D.C. Everest Senior High School Staff Update
Weekly Happenings
The energy was very different Wednesday and Thursday - It felt good to have students back. Thank you Ann Geier for the photos!
Interesting Information
I was meeting with a group of students this week and we talked briefly about their school improvement efforts. I shared with them that the definition of a leader I have most ascribed to is "anyone who has influence over another person." I then read this article below in Educational Leadership that gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own practice. I share it here with you. As members of our staff and faculty, every adult in our building acts as a leader for others throughout their day. If you have a few minutes, hopefully this article can offer some reflection on your own practice as a leader. Think about your role as a member of a team, PLC, department, operational team, a coach, an adviser, a teacher, or as a colleague.April 2021 | Volume 78 | Number 7
Educational Leadership
Research Matters / What Kind of Leader Are You?
Bryan Goodwin and Kent Davis
The times call for leaders who can navigate change and inspire others.
The darkest days of the pandemic may soon be behind us, but new and perhaps even greater challenges are looming, including helping millions of students recover many months of lost learning while re-energizing (or replacing) thousands of exhausted teachers. Guiding people through uncertain times often requires a different, more empowering style of leadership. This may be a paradigm shift for many leaders, one that requires them to reflect on not only what they must do, but more deeply, who they must be as leaders.
Over the years, research has surfaced two distinctly different styles of leadership. More conventional, transactional leadership works from the outside-in—creating expectations, assigning roles and responsibilities, and establishing and ensuring compliance with processes. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, works from the inside-out—instilling aspirational goals and vision, creating a collective sense of purpose, defining collaborative goals, and encouraging risk-taking, continuous learning, and self-reflection (Lyons & Schneider, 2009).
While both styles have their place and purpose, transformational leadership supports better team performance in many ways. For example, in a laboratory experiment with 214 adults, participants received directions for completing a complex task from three different styles of "leaders" (actors evoking transactional, transformational, and laissez-faire leadership styles). Those who received directions via transformational leadership styles reported greater feelings of efficacy, more social support, and less stress; most important, they performed better on the task (Lyons & Schneider, 2009). Those who received marching orders from leaders with no-nonsense, let's-get-to-work transactional styles reported less confidence, higher stress, and less social cohesion—and performed worse on the task.
We're referring here to leadership styles, not people; so, leaders can (and should) shift between styles based on the current needs of the organization. Nonetheless, leaders who are more adept with transformational styles often share the same core beliefs and dispositions, which suggests the following touchpoints for empowering others.
Believe in Yourself and Others
Perhaps the most important trait for any leader is self-efficacy—believing they can have a positive impact on the world around them. Research dating back to the 1970s (e.g., Anderson & Schneier, 1978) has, in fact, shown that teams led by those with self-efficacy or an internal locus of control—leaders who believe their own actions (not external forces) control their life's outcomes—outperform teams led by those who tend to blame others or extenuating circumstances for poor outcomes.
A comparison study of 20 leaders—10 who were successfully turning around low-performing schools and 10 who were not—identified internal locus of control as a key differentiator between effective and ineffective leaders (Bournés, 2017). Unlike "externals" who tended to attribute school performance to lack of resources, slow-moving district bureaucracies, or students themselves, "internals" were more apt to exert control over their environments—pushing back against counterproductive district mandates, asserting control over curricular decisions, and being a "squeaky wheel" to secure resources needed for their schools.
Perhaps the most important trait for any leader is self-efficacy—believing they can have a positive impact on the world around them. Research dating back to the 1970s (e.g., Anderson & Schneier, 1978) has, in fact, shown that teams led by those with self-efficacy or an internal locus of control—leaders who believe their own actions (not external forces) control their life's outcomes—outperform teams led by those who tend to blame others or extenuating circumstances for poor outcomes.
A comparison study of 20 leaders—10 who were successfully turning around low-performing schools and 10 who were not—identified internal locus of control as a key differentiator between effective and ineffective leaders (Bournés, 2017). Unlike "externals" who tended to attribute school performance to lack of resources, slow-moving district bureaucracies, or students themselves, "internals" were more apt to exert control over their environments—pushing back against counterproductive district mandates, asserting control over curricular decisions, and being a "squeaky wheel" to secure resources needed for their schools.
Be Optimistic
Leaders' optimism is often rooted in seeing assets where others see only deficits. A study of principals from five, high-performing, high-poverty schools in South Africa found they all shared an asset-based orientation to their work and schools. They weren't pollyanna-ish; they acknowledged the poverty around them. Yet they identified and drew upon strengths, capabilities, and insights from their communities and found ways to build on bright spots in their schools (Chikoko, Naicker, & Mthiyane, 2015).
Care About Others
A longitudinal study of 400 Chicago schools found that the most important predictor of sustained school improvement was "relational trust"—the extent to which everyone in the school community shared a sense of moral obligation, mutual respect, and reliance on one another (Bryk & Schneider, 2003). Trust developed slowly over time—the cumulative effect of multiple positive conversations, interactions, and observations that made people feel heard, respected, and valued.
Here again, trust emerged from leaders who genuinely cared about others, earned their respect by holding others in high regard, and demonstrated integrity by treating others fairly. They didn't shy away from tough or unpopular decisions; to the contrary, many made tough decisions but they did so with integrity, impartiality, and compassion.
Know Thyself
Research also links transformational leadership behaviors to "emotional intelligence"—the ability to understand our emotions, see ourselves as others do, and adjust our behaviors accordingly (Barling, Slater, & Kelloway, 2000). A study of 72 high school principals (Hanlin, 2004) found a strong link between emotional intelligence and several responsibilities associated with effective leadership identified in a McREL International meta-analysis (Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2003). In particular, leaders' self-awareness (the ability to identify and understand their own emotions) was strongly linked to their focus (establishing clear goals and keeping them at the forefront of a school's attention), intellectual stimulation (keeping staff informed about research and best practices), monitoring (assessing the impact of improvement efforts on student outcomes), and situational awareness (sensing undercurrents in the school and addressing them quickly). Effective leaders appear to be reflective leaders.
Balancing Leadership
Transactional and transformational leadership are not mutually exclusive; transactional leadership, in fact, often serves as a foundation for transformational leadership. Even in challenging times, leaders still need to set expectations, define roles, and implement plans well. But they should also incorporate behaviors that encourage can-do optimism, trust, and self-reflection. Likely, doing so starts by looking within to ensure they are the change they want to see in their schools.
Announcements/Week Ahead
Tuesday, April 13, 55 minute ELT - Teachers will receive their Forward test manual in your mailbox Monday morning. Please read this small manual to prepare yourself to help students with tutorials, practicing, and taking the test. Pay special attention starting on page 16 for the tutorials and practicing for Tuesday and then the rest for the test on Wednesday. Here are links to the 55 min ELT and Forward Teacher Assignments. There are a few that still have not signed the Confidentiality Agreement. Please sign and return on Monday.
Wednesday, April 14, 87min ELT for Forward Testing - Refer to your Forward manual. 87 min ELT
Finals week - We will not be running a special schedule for finals this year and the requirement to host finals on the last day of school will again be at PLC discretion. Please work with your team to make the best decision on behalf of students.
Vaccination Clinic Wednesday - A reminder to those who need to get their 2nd dose that the clinic is this Wednesday at Greenheck.
Tornado Drill - We will be conducting our yearly severe weather awareness week drill Thursday, April 15th after announcements at 9:25am. This will be a table top drill and we will NOT move kids to their safe areas. Right after daily announcements, we will ask staff to talk to their 3rd hour students about where they would go in the event of a severe weather alert. If you are not sure where your safe area is, please see me or Dawn Seehafer.
REGISTRATION is just around the corner, so we wanted to give you the dates. We will get you updated schedule, times and registration materials as soon as possible.
CURRENT SOPHOMORES
- April 12 course input deadline for students
- April 13 course selection sheets checked & collected ELT teachers
- April 26 course verification sheets delivered (15 minute ELT) ELT teachers
- April 14 WebEx scheduling presentation counselors
- April 20 course input deadline for students
- April 21 course selection sheets checked & collected ELT teachers
- April 26 course verifications delivered (15 minute ELT) ELT Teachers
- April 16 WebEx scheduling presentation 10:00 a.m. EVA counselors
- April 20 course input deadline for students
- April 21 course selection checks EVA counselors
- April 26 course verifications delivered EVA counselors
Important Dates for April:
13 55m ELT for Soph Forward tutorial/practice, Soph Course Selection sheets checked & collected by ELT teachers
14 87m ELT for Soph Forward Test and Juniors WebEx on Scheduling
14 87m ELT for Soph Forward Test and Juniors WebEx on Scheduling
14 BLT Meeting @ 2:50
14 Vaccination Clinic Shot 2, GH
14 Vaccination Clinic Shot 2, GH
15 Tornado drill, 9:25am
20 Soph Forward Make-up Test, Period 2 & 3
21 45m ELT for Soph Aspire Tutorial/Practice, Junior Course Selection sheets checked & collected by ELT teachers
21 45m ELT for Soph Aspire Tutorial/Practice, Junior Course Selection sheets checked & collected by ELT teachers
21 Faculty Meeting @ 2:50 - Webex
21 School Board Mtg @ 6:30pm
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