An example of an educational leader
The educational leader I have been working with is an example of a reflective teacher serving the best interests of students and the community. He employs effective communication techniques for promoting literacy and enhancing the teaching-learning process. Even when his values conflicted with professional ethics, he implemented the ethical code in the decision-making process and made the students’ interests the fundamental value of all the educational changes and initiatives.
To model the ethical behavior in the teaching staff while taking the standardized tests, the educational leader decided not to take into consideration the nationwide criteria as to the results of these tests. The rationale for making this decision was reducing the pressure of obligation to meet the generally accepted standards which usually motivates teachers to use ethical strategies for making their classes look better. This decision required a high level of responsibility, evaluation of the possible outcomes, and strategic planning for putting the idea into practice. For this reason, it was preceded by a rather prolonged decision-making process.
On the one hand, this decision could hurt the students’ outcomes according to the result of the standardized tests. On the other hand, modeling ethical code regarding the process of taking the tests for evaluating the true learning achievements instead of presenting the carefully polished results which do not demonstrate the real picture allows serving the students’ and teachers’ best interests. Decreasing the pressure of meeting the nationwide criteria regarding the students’ outcomes, the educational leader intended to create favorable conditions for fostering teachers’ creativity and students’ literacy. Concentrating on preparing for the obligatory tests which are often used as the instruments for evaluating the teachers’ performance, educators can fail to realize their full potential in class and deprive their students of opportunities to develop the full range of their skills.
After conducting a survey on the students’ achievements on the school level and comparing the findings to the results of the state tests, the educational leader concluded that preparing for the obligatory tests the main component of the educational programs can be compared to an endless circle. Emphasizing concrete elements of the program, teachers can decide to omit other segments of the program and consequently limit the students’ opportunities for enhancing their literacy and demonstrating a higher level of achievement in the tests.
Recognizing the importance of reducing the pressure of meeting the goals of the nationwide criteria would improve the learning environment and the quality of the program, the educational leader did not set any standards for the tests so that to prevent teachers from adjusting their strategies to reaching the necessary criteria through using unethical methods. Shapiro and Stefkovich (2011) noted that “the educational administrator … makes the well-being of students the fundamental value of all decision making and actions” (p. 25). Taking into account the benefits of the decision not to consider the state standards for the results of the tests for the teachers’ working conditions, learning environment, and students’ outcomes, it can be stated that this solution can be regarded as ethical and serving the best interests of learners and the teaching staff.
The results of the tests conducted after the implementation of the leader’s decision have proven their effectiveness and positive impact upon the learning outcomes in general.
The role of the educational leader
The implementation of a new merit pay system for educators in public middle schools can help motivate teachers to improve their professional performance and provide learners with improved learning opportunities.
Educational leaders play an important role in leading the change initiatives, and the effectiveness of their performance is critical to the implementation of reforms in the educational sphere, improving the working environment, and improving the students’ outcomes.
Effective leaders concentrate their efforts on planning, organizing certain change initiatives, motivating the person to contribute to the implementation of the project, and ensuring the quality of the process. Effective leaders are skillful in not only planning the necessary changes but also inspiring others to unite their efforts and work as a unified team for accomplishing a shared goal of fostering the students’ literacy. Good school leaders allow their colleagues to develop and apply their leadership qualities. Significantly, all educators are motivated to take the lead in their specific areas of expertise (Bennett et al., 2004, p. 181). Self-sacrifice along with self-discipline, empathy, and effective communication strategies are recognized as the most important qualities in educational leaders.
Effective leaders focus on making students’ learning achievements central to the educational programs and emphasize preparing students for the life in a modern community. Effective educational leaders raise their expectations regarding the students’ achievements and the professional performance of the teaching staff. Being one step ahead of the rest of the participants of the teaching-learning process, leaders set the achievable goals and select the appropriate goals for the school programs. Effective educational leaders give preference to a shared vision, communicating their ideas to colleagues and involving them in the realization of the program. They foster a professional environment that is favorable for stimulating the teachers’ professional growth. Effective educational leaders use their knowledge for not only meeting the current demands of the teaching-learning process but also predicting future challenges and imposing measures for preventing or minimizing the risks. Evaluating the ongoing processes within the educational process and defining the existing and future gaps, educational leaders can develop and implement change initiatives, taking into account the peculiarities of organizational culture at a particular educational institution.
The specific change initiative is expected to improve the teachers’ performance and the students’ learning outcomes in public middle schools in the development and implementation of a new merit pay system. Recognizing the fact that merit pay remains one of the most effective motivators affecting the workers’ attitudes and professional behavior. Promoting higher standards for educators as the widely spread practice all over the country requires certain compensation for the teachers’ efforts. Linking the number of salaries to the professional performance of the teaching staff measured through testing the learners’ achievements, the schools will motivate their educators for improving the content and quality of the educational process. This change initiative can be valuable for providing students with a strong educational experience. Comparing the results of the standardized tests retrieved before and after the implementation of a new merit pay system allows enhancing the effectiveness of the educational process.
The monetary motivation can be valuable for generating the employees’ interest in improving the outcomes of their work by improving their professional performance. Fostering the teachers’ creativity, communicative and professional skills, initiative stimulates the educators’ professional growth and affects the teaching-learning process directly. Disregarding the debates concerning the appropriateness of students’ achievements used as the evaluators of the teachers’ performance, the level of learners’ cognitive development and program knowledge can be regarded as relevant indicators of the effects of the change initiative. Taking into account the fact that students’ interests and literacy are recognized as the main values of the educational process, it can be stated that the results of the standardized tests can be used for evaluating the outcomes of the implemented strategy. Students’ perspective needs to be taken into consideration along with the teacher-peer evaluation of the colleagues’ performance which is important but insufficient for evaluating the outcomes of the implemented changes.
The psychological characteristics of the middle school students along with the curriculum content predetermine the peculiarities of the middle school organizational environment and the difficulties which can occur in the educational process of middle schools. Taking into account the fact that this period can have a significant impact upon the further formation of the student’s personal qualities, it can be stated that the implementation of a change initiative in middle school requires considering the organizational environment of an educational institution. Curriculum as a set of standards covering the academic skills and knowledge which middle school learners are expected to obtain within a certain period affects the implementation of a new merit pay system. Thus, the expectations as to the students’ achievements after the implementation of the changes need to be realistic and based upon the results achieved from the tests conducted before the introduction of a new strategy.
It is important to acknowledge the fact that implementation of change initiatives is time-consuming and the evaluation of the end outcomes requires a certain time lag. The successful implementation of the innovative strategies requires uniting the efforts of the administrators, leaders, and educators for organizing the application of the initiative and controlling the evaluation of the achieved results. Parent and community involvement could also be valuable for enhancing the results of the strategic reforms. The broadening learning opportunities for students and the stimulated professional performance in teachers would be appreciated by the community as the positive results of the implementation of a new merit pay system. Hargreaves, Lieberman, and Fullan (2010) noted that “even recognizing the importance emotions play in organizational behavior, the research has generally ignored the emotion’s specific impact on individuals” (p. 268). It means that the emotional coloring of the change undertaking should be taken into consideration in the process of strategic planning. Thus, the peculiarities of the middle school organizational environment and hierarchies need to be taken into consideration while developing the strategies and implementing a new system of merit pay.
Taking into account the fact that development and implementation of a new change initiative requires a strong theoretical basis and appropriate evaluation criteria, it can be stated that the strategic plan for making the changes in the organization of a public middle school consists of the introduction of the initiative, implementation, and evaluation of the strategic outcomes. At the stage of introduction, the school administration should collect the information concerning the experience of other institutions in implementing similar merit pay plans and after analyzing the available information, select the most appropriate strategies for realizing the selected vision. It is important to have a definite plan for the introduction of the change initiative, but also to be ready to adapt it to overcome certain difficulties which may occur in the course of the reformation.
On the stage of the implementation of the new merit pay system, the team approach should be used for uniting the efforts of all the participants of the educational process and balancing all the changes taking place on various levels of school organization. Thus, collaborative communication along with peer-evaluation of professional performance is an important component required for the successful implementation of the plan. Proper attention needs to be paid to the correlation of the performance, progress, and the corresponding merit pay. The educators need to be provided with detailed information concerning the changes in their payment system which is necessary for motivating them and making them active participants in the reformation process. The evaluation stage of the strategy presupposes combining the peer-teacher and student perspectives. Thus, neither peer review of the changes in the educators’ performance nor an account of the students’ progress can be underestimated in the process of evaluating the program outcomes. Both perspectives are intended to complement each other and provide a more sensible view of the results achieved through the implementation of the change initiative. After evaluating the effectiveness of the change initiative critically, measures can be imposed for improving the strategies and the participants’ attitudes towards the change initiative.
The implementation of a new merit pay system for educators in a middle school setting can be beneficial for enhancing the teachers’ performance and improving the students’ learning outcomes through providing educators with a financial motivating factor.
Reference List
Bennett, N., Crawford, M., and Cartwright, M. (2004). Effective educational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Company.
Hargreaves, A., Lieberman, A., and Fullan, M. (2010). Second international handbook of educational change. Stanford, CA: Springer.
Shapiro, J., and Stefkovich, J. (2011). Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. New York, NY: Routledge.