A Career In Educational Leadership

Strong leadership is the cornerstone of any organization, and I have lived this experience in the field of education for nearly 24 years. From teacher leader to middle school and elementary principal, to district level administrator, I have learned greatly through each one of these experiences. I have relied on graduate coursework, leadership training, field experience, professional readings, and mentors to gain critical skills and knowledge to be a leader. I also know there are specific growth areas where I continue to focus as I move forward in my career. As a district-level administrator in Grand Island, a logical next step for me would be to lead a school district. I am not convinced that superintendency is in my future, but I have …show more content…
Some specific areas that I am considering for my field-based leadership research project include the nationwide lack of diversity of school district superintendents [particularly women and non-white leaders], leadership hierarchies, district organizational frameworks, human relations and interactions, all of which are connected to staff motivation and productivity within an ever-changing field. The chosen articles from Education Week address women as superintendents, the lack of diversity in top educational leadership positions, leaders and positive resonance and emotional intelligence, coherent working relationships between the central office and school personnel, and the controversial and political aspects of the …show more content…
It seems that a fundamental change allowing for the autonomy of spending and instructional and curricular decisions can be a huge undertaking in a school district. Grand Island Public Schools is currently going through a shift toward decentralization and are seeing the benefits of the experts in the schools knowing what is best for their students, of course with intentional central office support. Processes, guidance, and policies within this type of shift are critical for the leader to facilitate, while simultaneously paying attention to building trust, fostering honest and clear communication, and purposefully soliciting stakeholder input every step of the way. Additionally, the district strategic plan, vision and mission for all students must be part of all decision-making. Johnson (2016) describes the key importance of coherent practices, two-way trust and genuine relationship building between the levels of leadership in a district in order to provide the best education to all students. Finally, Fischer (2017) describes the disconnect between leading conservatively to avoid political backlash and “the fearless experimentation it takes to truly improve schools for all