Running Head: MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1

Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership

and Postsecondary Education

University of Northern Iowa

***

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the

Master of Arts in Education or Advanced Studies Certificate

***

By Allison Freitag

South East Junior High School

Iowa City, IA

December 1, 2016

Dr. Susan Alborn-Yilek

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“Leaders are the ones who run headfirst into the unknown.
They rush toward the danger.
They put their own interests aside to protect us or to pull us into the future.
Leaders would sooner sacrifice what is theirs to save what is ours
and they would never sacrifice what is ours to save what is theirs.
This is what it means to be a leader.”
-Simon Sinek (Leaders Eat Last, 2014)

Introduction/Reasons for Pursuing Educational Leadership

Educational leaders pursue advanced degrees in the profession of education for a variety

of reasons. As leaders the comprehensive goal is to make lives better for students served each

day. Leaders inspire and nurture students and staff members on a daily basis. As educational

leaders, a wide variety of tools must be utilized and a specific philosophy and vision must be

clear and executed. When this happens leaders create ideal school cultures and learning

environments where students thrive.

This aspiring principal believes educational opportunities open doors for all. This leader

will be the voice for all members of the learning community; she will serve those around her and

lift them to their highest potential by encouraging every step of the way. Knowing people are the

most important, forming strong relationships and collaborating, creating an amazing culture of

learning, being a positive, engaging and inspiring leader and having a clear vision make me stand

out from other aspiring leaders.

Skills/Knowledge/Dispositions to Successfully Lead

People and relationships are most important in life, and the same is true for any learning

environment. Servant leaders are the best leaders as their aspirations to lead emerge from a desire

to help and serve other people. Exceptional aspiring principals believe in servant leadership.

Servant leaders understand the needs of all, heal wounds, develop skills and confidence and truly
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listen to concerns no matter how trivial (Marzano, Waters, McNulty, 2005 p. 16-17). Just as

mothers nurture their children, the central dynamic of servant leadership is nurturing those within

an organization, in this case a learning environment. Excellent educational leaders view all

students as “their kids” and create strong relationships with them in order to best meet their

needs.

Excellent leaders want the best for each and every child and adult they serve. “Great

principals never forget that it is people, not programs, who determine the quality of a school”

(Whitaker, 2012, p. 11). Successful aspiring leaders will hire excellent teachers who will in turn

create an excellent school environment for students. Educational leaders may create initiatives

and programs, but without teachers who are willing to put forth significant effort and whom

believe in the process, the initiatives and programs will likely fail. “Outstanding principals know

that if they have great teachers, they have a great school; without great teachers, they do not have

a great school” (Whitaker, 2012, p. 5). This aspiring leader will always remember people are

most important and will seek to do what is best for all students and staff in the learning

environment. Significant time will be devoted during the interview process as well as throughout

the onboarding of new staff members to create significant, trusting relationships with all staff

members. Iowa Standards for School Leaders (Iowa Department of Education, 2008) standard

three outlines management criteria for educational leaders. By focusing on recruiting, selecting

and retaining quality staff members students will likely be a part of a safe, efficient and effective

learning environment. This leader believes in the importance of investing time and resources for

staff so they are able to provide for the needs of all students using best practice.

One way for educational leaders to ensure success for students is through collaboration.
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“Inviting feedback from your best teachers creates an opportunity for growth” (Whitaker, 2012,

p.17). Aspiring principals understand the importance of asking for feedback from people within

their building and using the feedback received to make decisions moving forward. Principals

have the balcony view of the school. This view provides a vast knowledge of the many

individual working pieces. A school must be a well oiled machine and in order to be just that

principals must be present and collaborate with all members of their staff from custodians to

lunch staff to veteran teachers. The balcony view leads to both challenges and rewards. Marzano,

Waters and McNulty (2005) highlight 21 responsibilities of school leaders and among them

“relationships” and “visibility” as crucial responsibilities in leading a school effectively ( p. 43).

This aspiring principal will do what’s best for all by building those strong relationships and

being visible.​ ​By caring for, nurturing and treating students and staff and students like they are

my family, I will ensure that each person’s best interest is in mind while respecting each of their

individual perspectives. This aspiring leader will be the epitome of a servant leader while

addressing the needs of all students and staff members served daily. Every decision made will be

based on doing what is best for the students (Whitaker, 2012).

What Students, Teachers, and the Community Should Expect From My

Leadership/Inspiration for Leadership

Perhaps one of the most significant ISSL Standards is standard two (Iowa Department of

Education, 2008). This standard provides criteria for creating a culture of learning. A leader must

“provide leadership, encouragement, opportunities and structure for staff to continually design

more effective teaching and learning experiences for all students. In order to accomplish this feat

educational leaders must create an amazing culture and work environment. Simon Sinek, author
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of Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t (2014) states we “must

get our environment right;” we must create a work environment full of trust and cooperation

(Sinek, 2014). This aspiring leader will form deep relationships and students and staff will trust

and cooperate with her because they will know how deeply she cares about each of them. Both

Whitaker and Sinek found through their extensive research it is the leader that sets the tone of a

school (Sinek & Whitaker). Leaders must sacrifice to put the needs of others under their care at

the forefront of their focus; “they will choose to sacrifice so their people may be safe and

protected and their people may gain. The natural response is that the people within the institution

will then in turn sacrifice for the leader (Sinek, 2014). By creating trusting relationships our

learning environment will thrive.

This educational leader will create an amazing school culture where students and staff

members are excited to enter the doors daily. Positive energy will be felt from the leader to the

secretarial staff to the lunchroom and custodial staff. An aura will surround the school and the

community will be excited to send their young children off to a place where all students are

valued and respected for who they are. Positive affirmations will be found throughout the school.

Making it “cool to care,” finding the best behavior and “making it stick,” and setting the tone

right from the start will guide my leadership practices (Whitaker, 2012). As a principal I will be

the positive and strive to create a culture of learning where all may succeed. By respecting,

praising and encouraging staff and students, this leader will be her staff and students’ biggest

cheerleader and will strive to make them feel important and satisfied daily. The most valuable

gift a principal can give teachers and therefore students is confidence (Whitaker, 2012).

Meaningful learning opportunities will inspire teachers to do their best work and thus inspire
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children in the school and community. The responsibilities of “Optimizer” & “Contingent

Rewards” will be behaviors ever present throughout the school and community (Marzano,

Waters &McNulty, 2005, p. 42-43).

A school hiring this educational leader will find a leader who is passionate and forward

thinking. By constantly evaluating where we are and where we want to go, this leader will be

proactive rather than reactive in all situations. ​ ​With clear focus and excellent time management

this leader will stay ahead of issues to achieve short and long term goals. This leader’s ability to

maintain a clear focus and strong lines of communication will be evident to the staff, students

and stakeholders served through the community. This leader understands the sky's the limit for

herself, her staff and her students!

Students, staff and community members will know immediately this leader wants success

for all and will create and carry out a clear vision by starting with the why in all that she does.

The why will be clear for myself, staff, students and the community. There will be no confusion

as to why an initiative is being undertaken or why something within the school has changed.

Together with the why in mind we will create a future focused vision that is global and

accompany it with a fantastic and focused mission. Educational leaders must set the bar high and

expectations must be maintained for excellence rather than mediocrity. “The difference between

average and great principals lies in what they expect of themselves” (Whitaker, 2012).

Principals’ focus must be on high quality instruction, staff collaboration and conversation, and

relational trust (Robbins & Alvy, 2014, p. 63). Principals must accept responsibility for all. By

hiring great teachers and praising effort and best practice educational leaders will always treat

people right, make them feel empowered and capable of greatness! Leaders who really inspire
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change and are change agents believe in challenging the status quo” (Sinek, 2014). As a leader I

will not be afraid of challenging traditions which do not achieve great results but will instead

look for innovative ways to solve problems and create opportunities. My passion for leadership

will be evident. Sinek expresses in his book and TED Talk, if you hire people that believe what

you believe they will work harder (Sinek, 2014). People will want to work hard for me because

they will believe in my passion and energy and know I want success for all.

Inspiration for leadership usually comes from a person having excellent leaders and

mentors throughout one’s life. This aspiring leader was fortunate to have many great educators

from kindergarten through college graduation, many of whom guided her love of learning. This

love of learning has thus inspired in me a “pay it forward” mentality which encourages me to

enjoy every moment, even the tough ones. By demonstrating passion and energy daily this leader

will inspire all those around her. This leader will be an advocate and spokesperson for the school

and all stakeholders (Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005, p. 43). Ruby Payne (2005), author of

Framework for Understanding Poverty states, “Locate a resilient kid and you will find a caring

adult, or several, who has guided him” (p. 109). I want to be this inspiration!

As a leader, what will you expect from teachers, students, and the community?

As a leader I will expect respect, positive attitudes and growth mindsets, as well as high

expectations from teachers, students and the community. This educational leader will live out the

motto, progress over perfection and with each passing day our institution will strive to be better

than the previous day.

This aspiring leader will expect respect. This leader will lead with the idea that all

members of the learning community must respect themselves, their peers and colleagues, and
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their learning environment. In the wise words of Whitaker, “respect everybody, every day, all the

time! (Whitaker, 2012, p.21). “Affirmation” and “Culture,” two of the 21 Responsibilities of the

School Leader will be visible daily in our learning community (Marzano, Waters & McNulty,

2005, p. 42). This leader will expect positive attitudes and respect from all members of the

learning community.

As a commitment to lifelong learning and maintaining a growth mindset are fundamental

in her educational philosophy, this leader will expect both from the students and staff in her

learning community. Just as educational opportunities open doors, positive attitudes and growth

mindsets provide foundations for success. Teachers and students will be expected to take

advantage of many educational experiences to continually learn. Teachers will not be allowed to

stay in isolation, just as a professional learning network is an essential tool for educational

leaders, teachers will be expected to connect with other professionals to improve practice.

Flexibility will be expected as well. An understanding that we all will be flexible, learn, grow

and change with the times will make us all better educators and learners. The leadership

responsibilities of Outreach and Intellectual Stimulation will be present in my daily actions and

interactions with students and staff (Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005, p. 42).

High expectations will be set for teachers, students and the community. Our students

deserve the absolute best and it is up to principals and communities to ensure they have

opportunities for success. Educational leaders reach out to the community and are present and

active in community affairs. The community should expect this leader to forge strong

relationships with business leaders and community organizations. When strong bonds are created

with the community teaching and learning is improved for all. ISSL standard six encourages
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educational leaders to understand the dynamics of a community, collaborate with service

providers, advocate for the welfare of all members of the learning community, and design as well

as implement strategies to reach goals (Iowa Department of Education, 2008). This aspiring

principal will strive to accomplish all of the aforementioned criteria while fully immersing

herself into the community. Preparation for the real world will be achieved by the students and

staff that work under my leadership. This aspiring leader will challenge the tradition of schooling

when necessary and look for innovation wherever possible. Together, we will conduct

meaningful work and make the most of each and every day; we will ultimately do what is best

for all!

“Most educators acknowledge that our deepest insights and understandings come from action,
followed by reflection and the search for improvement.”
-DuFour (Learning by Doing, 2006)
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References

DuFour, R. (2006). ​Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at

work​. Bloomington, Ind: Solution Tree.

Iowa Department of Education (2008): Iowa Standards for School Leaders | Iowa Department of

Education. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from

https://www.educateiowa.gov/documents/educator-quality/2013/03/iowa-standards-schoo

l-leaders

Marzano, R., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. (2005). ​School leadership that works​. Alexandria, Va.:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Payne, R. K. (2005). ​A framework for understanding poverty​ (4th rev. ed.). Highlands, TX: Aha!

Process.

Robbins, P., & Alvy, H. (2014). ​The principal's companion. Strategies to lead schools for

student and teacher success​, 4th edition. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.

Sinek, S. (2014). ​Leaders eat last: Why some teams pull together and others don’t.​ New York,

NY: Penguin.

Whitaker, T. (2012). ​What great principals do differently: Eighteen things that matter most​, 2nd

edition. Moorabbin, Vic.: Hawker Brownlow Education.