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Introduction: Educational Leadership Philosophy Leadership is the ability to be the influential source in motivating others to do their

best in any given situation. My administrative belief is embedded in the educational principle that

learning is a process that details focusing on educating the whole student. The public education

system has a commitment to society to fulfill this duty to the best of its ability in an effort to produce

future educated citizens. In maintaining this focus on the learning process, it is imperative that

students are given opportunities to practice and use basic ideas and concepts, time and time again.

The learning of the fundamentals ensures that students have a decent foundation upon which to

build cognitive development to the analytical and evaluative levels of knowledge. We, as educators,

have done our jobs when children’s learning reaches their individual apex of intellectual

performance.

My educational leadership philosophy is simple. I envision that students will be

well-equipped under my administrative guidance to be the best they can be and academically

achieve to their fullest capacity. I want to facilitate a learning organization that takes pride in its

culture and its ability to educate children. As the educational and instructional leaders for teachers,

I will cultivate the paths of learning for all students to reach their highest academic potential. To

quote the United Negro College Fund, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” As a teacher of teachers

and a leader of leaders, I must ensure that all children are given opportunities to learn at their

greatest aptitudes.

Fostering a Successful School Social System As an educational leader, it is my responsibility to motivate and strive to get all

stakeholders to feel they have a vested interest in the learning community. Therefore, all of us must

work to optimize the organization’s outcomes. The beginnings of this success lie in the

establishment of an open and honest school climate and the stabilizing of positive norms and values

of the learning organization’s culture. The key individuals in the organization, which includes

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teachers, support staff, students, and parents, must be aware of and support the established visions

to promote growth within the organization that will eventually produce favorable results. It is my

job to help these individuals feel empowered and motivated to reach the high expectations set

before them. I plan to enhance the organization’s support system by increasing the number of

effective teacher leaders and building self-efficacy among the members of the school’s social

system. As a collaborative leader, I am committed to listening to and seeking out the experts

around me, allowing opportunities for shared decision-making and problem-solving to build a

welcoming atmosphere of collegiality. No one person, no matter how educated or competent has all

the answers. I am dedicated to equipping teachers, students, and parents with the right tools and

resources to maximize our organization’s potential. As a reflective practitioner, I will constantly

focus on the welfare of the learning community and be held accountable for the decisions that I

make with and for those who trust me to lead the way in order to reap the most successful results

for us all. There will be some wrong turns made for sure as we journey together, but the defining

factor is being able to re-group and facilitate the changes necessary to find our focus and vision

again.

Instructional Leadership

There is no denying that my administrative duties will probably test the realm of many

possibilities from the operational to the political side of things. Whatever challenges, both generic

and unique that may come; there will always be a dedication to my responsibility of being an

instructional leader. In these times of relentless high-stakes testing and accountability, it is an

engrained fact that instruction is top priority. The fostering and managing of an effective teaching-

learning environment is inevitable. Data is to be collected, analyzed, and evaluated to access the

school’s needs and its’ instructional program. Changes must be implemented and monitored to

note successes and areas where improvement is still needed. Data driven decisions will be

complemented by the use of research-based instructional strategies. Instructional collaboration

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of teachers will be an expectation to keep accountability heightened and make adherence to

aligned curricula a shared effort. A teacher’s instructional effectiveness is the direct link to

student achievement; therefore, it will be an administrative priority. As an instructional leader, I

am obligated to nurture teacher instructional development and take the initiative to build such

necessary criteria into a school improvement plan.

As an instructional leader, one of my responsibilities is to help increase and sustain teacher

efficacy. Data must be collected during teacher observations to help provide meaningful

professional development experiences for my staff. Data gathered from classroom visits will be

instrumental in accessing the areas of weakness and needed improvements in the teaching-learning

process. This data could not only be utilized for one particular teacher’s professional growth, but

common patterns of instructional incongruences among other teachers could create attentiveness

to opportunities for centralized school-based professional development. Administrative

supervision is crucial in this process. As the instructional leader, the only way to know what is

going on in the classrooms is by being in them. I know this could prove to be a challenge with the

other daily demands that arise. Time management, delegation of responsibilities to other

competent members of the organization, and my commitment to being visible will have to come

together to help me fulfill this needed course of action. It is imperative that supervision of new

professionals and struggling veteran teachers take precedence over other possible issues.

Retaining teachers has become a very challenging task, and the lack of supervision and support is

frequently cited as a causing factor of educators leaving the profession. Effective and frequent

supervision will help to create a more accurate assessment of the teacher’s performance during the

times when formal teachers’ evaluations are required. In essence, I must do triage where it is

needed most and foster autonomy with the more experienced teachers. My vision for teachers is

very simple – increased teacher efficacy, professional accountability, and professional growth in an

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effort to maximize the academic potential of all students. As an instructional leader I am the

catalyst of this maturity.

Conclusion: Educational Leadership Aspirations In my quest to facilitate teacher’s professional growth, I must remain cognizant of the

significance of personal professional development. I will strive to keep abreast of and

knowledgeable of the best research-based practices and the educational “need to knows.” I plan to

cultivate and enrich my knowledge in many ways. I will definitely utilize wisdoms of more

experienced administrators and colleagues, keep the lines of communication open with those

decision makers outside of the direct school social system, and embrace the day to day lessons I will

learn as a school-based leader. I am no exception to the notion that nobody is perfect; however, I

am open to learning from and through my experiences and from those of others. I must

acknowledge my areas of weakness and strive to find the methods to build upon them with my

strengths. As an administrator, I am determined to achieve depth of learning, and not just know a

little about a lot of things. I will endeavor to remain motivated about my professional development

and inspire individuals in the school social system to do the same as we work collaboratively to

meet the ultimate vision of maximizing the learning of all those entrusted to our tutelage.

Leadership is a skill that solidifies through the impact and influence I will have to motivate others

to face the challenges that are inevitable and about finding the means to help our students perform

and succeed to their fullest capabilities.