Educational Reform in Public Education 1

Educational Reform in Public Education

Cristina Alejandra Velzquez

California State University San Bernardino





























Educational Reform in Public Education 2
Envision a school where teachers, administrators, parents, students, staff, and community
members all work together to make the school a better place. Imagine a place where teachers
freely exchange ideas and mentor each other. The principal listens and comes up with resolutions
that are thoughtful. The parents actively support their children and educate themselves about the
reform. Students are ambassadors and purveyors of knowledge. Although this might sound
imaginary, principals around the nation are creating educational reforms with these important
beliefs in mind. Principals that find ways to tap into the leadership capacity of teachers, parents,
students, staff, and community members will reap the rewards. Having shared leadership is key
to building the capacity of the group to implement change, but it takes a lot of effort and work to
be successful at true collaboration and forging new participatory culture.
The research is clear: principals are perilous to student and teacher achievement, and
student improvement. Americas school leaders must be empowered, while focused in
educational reform for strong transformational leadership in public education. This job calls for
an overwhelming range of roles including psychologist, facilities manager, diplomat, social
worker, PR director, coach, mentor, philosopher, police officer, teacher, and a cheerleader. These
characteristics of effective principals are especially important for leading a school in the process
of implementing a reform program. Organizations are naturally like little worlds, in which rules,
regulations, rituals, beliefs, philosophy, and archetypes emerge and forge new cultures. The
principal must attempt to reconfigure the perceptions and assumptions about the school not only
through direct processes, but also through indirect methodologies and expectations of his staff.
This job has drastically evolved over the past twenty years, and todays principal is
constantly multi-tasking and shifting roles at an instant. Each day should provide for new
prospects and truly ingenious ways for problem solving. For the school culture to truthfully be
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fruitful, schoolteachers and staff must be involved in this problem solving process, learning and
teaching each other. In order for leaders to create and re-shape organizational cultures, trust is
needed within each classroom and district office. Trust is a human virtue, cultivated through
speech, conversations, commitments, and action (Solomon and Flores, 2001). Primarily, trust
depends on assumptions, institutional structures, and deterrents. A person with a state of trust is
likely to have both a confidence in humanity and a trusting viewpoint. If one treats people as
though they are reliable and trustworthy despite an absence of evidence, more often than not
results in more positive outcomes (McKnight et al., Solomon & Flores, 2001). Distrust can result
from a group or an individual that does not share key cultural values. It takes time to cultivate a
productive culture that effectively deals with conflict, encourages open dialogue, and dissent.
With trust, principals can than act as psychologists. In todays schools, principals are
accessible to every student and teacher, acting as a spring board for ideas and emotions. In
contrast with the stereotypical principals of generations ago who were once stern disciplinarians,
principals today are more often providing support and praise. He or she is offering guidance
through the many bumps and bruises that come with implementing change. By trusting, and truly
listening to what teachers and students are saying, a principal can take hold of the school culture
and use feedback to construct reform efforts more effectively. This type of leadership and
decision-making style not only allows for all to be held accountable, but it allows for
stakeholders to have a say in the decision making process. When departments come together, and
even like-minded individuals, it will enhance the main culture or create a counterculture within
the organization itself.
One has to put faith towards the intentions of the other. An emotional investment must be
built and reciprocated. Teachers and students must have the confidence that ones well being or
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something one cares about will be protected and not harmed. When benevolence is missing,
efficiency will suffer as energy is spent in making alternate plans through mental rations in case
of a foreseeable betrayal. Countless hours can be spent in figuring out ways to protect themselves
instead of engaging in the process. Teachers spend numerous hours planning, developing, and
organizing instruction, creating activities, grading papers, meeting parents, coaching, counseling,
and other immeasurable duties. But when benevolence lacks from administration, teachers will
hold back and potentially give minimal effort in order to stay out of the radar. A lack of trust not
only makes for an unpleasant or uncomfortable environment, it also has a negative impact on the
overall effectiveness of the organization. Over time, this can cause abysmally low achievement
scores, damage morale, or deter opportunities for teachers to collaborate. Poor employee
performance is inevitable and the desire to leave the organization is expected, if the principal
does not emotionally invest in his employees.
The best principals have valuable insight from his or her own teaching experiences about
the challenges teachers face in the classroom. Principals must position themselves as guides and
models for teachers who must continually become learners. Knowledge, an understanding of data
utilization, and continuous professional development are vital in establishing reform. In A New
Vision for Staff Development (Sparks and Hirsh, 1997, p. 211), elementary school principal
Rosie OBrian Votjek talks about leading a change-focused school: I served as a facilitator,
consultant, instructor, and colleague who assisted teachers in integrating curriculum and using
new instructional practices. . . . I promoted different kinds of staff development, but the most
important thing I did was walk the talk. This means that every move, action, and plan is made
with intention to finish and succeed.
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A great principal will give every teacher the opportunity to be successful and will believe
in his or her ability to teach. Principals must also support and develop the teachers they have.
Research shows that principal leadership is a key factor in a teacher's decision to stay at a
particular school. Much of a principal's time should be spent in classrooms observing teachers,
complimenting their strengths, and offering specific suggestions for improvement. If a teacher is
struggling with a particular issue or group of kids, the principal should be in the classroom as
often as possible, watching and helping the teacher develop more successful strategies. This
makes for a successful partnership, and the teacher will feel appreciated. Principals must keep
good teachers professionally satisfied by showing them that his or her efforts are valued and
supported by the principal and other teachers. A great school community is one where students
feel safe and know they will be treated fairly. It is the principal's job to create that safe
atmosphere where children can learn. Teachers must feel protected by their leader, not betrayed,
no matter what the situation entails or conflict will arise.
The principal must not only combine practicality but also a lofty perspective. The
principal is one who seeks to define, strengthen, and articulate those enduring values, beliefs, and
cultural strands that give the school its identity. The principal must create a shared vision, and in
shaping this vision must include teachers and staff throughout the entire process. With access to
high-quality information about topics related to school reform, teachers, administrators, parents,
students, and community members can make decisions based on knowledge instead of emotion.
This will not only increase the sense of empowerment but also sustain for a long-term plan of
reform.
When a principal comes into the new school for the first time, he or she must keep in
mind that the first few weeks are an important phase when trying to develop trust. A principal
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that dominates lacks trust. He would rather instill fear than love. However, a leader must trust in
the relationships with teachers, staff, parents, and even students. During the initial phases, the
principal must create a culture of patience and persistent when trying to earn ones trust, not
rashness or domineering. The principal must be willing to signal vulnerability to his staff, not
fear. The principal must also extend an unbiased trust. Principals must enter an organization with
openness to all individuals and a willingness to give every teacher a chance. Biased opinions and
gossip must enter one ear and exit the other.
Teachers are likely to give their best, but when a violation of trust occurs, the discomfort
may motivate them to protect themselves and ensure the bare minimum. A trusting relationship
can turn vile when confidence is betrayed and decisions made violated the care of another.
Betrayal is defined as a voluntary violation of mutually understood expectations that has the
potential to threaten the well being of the trusting person (Elangovan & Shapiro, 1998). People,
and especially many leaders, do not like to think of themselves as cruel individuals with mal-
intentions, so at times behaviors are justified with hopes that that realization will never be
revealed. Openness is then lost, leaving the perpetrator clandestine. The initial reaction of
betrayal leaves one stunned but will quickly turn into anger, and quite possibly a yearning for
revenge. There are many different forms of betrayal, but every form leads to a violation of trust,
and ultimately it is hard to find a way to move on. Sadly, people forgive, but many do not forget.
In a study focusing on betrayal in the workplace, 50 percent of incidents recounted by
participants had had occurred more than twenty years earlier, and 25 percent had occurred more
than 30 years before (Jones & Burddette, 1994).
Compromise is a balance that should be sought since it implies a commitment to the
relationship and the task. A compromise involves being able to give up part of the goal in order
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to preserve the relationship. Creativity and problem solving is then met through collaboration
and communication. Great leaders involve teachers in decision-making, solely because it will
increase teachers satisfaction, loyalty, and acceptance of decisions. Teachers will withhold their
full effort when they do not buy in to a decision. Teachers appreciate being queried in
decisions about issues affecting them.
Schools are not perfect organizations, but unifying a cohesive, collaborative team of
teachers and administrators will be the start of education for democracy. The principal sets the
tone for the school. He must meet with every single group possible, and not only that, he must
listen, talk to them, find out what works, what does not work, and try to reshape the culture. This
new culture must be of higher ethics, transparency, and complete transparency. One must think
deeply and inclusively, in order for the process to remain open. The perceptions that one might
lack openness will lead to distrust and betrayal, which will ultimately lead to revenge. Not
sharing valuable information will not show the commonness and supportiveness an organization
needs. When a principal incorporates the five facets of trust, new direction and insight is built on
what is needed. When there is a clear lack of trust, there are no quick fixes, but a basis for
examining the important feature of trust within schools, will be critical for positive change.
Principals serve as supervisors by their very position and are a part of a very important
organization: the school district. Their job demands mediating the clashing requests of students,
teachers, parents, community members, district administrators, and state policymakers. A
principal who is a good administrator makes the school run efficiently, creating a well-ordered
environment in which instruction can take place. Their job is to ensure that the basic needs of the
school communitys members are met. Great supervision and administration are evident to
students, teachers, parents, and directors in the affluence and the image of the school. Without it,
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there is a perturbing feeling that the school is constantly on the verge of chaos. Principals help
each person understand and appreciate what is required of him or her. They also make sure each
teacher receives steady acknowledgement and is growing within his or her role. However too
often, teachers denote that those aspects of great administration are visibly absent from their
schools.
In most schools, principals play two challenging roles, concurrently acting as supervisors
and leaders. These roles can most certainly pose as a difficult balancing act. Management most
frequently involves efficiently and effectively maintaining the status quo by making the
organization run smoothly. That status quo is state accountability and student achievement.
Stability is often considered a hallmark of good management. Leadership, on the other hand,
entails doing what is necessary to keep an organization moving forward, constantly developing
to meet shifting demands.
But the point here is that it also hoists the teacher-administrator relationship to a highly
personal partnership. Leaders lead by example. Teachers will fight for their leader and work
countless hours to create a positive change and withhold higher standards. In challenging us, this
person offered insight and a high level of respectand created an expectation that we wanted to
meet. Many of our successes in life can be traced back to these pivotal relationships. An
exceptional principal will bring that out in his teachers. This exceptional principal will bring out
the very best in each individual and will explore his or her talents, while allowing their talents to
blossom.
Principals must act as leaders and mentors, where one models expected behavior while
sharing his or her professional knowledge. This mentor will communicate a willingness to be
open, nonjudgmental, yet focused; creates a vision and confidence that there are no
Educational Reform in Public Education 9
insurmountable obstacles to dreams, wishes, and potentials; and advocates for their rights and
needs. The principal strongly encourages the teacher to identify and try new things that he or she
feels might be advantageous to the students. Encouragement is key in allowing a teacher to feel
no threat of failing with full support at hand. The role of mentor is particularly important for
principals to take on in the process of implementing change, not only because of their
instructional experience, but also because they can see the big picture. They are aware of the
culture of the school and the issues facing other teachers, particularly those challenges related to
reform.
Not only is a principal a leader, mentor, and psychologist, but also a coach. Coaches do
much more than simply teach team players the requisite skills. They set goals for the team and
inspire them to reach those goals. They give team members the knowledge and drive to practice
and improve their skills on their own. They make sure the team is working together effectively
toward a common objective. They strategize, identifying areas for improvement by looking at the
teams past performance. In much the same way, a principal creates a vision, sets goals, builds a
strong team of teachers, encourages skill building and continuous learning, assesses performance
by looking at data, and provides inspiration.
Critical attributes that set truly outstanding principals apart from the rest stem from innate
qualities like their beliefs, motivation, ways of relating, adaptability, orientation toward
continuous improvement, and trust. An exceptional principal loves and trusts the public school
where he or she works. He or she is truly one of the most important persons to this organization.
This leader is capable of creating a positive and trusting culture. An exceptional principal doesnt
instill fear or use any form of domination. An exceptional principal knows teachers are an
integral part of what makes a school run; making it fruitful by nature. And an exceptional
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principal leads by example. That extraordinary principal truly is a ray of sunshine. The
principals role is both humble and honorable. The principal deals with broken homes and
broken hearts; a rusty pipe to a rusty teacher. The principals job can be staggering in demand,
especially when it comes to school reform.
After completing this paper, this question comes to mind, How can any one person
possibly be all those things? The answer is simple; every great leader has a great organization
willing to share the load. That great leader is an even better collaborator. The collaboration
process, not the delegation process, allows a principal to have a vote while the decision is being
made. True leadership is shared responsibility for a shared purpose; creating greater potential for
long-term sustainability of reform. Take a fabric for instance where one thread is undoubtedly
breakable, but weave these threads together and they will hold strong. Facing the demands that
go along with reform, a principal must undeniably have strength, trust, and a willing to make
everyone around him or her better.




















Educational Reform in Public Education 11
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