Leadership profiles and characteristics

ISLLC Standards and Leadership

The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards describe leadership standards for school administrators. These standards are divided into six sections, each one in turn divided into knowledge, disposition and performances. I will now consider my own leadership style, relating it to each of the six sections in turn.

The first section relates to promoting a shared vision of learning. The knowledge related to this goal includes understanding learning goals, understanding strategic plans and being able to communicate them. The dispositions include believing in a vision for the school, believing in involving everyone in that vision and having the ability to work towards personal goals as well as those of the school. The performances include developing and communicating the vision to all, developing and implementing strategies to work towards the vision and monitoring and revising plans.

My own leadership style is one where I look forward, make plans and work to achieve them. The area that will need development is in involving everyone in the vision and contributing to a group vision. This will require a better understanding of visions and how to communicate them and also a greater focus on working together as part of a community effort, rather than working towards my own goals.

The second section of the standard relates to creating a school culture that helps students to learn and staff to grow professionally. The knowledge required includes understanding student development, learning theories, motivational theories, change theories and school culture. The dispositions include believing in the learning process, recognizing that there are different ways to learn and believing in the importance of professional development. The performances include treating all individuals fairly, identifying barriers to student learning, encouraging diversity, using a variety of ways to assess students and creating a culture of high expectations.

The dispositions of this section are ones that I believe in strongly, especially recognizing that students and teachers are individuals. My own leadership style is in agreement with these standards. The area that needs improvements is in the knowledge, with a greater understanding of the motivational, change and culture theories required.

Section three of the standard relates to managing the operations of the school to provide a safe, efficient and effective learning environment. The knowledge required includes theories of organizational development, human resource management, fiscal policies and legal issues. The dispositions include understanding the importance of management decisions, accepting responsibility and involving stakeholders. The performances include making effective management decisions, designing operational procedures and ensuring all resources are aligned to achieve the goals of the school.

This section is based on looking at the school as an organization with the focus on how the organizations runs. This is a new focus that I need to develop, including the ability to look at the bigger picture and see how to manage a school effectively. My own leadership style focuses on the smaller picture, such as on teachers and students, rather than a whole system that needs to be effectively managed. This requires me to develop both the knowledge and the dispositions of this section.

Section four of the standard relates to collaborating and responding to the community. The knowledge required includes understanding the school community, understanding community resources and understanding successful models of community partnerships. The dispositions include a belief in the school as part of a larger community, a belief in involving families and a belief that the community needs to be involved. The performances include developing relationships with community leaders, being involved with the larger community, developing relationships with businesses in the community, using effective media relations and developing programs of community relations.

This section involves many activities that are different from my leadership style. This requires me to look at the school as more than just a school and as a part of the community. I need to understand the importance of not just how the school works internally but how it interacts with the external community. This is a new focus which requires me to develop all the skills, knowledge and actions associated with this section.

Section five of the standard relates to promoting the success of all students by acting fairly and with integrity. The knowledge includes understanding ethics, diversity and the purpose of education in society. This includes having a belief in the common good, the principles in the Bill of Rights, and that every child has the right to a quality education. The performances include demonstrating a personal and professional code of ethics, acting as a role model, accepting responsibility for school operations, treating people fairly and fulfilling legal obligations.

My own leadership style matches the requirements of this section. I recognize and value being fair and having integrity. My development in this area requires me to remain focused on being fair and ensure I do not put my own interests ahead of the schools.

Section six of the standard relates to understanding and responding to the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context. The knowledge includes understanding the role of public education, as well as the legal, political, social, cultural and economic systems involved. The dispositions include recognizing ideas and cultures, believing in the importance of education, and participating in the political context of the school. The performances include ensuring that the environment in which the school operates is understood and taking actions based on these understandings.