I am passionate about education. Continuous improvement is possible with good leadership. The district needs to use data driven decision-making, differentiation in the classroom, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) along with rigorous and relevant instruction. Additionally the co-curricular and extracurricular activities offer students opportunities to discover their passions, strengths and learn life skills. Helping children to understand that they are the authors of their own story and to empower them to make their stories magnificent is my passion.   

My leadership style depends on the situation. I have heard my style referred to as situational leadership. There are times that I need to be very directive/authoritative. This style is probably my least favorite to operate in, but there are times such as when an employee is new and is learning policies and procedures or when a veteran employee purposefully ignores expectations that I use this style. I generally operate under a servant leadership philosophy. A servant leadership style allows me to support the staff and students so that they can focus on teaching and learning. Another style I am starting to use more and value is that of coaching. I find that frequent brief observations facilitate some meaningful dialogue which has lead to professional development on the part of the educator (and often the administrator).  PLCs have added a new dynamic to leadership. When teachers are working together toward smart goals in their PLC, the members have invested their time and energy and a violation of the collective commitments becomes personal to the members of the PLC. In this situation, I can be the promoter and protector of the mission, vision, values, and goals which the PLC members have declared important.

I work hard to operate in the leadership style appropriate for the situation and I use reflection to analyze how to improve as a leader for future opportunities. In the past, I have used the authoritative leadership style to work through the most difficult personal problem I have faced. There was a special education teacher who prioritized the coaching which he did after school much more than the teaching he was supposed to be doing during the work day. His teaching, student outcomes, and Individual Education Plan (IEP) paperwork gave evidence to his priorities. This situation was especially difficult because the teacher did not see a problem with his teaching and fought the need for improvement. I collaborated with the building principal to develop an improvement plan for the teacher. The teacher begrudgingly did what he needed to do in accordance with the improvement plan. His teaching improved, but left plenty of room for further improvement. In the end, he was able to secure a position outside of my district and I was able to hire a hard-working, motivated teacher.

As the superintendent, I will: