Running Head: PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN

Professional Growth Plan 1

Running Head: PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN

Administrative Leadership Professional Growth Plan

Rubric Rank #2

North Carolina State University

Administrative Leadership Professional Growth Plan

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Teaching has allowed me to practice within a wide variety of school environments. I have worked in rural, urban, and suburban schools; these experiences have led me to pursue a degree in school administration. I have encountered, throughout my tenure, opportunities to assume leadership roles in the varied school communities. Administrators encouraged me to further my educational degrees and pursue a career as a school leader by designating many of these roles. It has become my aspiration to work within a school community augmenting classroom management strategies and improve curriculum pedagogy based on effective educational research.

As I worked with the various educational administrators, I became aware that the success of the organization relates directly to the effectiveness of its leaders. The schools with supervisors, who utilize a top-down approach to management, tended to have more conflict within the school climate and culture whereas the schools that promoted collaboration and distributive leadership were more productive and effective in achieving the shared vision established by the faculty. These personal findings are supported by research discussed in the Principles of Educational Administration course offered through North Carolina State University. Owens and Valesky (2007), the textbook used in the class, provided the basis for collegial discourse relating to organizational structuring and prompted me to investigate the way school climate impacts students academic.

I believe that effective school leadership meets the needs ofto the organization by using an amalgamation of management skills. Leaders must be knowledgeable in both modern and postmodern approaches and be willing to be flexible with each method. School administrators know when to implement the traditional top-down hierarchy and when to invite others to engage in a more collegial participative approach. By supervising in this manner, the leader maintains the respect of the organization as well as allowing others to participate, providing a sense of ownership (Owens & Valesky, 2007).

Education is a powerful profession – it can hinder growth or it can give wing?? [Don’t use colloquialisms in writing papers in this type of program] to the organization to soar beyond all expectations; it depends on the level of commitment one is willing to contribute. I believe people must feel valued and respected in order for true achievement to occur. The idea of ownership has a strong presence in this process and I encourage its development within my classroom environment. It has become evident when students have a “voice” [use italics in APA for emphasis]in the educational process, they become more actively engaged and are more likely to continue to be involved in learning. The students must feel capable of accomplishing all of the tasks set before them; therefore, a high level of trust must be established in order for risk-taking to occur openly. They must have a sense of connectedness with their peers. The learning environment is a place of respect and encourages individual and collective growth. Everyone strives for success as a team. This is accomplished through class meetings, open discussions, and collaborative assignments. The students need to feel safe and allowed to make mistakes. Each student’s voice should be heard without fear of ridicule or reprimand. When I become an administrator, I will implement similar strategies to lead the school community. Goddard, Hoy, and Hoy (2004) discuss the importance of collective efficacy as it relates to student achievement and school success. “The connections between collective efficacy beliefs and student outcomes depend in part on the reciprocal relationships among these collective efficacy beliefs, teachers’ personal sense of efficacy, teachers’ professional practice, and teachers’ influence over instructionally relevant school decisions” (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2004, p.3). Schools can obtain collective efficacy using transitional leadership strategies.

Self-Assessment of Professional Standards

Successful leaders understand the internal and external communities of the school structure. Leaders must attend to the needs of these communities when making decisions that will affect the school population. Effective school administrators possess a systematic knowledge of the behavior of the adults working in the school, a strong contextual understanding of the organization, and are proficient utilizing a range of leadership behaviors. Consequently, I have attended a variety of leadership symposiums to expand my knowledge of organizational leadership: Facilitative Leadership, Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the National School Reform Conference, and Focused Leadership training for school improvement teams. The information obtained from these symposiums aligned with research on effective and inefficient leadership styles. Accordingly, I have begun to identify and redefine my educational ideologies as I grow as a school leader based on the knowledge, dispositions, and performance established in the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards.

Standard 1: Visionary Leadership

As visionary leaders, administrators are entrusted with the task of investigating and determining the appropriateness of proposed strategic plans based on research and data analysis collected at the school level. Effective leaders begin with a shared vision for the school community and use collaborative teams to strive continuously for school improvement.

Leaders should be able to facilitate the designing of a shared vision, and articulate the collaborative results to the school community. I have served as school improvement team chairperson or team member for many years. During this tenure, I have worked with school communities to develop and implement improvement plans focusing on initiatives to increase student performance. In this role, I have been called to facilitate leadership meetings and encourage consensus and collaboration between faculty members. Through this experience, I have begun to challenge my beliefs, values, perceptions, and to develop further my professional knowledge.

It is apparent that successful school leaders are continually evolving to enhance their organization. Currently, my school district is participating in a system-wide professional development intended to assist leadership teams to develop shared goals and mission statements. Elmore (2002) discusses the initial steps to accomplish this vital process in establishing a vision of high standards for the school. In the article, he proposes that many visions fail because the faculty does not fully comprehend the purpose behind the visions. “People who work in schools do not pay attention to the connection between how they organize and manage themselves and how they take care of their own and their students’ learning” (Elmore, 2002, p. 22). As effective administrators, we need to be asking why we are implementing programs and strategies in our schools. Do they support what we deem as important to our school community? To answer these poignant questions, we must work collaboratively, include all members of the school community and base the responses on valid research. An effective, efficient, and successful school will emerge when the organization is collectively working towards achieving the same goal. I plan to continue to investigate current research practices and work with other school administrators to develop and implement programs that will increase the collaborative effort and school achievement.

Standard 2: Instructional Leadership

Instructional leaders must advocate, nurture, and sustain a school culture and instructional program as it promotes student learning and the establishment of professional learning communities. Successful schools must provide appropriate, quality instruction, effective leadership, and a collaborative school climate. Administrators should encourage professional learning communities to use research to investigate current and cutting-edge pedagogical practices.

I am involved in advocating, developing, and sustaining adolescent literacy professional development for the school and community. As part of the learning community involved in this instructional framework, it is our responsibility to assemble viable research to substantiate the literacy strategies being implemented in the middle grades. I believe that effective leaders must utilize peer-reviewed research to corroborate statements advocating, and discouraging, the implementation of instructional strategies and related comprehensive student achievement data.

Since research is continually in a state of advancement, administrators are obliged to maintain a working knowledge of current trends in education. As a school leader, I will be encouraging the faculty to use research findings as the basis for professional dialogue. By providing teachers with schedules including a common planning for collaboration, administrators encourage the infrastructure to “develop the knowledge and skills of individuals and that stretch this expertise among people occupying the same role (such as teachers) and different roles (such as teachers and administrators)” (Elmore, 2002, p. 23).

Standard 3: Organizational Leadership

Organizational leaders focus on the management of the school community, daily operations, and managing resources, which will ensure a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment. Educators understand the importance of establishing a caring environment for learning to occur. It is apparent that effective school leaders will be the catalyst to organize the foundation of a collaborative environment.

Currently, I am building my repertoire of skills needed to fulfill the managerial duties assigned to a school administrator by playing an active role in the school leadership team. To ensure a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment, I assisted in establishing the behavior and incentive criteria used in our school-wide discipline plan. I am collaborating with the leadership team to revise the school improvement plan and the development of efficient professional learning communities.

I have identified organizational leadership as one of my limitations in relation to the ISLLC standards. I tend to micromanage my educational duties by attempting to meet the expectations of others and myself. Specifically, I have begun to implore various level administrators as to how they deal with this matter and consistently the responses have been to delegate duties by using the strength of those around you (J. Kearney, personal communication, November 13, 2007). By observing and shadowing effective administrators, I will be able to emulate and adapt the strategies to my values, beliefs, and personality. Owens and Valesky (2007) have provided strategies on how to handle the organizational management, daily operations, and resources to establish a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment; including research on organizational behavior and theories.

Standard 4: Collaborative Leadership

Research has shown that successful school leaders employ distributive leadership and capitalize on the strength of others to achieve a shared vision (Owens & Valesky, 2007). Although transformational leadership is the recommended theory, there are other theories implemented based on the situation. These include bureaucratic and moral leadership theories. The approach taken by an administrator when making a decision can be more important than the outcome of the decision or the decision itself (Owens & Valesky, 2007). An effective leader is knowledgeable of various leadership styles and can apply each appropriately; for example, an administrator must realize when it is suitable to use organizational or individual decisions. It is my belief that when people are treated with respect and given the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way, they will be more willing to follow a leader who must make independent decisions on occasion.

Goddard, Hoy, and Hoy (2004) stated “for schools, perceived collective efficacy refers to the judgment of teachers in a school that the faculty as a whole can organize and execute the courses of action required to have a positive effect on students” (p. 3). I believe this can be accomplished through the effective implementation of professional learning communities. Working with the administration on the leadership team, I am gaining knowledge relating to the process for establishing a collaborative school community.

As a school administrator, I need to understand the current issues that may affect the school community and accurately convey the processes implemented by the school to handle the issues. The “in-box” activities discussed in class have provided practice to handle the situations by assuming the role of assistant principal and principal. In participating in these activities, I have gained insight into the importance of collaborating and communicating with the school community based on policy and values.

Standard 5: Ethnical Leadership

It is critical that school leaders demonstrate appropriate ethnical leadership to establish a successful educational organization. Administrators recognize the importance of being an effective role model by understanding the purpose and responsibility education has to modern society and the school community. Through the study of educational policy and research, school leaders uphold the values and beliefs that all children hold the right to a free-quality education regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status.

Through the diversity coursework provided by North Carolina State University, I have expanded my knowledge and understanding of the diverse culture in our society today. The literature shared in the class, exposed me to cultural perspectives, which were previously unidentified in my education. With these insights, I will begin to comprehend some of the hindrances faced by, and contributions from, the diverse school population. As a teacher, I have moderated between students, colleagues and parents, and administrators and colleagues. In these situations, amicable outcomes were reached and the parties involved benefited from the dialogue. I believe leaders must act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethnical manner.

Another limitation relates to the knowledge of school law and policy. I have begun to discuss current trends in school policies with various administrators as a method to strengthen my understanding and comprehension in this area. Through the coursework in the school administration degree, I will learn current law and policies affecting the school community.

Standard 6: Advocacy Leadership

Administrators must be advocates for education and understand the global issues and forces affecting teaching and learning. Therefore, school leaders must continue to analyze research and current trends influencing the school community. Through the understanding of school law and school communities, administrators can convey to the public the importance of diversity and equity in education.

As an advocate, school administrators are agents of change. Leaders must be flexible to explore different strategies to be implemented in the school community. They need to reassure the public that any proposed changes will be research-based, efficient, and effective to encourage student performance. Administrators model strategies of change and conflict resolution as applied to the school community. To strengthen this area, I am shadowing and interviewing a variety of leaders asking them to share words of wisdom about the most effective advocacy strategies.