Reflection EDUL 700

Reflection EDUL 700

The information and discussions with this class have been an eye opener.  I may have been aware of the need for leadership from the superintendent position but the amount of leadership required to assist the board in doing business is new information.  I have worked in districts that have been led by a strong superintendent and I have worked in districts that have had weak leadership from that position.  I am more aware of the issues faced by administration in the districts with weak leadership after reading the materials for class and working through the class discussion. 

Developing a vision and purpose is an important piece of the puzzle as I look to move a district forward.  Board governance has a direct impact on the vision and purpose and can be the deciding factor in how a district is able to address student performance.  Boards must understand their role and when they are acting in a manner that is not part of their purpose they affect all things that the district is working toward.  The unfortunate part of school boards acting in a manner outside of their role is that the district will not be able to move in a positive direction.  I know that previous experiences along with the learning form this class will help me with my work as a district leader.

Marzano talks about leadership from the superintendent position as an important factor in student achievement.  Improvement in leadership can affect student achievement by as much as “9.5 percentage points”.  Significant improvement in the areas of goal setting, setting non-negotiable goals for achievement and instruction are both areas that I can improve.  Making sure that there is board alignment with set goals and monitoring progress of those goals are vital to succeeding with the goals of the district.  The final piece is the allocation of resources but I believe this may not be as important if the alignment segment is not established. 

Developing the vision is a process that involves many stakeholders.  I have viewed establishing a vision/mission in a previous district and the process was flawed because leadership was lacking from the superintendent.  The vision and mission was board driven with the idea that this would fix all of the other issues that come up in the yearly operation of a district.  The board referred to the mission on a regular basis during discussions and meetings but there was no mission statement that had been developed.  The three year process of creating this mission never resulted in anything that was usable by administration or the board.  I see my role in leading the formation of a vision/mission as providing the information to the working groups and assisting them in bringing the process to a collaborative end.  As a district we need to have consensus on what we want and how we want to move forward.  Block point to involving all voices in the process to truly get a direction that fits the district.  I am responsible for including the voices in the discussion and creating a forum that all voices are heard.

The superintendent’s role in leading a district can be a monumental task.  Bringing the community together is important to the success of the district. The skills of the superintendent in balancing the wants and needs of all community members looks to be a challenge, but if the procedures are established and the non-negotiable goals are set, I believe there can be great success.  I look forward to the challenge.