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Identifying and Empowering Instructional Leaders

Betty Graham Young

Grand Canyon University: EAD 533

August 12, 2020

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Identifying and Empowering Instructional Leaders

Case Analysis

In meeting with the leadership team for the first time in my new assignment as principal,

it is imperative that I treat this situation and the attendees very sensitively. Because members of

the staff are so resistant to leadership and change, questions and dialog should be carefully

delivered to prevent further disengagement and shutdown. Stakeholders chosen to be a part of

the team are: department chairpersons, Professional Learning Community (PLC) leaders,

administrative team, and all other persons who hold leadership positions in the school. Each

member will be given a Mindset Assessment Profile (MAP) to complete. We will discuss the

results of the profile with explanations given for each mindset. Mindsets, belief systems, reasons

for resistance, commitment to change, levels of buy-in, and capacity to lead, are all factors to

consider. A follow-up meeting will be held within the next two weeks, which will include at least

three newer teachers and a motivational speaker. A core of teacher leaders will be established

along with a School Improvement Team (SIT) by the end of the first quarter. However, in the

interim, it is wise that I seek counsel and direction from accountable leadership that is familiar

with these types of issues as well as from veteran administrators who have more experience than

I.

Larger Issues

Although there are quite a few negative issues to be resolved, there are some positive

works that were set in place under the leadership of the former principal. For starters, the Multi-

Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) coordinator has established a system of interventions that has

proven to be an excellent support to the students. Also, my predecessor established norms that
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my assistant principals carry out with ease. There will not be any changes made in these areas

except for the purposes of development, growth, and expansion. As stated though, there are

issues that need immediate action.

It has been said that change and God are the only two constants; however, people

continue to resistant to the former. This may appear as strange to many; however, impervious

teachers are necessary. Without them, we might not know what needs to be changed or

addressed. How do we know what to fix if problems and behaviors are not realized? With a

thorough plan, professional development, and clear expectations, resistant teachers can quickly

become resilient teachers. The success and achievement of our students are at stake. I need to

know three things: How can their administrator support them? What types of professional

development do they need to become better? And, why did they choose a career in education to

begin with? Sometimes, one only needs to revisit the past to motivate them to be present enough

to alter their future for goodness sake.

The Action Plan

School culture is the single most important factor to the success of a school. Moreover,

its basis is established by the school’s administrator. Hence the phrase, “It flows from the head

down.” My ultimate goal in all of this is to establish teacher leaders who will fulfill their

responsibilities while sustaining a culture of collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations

for all students. Firstly, administration and a guest speaker will meet with all those who hold

leadership positions in the school to ask them three essential questions regarding their what, how,

and why. This meeting will provide space for active discourse amongst the attendees. Some of

the veteran teachers have resist change because it provokes them to do things differently and out-

of-the-box. Given the constant trends in education, some teachers do not feel adequate enough in
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their content. Then there are others who perform well to please their administrators rather than

keeping the students at the forefront of all they do. Lastly, so many teachers feel they do not have

support from administration as they would desire. Now this one, I totally get. I have worked

under administrators who have low expectations of their teachers; therefore, teachers lacked

confident in themselves, which caused students to suffer. Given the variety of scenarios for why

teachers may be resistant to change, this task is not one that is easily accomplished. Sherrill

(1999) had this to say regarding this issue, “The complexity of the issues surrounding new roles

for teachers cannot be ignored, but the development of common expectations of teacher

leadership roles at the teacher preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development

phases could prove helpful in setting high expectations, for leadership expectations for qualified

individuals, and contributing to the continuous improvement efforts underway in many of

today’s school.”

The steps involved in the action plan for selecting and deploying teacher-leaders are:

1) The administrative staff will meet one-on-one with each teacher who was present at the

meeting to get feedback and to gain a sense of what their intentions are going forward.

2) The administrative team will meet collaboratively to select teacher-leaders.

3) The administrative team will meet collaboratively with those who were selected, and one-

on-one with those who were not.

The administrative staff will use a situational leadership approach for determining each

teacher-leader’s responsibilities. Their roles will be determined based on the needs and goals

of our school and the function for which they will serve to meet them. Ongoing professional

development, strong support, and continuous feedback are the keys we will employ to

successfully create a positive school culture that will promote student achievement.
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References

Bohn, J. (2014). ASCD Express February 13, 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 10. Building School

Morale: Turning Resistant Teachers into Resilient Teachers. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol9/

Patton, C. (2015). Scholastic Administrator. Spring2015, Vol. 14 Issue 2, p62-63. 2p.

TEACHER LEADERS? Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/

Sherrill, J. (1999). Theory Into Practice, Winter99, Vol. 38 Issue 1, p56-61, 6p. Preparing

Teachers for Leadership Roles in the 21st Century. Retrieved from

https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/

Bantwini, D. B., King-McKenzie, E. (2011). International Journal of Education. District

Officials' Assumptions about Teacher Learning and Change: Hindering Factors to

Curriculum Reform Implementation in South Africa. Retrieved from

https://www.semanticscholar.org/