Goals
- Increase proficiency of core subjects by 5%
- Improve student punctuality
- Improve challenges for above-average students
Goals Achievement Assessment
Goal 1. 100% achieved as evidenced in the last evaluation.
Goal 2. 90% done according to ongoing monitoring of data.
Goal 3. 100% done as this has been an ongoing practice.
Metaphor
Our school is like a ship that has a crew of rowers every member on the boat has a job that is as important as the next person’s job.
Comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote: “No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing.”
Metaphors: Similarities and Patterns
My school is a conglomeration of talents just like in a ship. The concerted efforts of all staff members keeps school/ship going. With a good captain/headmaster/Principal there is forward movement. No single staff/crew member can sustain a school singlehandedly.
Metaphors: Differences
- Unlike ships, schools are not autonomous
- Sometimes different approaches among rowers bring welcome change
- Students in a school have more relevance than passengers in a boat
Strengths of Leadership as per Metaphors
- As a machine, school hierarchy determines roles
- In cultural context, school is run and owned by oil company
- Political systems- there are clear centers of power
- As an organism; a people-centered organization
Strengths of Leadership in Reference to Disciplines
Systems Thinking: leaders spearhead improvements and change.
Shared Vision: leader is interested in creation through cooperation.
Mental Models: possible to build a common understanding.
Weaknesses of Leadership in Reference to Metaphors
- An elaborate hierarchy can cause delays and stalling of agendas.
- Ownership by oil company subjects school to unique challenges.
- Allegiances and centers of power shift frequently
- System thinking is difficult to implement in practical situations
- Shared visions and mental models strictly depend on self-awareness
Facilitation of Organizational Learning
The school often holds stakeholders meetings to share the goals and achievements of the school, an indicator of the application of system thinking.
Mental models are shared throughout the school, teachers are given handbooks and training about the culture and the vision and mission of the school and the country from the very first week of employment. All these activities are in a bid to improve the organization as a whole.
During staff meetings, a shared vision is clearly communicated within the staff.
Inhibition of Organizational Learning
Constant changes in the education sector translate into changes in the curriculum and in the standardized tests, changes in staff and many other things that vary inhibit organizational learning. If the leadership is not aware of its surroundings and does not respond to the needs of the organization, it could fall behind.
Top Priorities in the School: Communication as Top Priority
There is a sense of top to bottom communication especially when it comes to curriculum. Teachers never have the opportunity to comment or give our feedback on many aspects of the school such as curriculum, they are normally informed of the outcomes and trained on how to meet expectations on these outcomes.
The work flow of the school is affected by poor communication. Meetings and PD’s are times where the teacher is being given information, not a time to ask and get feedback from them.
Teachers should be given a chance to contribute to organizational learning by giving them the initiative to develop their communication capacity.
Top Priorities in the School: Leadership as Top Priority
- Role based leadership is important to the metaphor of a boat with various rowers because it makes everybody comfortable in his/her position.
- Distribution of power should focus on positions and not personalities.
- Seminars help in enhancing both personal and organizational leadership quality.
- The school should not apply any leadership model without conducting due diligence first.
Reflections and New Insights
It is not easy to substantiate the effectiveness of organizational learning.
Self-awareness is an important component of leadership.
Organizational learning progress should be a calculated process.
System thinking is most effective when it is employed using simple models.
Leaders should think about the effectiveness of what they are allowing their organization to gain, and whether they are taking the organization in the right direction or are they just aiming at their own objectives and disregarding the objectives of the teachers who are considered the lifeline of schools, are they motivating them to reach their potential or are they limiting them.