8085mod1 disscus2

Response 1

Laura Herring

RE: Discussion 2 - Module 1

COLLAPSE

Valley Hill needs quick positive change. Strong leadership is essential. Many of the educators seem to have leadership skills as they have worked to keep the program running. As a leader, I believe my role would be to create an engaging environment where all stakeholders feel included. A leadership theory that would contribute to the effectiveness of this position and improve the current culture and practices at Valley Hill would be authentic leadership. Beyer (2012) describes these leaders as having “passion and purpose, behavior and values, connectedness and relationships, consistency and self-discipline, and compassion and heart,” (Beyer, 2012, pp.17). Valley Hill needs a leader to come in and work to bring the staff to a common goal. The leader needs to connect to the staff and quickly build relationships to draw on the strengths of the staff. The leader should encourage the staff to give input, but also give a clear vision for the program.

I feel I do have leadership strengths and weaknesses. I feel I have passion and vision. According to Muñoz et. al, (2012), educational leaders must know what they what to do and share their passion. Educational leaders must be passionate about their ideas. I believe that I would be able to promote positive change while also building relationships. Another strength I have is building relationships. I work well with many different personality types. I feel I also encourage others to have input. I feel the leadership theory I relate best to is participatory as I feel everyone should be part of the decision-making, (Amanchukwu, et. al, 2015). One area that I may struggle with is overthinking. I tend to worry about others and their feelings. I often struggle with thinking I’ve hurt someone’s feelings, or someone is feeling negative. I know as a leader it is impossible to please everyone all the time.

References

Amanchukwu, R. N., Stanley, G. J., & Ololube, N. P. (2015). A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), 6-14. doi: 10.5923/j.mm.20150501.02

Beyer, B., (2012). Blending constructs and concepts: Development of emerging theories of organizational leadership and their relationship to leadership practices for social justice. http://cnx.org/contents/CZKCR71m@4/Blending-Constructs-and-Concepts

Muñoz, M., Boulton, P., Johnson, T., & Unal, C. (2015). Leadership Development for a Changing Early Childhood Landscape. YC: Young Children, 70(2), 26–31

Respnse 2

Julie Wright

Julie Wright initial post RE: Discussion 2 - Module 1

COLLAPSE

Valley Hill is struggling with an acting director who lacks experience and knowledge in early childhood development and pedagogy. Dr. Daniel (Laureate Education, 2013b) noted that a strong background in child development and pedagogy along with good communication skills and a willingness to understand are requirements for leadership in education. Furthermore, in response to weak leadership, mid-level administrators have resigned and teachers have begun to handle other daily procedures, taking their focus away from interacting with children and their families. Quality care, engaging learning experiences, family involvement, and professional development have all suffered. At this point, the families have lost faith in the learning center and the children do not feel safe at school.

The Wallace Foundation (2013) produced a series of videos that focus on administrators' leadership experiences and strategies. A strong leader will create a vision of success, promote a healthy learning environment, cultivate leadership in others, improve instruction, and manage people, data, and processes to foster school improvement (Wallace Foundation, 2013). These qualities are evident in a variety of leadership theories. Tranformational Leadership Theory focuses on managing organizational change (Van Wart, 2013). As the newly-hired director of Valley Hill, my role would be to facilitate that change quickly. Non-negotiable goals must be identified with practical strategies to achieve them in place. Specific expectations must be communicated so all staff members are engaged in the process. Data should be collected and reviewed by all staff members so academic goals can be set with plans to improve student achievement. Horizontal and Collaborative Leadership Theory (also known as Distributive Theory) focuses on the process of management rather than on an individual (Van Wart, 2013). Teacher leaders collaborate, forming a less formal network from within the organization. They are more engaged and empowered with a sense of ownership and buy-in (Van Wart, 2013). Several teachers at Valley Hill have already taken a leadership role in the absence of an experienced director. These staff members might prove to be excellent resources in the process of restoring a safe and healthy learning environment to Valley Hill while re-igniting family involvement and faith in the program. My role would be to create professional learning groups led by strong teacher leaders, attempt to understand staff members' concerns and strategies for improvement, and facilitate, support, and provide resources as needed (Wallace Foundation, 2013).

Reflections on my own leadership strengths

As an early childhood teacher (both public and parochial) for almost 30 years, I can relate to many of the experiences described by Valley Hill's staff. I remember thinking that I could collect the tuition paid by the 28 families in my class and use the funds to provide a stronger program, purchase the materials, and receive a much bigger paycheck with the remaining money. In the public schools, I have been on the receiving end of new administrative policies and procedures that are not practical in the classroom. On the other hand, I have also worked on several committees to create support materials and professional development support. I have been one of the teacher leaders assigned to work with professional learning groups to analyze student data or implement new programs. I believe that these experiences would help me work together with the staff at Valley Hill to rejuvenate staff morale, re-engage families, and improve instruction to restore the safe and healthy learning environment the children need.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). The characteristics of effective early childhood leaders and advocates [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Van Wart, M. (2013). Lessons from leadership theory and the contemporary challenges of leaders. Public Administration Review, 73(4), 553-565. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12069

Wallace Foundation. (2013, April 11). Great school leadership in action. The Wallace Foundation: Education Research, School Leadership, Arts, and More. https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/video-great-school-leaders-in-action.aspx