Leadership and Ethics D016

Vision

A description of what the school would like to achieve or accomplish in the future. A vision statement is a description of what the school wants to be in the future. The intent of defining a vision is to serve as a guide when making decisions. Is the vision at your school motivating and attainable?

Which example demonstrates a principal using conversational leadership?

A principal organizes planning committees with stakeholders to discuss options for new seventh-grade curriculum. Conversational leadership involves using dialogue to gather stakeholders' input for the purpose of collaboratively creating change.

Core Values

Serve as a basis for traits and descriptions of how individuals should act and what to base their decisions on. The core values of a school define the traits of members of the school community, which guide decision-making, strategic planning, and peer interaction. Core values can be terms such as integrity, respect, responsible stewardship, and trust. As a future school leader, what are some core values that are most important to you?

When considering the school as an open system, the boundaries of this system are less clear. T or F

True. The school system, being an open system, does not have well-defined boundaries. When considering the external factors (such as parents, service projects, and programs), it must be determined if these factors are within the system's boundaries.

factors in a school system that fulfill a need for stability within the organization.

A bell schedule satisfies a need for stability within a school system. A code of conduct satisfies a need for stability within a school system. Attendance policies satisfy a need for stability within a school system.

Laissez-faire

A leader who allows staff to determine how they will achieve goals and perform job functions has which leadership style?

Horizontal communication

Administrators from the middle school comprise a team that meets biweekly to update each other on progress with projects and individual areas of focus. Several administrators who work at the same level within the organization come together to discuss topics specific to that level and therefore exemplify horizontal communication.

Which scenario illustrates a school leader who deepens community trust through action?

Articulating the purpose and process for training staff, students, and community to decrease cyberbullying incidents. Trust can be built with the entire school community by involving internal and external stakeholders to help solve complex problems.

Connectors

Connectors have mastered the social component of working with colleagues and are important to educational leaders in bringing people together around a common cause. These individuals do not focus on problem-solving.

Which concept is NOT an advantage of electronic communication?

Extending the work day for administratorsWith the increased availability of electronic communications, greater expectations are placed on educational leaders to be available 24 hours a day, making a work-life balance a challenge..

Passive listening is when you use a set of skills in order to hear the other person's complete message.

False. Active listening is when you use a set of skills in order to hear the other person's complete message

Noble Communication Style

Focus is on getting directly to the point—the fewer words, the better. Noble communicators state specifically what is on their minds. Minimal elaboration is employed, and they speak succinctly and directly.

Reflective Communication style

Focus on relationships and communicate in a non-offensive manner. Understand listening as a key component of the communication process. Reflective communicators avoid conflict. Relationships are important to them, and they choose words carefully so as to not offend others.

A new principal of a school notices that the school does not have clearly articulated core values. What should the principal do to establish core values at the school?

Form committees that include staff, students, parents, and community members in discussions about the school's core values. A school's core values should be established through a collaborative and inclusive process involving key stakeholder groups.

Formalization can increase positive or negative feelings that team members have toward each other.

Formalization, or the development of rules, helps to standardize performance. This can promote rational decision-making that is based on facts, which can actually reduce feelings team members have toward each other.

Relationships between teachers and principals are essential in ensuring the principal has accurate information to address issues. These relationships are built on trust. In order to build a culture of trust, which characteristic should a leader avoid?

Gaps between words and actions. Words and actions of an educational leader must be consistent in order to build trust. If there are discrepancies between what is said and what is done, the trust for the leader to act on his word diminishes.

Provide order and resources

It is the responsibility of a leader to create the routine and standard operating procedures of the school, in addition to ensuring teachers and staff are provided with the resources necessary to serve students.

Learn through adventure

Learning through adventure is aligned with promoting courage and adventure. By learning through adventure, leaders and teachers build community with each other and their students by solving problems, learning through failure, and building courage through experiences associated with overcoming challenges.

Background barrier

Mary is the building principal of a public high school with a broad range of socioeconomic diversity. She is very excited about a new teacher joining her staff this year. He has extensive teaching experience, but all have been in private education settings with specific religious affiliations. An individual's' experiences, both personal and professional, influence the lens through which they hear and interpret information. While this teacher has pedagogical experience, he may require additional support when looking considering issues unique to the organization such as diversity.

Probing

Probing is a subset of clarifying. Probing is used to prompt a speaker to give more information or to explore a situation that is not clear to the listener. It creates a request to become more specific in situations that are often of an important, sensitive, or problematic nature.

Cautions

Regardless of which technique you choose to use, you will need to listen not only for the words but also for the feelings behind them. To truly comprehend the message a person is sending, you must try to understand the other person's frame of reference, even if you do not agree with it. Using this strategy is an important first step in creating understanding with others

Salesperson

Salespeople have the ability to influence the direction of a task or project. They have high energy and are generally positive, but they do not emphasize collaboration.

natural system

Worker morale, Creative tension, Human relations approach

Active listening

is hearing—with understanding—the intended ideas, information, and suggestions of others. The basic elements of communication (including the sender, the receiver, and feedback) are all present. This is a key communication skill that promotes understanding among people. Active listeners attend to nonverbal, symbolic, and verbal messages. The challenge is to listen despite your own assumptions, biases, judgments, and emotions and then to ask suitable questions to get more information. Use the following techniques:

External Feedback

loops indirectly evaluate individuals.. External feedback loops examine the behavior of a school based on community expectations, group norms, and organizational goals that do not directly influence individual needs. A school remains open to the community along with state and federal influences.

Conversational leadership strategy

one strategy that leaders use build and maintain a school community based on transparency, trust, and inclusion.

The school leader drives the environment of a school, which has an impact on the greater community. What are some characteristics that you will demonstrate to cultivate a positive professional culture?

Although there are countless answers and approaches to building and sustaining a positive professional culture, there are some key best practices that you must consider to be successful and build a community based on transparency, trust, and inclusion. In your response, ensure you address: Promoting trust Establishing a growth-oriented professional culture Demonstrating a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion Cultivating emotional intelligence

Which principal's statement about communication exemplifies a culture of transparency and trust?

As leader I seek to dispel misconceptions and give advance notice of changes on the horizon. A leader can build trust through open communication, dispelling rumors and misconceptions through honest discourse, and keeping stakeholders apprised of initiatives that may affect them.

Which strategies would help a principal build and sustain an environment that encourages open communication?

Ask teachers to bring their ideas or suggestions to your office to discuss. Frequently visit classrooms and the break room and engage in conversation.

What must a school leader do prior to making changes that will affect the school's culture?

Assess the current culture of the school.. An audit can inform leaders of the current culture of the school so that positive changes can be planned.

A school has implemented several organizational goals that align with and support the school's vision. Which approach should the principal take to help assure that school personnel align their own goals to those of the school?

Consistently communicate the school's progress on reaching the organizational goals, including data. Staff should be updated (and update others) on the progress they are making on individual and group goals and initiatives that are aligned with the mission and vision.

Conversational leadership is one form of leadership that positively impacts systemic change. A conversational leader values the importance of involving all key stakeholders in the process of gathering information on critical issues

Conversational leaders are able to articulate core questions and ensure that all key stakeholders are heard when those questions are being asked and answered.

Internal feedback

internal feedback loop informs individuals how their behavior is viewed, whereas. Internal feedback loops provide feedback, both from leadership and informal peer groups, on an individual's performance.

School leaders should use professional development and resources to support teachers to achieve the school's vision.

A collaborative effort is needed to work toward a school's vision of where they want to be. Leaders should empower and support teachers' efforts to contribute toward that shared vision.

Build community partnerships

Building community partnerships is key to engaging families and community stakeholders in school itself. Building and sustaining relationships with community stakeholders encourages others to contribute to the community while soliciting support from the community.

Goals

Clear, specific goals can help ensure that rational choices are made. Goals that are ambiguous do not clearly guide decisions and do not help determine specific tasks to be accomplished.

Socratic

Details and debate are necessary to reach appropriate conclusions. The opportunity to argue a point and think through issues is valued. Socratic communicators need the opportunity to talk through topics, gather as many details as possible, and engage in debates prior to reaching a conclusion.

Foster a positive climate for learning

Fostering a positive climate for learning is a part of creating a community of learning. School leaders are role models for promoting lifelong learning by having a positive mindset about learning, being active participants in the learning community, and encouraging others to continue learning.

Natural System

Human relations is an aspect of the natural system approach. Worker morale is a concern of a natural system approach. Creative tension is an aspect of the natural system approach.

For communication to have the greatest impact, which two components must be considered?

Message content and feelings of the sender. It is crucial for educational leaders to be aware that the most impactful messages are communicated when both the content of the message as well as the feelings of the sender are acknowledged.

According to the Hawthorne studies, which factor affects production rate in the workplace?

Social factors affected worker productivity in the studies.

Upward communication

Some teachers share their struggles with meeting the needs of the range of student abilities with the curriculum supervisor. In this scenario, the teachers are reporting "up" to a supervisor a concern around the curriculum implementation in their classrooms.

How can standards help a school work toward its vision?

Standards can provide a shared framework for a school's vision. Standards help focus leadership and staff on a shared vision of what needs to be done.

Which description applies to a school that fosters an open system approach?

The school deals creatively with new and complex situations, embracing the ambiguity that comes from social organizations. A school that operates as an open system understands that there are influences outside of the organization that will affect it, and they learn to deal with those influences creatively.

Downward Communication

The superintendent announces the exploration of full-day kindergarten programming at a district administration meeting. The information is being presented by the head of the organization to administrators who work for him to inform them regarding exploration of new programs.

The principal of a high school approached work daily with a commitment to the school's mission and made every effort to align the behavior and attitudes of school personnel to the mission statement. A review of student achievement data showed, that of the four biology classes, one teacher's class consistently scored below the other classes, despite teaching the same curriculum and using the same resources. The principal spent many days observing the classroom and ultimately decided to have the teacher engage in some professional development. To which of the following school mission statements did the principal's actions and attitude align?

This school provides the best instruction to all students to ensure their proficiency in every area of curriculum. The principal would support the idea of quality instruction by working with teachers to develop them professionally.

Why would a school principal use conversational leadership?

To gather ideas for improvement from stakeholders through open dialogue. Conversational leadership helps to gather the collective intelligence of a group so that progress and problem-solving can be collaborative.

Autocratic Leadership

When decisions are made by the leader without input from or collaboration with followers, this is an aspect of autocratic leadership. Sometimes this leadership style is necessary, even though it is often not well received. Pay particular attention to when this leadership style applies to a specific situation; it is important to know when this leadership style is beneficial before taking this approach. This will help to avoid unintended negative impacts on staff.

Barrier of words

A building principal is attending an IEP meeting for a student newly identified for special education services. The student's parents are eager to attend the meeting to support their child, but they had concerns about the meeting after reading the documents that were sent home in advance because of all of the technical language. Educational documents, especially those driven by legal mandates, have a great amount of vocabulary unique to the field and use a variety of acronyms to abbreviate common concepts. Leaders must remain aware of this language and be sure to parents fully understand what is being shared.

Perception Checking

A perception check occurs when the listener states what he or she perceives the speaker to be experiencing. A good perception check conveys a desire to understand the other person's feelings. You can make a statement about the speaker's feelings and ask how the speaker feels about the situation. A perception check is a way of verifying the accuracy of your interpretations. It includes a description of the information you received, your possible interpretation, and a request for confirmation. You may find that using it in non-class relationships is also useful. Your perception of another person's feelings can result more from what you are feeling, are afraid of, or are wishing for than from the other person's words, tone, gestures, facial expression, etc. If people feel guilty, they may perceive others as angry or accusatory. Inferences about other people's feelings can be, and often are, inaccurate. Thus, it is important to check them for good, interpersonal communication. Perception checking responses aim to accomplish the following: Convey that you want to understand the other individual as a person and to understand that individual's feelings Help avoid actions that are based on false assumptions of what the other was experiencing Help people be more open to what you have to say

Which school would benefit from an authoritative leader coming in to the principalship?

A school in a district with new state testing requirements and a staff composed mostly of inexperienced teachers. The authoritative leader can help drive inexperienced personnel and those schools undergoing change as it relates to a new vision.

Optimizer

A school is implementing a new teaming strategy. At the rollout meeting, the principal presented the staff with a data-review presentation highlighting the need and positive results achieved elsewhere using the strategy. She met with internal stakeholders whose strengths would help with implementing the new program. She consistently remained positive about the change and the staff's abilities to make it work for students. The principal delivered relevant data to support initiatives and expressed a positive attitude toward the changes in an effort to lead the change. These are traits of an optimizer.

Culture

A school principal leads every staff meeting with a slideshow titled "Tomorrow's Successes Today." The slideshow displays photos of school community members engaged in activities that promote student learning and staff and student success. She then identifies how these activities are consistent with and supporting of the future vision of the school. The principal promotes a common goal among staff and a shared vision of the school's future. These are ways of demonstrating the leadership responsibility of culture.

Mission Statement

A short sentence that defines the school's goals, philosophies, and purpose. The mission of a school is a sentence that describes the ultimate goal and purpose for the school. What is the mission statement at your school?

Vroom-Yetton Normative Decision Model

According to the Vroom-Yetton Normative Decision Model, when stakeholders are involved in the process, they will collectively make better decisions; they will be more committed to supporting and implementing the decision.

How can a principal help ensure faculty and staff support the school vision?

By articulating the knowledge and skills needed for each role in the school to achieve the vision. Each member of the school community should know how to align behaviors and professional decisions to the vision of the school.

Clarifying

Clarifying is reflecting on the broader context of what you understand the speaker to be saying and often comes in the form of a question. You can request that the sender clarify by asking, "What do you mean by this?" This gives the speaker an opportunity to fill in any missing details to the interaction. The desired outcome is a clear understanding of the issue or issues chosen for attention. Clarifying implies checking your understanding of a message by asking to hear it again or by asking for more information and details. In clarifying, the receiver helps describe the communication of the speaker. This encourages both to consider the meaning and impact of words or actions. The receiver is reflecting back the intent of the verbal or nonverbal (or both) cues of the speaker. Use clarifying when you want to understand what is being communicated in context.

A new middle school was built to accommodate a growing town's student population. The school's mission statement was created by the local board of education. While positive in nature, the mission statement is vague and broad. What should the principal do to ensure the entire staff can model behavior and attitudes that support the school mission statement?

Collaborate with staff to define the core values and behaviors that will support the goals of the mission statement. School leaders and staff should work collaboratively to identify specific key core values and behaviors that exemplify the positive ideas enumerated in the mission statement.

Inputting leadership responsibility

Collecting staff members' suggestions prior to making a decision about a school-wide policy demonstrates application of the input leadership responsibility.

Consider each leadership strategy and determine if it is or is not a best practice.

Connection with best practices Collaboration Redefined roles To foster an environment of inclusive education, best practices should be followed to meet the diverse needs of all students. It is the school leader's role to communicate to teachers, staff, and parents those best practices for inclusion. The best practices to facilitate inclusion should mirror the best practices identified by a school to educate all students. One person cannot build and sustain an inclusive community; it takes the whole community. To successfully build and support an inclusive learning community, all members need to be on board with the plan, be heard, and work together to identify solutions to problems. Not only should leaders collaborate with teachers, but all stakeholders (including parents) should be involved in identifying strategies to create an inclusive environment. In order for inclusion to be supported at the systems level, staff need to build the mindset that they are all working toward a shared goal. Thoughts such as "That's not my job," or "These are my students, those are your students," do not foster an inclusive community. The roles of teachers, staff, and administration need to be redefined in order to share the responsibility in creating an inclusive environment.

The principal of a small high school, Mr. Martin, was confident that his staff could handle the day-to-day duties of the school. While Mr. Martin was ultimately accountable for the successes and failures of the school, he gave employees the responsibility of making decisions as they saw fit. Many employees liked the freedom that came with working for Mr. Martin, and they enjoyed receiving credit for decisions that produced positive outcomes. What is a disadvantage of this leadership style?

Employees might make decisions without having the correct context or understanding of how those decisions could affect other people and procedures. A principal has a high-level view of the organization and understands how the different parts of the organization work together. When followers are left to make decisions, they may not understand how those decisions impact other parts of the organization.

A school is implementing some changes derived from goals they created to more closely align with their vision and core values. Which approach would allow school leaders to address stakeholder needs?

Identify different student segment groups and stakeholder needs and anticipate how the changes will affect these groups individually. The more specific the groups you can identify, the better you will be able to anticipate what their needs are and how to meet them.

How can school leaders expand their sphere of influence in the school setting?

In order to expand their sphere of influence, the principal must not only support endeavors and policies that align with the school mission and vision; they must also ensure that their actions and behaviors represent the core values identified in the mission and vision.

The principal of a small high school, Mr. Martin, was confident that his staff could handle the day-to-day duties of the school with little direction. While Mr. Martin was ultimately accountable for the successes and failures of the school, he gave employees the responsibility of making decisions as they saw fit. Many employees liked the freedom that came with working for Mr. Martin, and they enjoyed receiving credit for decisions that produced positive outcomes. Which leadership style did Mr. Martin employ?

In the laissez-faire leadership style, the leader delegates responsibilities and decision-making duties to followers.

A high school has the following mission statement and vision statement: Mission Statement: We provide a comprehensive education that prepares students for the global community by emphasizing acceptance, tolerance, and collaboration. Vision Statement: The vision of the school is to be an exemplary learning environment whose graduates are compassionate global leaders and innovators. Which goal would be an aligned, measurable, achievable goal for improvement for this school?

Increase enrollment in foreign language classes by 10% every two years. Increasing foreign language class participation would support the mission and vision of preparing global leaders, and it is measurable and achievable.

A small rural town was recently flooded when the area was inundated with historic levels of rain. The first floor of the high school was flooded, and two athletic fields were completely destroyed. During the following weeks, the building was found to be unusable; students will be using the middle school facility next door for the remainder of the year. As school resumed, staff and students returned with concerns and trepidation. Which approach would help the principal lead staff and students through this time of uncertainty?

Seeing great possibilities in the circumstances they are in and articulating those possibilities to the organization as a whole. Effective leaders are visionary and can communicate their vision to all stakeholders.

Now that you know the theoretical framework of Marzano's work, how the meta-analysis was conducted, and what the 21 responsibilities of a school leader are, how does this relate to student achievement? 2

Marzano's meta-analysis in his book School Leadership That Works (2005) discovered a correlation between principal leadership and student achievement, stating ". . . principals can have a profound effect on the achievement of students in their schools" (p.39). Marzano went on to describe a correlational relationship between the 21 responsibilities and student achievement, and not a causal relationship. Since causation is the direct relationship between cause and effect, while correlation simply indicates a connection between variables, the research does not definitively conclude that every principal who leverages the 21 responsibilities will have an absolute positive effect on achievement. However, the strong correlation found in the research suggests those principals who rely on the 21 responsibilities as part of their leadership styles are likely to have a positive effect on student achievement.

Mavens

Mavens work well with others and are able to support them in solving problems individually or those seen on an organizational level. They understand the importance of collaboration. an individual focused on collaboration and problem-solving who is willing to work with and support colleagues.

A school has the following vision statement: Our vision is to empower students to become global leaders who practice the core values of respect, tolerance, inclusion, and excellence. OF the organizational goals provided below, which one would support this school vision?

Office referrals related to student conflicts will decrease by 20% for the year. This goal is measurable and addresses the core values of respect, tolerance, inclusion, and excellence.

Be visible and provide outreach

One responsibility of a leader is to effectively interact with teachers, staff, and students on a daily basis. As a part of being visible, it is the school leader's responsibility to represent and speak on behalf of the school to all stakeholders.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is restating the content of a message in your own words. Typically, it does not include feelings. This gives the speaker an opportunity to reflect on what is being communicated and to refine it if necessary. When the receiver gets it right, the sender will affirm in some way that they feel understood. When you paraphrase what you have heard into your own words, you exhibit your present understanding and thus enable the sender to address any clarification to the specific understanding or misunderstanding you have revealed.

Participative Leadership

Participative leadership behavior focuses on supervision of the staff as a group. The leader encourages staff participation in decision-making, cooperation, and resolving conflict. By calling the staff together to come up with a plan to complete the professional development, she is encouraging participation and enabling her staff to be a part of the decision-making process.

The employees at a school are competent and confident, with each employee contributing to the overall school success. Teachers are very motivated to succeed and have their students succeed; the athletic department is committed to providing a positive experience for athletes and parents; and office staff direct the daily procedures of the school. The principal values his staff and their knowledge of individual roles. He communicates with them, often on a personal level, in an effort to build authentic relationships. While employees do engage the principal in decision-making, he empowers employees to guide decisions based upon their knowledge and experience. Which leadership theory does this principal apply in the workplace?

Practitioners of Theory Y value their employees and rely on employees' intrinsic motivation to work toward the success of the organization.

Relationship-oriented behavior

Relationship-oriented behavior focuses on the development of interpersonal relationships involving the personal needs, the professional development, and the type of relationship that would motivate the staff. Ms. Williams recognizes that her staff all have different needs, but she took a different approach to solve the problem.

What are some important features of schools that define them as a social system?

Schools interact with an external environment. Although not a part of the social system definition of two or more individuals working together in a coordinated way to meet a goal, schools also interact with stakeholders in the community to meet common goals.

Rational System

Scientific management is another name for Frederick Taylor's rational system approach. Time and motion studies are aspects of Frederick Taylor's rational system approach. Efficiency is a quality of the rational system approach.

rational system

Scientific management, Time and motion studies, Efficiency

Which leadership responsibility states that a principal must understand relationships, formal and informal group affiliations among employees, and procedures within the school to help address current problems and identify possible future problems?

Situational awareness. Situational awareness requires leaders to be aware of all of the inner-workings in the school environment, so they can capably address problems and identify possible problems.

A school has a high number of students who get suspended from school due to bullying and physical fights with other students. The principal proposes reviewing the school's core values to help address these problems. How can core values be used to address this school's problems with bullying and fights?

Students will have daily exposure to expectations that they treat others with kindness and respect. Kindness and respect are guiding principles (core values) that can shape the school's culture and provide expectations for staff and student behavior.

Task-oriented behavior

Task-oriented behavior, on the other hand, focuses on the staff, work standards, organized tasks, the processes to complete tasks, and the close supervision of staff. Yes, Ms. Williams addressed the tasks that need to be completed for the professional development requirement to be met; however, she did not dictate the tasks or process to the staff to complete the tasks

Factors that create a need for flexibility in a school

Teacher interaction can be positive or negative. This factor creates a need for flexibility in a school system. Community values may vary, which creates a need for flexibility in a school system.

Which example demonstrates a paraphrasing response style?

Teacher: I'm having trouble getting Michael to behave in class. He is out of his seat and messing around with others all the time. Principal: Michael is not following instructions and is disrupting others.

Diagonal Communication

The curriculum supervisor updates the director of pupil services with progress on student portfolios for college and career standards. The curriculum supervisor is communicating across departments as well as "up" a level within the structure of the organization.

Physical barrier

The director of EL services is meeting with a family who is new to the school district. The children have some working understanding of English; however, the parents only speak and understand French. Physical barriers can arise in many areas of education, whether it be physical distance and the reliance on electronic communication or language barriers that exist as a result from physical impairment or primary language differences.

Visibility

The principal makes every effort to attend the home sporting events, concerts, plays, and club activities. In these venues, the principal speaks informally to students, parents, and community members. The principal also spends a portion of every day in the hallways and classrooms, speaking to students and addressing them by name, and asking staff members if they need any support or have any successes to share. The principal makes frequent contact with all stakeholders, both internal and external. These are characteristics of visibility.

A superintendent is new to the district. As part of the search process, the board conveyed that the organization was in need of improved opportunities for communication. Which communication structure provides the most effective strategy for the new educational leader to receive feedback?

The superintendent establishes an advisory council comprised of volunteers from each building within the district, representing teachers as well as support staff. Any employee can submit questions or concerns anonymously to be addressed at the advisory council meeting with all questions and responses posted for staff review within one week of the meeting. This structure gives every employee within the system an opportunity to voice a concern in a non-threatening manner due to anonymity. Information is openly shared without names attached to keep the entire district informed and to improve transparency in communications and decisions.

Communication

The principal implemented a round-table discussion each Wednesday after school where any staff can drop in and discuss issues related to the school. The principal has created a closed internal social media page where she updates staff on initiatives, makes general announcements, and encourages discussion of school issues. Communication is demonstrated by leaders who facilitate open discussion among employees and between employees and administration.

Which statement describes Marzano's study from which the 21 leadership responsibilities were developed?

The study is based on a synthesis of multiple school leadership studies from various researchers. The primary research methodology for the 21 leadership responsibilities was meta-analysis, using a synthesis of 69 studies of school leadership conducted by other researchers.

As you learned from the reading schools are open systems that are made up of elements that work together to achieve a common goal. Think about a school or district with which you are familiar. Describe at least three elements, or components, of the system and how they impact each other.

There are many elements that make up the system of schools. You may have described elements such as standards, assessments, design of curriculum and instruction, home-school communication, teacher teams, or legal policies. Your response should have included an explanation of how the elements you listed impact each other within the system. For example, if you listed the elements of assessment, curriculum design, and standards, you may describe how a change in state or federal standards impacts the curriculum that is taught at each grade level, therefore impacting the benchmark assessments that are given.

Based on Marzano's study, which statement summarizes the relationship between general leadership and student achievement?

There is a positive correlation. Marzano's meta-analysis concluded that there was an average correlation between general leadership and student achievement.

Change Management

There is much that is involved in change management. Did you consider the following?: A formal change management process The effective use of communication Roles of essential staff involvement Strategies to motivate staff Theories of change management

The exception principle guides supervisors to deal with situations that are not covered in rules.

There will always be situations that arise that do not fit under an existing rule or regulation. According to the exception principle, supervisors must deal with these situations as they come up.

How should core values be modeled in the school setting? (Choose all that apply.)

They should drive curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices in every classroom. They should be reflected in policies and procedures. They should be used to guide decision-making. Core values should be modeled in the school's policies and procedures. They should also guide decision-making and drive curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.

Laissez-faire

This is an aspect of the leadership style called laissez-faire. It does not mean the leader is lazy; it means that the leader hands over, or delegates, the powers of decision-making and action planning to the followers, while remaining responsible for the outcomes. Remember, there is a balance in leadership. This unit will provide you with the knowledge to better understand situations you may encounter as a school leader and when each leadership characteristic is necessary.

Adapt and be flexible

This is one of the top responsibilities of a leader that can greatly influence student achievement. A leader needs to be able to adapt his or her behavior to meet the needs of a situation.

Build relationships

This is one of the top responsibilities of a leader that can greatly influence student achievement. The leader is responsible for building and maintaining relationships among students, staff, teachers, parents, and the community.

Off the record conversation

This statement is false. This is considered an "off the record" conversation. Because you want to foster a community of transparency and trust, it is imperative that any decision you make is justified. Ms. Reynolds needs to be willing to have you explain to the staff the issue and where the report came from. This will build trust within the school and demonstrate your transparency. Also, though you have a friendly relationship, you must remember that there is a balance with your staff seeing you as a friend and as a supervisor.

Contribute to a better world

To foster habits of character, school leaders strive, through actions and words, to contribute to a better world. This can be done through supporting students in becoming good global citizens, working with students to understand what contributing to the world looks like, modeling good character in and out of the school, and incorporating curriculum that teaches character.

The characteristics associated with leadership are defined by theories and theorists. In order to organize leadership research to create a set of principles for school leaders to guide their behavior, Marzano selected several leadership theories and theorists as the framework to review research.

True. To develop conclusions for the study, Marzano used transactional, transformational, and instructional leadership theories as the foundation for the study. The work of the theorists Collins, Elmore, and Heifetz also contributed to Marzano's knowledge base.

An educational leader has the power to reduce barriers within his or her organization. Which of the following is NOT a strategy to prevent breakdowns and improve effectiveness of communication?

Utilizing the power of the leadership position to get what the leader wants. Leaders must manage the power of their position, however they can not take advantage of or abuse their power to satisfy their own agenda. This diminishes their effectiveness as a leader by minimizing their impact as a communicator.