Vanessa Lebrasseur

ECC 510: Technology Tools and Information Literacy

Gloria Antifaiff
December 1st, 2017
Master of Education in Leadership

Leadership that comes

from the Heart

Whitaker (2013) said “Helping them build their skills, and

then encouraging and praising when appropriate, can go a
long way towards cultivating self-worth” (p.109).
Introduction and Problem Statement
I based my research on what the best principals do to effectively lead their schools.
- All year (articulate your vision and work together to achieve it)
- Different school environments, demographics, low and high achieving schools
- No school will be perfect, therefore I wanted to read articles and books from various
perspectives.

How can a principal build a school culture of trust, positivity and honesty?
- Everyone is involved and impacted
- Think about your school environment? Are people honest and open with their admin?
- Different personalities, needs, school dynamic, demographics, experience, politics, etc.
 Whitaker (2013) said “ Authentic praise is a
powerful reinforcement and motivator” (p. 167).

Rational: Kouzes and Posner (2012) said “People need

emotional fuel to replenish their spirits” (p. 275).
- Illustration by Nip Rogers
- Teaching is a rewarding but a challenging profession. The demands and expectations
of the job are always increasing.
- Supported, valued, strengths and emotions.

Whitaker (2013) said “Great principals never forget that it is people, not programs,
who determine the quality of a school” (p. 87).

- If you have a happy, confident teacher teaching students, it can make a world of a
difference.
- If we can create a positive school culture, our primary focus on why we're in education
will excel, our students.
- Teachers helping each other, asking for help, teamwork, and collaboration.
 Whitaker (2013) said “Rather than waiting for others to
come to them, they regularly visit classrooms, spend time

Objectives: in the hallways, and seek our informal feedback” (p.87).

- Trust and personal values

- Competent and wisdom
- Approachable and caring
- Recognition

To ensure these things are in happening in your school you need to reflect, survey your
team, take a look at the environment (Are people communicating with you? Are people
happy?)
Review of Literature:
- The resources I read explored what the best leaders
do in their schools. Every resource had a different
context, study questions, data, etc.
- Although they were all different, they all resulted with a similar idea. The 1
thing that created their positive school culture was a foundation built of
trust.

- The Leadership Challenge- Encourage the heart

This practice ties into what I believe in. It ensures that what I believe in as
a leader is possible.
- It can easily be forgotten with deadlines and workload but it’s important to
make the time.
Implementation:

- Implementing these qualities in what I do (acting admin, mentor, relationships

around the building, families, etc)
- Observational notes, surveys, interviews
 References:
Whitaker, T. (2013). What great principals do differently: Eighteen things that matter most. New York, NY:
Routledge.

Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2012). The Leadership Challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in
organizations. San Francisco, CA: A Wiley Brand.