PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1

Philosophy of Educational Leadership

Gregory Sloan

California State University, San Marcos

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Philosophy of Educational Leadership

It has been many years since I have been asked to write my philosophy of education. I

am sure what I wrote in credential school 16 years ago would look much different than it does

today. Back then it was hard to imagine a leadership role when you are just trying to become a

professional and begin a career. My views have been shaped by experience in classrooms,

dialogue with colleagues and mentors, research and reading, and from becoming a parent myself.

My philosophy will continue to evolve and change because the things I am learning are

meaningful and will stick with me. I see education leadership as driving the process to transform

the youth of our societies into well-balanced productive citizens through powerful and enriching

experiences from teachers, the culture within the organizations, and an open and adaptive

policies to support and lead.

I see the purpose of education, from the K-12 perspective, as building a foundation for a

productive, democratic society. Our society is seeking new thinkers, citizens, and workers. In

order to be able to accomplish this productively, we teach skills, historical, scientific, and

literature content, and socialization. Children are taught to work and play cooperatively starting

with nurturing relationships in the younger grades. While the type of work and play changes

through grade 12 and then college, the roles remain the same. It is the duty of the school and

district to provide appropriate levels of instruction, while forming a safe, supportive culture.

Public schools also act as equalizers, so that despite inequality in income and family background

all children can grow up with an opportunity equal to any other. As a leadership philosophy, I

see this as a purpose and a goal for my schools to achieve.

In my 14 years as a high school classroom instructor I taught advanced placement

students, physical education students, sheltered courses with English learners, and co-taught with
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special educators in an inclusive classroom. Through reflection on what has and has not worked,

I have changed everything about my classroom structures and systems many times over. I am

now if a position to observe other teachers and be a leader by helping them to implement

curriculum, manage their students, and try out teaching strategies. I go between six schools with

varied populations and skills. In my experience students learn best in a supportive environment

that meets their needs. When this happens they attend, they behave, and they learn.

The teacher has a critical role in creating a classroom environment and making

curriculum decisions that will serve the unique needs of many students. The school and its

leadership has an equal role to create a culture for the students to learn. That involves preparing

and guiding the teachers, but also enriching the students through activities, clubs, and sports.

Many of the most important leaders on a campus make the most memorable experiences with

students outside of the classrooms and the school day. The policies and how they implementing

should make a school a safe place, an educational experience, and an opportunity social

interaction and growth. These things are not mutually exclusive with academic achievement and

indeed work to support each other.

A leader in a school has many roles and tasks to perform to meet the educational needs of

a community. A leader is much more than a job title and the authority that comes with it. To

truly lead, you need others to follow willingly. People do not follow someone they do not like or

trust. Additionally, they need respect for the leader based on action. A leader shows the way

and models the behaviors they expect of others. To volunteer for the toughest jobs and to put

your neck out for others builds that trust and leadership. The leaders work is repaid over and

over again by the members on his or her team.

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While a leader has decision making power in a school, decisions and the input necessary

to make them must involve all of the stakeholders in that community. Cooperative leadership

respects the ability and experience of the staff. Leaders come and go. A veteran staff can bide

their time to outlast a Principal. And a Principal with no followers does not last long.

Additionally, a leader needs the ability to actively listen to input and concerns from students,

parents, and teachers. When people are heard and feel a part of the process, they are more likely

to accept decisions because they understand why they are being made. I have found in my

current role, I am able to advocate for the decisions of our district and site leaders because I have

the exposure to the process. I feel that if more teachers were included and involved they would

need less convincing to take part in new ideas.

Change in schools is necessary due to the fact that we are all learning and growing as

educators. We need to model being lifelong learners as leaders and as teachers. Students and

parents can appreciate that we do not know everything and are part of the journey and process

that all people go through. Additionally, change can be seen as keeping up with the demands of

society and the economy. With changes in research and technology, it is important regardless of

our standards and assessments to do the duty of having our students prepared for the realities

beyond K-12. There are going to be those who resist change, but they are unable to stop

transformative changes if a critical mass of staff and stakeholders want it.

The amount of change desired in a school seems to depend on the conditions in that

school. I have seen a variety of attempts at reform over my career. One site I work with looks at

any change as more work or a phase that will just pass in a year or two. When we recently had

an in-service to bring in the concept of Growth Mindset, a number of staff from that site used a

sick day and did not attend. The leader at this site had struggled with his staffs professional
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behaviors and has since moved into a district finance role. The leader needs to create a culture in

their school not just for students, but for staff as well. Their attitudes and beliefs will transfer to

the students. Their morale or lack of it is reflected in their performance and student

achievement. Culture must be a priority to truly have an impact on a school.

Public school districts represent the community through elected bodies that hire staff and

approve recommended decisions. These days every initiative, training, or resource that requires

funding must be a part of the district LCAP. The LCAP process and its revisions should include

stakeholders from the community, parents, and staff to outline the mission and vision that all

changes will be a part of. Efforts to reform curriculum, technology, professional learning

communities, bell schedules, staff trainings, and adopt materials should again include the same

groups of stakeholders and align to their goals. This is an example how leaders can use the

processes in place to carry out activities beneficial to students.

Through transparency, openness, and a clear vision schools can lead their community

through a process of identifying the needs of its students and prioritizing resources necessary to

meet their needs. Both organizational and instructional reforms must be ongoing with staff and

students who believe in each other and their leaders. Staff will raise their expectations of

themselves and their students will achieve greater results and have more rewarding experiences. I

have seen examples of this at some of our school sites, particularly Colfax High School, and

these leaders are the ones I need to learn from to continue to evolve my philosophy of

educational leadership.