An Introduction to Educational Leadership
Thankfully, when I first came to the central office, it was during the summer. Those couple of summer months provided me with valuable time to grapple with the idea that I was now in a district leadership role and to begin my educational leadership journey.
But first a simple definition. A leader is someone who provides direction and support for a group or organization. A leader often shares a vision of could be and marshals support for it.
Educational leadership is providing these skills in an educational setting such as a K-12 district.
Educational Leadership or Management?
One of the first lessons I learned was the difference between managing and leading. Yes, I knew this already, and you probably do, too. But until I put it into practice, the differences did not seem that big.
I was hired into my central office position to manage a couple of programs, specifically state testing and grant writing. But leadership was also expected.
As a coordinator, I needed to manage my program, so that it ran smoothly. Determine what had to be done and how it should be done. I had to communicate that to our schools.
I managed all aspects of the program so that it would continue to move forward. As a coordinator and manager, it was my responsibility to ensure that the daily work – whatever that entails – continued.
For more on creating collaborative agendas, read 2 Productivity and Collaboration Tips.
All of this is management. You can be great at it, but still not be a leader.
However, leaders must have managerial skills to move a department or district forward.
Visionary
Taking the step from manager to leader often involves a change in vision. Solid managers often focus on what’s in front of them or what it takes to keep the train on the tracks. The leader looks beyond what’s here to scour all the locations that the train could go.
A leader must see what’s possible for the district and be able to communicate that possible future.
In addition, a central office leader must have situational awareness to know whether the destination is a good fit for the district. Is the staff poised to move in this direction? Will the community embrace the move or resist it? How will it work financially?
Now that we have a working definition of educational leadership, what lessons do central office administrators need to learn early in their careers?
Educational Leadership Changes Perspective
A change in vision for a leader may also mean a change in perspective.
District Leadership Perspective
When you are a teacher, your perspective and responsibility are to your classroom or classes. You lobby and advocate for what you believe to be best for your students.
When you become a principal, your perspective changes to what you believe to be best for the school. Your perspective widens to include all students in the school.
Would you like more resources to help you with your district leadership journey? Check out my resource library of checklists, infographics, ebooks, and more.
When you move to the central office, your perspective widens to take in all the schools, all the students in the district.
A teacher may want to purchase a specific book for her students because she believes it would best meet their needs at the moment. A principal might be considering a different book because she believes it will meet the needs of an entire grade level, and thus strengthen the overall school.
What will a district leader be thinking? If we choose option 1, then that will meet some of the needs for the elementary curriculum and will make some of the teachers there happy. But if we choose that option, how will that support the secondary program in a few years?
As a central office administrator, your perspective must be broader than a classroom, grade level/department, or school.
District leaders must also develop a long-range perspective. What are the implications in 5 years? 10 years?
Be cognizant of the fact that your objectivity might be compromised when you first come to the district office. This is because you have a comprehensive understanding of the situation where you were. You know it best.
Don’t worry about it, just be aware of it. Take the time to analyze situations from all directions.
Department or Program Leadership
If you are new to your role and the central office, take a little time to understand how your department or program was run before you arrived.
What type of leadership did the previous director or coordinator have? What are the strengths of the department? Where do the challenges lie?
Don’t be afraid of how long this may take. To get a true understanding of how a department runs, you may have to listen to a lot of folks and review a lot of work.
Spend time with the staff in your department or program. What are their thoughts on what’s working best (or worst) and why?
If you are in a small district, you may be a department of one. But even if you are the entire central office testing department staff for the district, you can talk with the school level folks who carry out the district’s testing program in their respective schools.
If you are the entire curriculum department, you could talk to school-level instructional coaches or principals about the needs of the department.
And don’t forget to have these conversations with your director or Assistant Superintendent. Your immediate supervisor can provide insight and provide guidance when you decide a change is needed.
Start Small
Many of us have watched new leaders come into a district and immediately begin making changes before they have taken the time to understand their departments or programs. They didn’t take time to listen to their folks or review data.
They felt the need to put their leadership stamp on the department and began making changes right away.
This does not usually end well for the new leader, and it is a struggle for all those affected. Namely everyone in the district.
Start with small changes once you’ve done your homework on the department. By then you will be able to articulate why the change is being made, and small changes are more palatable than sweeping change.
Start Building Educational Leadership Skills Now
Your graduate program should have covered some of the basics of leadership. Now is the time to apply that book knowledge.
If your master’s work did not cover leadership development, then you need to do some reading and listening. I have a couple of names to get you started.
For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links which means I may make a commission, but it won’t cost you any more.
If you haven’t read any of Michael Fullan’s (affiliate link) work, start there. Fullan has written extensively on leadership.
My friend and colleague, Dr. Lisa Younce at Perseverance Wins, especially likes Fullan because he shows you what to do and then gives you the theory. Many books present theory first and provide little in the way of application.
Check out Simon Sinek’s work, too. He is probably most popular for his TedTalk called How Great Leaders Inspire Action. In addition to his books, including a new picture book, check out Sinek’s podcast.
Ongoing Education
Don’t think a cursory or basic understanding of how to lead programs, departments, or districts is enough. The most effective leaders keep honing their leadership skills each year.
Discover a way to continue your learning in Becoming Google Certified Educators.
Make leadership development a focus of your Professional Growth/Development Plan. If it doesn’t fit with your district’s official framework, then make it a part of your personal growth plan.
Great leaders are continually learning and making changes based on their knowledge and experience. Ongoing learning is one of the traits of authentic leaders explored in Amy Kan’s “4 Traits of Highly Authentic Leaders.”
Observe Other Leaders
You also need some practical education on leadership. Start by observing other leaders in your district.
How do other coordinators and directors provide leadership for the district? How do they run meetings? What communication skills work for them? What is not working?
It is also important to observe leaders outside of your district. Take time to notice how central office administrators interact with their teams when at regional meetings or at conferences. How do they describe their processes?
Look outside of education, too. What are some effective leadership skills from executives in other professions? How are they leading their departments and organizations?
Don’t focus on the big-name organizations like Google or Berkshire Hathaway only, but look locally. What organizations in your community have effective leaders? What can you learn from them?
Takeaways
Central office leadership is multifaceted. Three lessons that we all need to learn are
- Knowing the difference between managing and leading
- Broadening your perspective to include the whole district – all schools, all students, all staff
- Developing leadership skills is on-going and includes observing leadership in action, inside and outside of education
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