Individual Reflection Log #2: 21 Responsibilities of a School Leader

This week, I completed a self-assessment of the 21 Responsibilities of a School Leader, and also completed an online survey of the responsibilities from MCREL. Below are my results. I have highlighted the high scores for each assessment in green, and low scores in red:

Responsibilities	The extent to which the principal…	Self-Assessment (1-5)	Balanced Leadership Profile
Affirmation	Recognizes and celebrates school accomplishments and acknowledges failures	4	4.67
Change agent	Is willing to and actively challenges the status quo	5	4.25
Communication	Establishes strong lines of communication with teachers and among students	3	4.00
Contingent reward	Recognizes and rewards individual accomplishments	3	3.50
Culture	Fosters shared beliefs and a sense of community and cooperation	4	3.50
Discipline	Protects teachers from issues and influences that would detract from their teaching time and focus	4	3.25
Flexibility	Adapts his or her leadership behavior to the needs of the current situation and is comfortable with dissent	4	4.00
Focus	Establishes clear goals and keeps those goals in the forefront of the school’s attention	2	4.17
Ideals and beliefs	Communicates and operates from strong ideals and beliefs about schooling	4	4.00
Input	Involves teachers in the design and implementation of important decisions and policies	4	3.67
Intellectual stimulation	Ensures that faculty and staff are aware of the most current theories and practices, and makes the discussion of these a regular aspect of the school’s culture	4	5.0
Involvement with Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment (CIA)	Is directly involved in the design and implementation of curriculum, instruction and assessment processes	5	4.67
Knowledge of CIA	Is knowledgeable about current curriculum, instruction and assessment processes	4	4.00
Monitor/evaluate	Monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning	3	4.00
Optimizer	Inspires and leads new and challenging innovations	4	4.50
Order	Establishes a set of standard operating procedures and routines	4	3.67
Outreach	Is an advocate and spokesperson for the school to all stakeholders	4	4.25
Relationships	Demonstrates and awareness of the personal aspects of teachers and staff	3	4.00
Resources	Provides teachers with materials and professional development necessary for the successful execution of their jobs	4	4.00
Situational awareness	Is aware of the details and undercurrents in the running of the school and uses this information to address current and potential problems	3	4.00
Visibility	Has quality contact and interaction with teachers and students	4	4.00

As I compare the results from the self-assessment and survey, I noticed that there were some discrepencies. For example, I scored myself relatively lowest on Focus, but on the survey, it was one of my top seven. Where I scored myself highest, in being a Change Agent and Involvement in Curriculum and Instruction, those correlated with the survey. This makes sense to me, for in my role as a technology integration specialist, I am working towards change in methodology within the curriculum, therefore, I must know something about both. Marzano, Waters and McNulty (2005) found that the change agent responsibility had a .25 correlation with student achievement, and involvement in curriculum and instruction a .20 correlation with achievement. Contingent reward, a responsibility that showed up as a weakness for me on both the self-assessment and survey had a .24 correlation with student achievement.

In my job, I work with staff in three different buildings. While taking the survey, I used one building as my filter for answering the questions.. This may have skewed my response, for if I were to evaluate my effectiveness and engagement with a different building I work at, I think my responses would have been different. In that building, I have been more active and visible due to a pilot I was running.

My survey report indicated that I was leading a second-order change, one in which requires a fundamental shift and transformation in how things are done, with no return to the old ways (National Academy for Academic Leadership, 2010). In the analysis of my results, MCREL noted the need to focus on Input, Order, Communication and Culture, as often these are perceived as overlooked when a 2nd order change is taking place. I see a close connection between these areas of responsibility and the perception of shared decision making. It has been my experience that often, administrators will ask for input from staff, after a decision has been made in order to confirm that decision. This suggestion indicates the need to gather input and communicate before, during and after a decision has been made.

Marzano, et. al. note that the correlations between Situational Awareness (.33) and Relationships (.18) are relatively close, and that all 21 responsibilities are an important aspect of educational leadership. This process has given me a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses and areas I need to focus on.