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Distributive Leadership

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In the field of education, many issues seem to be converging simultaneously. Budget, technology initiatives, alignment to core standards, AchieveNJ, PARCC, HIB and a myriad of others are ongoing while educational leaders also have the responsibility of running a department, school or district. Being a school leader is often like laying railroad tracks while the train is barreling toward you. Regardless, as district leaders, we need to be prepared and always look toward the future in order to educate our students to the highest degree possible. Therefore, successful educational leaders should possess the skills and background in the areas of curriculum development, evaluation, public relations, goal-setting, integrity and articulation …show more content…

I have accomplished this through leading by example and demonstrating my commitment to children. As the new district leader, the staff will be watching what I do and how I do it in all areas of the job. The most important action I can accomplish is to demonstrate my belief in and passion for what I do as the instructional leader. By using this “distributive leadership” exercise in one of my first faculty meetings, I will directly communicate my vision. I ask the staff for input on sorting the current educational practices and programs into three categories: what to keep, what to revise and what to throw away. Everything is on the table. I make three lists and share the results with everyone so all are on the same page. It is imperative to be sensitive to those uncomfortable in speaking their minds in front of others by having them e-mail his or her suggestions. Once the lists are complete, I solve one or two easy to change, least disruptive and almost all agree on ideas to build some trust and lay the groundwork for my distributive leadership approach.

As I transition into the district, I use this exercise to create a blueprint, which is a three-year action plan. The staff needs to know where they need to go and how they are going to get there. A blueprint will give everyone an understanding of the long-term goals and the three-year plan will help them see how to get there. These goals should be kept …show more content…

As I walk through classrooms, complete classroom observations, attend meetings and make public presentations, my use of technology is always very obvious. I carry and use my iPad wherever I go and use it for many aspects of managing time, keeping a calendar and monitoring school activities. In order to communicate effectively and to sharply reduce the use of paper, correspondence with staff members is done through technology. Creating and then utilizing a district Facebook page, a professional blog and Twitter account allowed me to reach many people with information about the district.

My districts also utilize technology for ongoing benchmark assessments for students. On a weekly basis, I review data supporting a value-added student achievement model. Renaissance Learning’s Star Math and Reading assessment tools are used four times per year to benchmark student growth. Under my leadership last year, with no benchmarking process in place, Jamesburg adopted NWEA’s MAP assessment tool to chart student growth and inform instruction. Running records and AIMSweb are also used in conjunction with the other products to demonstrate

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