Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Tomekia Wise
EDA 534
schools are constantly adapt the established What are some foreseeable
Contin
uous improving in order to system to overcome barriers to continuous
Impro maintain the vision new barriers to the improvement? What
veme vision strategies should be put into
nt (ISLLC 2008: 1D) place to maintain the vision?
staff and student evaluate whether all How safe do staff members
safety is vital to staff members are feel when expressing their
Nurtur nurturing a culture of treated with fairness, opinions? Are there multiple
e&
trust dignity & respect ways for staff members to
Sustai
n express their ideas? In what
Trust ways do we celebrate &
recognize our students &
staff?
culture of learning is assess the What methods can be used to
Nurtur
obtained through professional communicate my beliefs
e&
Sustai
celebrating the development needed about teaching & learning to
n academic successes of to build on the the staff? What professional
Learni the students lifelong learning development would be most
ng model beneficial to the staff?
Comm community leaders collaborate with Who are the key community
unity are important community leaders to leaders? What can be done
Leade catalysts for creating identify and address to get community leaders
rs- effective partnerships school and community involved in our school?
Schoo between school and problems (ISSLC
l
local resources 2008: 4C)
Partne
rship
community prioritize active What needs to happen in
Relati partnerships require involvement, high order to ensure community
onshi constant maintenance visibility and members know their
p With
where everyone communication with resources are being used
Comm
unity knows how joint the larger appropriately and wisely?
Partne resources are used community(ISSLC
rs 2008: 4D)
Standard #5 (Integrity): An education leader promotes the success of every student by
acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
Tomekia Wise
EDA 534
Standard 1: An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating the
During our CLC Unwrapping the Standards, we did not encounter any problems. We
decided that each group member would have a fair share of work. The team stayed in contact
with each other constantly through email and yahoo chat. We also used the Team Orange
As we were unwrapping standard 1, I came to a realization. I figured out the number one
reason of having a strong working vision for a school. It reminded me of Proverbs 28:18 “Where
there is no vision the people will perish”. I know that this is speaking about the bible. I feel that
this could/should be used as a guideline for school leaders. In my opinion, the vision or the
mission sets the climate of the school. If the vision is strong and accessible which means that it
is not hard to concur, the moral of the entire school will become strong.
To ensure that the vision is strong and accessible, the leader has to make sure that she/he
adheres to all the needs of the community. The school is not that of the leader but it is a
community based institution. All stakeholders should take a part in developing the vision of the
school. There are many different ways to make sure that all stakeholders take part in this
process. Things such as: parent meetings, school assembly programs, board meetings, town hall
meetings, workshops, etc. Strong schools manufacture from an even stronger school
vision/mission.
Standard #2 Reflection
Standards 21
nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student
With the CLC, we did a great job on unwrapping standard 2. The group participated with
each other via email and yahoo chat. It is a lot easier for us to communicate through yahoo chat
because this gave us the opportunity to give feed back to each other in a timely manner.
The standards feed of one another. Just as standard 1 was Vision. Once you develop the vision,
you have to nurture and sustain the school culture. This means to develop an effective leaning
School culture could be defined as the priorities driving the thinking and actions of
people within a school community. A school culture is generated first and foremost by
communication. With communication, a leader can make the learning environment more
effective. For instance, if a new administrator comes to a district for the first time; it would be of
best interest for the administrator to communicate with the parents, and teachers. This will help
the administrator know and understand the needs of the community. To acquire an effective
understanding of standard 2, the leader must establish trusting relationships, be consistent, and
At all times, the students come first. It is imperative that the school leader understands
that it is necessary to create and promote a positive climate in order to have an effective school.
Standard #3 Reflection
learning environment.
This was a hard week for me. My computer started to act up. It was hard for me to
interact with my group members effectively. I was only able to communicate with them through
email. Because of the time zones, I was not able to participate in the yahoo chat with my group
members.
effective and efficient leader. This standard brought up a lot of questions as to how a good leader
development is a response to change. It requires leaders to look at the whole system not just
isolated parts.
must when it comes to the aspect of management. Without communication, the educational
organization is doomed for disaster. It is very important that the leader has good communication
skills. This will ensure a learning environment that is conducive to learning. To be an effective
leader, communication is needed. If a leader cannot get their point across effectively, it causes
confusion between the teachers and the students. In order for an organization to be successful,
the leader has to ensure that the vision is clear. The vision is only clear to others when the leader
is able to communicate effectively with them. The leader not only has to be able to talk with
other stakeholders they must also be willing to listen. Many leaders feel that their way is the
only way. They never take the time to listen to others input. An effective leader has to listen and
be able to collaborate with others. This process has to happen over time; not just in one question
Standards 23
Standard #4 Reflection
Standard 4: An education leader promotes the success of every student by collaborating with
faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and
mobilizing community resources.
My computer is still out. It’s my turn to submit the standard for this week. It was not
hard because my group members understood my problem and they helped and gave suggestions
for standard 4. With the help of my team members, our group received a perfect score.
Community partnerships are also a must in today’s educational society. With the help of
the community, schools and students will benefit. With this standard, we did a lot of focus on
diversity.
Diverse is simply being different form the norm. In today’s schools, there is a plethora of
diversity. It is the responsibility of the administrator to recognize and understand the diverse
needs of their students. Administrators should collaborate with the community in order to meet
those needs. Leaders can do things to get the community involved with education of the students
of different cultures. Things such as: Community Involvement Meetings, Parent Teacher
Conferences, PTA Meetings, or Town Hall Meetings. A strong leader makes sure that they
understand and know as much as possible about the culture of their diverse students.
Standard #5 Reflection
Standard 5: An education leader promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity,
I had the same problem this week. No computer. It’s getting harder and harder to
Standards 25
participate with my group. I am glad that I have some understanding group members. Not being
able to communicate with them in yahoo messenger is really getting to me. We all have been
This standard focuses on integrity. Integrity is the quality of possessing and steadfastly
adhering to high moral principles or professional standards. In my opinion, this standard pertains
I feel that lawmakers should make laws that benefit the students and the educators. It is
the responsibility of the school system to adhere to those laws. The laws are put in place to
insure that students receive a quality education. In my opinion, applying laws and procedures
fairly, wisely, and considerately does not ensure each student will receive a quality education. It
is my belief that a child will receive a quality education only if they have caring and qualified
teachers. Teachers that teach with their heart and not just the book. Teachers that teach the
whole child and not just the parts that they like about the child. Applying the laws and
procedures is the easy part. It is the responsibility of the administrator to ensure that they have
TEACHERS in order for the laws and procedures to effectively benefit the students.
Administrators should always carry themselves in a professional manner. They are the
leaders of the school. They are to act accordingly. If they are showing integrity, the teachers and
students will follow their footsteps. The saying is that you lead by example.
Standard # 6 Reflection
responding to, and influencing the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
This is the last and final standard to unwrap. The group did a great job on all the other
standards, as well as, this one. This has been a rewarding experience. This was my first time
ever to work in a group online. I thought it would be difficult and that members would not
participate. I was fortunate to work with some talented and intelligent individuals.
Standard 6 was basically a summation of the other five standards. All of the standards
The ISLLC standards are very essential to the development of the school leader. An
effective leader is one who knows what to do and how to do it. The school leader has to prepare
the teachers, students, and the community for the things that the education arena has in
store. With all the high-stake testing that is taking place within the education system; the school
leader has to be prepared for the unthinkable. They have to be knowledgeable and flexible for all
the possibilities. The standards help to increase the knowledge and awareness of the school
leader. They ensure that the leader will be a strong asset to the school.
Tomekia Wise
EDA 534
The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium’s standards serve to define expected
outcomes and activities for effective school leaders. The standards were developed to enhance
the quality of education. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, the standards were
that examines the administrative theory and practice of education in general and educational
institutions and educators in particular. The field ideally distinguishes itself from administration
(Wikipedia 2010)
The ISLLC standards are very essential to the development of the school leader. An
effective leader is one who knows what to do and how to do it. The school leader has to prepare
the teachers, students, and the community for the things that the education arena has in store.
With all the high-stake testing that is taking place within the education system; the school leader
has to be prepared for the unthinkable. They have to be knowledgeable and flexible for all the
possibilities. The standards help to increase the knowledge and awareness of the school leader.
They ensure that the leader will be a strong asset to the school.
The unwrapping process helped me to better understand the meaning of the standards.
The functions of each standard are very essential to educating future administrators. As I was
unwrapping the standards in ISLLC (ISLLC, 2008), I noticed a strong point that my
administration has. I also noticed a lot of things that could help my school administration.
To ensure that the vision is strong and accessible, the leader has to make sure that she/he
adheres to all the needs of the community. The school is not that of the leader but it is a
community based institution. All stakeholders should take a part in developing the vision of the
school. There are many different ways to make sure that all stakeholders take part in this
process. Things such as: parent meetings, school assembly programs, board meetings, town hall
meetings, workshops, etc. Strong schools manufacture from an even stronger school
Standards 29
vision/mission.
To begin with, the school administration should have a working vision. A working vision
is a vision that is accessible and easy to achieve. The vision has to be strong and reliable. In
order to achieve a working strong vision, there has to be communication with all the stakeholders
in the education process. Standard one is the first and only strong point that I see in the school
district that I work. As the vision/mission of the school district was being developed, the
administration had a town hall meeting. This allowed all the entire community to have a voice in
On the other hand, one down side of my school district is management. Management is
the third standard in the ISLLC (ISLLC, 2008). Standard three states, “An education leader
promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation,
and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.” (ISLLC, 2008)
Administrators have to know and be able to do many different things under the management
umbrella. For instance, administrators will have to know that a well managed school prevents
lawsuits and provides a safe learning environment for all staff and students. Basically,
administrators must have the school safe and conducive to learning. The constant challenge that
Management is the number one problem of my school district. The district as a whole is
suffering with mismanagement of funds and test scores. Money and management are the number
one reason why school districts fail. There is not enough money in the district for the teachers
and students to have all the things that are necessary to survive in the education world. There are
no printers or computers in some classes. If a teacher does have a printer, he/she has to purchase
the ink/toner with their own money. This is totally ridiculous because the federal government
has given all the districts money to purchase the resources that we need. If the district does not
get it together, the students will continue to suffer and will not be able to compete globally.
though this is the working definition given to this word; the administrator at my school does not
illustrate that she fully understands this. In my opinion, the whole educational leadership is
based on communication. This is a must when it comes to the aspect of management. Without
communication, the educational organization is doomed for disaster. It is very important that the
leader has good communication skills. This will ensure a learning environment that is conducive
Furthermore, at the school that I teach, management is so poor. The administrator has
good intentions/ideas but she does not know how to implement them. The administrator
demonstrates different leadership styles all the time. The administrator has, as some will agree, a
split personality. Most days the administrator will demonstrate the autocratic style. Meaning she
exhibits direct authoritarian behavior and her decision making is centralized. (Green, 2009)
When she is in this mode, there is extremely low morale amongst the teachers and the climate is
full of fear. Other times she demonstrates that she can be an ineffective democratic leader.
Simply meaning that she will make it seem as if she was collaborating with the teachers and
there was a shared vision. The democratic leadership happens about once or twice a month.
becoming successful. Standard four states, “An education leader promotes the success of every
Community partnerships are also a must in today’s educational society. With the help of the
Standards 31
involvement is both positive and negative. The positivity comes from the older community
members. These people realize that the school needs their help by any means. There are retired
teachers that come to the schools to tutor students and mentor the newer teachers. Which I think
is absolutely great. However, there are the members of the community that do not care whether
the students are learning or not. Here is where the negativity sets in. Of course, these are some of
the younger community members. In my opinion, the administrators can do more things to get
the community involved with the school district. Such as: Town Hall Meetings, PTA meetings,
In summary, the ISLLC standards were put in place to prepare future administrators for
the challenges that the education world have in store. The standards are to be used as a guide.
Just as most Christians use the bible as their guide; the ISLLC standards are the “Bible” for
most definitely make becoming more familiar with the standards a priority. As a future
administrator, having a successful meaningful collaboration with all the stakeholders in the
References
Green, R.L. (2009). Practicing the art of leadership: A problem based approach to implementing
the ISCLL standards (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Prentice Hall.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management
www.wikipedia.com