Nowadays, education becomes a competitive sphere, and perusing excellence is one of the critical definers of success (McLeod & Urquiola, 2015). In this case, the school’s reputation also determines its ranking among the competitive educational institutions (McLeod & Urquiola, 2015). Consequently, in the context of this paper, I was appointed as superintendent of Orange County public schools, and it is critical to increasing the performance of the schools and make them the top performing ones in the area within three years. No additional funding is offered, and reallocation of the funds can be viewed as the major opportunity to cultivate change. Expecting the potential reaction to alterations by different organizational groups will help propose the strategies to diffuse confrontation. Referring to leadership concepts and styles will assist in resolving this issue. Lastly, it is vital to underline the ways in which the proposed reallocation supports the vision.
Reallocation of Funds
In the first place, Borba underlines that the school reform is dependent on the factors such as well-educated and competent teachers and high-quality materials available for learning (2003). Thus, the major subcategories include the participation of parents, the size of the learning groups, “early childhood education”, additional tutoring, and the healthcare facilities (Borba, 2003, p. 40). In this case, the funds will be redistributed between the sections highlighted above (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Allocation of the funds: Before and after.
Based on the changes reflected in Figure 1, it is proposed to increase the funding to 30% on the training of the teachers, as the quality of teaching directly affects the motivation of the students, their desire to learn, and their academic performance (Coe, Aloisi, Higgins, & Major, 2014). Consequently, shifting expenditure to 12% on the instructional planning is also vital since it is vehemently related to the quality of teaching practice. Simultaneously, one cannot underestimate the connection between class size and academic performance (Jepsen, 2015). Nonetheless, small classes do not guarantee the performance excellence, and there is no need to increase expenditure on this aspect (Jepsen, 2015). In turn, investing more resources to enhance the parents’ involvement is critical, as it has a direct impact on the academic excellence (Fagbeminiyi, 2011). This novelty will not only improve the academic performance but will also help shape the positive reputation of the school. Due to the redistribution of the funding, it is evident that fewer finances will be devoted to additional tutoring, early childhood education, and health services, as these aspects do not have a significant impact on the overall performance of the schools.
Reaction to Changes
Despite the necessity and rationale for the proposed changes, one cannot underestimate the fact that various groups will react to the reallocation differently. Firstly, devoting more time and financial resources to the training and recruitment of the teachers will be positively supported by the management of the public schools. Nonetheless, tutors and evening mentors might not accept this change, as their activities will lack funding. Simultaneously, the parents might raise concerns about the availability of summer and evening tutoring since they pay substantial attention to the participation of their children in the educational processes.
Alternatively, additional instructional planning will make lectures more interesting while satisfying the needs of parents and students. Nonetheless, it might shift resistance among teachers, as they would be required to devote more time to preparation. Thus, the parents’ participation will be positively met among teachers, as being in direct contact increases the quality of feedback and enhances the overall academic performance (Fagbeminiyi, 2011). Nonetheless, it could be said that devoting fewer funds to the class size, health services, and early childhood education might elevate resistance among parents, instructors, and medical personnel. These notions might be major reasons for the development of the adverse attitudes about the educational institutions. Nonetheless, using the suitable leadership tactics, which support the initial vision, will help find a solution to these issues and resolve conflicts.
Approaches to Diffuse Resistance
To respond to the opposition by various groups in the educational institutions, it is critical to employ suitable leadership approaches. In this case, it is vital to explain to the different stakeholders of the public schools that the changes are necessary and support the initial vision of the educational institution. Highlighting the connection between the missions, needs for training, and resource allocation will assist the leadership style in complying with the vision (Kurland, Peretz, & Hertz-Lazarowitz, 2010). Explaining these matters to the different groups of stakeholders will help improve understanding and help distribute the components of the vision.
Alternatively, one of the strategies is to employ the methods of assertive communication. In this case, this concept implies evaluating the position of individuals and finding a win-win resolution to diffuse the resistance to the proposed changes (Peneva & Mavrodiev, 2013). At the same time, engaging different stakeholders into the decision-making process will help them feel like a part of the managerial team and ensure the compliance with the school’s vision. It could be said that a combination of the strategies mentioned above will help diffuse the resistance and enhance the effectiveness of the decision-making in the schools.
Reallocation and Supporting the Vision
Despite the rationale for proposing the reallocation strategy, one cannot underrate that the selected approach has to support the vision. As it was mentioned earlier, the primary goal is to enhance the performance of Orange County public schools and make them on of the top performers in the region. In this case, it is widely known that the effectiveness of the vision is dependent on several elements such as educational performance, employees’ and students’ satisfaction, and financial stability (Kantabutra, 2010). In this case, enhancing the learning environment and involving parents in the learning process will help reach the critical objectives of the public schools and assist them in reaching top positions in the area within three years.
Simultaneously, supporting teachers’ training will contribute to the development of the teacher’s leadership, which pertains to the overall performance of the school (Thornton, 2010). In this instance, increasing the funding for teacher’s training and instructional planning is rational. This concept completely complies with the gravity of the teacher’s leadership and its direct correlation with the organizational vision and resource distribution. In the end, it could be said that increasing the funding for instructional planning, teachers’ training, and involvement of the parents in the learning process supports the initial vision of the organizational institutions. This allocation fulfills the understanding of excellence in education and helps organizations to improve their reputation.
References
Borba, J. (2003). California’s newest wave of education reform: A missed opportunity to rethink instructional support resource allocation to low-performing schools. Educational Research Quarterly, 27(1), 40-44.
Coe, R., Aloisi, C., Higgins, S., & Major, L. (2014). What makes great teaching? Web.
Fagbeminiyi, F. (2011). The role of parents in the early childhood education: A case study of Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. Global Journal of Human Social Science, 11(2), 1-11.
Jepsen, C. (2015). Class size: Does it matter for student achievement?Web.
Kantabutra, S. (2010). Vision effects: A critical gap in educational leadership research. The International Journal of Educational Management, 24(5), 376-390.
Kurland, H., Peretz, H., & Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (2010). Leadership style and organizational learning: The mediate effect of school vision. Journal of Educational Administration, 48(1), 7-30.
McLeod, B., & Urquiola, M. (2015). Reputation and school competition. American Economic Review, 105(11), 3471-3488.
Peneva, I., & Mavrodiev, S. (2013). A historical approach to assertiveness. Psychological Thought, 6(1), 3-26.