Educational Leadership Teacher Education and Administration

1. What do you think about the "pot-stirring" approach that the new principal decided on? What are its advantages? What are its disadvantages?
The pot-stirring approach is necessary in this case, as leaders like Dr. Jack Prince need to serve their schools as “change masters,” who plan change proactively to help the school and its stakeholders meet core objectives (p. 348). This scenario is also an example of what can be called “essential change,” which is internally driven, based on the need to work toward performance outcomes and objectives (p. 348). As such, the situation “requires that persons within the system work cooperatively to transform behavior or system components,” (p. 348). While Prince is working to shake things up at Norden Township Junior-Senior High, he is also working cooperatively with allies like Dr. Amy Kim and a considerable number of faculty—as well as community members.
Antagonists like Bob Neuman represent resistance to change. Resistance to change is part of the “built-in inertia” that can plague educational institutions and prevent them from reaching their potential (p. 349). People like Bob Neuman resist change when “they fear it will reduce their power and influence or make their knowledge and skills obsolete,” which is clearly the case here as Neuman is the leader of the teacher’s union and has power in that official circle as well as in the smaller, less formal group of his “followers” at the school (p. 349). Some of the factors that fuel resistance to change beyond fear of the unknown include a climate of mistrust, perceived loss of status or job security, and also disruption of cultural traditions and/or group relationships (p. 349). Neuman exhibits each of these factors, which is why anything that Prince does will be perceived of as “pot-stirring.” To be effective, Prince needs to create a climate of trust, which requires actively constructing a new organizational climate. Prince also needs to have a talk with the teachers about their status and security, offering reassurances that both will remain unchanged even when the improvements to curriculum and technologies are implemented. Finally, Prince needs to understand and address Neuman’s subculture and the role that clique plays in terms of cultural traditions and group relationships at the school.
2. Identify the following in the case: the change agent, potential supporters, and potential dissenters.
Dr. Jack Prince is the change agent, and potential supporters include Dr. Amy Kim and the bulk of the faculty. Given that Prince’s vision will promote improved student outcomes, parents can also be considered supporters of change, as can the school district as a whole. Potential dissenters include Bob Neuman and all of his supporters.
3. What would you have done in this situation? Why? Explain your proposal in terms of the material discussed in this chapter.
I would have behaved exactly as Dr. Prince and started strategizing for planned change. The text points out how planned change is usually preferable to reactive change, because leaders can more conscientiously set goals and meet them. However, Prince needs to beware of the “quick fix trap,” instead implementing a long-range vision for the school (p. 361). Like Prince, I would aim to become an effective change agent by identifying the complex problems at stake first, then considering the organizational culture and how to build coalition, trust, and alliances, and finally developing a leadership team (p. 364). I would also operationalize performance outcomes, showing exactly how the school intends to measure and meet its goals.
As a change agent, I would then identify the motivational factors that are causing resistance to change. It will be key to motivate and power the teachers because teacher empowerment and leadership are “key elements in raising achievement” among students (Forde & Dickson, 2017, p. 83). I would create the recommended “problem solving climate” by surveying all staff members and discovering what their fears and priorities are (p. 364). It is important to distinguish between types of resistance, to determine best methods of overcoming that resistance. For example, if the resistance comes from the belief that the change would undermine teacher autonomy, then I would work hard to establish trust. If the resistance instead comes from a failure to connect my intended methods with the desired outcomes, I would need to use facts and evidence to support my methods.
4. Identify a task that you, as a new principal, might want to accomplish with your faculty. How would you go about this? What part might quality management play? How would you deal with potential supporters? Potential dissenters?
One task that I would like to accomplish with my faculty would be to implement a new community service program for the students. The goal would be to inspire civic pride, helping students to understand their potential to make a difference in the world and also to see how their classroom education can be applied to real world settings. To do this, I would need to form strategic alliances with community organizations before embarking on this major project. I would also need to gain appropriate approvals from parents and the school board. Several community members and educational leaders would have the opportunity to become allies early on.
Once I had the cooperation of key leaders in the community, I would invite representatives from those organizations to meet with faculty to discuss how they can involve students and encourage civic pride and participation. A series of forum-style meetings would allow us to gather input from various people, highlighting some of the problems of the vision and how we can improve it. Quality leadership is critical for creating a feasible community service program that has the support of all educators. I would seek the support of allies immediately, and I would create a leadership team that could help determine the best ways to implement the program. Cooperative leadership strategies will be critical to success, as would having measurable outcomes and goals.



References

Chapter 13: Systemic Change
Forde, C. & Dickson, B. (2017). The place of leadership development for change agency in teacher education curricula for diversity. In: Florian L., Panti? N. (eds) Teacher Education for the Changing Demographics of Schooling. Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity, vol 2. Springer, Cham