Leadership and School Public Relations

Prepared by: Charo May J. Naigan

Educational Leadership

What is a good school? Can goodness be defined? Is there difference between

effectiveness and excellence in schooling? Just how does one determine if a school is doing

good job or not?

Effective is commonly understood to mean having ability to produce a desired effect. Thus, any school producing an effect desired by some group is considered effective by that group.

For example, graduates of good schools get jobs or get admitted to college in larger numbers. Test scores of students are at above average for similar groups of students.Teachers agree as to what the purposes of schooling problems are on decline.Students select tougher courses.Survey of students indicates that they are satisfied with their schools.

Define Effective School

1.These schools contain safe and orderly environments where student achievement is up to or exceeds expectations.2.These schools responds appropriately to the developmental levels of students.3.Teachers and students in these schools pursue competency in learning.4.These schools are accepted within the context of the local community and its expectations.5.These schools enjoy a reputation for excellence in the community.6.These schools function well in response to or despite national issues such as desegration, busing and other problems.

Some researchers provide expansive definition of school effectiveness .Joan Lipsitz (1984) uses the following general criteria in identifying the successful schools she studied:

Kroeze Shoemaker and Fraser Sweeney

Goal Emphasis Assertive,achievement oriented leadership

Coordination of instructional programs

Coordination and Organization

Orderly, purposeful and peaceful school climate

Emphasis on achievement

Power and discretionary decision making

High expectations for staff and pupils

Frequent evaluation of student progress

Human Relations Well-designed instructional objectives and evaluation system

Orderly environmentSupport teachersEstablishment of instructional strategies

Early School-Effectiveness Studies

Table 4.1 Reviews of Findings Related to School Leadership in Early School-Effectiveness Studies

Principal Characteristics Associated with Effective Schools

Most experts agree that effectiveness is a multidimensional concept. the following list illustrates some criteria and measurements often used.

1.Productivity-the extent to which students, teachers, groups and school accomplish outcomes or services intended.

2.Efficiency-the ratio of individual and school performance to the cost involved for that performance.Costs are calculated not only in terms of money but by objectives or outcomes.

3.Quality-the level and quality of accomplishments,outcomes,performance and services of individuals and the school.

4.Growth-improvements in quality of offerings,responsiveness and innovativeness,talent and general competence when school’s present status is compared with its own past state.

5.Absenteeism-number of times present and frequency of nonattendance by teachers,students and other school workers.

Dimensions and Measures of School Effectiveness

6.Turnover-the number of voluntary transfers and terminations on the part of students,faculty and other school workers.

7.Teacher job satisfaction-the extent to which teachers are pleased with various job outcomes they are receiving.

8.Student satisfaction-the extent to which students are pleased with various schooling outcomes they are receiving.

9.Motivation-the willingness and drive strength of teachers, students and other school workers as they engage in the work of the school.

10.Morale-the general good feeling that teachers, parents, students and other have for the school,traditions, and its goals and the extent to which they are happy to be part of the school.

11.Cohesion-the extent to which students and teachers like one another,work well together, communicate fully and openly and coordinate their efforts.

12.Flexibility adaptation-the ability of the school to change its procedures and ways of operating in response to community and other environment changes.

13.Planning and goal setting-the degree to which the members plan future steps and engage in goal setting behavior.

14.Goal Consensus-the extent to which community members ,parents, students agree that the same goals exists for the school.

15.Internalization of organizational goals-the acceptance of the school’s goals and belief by parents, students teachers are right and proper.

16.Leadership management skills-the overall level ability of principals,supervisors and other leaders as they perform school-centered tasks.

17.Information mangement and communications-the completeness,efficiency of dissemination and accuracy of information considered critical to the school effectiveness by all interested parties(parents, students teachers and community at large).

18.Readiness-the probabilitythat the school could successfully perform some specified task or accomplish some specified goal if asked to do so.

19.Utilization of the environment-the extent to which school interacts successfully with its community and other areas of its environment and acquires the necessary support and its resources to function effectively.

20.Evaluation by external entities-favorable assessments of the school by individuals, organizations and groups in the community within which it interacts.

21.Stability-the ability of the school to maintain certain structures, functions and resources overtime and particularly during periods of stress.

22.Shared Influence-the degree to which individuals in the school participate in making decisions that affect them directly.

23.Training and development emphasis-the amount of effort and resources that the school devotes to developing the talents of teachers and other school workers.

24.Achievements emphasis-the extent to which the school places a high value on achieving existing and new goals.

Six Major Roles of Principal are summarized below, interdependencies among them:

The effective principal works:

To define the school broad philosophy and mission

which guides achievement of school educt’l objectives

through teachers who are committed to these objectives

within supportive school structure and climate

over an extended period of time

in cooperation of teachers,administration and staff

Leadership Competencies for Leaders

Wynn DeBovoise defines it as “those actions that principal takes or delegates to others to promote growth in student learning.”

Instructional Leadership

Instructional Leadership

Defines mission

Frames and Goals

Communicates Goals

Manages Curriculumand Instruction(CI)

Knows CI

Coordinates

Curriculum

Supervises and

Evaluates

Monitor Progress

Promotes School Climate

Set Standar

ds

Set Expectations

Protects

Time

Promotes Improveme

nt

Behaviors

Dimensions

Functions

Fig.4.1 Instructional Management Functions

This first attempts to put a group of exceptional principals under the microscope was made by Arthur Blumberg and William Greenfield.1.Principals were highly goal oriented and had a keen sense of goal clarity.2.Principals were characterized by a high degree of ontological security(in other words, they knew themselves, their capabilities and what they were about)3.Principals tended to test the limits of both the interpersonal and organizational systems they encounter.4.Principals were sensitive to the dynamics of power.5.Principlas approached problem situations from highly analytical perspective.6.Principals behaved in ways that enabled them to be in charge of the job and not let the job in charge of them.

Common Characteristics of Exceptional Principals