Running head: IDENTIFYING AND EMPOWERING INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS 1

Identifying and Empowering Instructional Leaders

Kirby T. Shepherd

EAD-533

Grand Canyon University

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Identifying and Empowering Instructional Leaders

Education is a field that can be very turbulent and quickly changing. For this reason, it is

important to have a solid group of teacher leaders to help all teachers on a campus adapt and

incorporate new teaching methods and techniques. The individuals that encompass this group

need to be fully vested in the mission, vision, and future success of the school, staff, and

students. These should be highly desirable and competitive positions within the district that

high-functioning and highly motivated and dedicated teachers are striving to fill.

Analyze the Case

Stakeholders

The stakeholders, in this case, are the teachers, students, support staff, school board

members, and the surrounding community. Each of these categories is affected by the success or

failure of leadership in the school. Of the stakeholders listed the teachers are the catalyst that

drives the machine that is public education. Without strong leadership and extreme ownership on

their part the remainder of the stakeholders are at their mercy.

Questions to Ask. When speaking with stakeholders it is important that the new principal get a

clear vision and expectations for the school. Asking questions about what they believe the roles

and responsibilities of teachers within their school district are. Along with that, discussing areas

that they feel teachers are not meeting expectations or have historically or in recent history had

trouble achieving what they consider success.

Next Steps Considerations

Before taking any real action on this situation it is vital that I get an accurate view of the

landscape at the school. Getting the perspective of the culture and climate from multiple vantage
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points can help reveal or highlight some underlying issues or concerns that could determine how

to tackle this situation. In a perfect world, all the information is readily and openly available at

the start, but unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world so making a consorted effort to

gather as much relevant information as possible will go a long way the process of implementing

corrective measures.

Timeline

Because this situation appears to have been going on for an extended period, it would be

unreasonable to expect a notable change in short order. However, this should also not be an

excuse to allow the process to drag on longer. Setting a S.M.A.R.T.(specific, measurable,

achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goal that meets all of the listed metrics will set the school

and leadership team on the right path. For this specific situation, I would plan to have mostly

individuals who were bought into the school’s vision and mission, and open to change and

improvement by mid-school year. Eventually all members that were not bought into the vision

and mission being replaced by the beginning of summer break.

Identifying Larger Issues

Honoring Previous Accomplishments

It is important to recognize those accomplishments achieved by the previous years leadership

team. The fact that there are some longstanding team members on the leadership team suggests

that some of the more experienced teachers do have an interest in the success of the school but

were not given proper guidance and direction. This magnifies any accomplishments that the

leadership team might celebrate, because it can be assumed that those areas of concentration will

be issues that members of the team find important. Any attacks or belittling of those
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achievements might undermine my initial efforts to build relationships and gather information

about the climate and culture.

Outcomes of Inaction

Positives. The potential positives of inaction would be that you as a new principal do not make

any waves or disrupt the institutions and expectations that are already in place. If I were to

choose to do nothing in this situation teachers and staff members might find a natural flow that

works for them. They will never reach their full potential, but no one will be uncomfortable.

Negatives. The possible negatives that could result from inaction are that a bad situation gets

worse. More times than not when problems of ineffectiveness and lack of direction are ignored

those issues will permeate into other areas. Dysfunctional and disengaged leadership will usually

result in a dysfunctional and disengaged organization.

Outcomes of Action

Positives. Positive outcomes from taking action are that the school’s culture and atmosphere

improve significantly resulting in the success of students and positive influences on all

stakeholders. Correct and appropriate measures such as identifying potential leadership

candidates and developing them into key members of the leadership team.

Negatives. Possible negative outcomes that could result from taking action might be that the

staff, students, and additional stakeholders react negatively to the implementation of corrective

measures. It might also result initially in a downtrend in student success and teacher and staff

productivity and effectiveness. Other additional negative outcomes might result from taking the

wrong steps or trying to implement procedures and policies that do not meet the actual needs,

and instead compound the issues.

Additional Information.
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Additional information that might be helpful in addressing the issues at hand might include the

board of trustees' view of this situation. Potential tools at my disposal that could be utilized to

draw in members of the staff that could be helpful but are not motivated to participate due to lack

of incentives.

Action Plan

Making Leadership Desirable

A big part of correcting the culture and atmosphere in the school is nurturing the belief that

leadership positions are desirable. Building a culture that recognizes the importance of good

leadership and its’ vital role in the success of a school. Building incentives to help with

rewarding those that take the time, effort, and energy to fill these leadership positions will help.

However, it all starts with tapping into the intangible values and morals that drive successful

organizations and draw inspirational and genuine leadership.

The Selection Process.

Step One. The process for identifying potential leadership team member candidates would start

with assessing those members that currently fill its’ ranks. The team is large and diverse with

members from all different sections and all different levels of experience. Some of these

members will need to remain on the team in order to maintain some continuity between the old

team and the new team.

Step Two. The next step would be identifying those members that would need to be asked to step

down. When trying to change the culture of a school, there will always be hold outs in the ranks.

It is vital that these individuals are identified and while they do not necessarily need be dismissed

from the school the do not need to remain or be placed in positions of leadership which could

result in their undermining of the goals set by new leadership.

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Step Three. Identify those individuals that have not taken part in the leadership team but would

be an asset to the team. Utilizing relationships developed with existing team members and other

staff members who would be able to help make suggestions as to which teachers might fall in

this category would be a great way to move this process along.

Critical Stakeholders.

Incorporation of key stakeholders into this process will be important for creating ownership and

buy-in so that everyone has a vested interest in the direction the school is headed. The school

board would need to be included in decisions to help incentivize these positions. Teachers would

need to be included in the process so that their input, concerns, and considerations could be

utilized to help build these leadership positions into roles that teachers will strive to fill.

Potential Challenges and Ways to Overcome.

The challenges that will arise in this situation normally revolve around our lack of desire for

things to change. Change is uncomfortable, it requires us to get out of our routines, that, no

matter how dysfunctional they may be, are what we are used to and therefore familiar with. The

best way to address this issue is to get the teachers and other stakeholders on your side. Help

them to see the long-term benefits of what you are trying to incorporate and how it will change

and positively impact their school, community, and personal lives if fully committed to.

Conclusion

Coming into a school culture and atmosphere described in the case study is common. More times

than not it is the norm, and for that reason, principals must be prepared to face these types of

problems and situations head-on. No one likes to have some person that they have never met

come in and tell them they are doing it all wrong. A certain amount of finesse and grace are

needed to deal with these situations in a way that everyone comes out better in the end.
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References

Jennings, M. J. (2008). Dynamic educational leadership teams: From mine to ours. R&L

Education.

Kenny, G. (2012). From the stakeholder viewpoint: designing measurable objectives. Journal of

Business Strategy.