Leadership in a school building is a shared process. The role of the school leadership team is to nurture the school culture in the effort to build leadership capacity among staff and maximize all around student achievement. The school leadership team must share a philosophy that they believe in; and thus create a culture that embodies this vision.Transformational leaders must cultivate the leadership potential of staff, students, and parents holistically. The leader must be fully immersed in the community. Establishing quality rapport and open dialogue with parents, stakeholders, and community partners will accrue relational capital which is critical when implementing meaningful changes to the school or district.
As an Instructional Leader, one must be involved in the vital functions that cultivate a progressive academic climate, including development of initiatives to increase student achievement, integration of culturally responsive practices throughout the curriculum, and revision of policies to meet the varying needs of our students and community. The school leadership team must provide powerful job-embedded professional development opportunities for their staff via disaggregation of data acquired through state achievement scores, districtwide assessments, staff culture and climate surveys, as well as observational data compiled throughout the year. Additionally, distribution of surveys for parents comprising the educational needs of the home will create an opportunity to develop workshops aligned to their needs. This is a critical component in providing an equitable education to all students. The purpose of this work is to tailor the daily/long-term academic plan for individual learners with varying areas of focus.
Ultimately, transformational leadership requires an appropriate understanding of change; specifically, how to enact lasting changes that will ultimately promote the values of the school. As a Leader, one must work tirelessly to promote positive behavior, effective communication, innovation, and collaboration in a constantly evolving world. Furthermore, one must initiate and lead programs that will serve to provide clear, concise information, across all facets of the educational community. The goal is to educate each student within a given school building while creating an atmosphere of lifelong learning and partnership.