As with most jobs, you don’t know how to do the job until you DO the job. Being a school leader is no different. Universities teach you theory but nothing equates to living and working through situations with people. How do we bridge the gap between educational leadership curriculums and real experience?
Most Masters programs do a good job of providing information on educational theory and not enough practical application. Most educators have heard the phrase when taking certification exams “think perfect world and you’ll be okay”. While this may help you pass the exam, this thinking does nothing to help prepare you for the actual work. The most useful class in educational programs is Educational Law.
As a school leader, no day is the same. Situations arise quickly, some that require immediate attention. No matter how well you think you’ve planned your day, be prepared for a curveball or two. Your level of competence and confidence make a difference.
Future administrators need real experiences to help them prepare for future roles. Sitting in on a 504/IEP meeting could be beneficial as you get to see how the committee works together in the best interest of a student. Even witnessing a mediation between students or teachers, with permission, add valuable insight needed to develop conflict resolution skills.
Having the opportunity to attend a data meeting gives the future school leader a chance to analyze data from a different perspective than just their classroom. Learning to look at data as it relates to the entire campus helps to develop a more in depth understanding of teaching and learning on the campus as a whole. Participating in campus leadership team meetings helps to gain insight into how decisions are made that affect the entire school from budget to campus safety and everything in between.
Teacher coaching and observation is a big part of your responsibility as an administrator. Visiting classrooms and sharing observation notes with an experienced administrator is beneficial for aspiring school leaders. Getting a glimpse of how feedback is given and how it aligns to campus goals is very valuable.
A few keys to being successful as a school leader are to have strong leadership models, a collaborative network of other school leaders, and a good mentor. Knowing how to do things makes a difference, having someone to go to for advice, and having people to glean ideas from sets new leaders up for success.
This, in no way, covers all of the things that could help aspiring administrators to be successful. These are my thoughts on how university programs could build curriculum to really show the many facets of school leadership. I would love to hear ideas about how we can better prepare our future school leaders.
My Life In Education… 