Reflection
is an important leadership skill because it helps one to develop expertise. As
you reflect on what you are doing while you are doing it and after you have
completed it, you can make changes on the fly and make better decisions in the
future. We learn best from our mistakes, so a reflective practitioner must
think about what went wrong and how to do better next time. We also can learn
from our successes. We must think about what we did well so we can do it again.
An example
of a reflection from a course assignment activity follows: As I review the history of Texas
school finance it is easy to see how we are in this mess. Everything I have
learned has made it apparent that the Legislature does not want to create an
adequate and equitable funding system. If they did, they would have done so by
now. The original intent was to have the State provide funding for the basic
education of all Texas students (“a general diffusion of knowledge”) and then
the local school boards could levy local property taxes if the community wanted
to provide more than the basic education. The funding burden has been moved to
the local school boards. Some districts cannot fund a basic education no matter
how highly they tax the community. I do not want to be a conspiracy theorist,
but it seems like there is a plan to set schools up for failure. The districts
with the most disadvantaged students received the deepest cuts to basic
educational programs, while the wealthy districts continue to have an abundance
of money for additional educational and extra-curricular programs. It is a
travesty. The current funding system must be changed.
Another
example of a reflection from a course assignment activity follows: The concepts of equality, equity, and
adequacy seem easy to understand for everyone but the members of the
Legislature. I agree with the Equity Center, which claims that if the Legislature
wanted an equal, equitable, and adequate funding system, they would have
created it by now. Instead, they have created this mess. The current system as
a whole is neither equal, equitable, nor adequate. Not every district in Texas
is being adequately funded at a foundational level so that all students master
the TEKS for their grade level. Most districts are grossly underfunded and they
additionally received a cut in their funding this year. Not all students have
equal access to a basic education. The system is not equitable because similar
districts are funded at different levels. If we want our students to be
successful in the 21st century world, we must revise our funding
formulas or risk the collapse of the public education system as we know it. Perhaps
that is the plan…
An example
of a reflection from my blog follows: I have gained knowledge and skills in the
following: effective budget planning and management; acquiring, allocating, and
managing resources according to district vision and priorities, including
obtaining and using funding from various sources; managing my own time and the
time of others to enhance district operations; and applying legal concepts,
regulations, and codes as required. I am still competent, but not strong in the
following areas: using district and staff evaluation data for personnel policy development
and decision making; and using revenue forecasting and enrollment forecasting
to address personnel and budgetary needs accurately. I still need improvement
in the following areas: work collaboratively with board of trustees and
appropriate personnel to develop district budgets; facilitate and evaluate
effective account auditing and monitoring that complies with legal requirements
and local district policy; and establish district procedures for accurate,
effective, ethical purchasing and financial record keeping and reporting.
Another
example of a reflection from my blog follows: Before speaking to my
superintendent, I did not have any idea how involved the budgeting process was
for a school district. I now know that a school district Board of Trustees must
have a vision, mission, and goals set before district administration has clear
direction in setting a budget. The budget is a document to accomplish the goals
of the district. It clearly defines how monies will be allocated to every
program. The superintendent is integral in this process. As the Chief Executive
Officer – the leader – the superintendent helps the Board to identify the
vision, mission, and goals of the district. Then the superintendent is
responsible for creating (or causing the creation of) a budget that effectively
and efficiently funds programs/activities that will accomplish the goals of the
district. Ultimately, the buck stops with the superintendent, but the superintendent
cannot do it all alone. As a good leader the superintendent must hire the right
people, put them in the right place, and get out of their way. It is imperative
for the superintendent to be a good communicator with the Board of Trustees and
the executive cabinet.
An example
of a reflection from my course/campus supervised logs follows: I had the
pleasure of interviewing Dr. Leland Williams the retiring superintendent of
Dickinson ISD. The transfer officially took place on September 1, 2011. Dr.
Williams is currently serving in an advisory role through November to assist
the new superintendent Vicki Mims, who was the Assistant Superintendent for
Educational Services. Dr. Williams was the superintendent for Dickinson ISD for
16 years. He was the longest-seated superintendent in Texas. He has served
students in Texas as an educator for more than 30 years. One of the first
things he said was that as you progress higher through an organization, you
must trade management skills for leadership skills. You cannot do everything,
so you must give up control in order to gain leadership ability/capacity. He
defined leadership as the ability to understand the parameters of a situation
and be able to work with others in that situation so that they will follow you.
He also said that leadership cannot be taught, but it must be learned. The
positive aspects of leading a school district include having the opportunity to
select the right people and place them in the right position to achieve the
goals of the organization. He described a good superintendent as having the
following qualities: high energy, good listener, understand problem solving,
highly visible, and always “firm, fair, and consistent.” He had good advice
about working with boards of trustees: communication is crucial; you must set
high expectations; do not ever lecture them; lead by actions and conversations;
understand where they are coming from; let them have the power but not the
control; inform but don’t offend; and be consistent over time. With regards to
strategic planning, he referred back to the idea that one person cannot do it
all; you must hire the right people, put them in the right place, and get out
of their way. He said you must lead by conversations and not directives. He
clarified the difference between strategic plans and tactical/action plans.
Strategic plans are visionary and long-term; the war. Tactical/Action plans are
concerned with daily operations and have specific objectives and activities to
fulfill the strategic plans; the battles. Then he quoted General Patton in
reference to Texas Aggies, and said you may lose a battle, but you want to win
the war. In fact, sometimes you lose a small battle on purpose. I could go on.
Dr. Williams was a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Our interview lasted an hour
and could have lasted all day. If I can be half the superintendent he was, I’ll
be golden.
Another
example of a reflection from my course/campus supervised logs follows: Sitting
down to write one’s work experience is an illuminating task. It forces you to
think really thoroughly about what you have done and what you need to do to
attain your professional goals. The first draft of my vita was rather sparse. I
added a few more duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments after I finished
trying to fill it out some. I struggled with trying to be concise (as one would
be on a resume) with being detailed about my work and leadership experience.
After posting my vita to my blog and wiki, I received numerous suggestions,
many of which involved adding more detail to my duties, responsibilities, and
accomplishments. Since this is the first document that a prospective hiring
committee will see, it is imperative that it be as detailed as possible to give
an accurate and favorable first impression. I know that I need to add more
detail to my vita. Also, I need to accomplish more so I have more to add.
An example
of a reflection from an assessment follows: My strengths lie in data, i.e.
numbers. I have a very analytical mind. I noted in Domain II, Competency 5 that
student assessment, technology integration , and accountability systems are my
strengths. In Domain II, Competency 6 I noted that understanting how various
organizational factors (staffing patterns, class scheduling formats, school
organizational structures, and student discipline practices) affect teaching
and learning. In Domain III, Competency 8 using technology and information
systems to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of school district operations
is my strength. I am the associate principal at a large junior high. My primary
responsibilities are curriculum/instruction, assessment (testing coordinator),
and master scheduling. These are my strengths. I am also the technology expert
on campus, simply because that is one of my personal strengths. Staff members
from my campus and around the district seek my assistance on technology issues.
I am
competent in the areas of ethics/integrity, curriculum, instruction,
assessment, accountability, and personnel development/supervision/evaluation. I
marked myself competent in all of Domain I, Competency 1 (act with integrity,
fairness, and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all
students); Domain II, Competency 5 (knows how to facilitate the planning and
implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure
alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; use the
current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to
measure student performance) with the exception of those I noted as strengths
above; Domain II, Competency 6 (knows how to advocate, promote, and sustain an
instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student
learning and staff professional growth) with the exception of the strength
noted above and two weaknesses noted below; and Domain II, Competency 7 (knows
how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select
appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the
performance of all staff members) with the exception of one weakness noted
below.
I marked
myself as mostly competent in Domain III, Competency 8 (knows how to apply
principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district
budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and
technology application); and Domain III, Competency 10 (knows how to apply
organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to comply with
federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied
contexts) with the exception of working with others (especially the board of
trustees) and encouraging and facilitating positive change.
My
weaknesses mainly center around the fact that I have not had the opportunity to
work at the district level. I have no experience in dealing with the board of
trustees, all staff members, strategic planning, budgeting, physical plant,
maintenance, etc. I also have had little experience in dealing with the
community as a whole. I marked myself as in need of improvement in those areas
of Domain I, Competencies 2, 3, and 4; and Domain III, Competencies 8, 9, and
10. I also marked myself in need of improvement on student support services
(II, 6), special needs (II, 6), and effective presenting (II, 7).
I plan to
use reflective practice to improve my leadership skills by recognizing the
perspectives of others, accommodating how others learn, understanding how
hierarchy filters information, and anticipating problems.
