...proficient/responsive school administrators in special education. Learning Disabilities -- A Contemporary Journal, 9(1), 33-46. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Introduction Nationwide, schools are being faced with a rapid increase in the number of students of color, culturally and linguistically diverse students, students with learning disabilities, students from low-income families, and students from non-traditional and single parent families. As a result, determining how schools can adapt to meet the needs of these vast demographics, as well as how the varied demographics can play a role in the education of these students, has become more than just a topic of conversation and research for academic professionals, educators, researchers, and practitioners. Literature and research point to educational reform by improving school systems to foster multicultural educational environments. Specifically, school leadership and professional development are closely looked at as driving factors in which to achieve this educational reform. In their article “A Blueprint for Developing Culturally Proficient/Responsive School Administrators in Special Education,” Bakken and Smith (2011) focus on the need for school administrators to be culturally responsive/proficient in the special education arena particularly in order to better meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students who have learning disabilities (LD). Bakken and Smith highlight research that explains why school administrators...
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...Review of Research School Leadership Study Developing Successful Principals Stephen Davis Linda Darling-Hammond Michelle LaPointe Debra Meyerson Stanford Educational Leadership Institute Commissioned by The Wallace Foundation SELI Stanford University School of Education 520 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3084 Phone: 650.724.7384 Fax: 650.723.9931 Email: principalstudy@stanford.edu http://seli.stanford.edu This report was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and produced by the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute in conjunction with The Finance Project. © 2005 Stanford Educational Leadership Institute (SELI). All rights reserved. Principals play a vital role in setting the direction for successful schools, but existing knowledge on the best ways to prepare and develop highly qualified candidates is sparse. What are the essential elements of good leadership? How are successful leadership development programs designed? What program structures provide the best learning environments? What governing and financial policies are needed to sustain good programming? “School Leadership Study: Developing Successful Principals” is a major research effort that seeks to answer these questions. Commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and undertaken by the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute in conjunction with The Finance Project, the study will examine eight highly developed pre- and inservice program models that address key issues in developing strong...
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...|ISLLC Standards and School Leadership: Who’s Leading This Band? | | | | |Paul Pitre | | |Auburn University | | | | | |Wade Smith | | |Louisiana State University | |The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium’s (ISLLC) standards serve to define expected outcomes and activities for | |effective school leaders. As such, the standards provide a comprehensive overview of leadership in our nation’s schools and | |serve as important referents for measuring school improvement and effectiveness. This article examines the centrist perspective | |of the standards, where the principal is viewed as the leader, posits reasons why the centrist view of the principalship is | |offered, and argues that this centrist notion of...
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...The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium’s standards assist to explain anticipated results and actions for successful school leaders. The standards were established to improve the excellence of education. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, the standards were executed to encourage excellence in the professional planning of upcoming school administrators. These standards were put forth to make school leaders responsible for individual pupil accomplishment. Educational administration is an area within the study of education that explores the administrative philosophy and practice of education overall and educational organizations and educators specifically. The field preferably distinguishes itself from administration and management through its devotion to guiding theories of educational viewpoint (Wikipedia, 2012). The ISLLC standards are very vital to the growth of the school leader. An efficient leader is one who knows what to accomplish and how to achieve it. The school leader has to coach the teachers, students, and the community for the ideas that the education community has in store. With all the essential testing that is taking place within the education system; the school leader has to be equipped for the inconceivable. They have to be well-informed and adaptable for the unimaginable. The standards help to strengthen the wisdom and consciousness of the school leader. They guarantee that the leader will be a strong resource to the school. The unwrapping...
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...University: EDA 534 Education Administration Foundation and Framework January 28, 2014 The Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards were developed to help guide administrators and future administrators in refining and intensifying their leadership skills. The six outlined standards give administrators a roadmap to help them on the journey to a successful school environment, for all stakeholders involved. Not only do these standards provide guidance for administrators, but the ISLLC standards also “provide guidance to state policymakers as they work to improve education leadership preparation, licensure, evaluation, and professional development” (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2008, p.1). The ISLLC standards address the school vision of learning, the school’s culture and professional growth, a safe, effective and efficient learning environment, collaboration with stakeholders, acting in an ethical manner, and the political, economic, and legal aspect (Council, 2008). The overall purpose of the standards is to set common expectations, maximize student achievement results, and to improve continuing professional development. We have set standards for our students that measure their proficiency in various core subjects, and the level of learning that they are achieving. Because the weight of student achievement, the ISLLC standards give school communities and policymakers the opportunity to outline how effective leadership can be molded. Each...
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...Part A As our world moves into the 21st century, our school systems need to keep up with the evolving and demanding expectations that students will face in higher education and the workforce. Maryland’s school system is a national leader in the education field, and their goal is to become world class leaders; so they must create reforms that reflect the current needs and create the largest impact for student growth. To achieve their primary goal, Maryland is focusing on five main areas to support the Race to the Top federal grant, Maryland’s Third Wave of Reform (Maryland State Department of Education, Preparing World-Class Students, 2012). Maryland has adopted the Common Core State Standards and PARCC assessments to ensure that the students will be prepared for the increasing demands of a global society. In order to meet the rising needs of 21st century students, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) developed the Maryland Common Core State Curriculum which aligns with the new national standards and assessments. These higher standards have raised the expectations for our students and are providing them with opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the skills they need to be prepared to enter college and careers without the need for remediation (MSDE, Preparing World-Class Students, 2012). This Race to the Top strategy is universalistic because it takes the position of a reform view for the assumption, purposes of schooling (Astuto, Clark, Read, McGree...
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...One * * Standard: A school administrator is one who promotes the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. i.e. A successful school administrator leads with vision… | Knowledge | Skills | Enduring Understandings | Essential Questions | Administrators will know and understand… | Administrators will be able to … | Administrators will understand that… | | 1. 1 Systems and data knowledge | 1. 2 Analyze, breakdown data and implement programs that will maximize on student performance | To stimulate student success the education leader needs facilitate the design and implementation of a school vision by which the learning of each student is put first and is supported by students, staff, parents and stakeholders. | 1. 3 What tools, data, and focused understanding are necessary to develop a vision? 1. 4 What technology and resources are necessary to articulate and support the vision? | 2.1 Implementation of strategic planning | 2. 2 Effectively plan, implement, communicate and articulate the vision | | 2. 3 How can the staff and community be involved in the implementation of the vision? | 3. 1 Effective communication and negotiation skills | 3. 2 Set goals and continuous improvement reflection | | 3. 3 What barriers might exist that will prevent the vision of learning from being successful? | 4. 1 Goal setting...
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...paper is to examine different types of teacher leaders and examine their possible roles in our schools and effect on our educational system. Herein, I focus on the teacher leadership qualities of collaboration, ethics, trust, vision, decisiveness, and thirst for knowledge. Furthermore, I present the notion that teacher are the heart of change, not only because they are the people who instill the change but through shared leadership model it. In achieving this aim, I describe how leadership qualities can facilitate educational reform centered on the present generation of learners. Introduction In this modern era of change and educational accountability, the role of school manager has grown in complexity and many school administrators welcome the effective collaboration of teacher leaders. Many principals find that administrative and accountability tasks can take their time and energy away from being effective educational leaders. The volume of paperwork and the multifaceted nature of the problems to be solved are increasing. It is difficult for school leaders to offer adequate assistance and guidance to teachers who want to experiment and find new ways to engage their students. The school leader may not have the expertise to advise teachers about instruction, curriculum, procedure, new practices, and new technologies (Harrison & Killion, 2007). Furthermore, within the school environment, there is great emphasis on implementing new policies, promoting improvement goals...
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...Today's school counselors deal routinely with complicated situations in which students have acute counseling needs, including cases of severe depression and suicidal ideation, pregnancy, substance abuse, school violence, and child abuse (Page, Pietrzak, & Sutton, 2001). To respond adequately to these needs, counselors must have both strong clinical skills and a keen awareness of the legal and ethical ramifications of any actions they may take or fail to take. These mandates are particularly challenging when school counselors are isolated in their settings or are so burdened with clerical and administrative tasks that they are unable to adequately address the counseling needs of the students they serve. School counselors in these situations may feel stressed and overworked and may be experiencing professional burnout. As a consequence, they can become unsure of their abilities and effectiveness and may experience erosion in their skills and competence (Crutchfield & Borders, 1997). This process runs counter to their ethical responsibility to maintain and increase their competence (American Counseling Association [ACA] 1995, Section C.2.) When school counselors fail to practice competently, this can become a legal problem as well as an ethical issue, because a malpractice lawsuit could result. Supervision can be an effective means of assisting school counselors to maintain and enhance their competence. Supervision can provide opportunities for continuing clinical-skill development...
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...standards for schools. To enforce these standards, legislatures are creating high-stakes assessment systems that hold schools accountable for student achievement. In response to this initiative the president of the United States, Barack Obama, has created an initiative called “Race to the top”. This program was developed to give school districts financial incentives to improve failing schools and motivate educators about attaining these expectations. In addition, this “race to the top” initiative will increase the emphasis of accountability on teachers and school leaders. More than ever, in today’s climate of heightened expectations, principals are in the hot seat. They are being scrutinized on their ability to improve teaching and learning. They need to be educational visionaries, instructional and curriculum leaders, assessment experts, disciplinarians, community builders, public relations experts, budget analysts, facility managers, special programs administrators, and expert overseers of legal, contractual, and policy mandates and initiatives. They are expected to broker the often-conflicting interests of parents, teachers, students, district office officials, unions, and state and federal agencies, and they need to be sensitive to the widening range of student needs. A principal is usually held accountable in formal and informal ways for school outcomes by their superintendent, the school board, the staff, and the parents. The primary administrative role of a principal is hiring...
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...According to Avery’s (2014) dissertation, School district professional learning: Teachers' perceptions of instructional leadership, teacher practice, and student learning, evaluates a school district’s model of professional development that is specifically geared towards improving school administrators' instructional leadership skills and teacher practices with the intention of positively impacting student learning. The model for professional development used was a formative assessment of administrator and teacher practices. Throughout the study Avery (2014) used a survey instrument that measured professional learning standards. The study was quantitative. There were 281 participants in the study. Avery’s (2014) research study included descriptive...
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...CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION All school aims to improve teaching and learning. Though there are differences in how the school will go about it. The task of organizing, coordinating, monitoring and supporting teachers in their efforts to provide high-quality learning opportunities for students are important in developing instructional program that are needed for every classroom. As different as the approaches to school reform are, it lies on their success on the motivations and capacities of leadership. Change of improving student learning is quite complicated unless school leaders agree with its purposes and appreciate what is required to make it work. Instructional leaders must also, for example, be able to help their colleagues understand how the reform might be integrated into local improvement efforts, provide the necessary supports for those whose practices must change . In the hectic environments of schools, with the array of demands on leaders, principals and other leaders are generally viewed as unprepared to lead instructional improvement efforts (Levine, 2005). The ultimate goal of instructional leadership was to improve teaching, and meaningful supervision became the instrument to assist teachers in developing and growing in their professional knowledge, skills, and abilities. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Leadership is described as power granted with the will of the followers. It is authority readily invested in a trusted person and thus qualifies as...
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... by and through his parents; DONALD LAYSHOCK; CHERYL LAYSHOCK, individually and on behalf of their son v. HERMITAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT KAREN IONTA, District Superintendent; ERIC W. TROSCH, Principal Hickory High School, CHRIS GILL, Co-Principal Hickory High School, all in their official and individual capacity Hermitage School District, Appellant Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (Civ. No. 06-cv-00116) District Judge: Hon. Terrence F. McVerry Argued on December 10, 2008 Opinion Filed on February 4, 2010 1 Opinion Vacated and Petition for Rehearing En Banc Granted on April 9, 2010 Rehearing En Banc Ordered for June 3, 2010 Argued En Banc on June 3, 2010 Before: McKEE, Chief Judge, SLOVITER, SCIRICA, RENDELL, BARRY, AMBRO, FUENTES, SMITH, FISHER, CHAGARES, JORDAN, GREENAWAY, VANASKIE and ROTH, Circuit Judges. (Opinion filed: June 13, 2011) ANTHONY G. SANCHEZ, ESQ. (Argued) CHRISTINA LANE, ESQ. Andrews & Price 1500 Ardmore Boulevard, Suite 506 Pittsburgh, PA 15221 Attorneys for Appellant, Hermitage School District SEAN A. FIELDS, ESQ. Associate Counsel Pennsylvania School Boards Association 400 Bent Creek Boulevard P.O. Box 2042 Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Attorney for Amicus Curiae, Pennsylvania School Board Association, filed in support of Appellant, Hermitage School District KIM M. WATTERSON, ESQ. 2 RICHARD T. TING, ESQ. WILLIAM J. SHERIDAN, ESQ. Reed Smith LLP 435 Sixth Avenue ...
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...CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA OLU OKOTONI and ABOSEDE OKOTONI Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria ABSTRACT This paper examines the management of conflicts in the administration of secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. It also identifies, discusses and analyses the causes as well as the various ways conflicts manifested in the administration of secondary schools in the state. The effects of conflicts on school administration are equally examined. Quantitative and qualitative data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. The paper shows that administration of secondary schools in the state was hampered by high rate of conflicts. Several types of conflicts were identified in the schools among which were conflicts between management and staff, between staff and students, between the communities and schools, and inter-personal conflicts, to mention a few. The causes of conflicts in schools in the state included inadequate welfare package for workers, forceful and compulsory retirement/retrenchment of workers, administrative incompetence, personality clashes, role conflicts, and non-involvement of students in school administration. The fact that most of the school administrators were not knowledgeable in conflict management, coupled with the absence of laid down procedures for conflict management in most schools contributed to the high rate of conflicts and industrial actions in the schools. The paper concludes that the...
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...of The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards occurred through the combined efforts of The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Policy Board on Educational Administration (NPBEA) to assist in the strengthening of leadership skills in future administrators. The ISLLC standards were developed with the intention of aiding policymakers and education officers in their efforts to attract, mold, sustain, and maintain leaders in education. The standards provide the tools needed to promote a united vision and goals for creating gains in student achievement through better educational leadership. Research continues to show that strong educational leadership is only out-ranked by effective classroom instruction in regards to school-related indicators involving student achievement. Strong leadership draws good teachers and may strengthen struggling ones. These standards are essential because schools/districts are much more likely to recruit and keep strong teachers if they have strong leaders. Although many challenges face the leadership at my school, I think that school culture, budget deficits, and lack of communication are three of the most critical. ISLLC Standard 2 states,” An education leader promotes the success of every student by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.”(ISLLC, 2008) Our school lacks a healthy school culture. I feel that...
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