Importance
In today’s educational system, the process of facilitating school improvement has become such a complex process, it has become very difficult, if not impossible, to be accomplished by a single, charismatic building administrator.
I would add some more here. I liked this video.
Overview
Michael Kocolowski, in his article “Shared Leadership: Is it Time for a Change,” observed that shared leadership is a relational, collaborative leadership process or phenomenon involving teams or groups that mutually influence one another and collectively share duties and responsibilities otherwise relegated to a single, central leader.”
Need more here.
Unpacking
When assembling a building leadership team, often referred to as a “guiding coalition”, a building administrator must put good people in a position to do good things. The decision to trust teacher leaders to make good decisions requires a spirit of risk taking on the part of the administrator but distributing leadership is always a risk well rewarded. (Graham and Ferriter, 2010)
In their book, Building a Professional Learning Community at Work, Graham and Ferriter suggest four considerations when building a core leadership team:
Decide upon and communicate the non-negotiables. These are those central principles which must be agreed upon as so important to a school improvement process that any and all decisions must be aligned to them. Some examples might be
- A commitment to ensure that all children can learn
- A belief in the power of collaboration
- A commitment to shared decision-making
- Valuing reflection and collective inquiry
Spend time together discussing these central core principles upon which their school learning community will be based upon. It takes more than the building principal to effectively move an initiative forward. It also takes an influential core of building leaders to “champion” the central principles of their school learning community.
Ensure a collective process for proceeding upon the school improvement. When everyone on a leadership team commits to a central set of principles, the details of school improvement will work themselves out, even when the details feel like the most important then. For building leaders, an important behavior is the ability to let go of the details and being willing to compromise…always referring to the central principles.
Value relationships. Graham and Ferriter recognize that it is important to develop professional and intellectual connections, but it is equally important to establish congenial relationships. Once friendships have been formed, it is significantly easier to negotiate controversial topics or decisions. People need time to get to know each other, feel comfortable working together, and develop trust.
Activity: Marsha Smith, Waynesville Sixth Grade Center principal, discusses how choosing a mission/vision helps guide the work of the school leadership team.
Reflect/discuss: Consider your building mission/vision. How does it currently impact your building’s work? What might you consider in selecting people to serve on a leadership team?