My findings from both administrators were similar in the area of:
- meeting with building principals, providing direction and guidance
- having weekly conversations with the board president via phone or email
- looking at policies and updating them as the need arises
- preparing board agenda
- reviewing purchase orders
- daily communication with book keeper and district secretary
Both Administrators shared that their duties vary from month to month based on they time of year, such as budget, e-rate, preparing for the upcoming school year, state aide, hiring of staff, non-renewals, evaluations and the list goes on and on.
I did come to the conclusion after I asked both Administrators about what, if any, steps they took to implement a vision statement in their current districts and it was evident they have very different leadership styles. One administrator was very proactive in his approach to include the community/staff and administration in what they called Vision 20/20 while the other administrator in my estimation is more of a reactive leader who created a vision without community or staff involvement. Both came up with a vision for their districts however the district that included the community carries much more clout and involvement. I also realized that the administrator that created the 20/20 Vision is always looking at ways to improve the district and is driven by improving student achievement and continuous improvement, while the other administrator is more focused on keeping things status quot and not have a continuous improvement plan in place. Both styles work for them in their respective districts and they both mentioned they continue to grow professionally within their district.
I chose to interview two other administrators outside of my current district because I am very familiar with my current District Administrator and his duties because he communicates these duties with me on a consistent basis. I also wanted to get other perspectives as to how other District Administrators operate and compare their leadership styles to my current DA. I also see areas within my current district that would help our district move progressively forward much faster if we had a vision statement that reflected administrative goals but we currently don't operate in this fashion. This assignment has provided me with valuable information that I will use when I get the opportunity to be a Superintendent.
Thanks for your perspectives John. It's interesting to hear the similarities and differences of superintendents across different districts. I believe over the last 10 years we have witnessed a change in building principals as school managers to instructional leaders. However, I'm not sure the same can be said for district level leaders as a whole. Reading these blogs and in my own experiences, it seems that many district administrators are still very reactive within their roles. It seems the effective superintendents have found a balance between the managerial tasks, and still being an instructional leader for the district. The less effective superintendents still seem to struggle with that balance. We can hope that through the collaborative discussions and tasks we are doing in this program, that we're all able to effectively find that balance, and not only be good managers of our districts, but also be instructional leaders in our districts.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our interviews with different administrators give us insight into the different leadership styles. This class has provided an opportunity to hear how other administrators view their positions. Janfelippo expressed his views on communication but he also demonstrated a willingness to adapt to the new strategies and technology. I was in the process of seeking a new position and I found that other administrators were also looking at my views on the role of educational leadership.
ReplyDelete