E. Political Influence and Governance

  1. Exhibit an understanding of school districts as a political system, including governance models;
  2. Demonstrate the ability to involve stakeholders in the development of educational policy;
  3. Understand the role and coordination of social agencies and human services;
  4. Demonstrate the ability to align constituencies in support of priorities and build coalitions for programmatic and financial support.

Reflection

Working in an educational environment is all about political decision making process, whether it is working with legislature to help fund the institution in various regards, or just trying to internally get a project approved that a certain party (i.e. faculty, students, cabinet, etc.) may oppose. I have experience getting various areas or stakeholders of our college on board for projects, working transparently to build support. I also work cross-functionally with differing areas of the college and finalize by getting executive support and financial backing.

From a K-12 standpoint, I watched some school board meetings where they use that platform to gain community involvement. The process is quite interesting and I would consider running for school board in the future, I figure what a great way to truly learn and understand the system from the inside.