In today’s complex school environments, the job of an educational administrator is constantly changing. A successful educational leader must have a clear understanding of the educational process. They should be empathetic with their faculty and staff and understand the challenges they face as well as have insight into the needs of their students. A great educational leader should not only be familiar with the five key frames that make up leadership, but they should be experts in them. Leadership, law, curriculum, finance, and technology are five functions that no school or district can afford to overlook.
A successful educational leader should know how each of these five frames work and affect schools as well as how they work together. ?”Leader” isn’t just a title, it is a way of thinking and acting. A leader is someone who people choose to follow. A leader influences others to do things that they may not otherwise do. A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader. The most difficult aspect of being an educational leader is dealing with resistance and resentment. Leaders have to be careful to not take their power too far.
A good leader will include everyone within an organization when it comes to decision making. Leaders also have to be aware of both their legal and moral obligations. Having organized agendas and priorities is a must and being able to convince others of the same is crucial to achieving success. It’s not enough for people to have leadership potential; they need to have character and the right setting in which to grow.Two critical pieces of school leadership are school law and school finance. School leaders must have a thorough understanding of local, state, and federal legal and political systems in order to serve as an effective educational leader. Educators must know the laws that govern the operation and conduct of their organizations.
School administrators should possess a comprehensive and practical knowledge of relevant and contemporary legal issues that affect students, teachers, administrators, other school staff members. What becomes critical is how education leaders use this to direct their day-to-day decisions and actions within their school(s). A school administrator is a leader and manager of financial, physical, and human resources. A good leader must be able to identify and analyze major sources of fiscal and non-fiscal resources for schools and school districts and be able to use that information to develop an efficient budget planning process. It should be driven by district and school priorities as well as involve the staff and community. In today’s school environment parents are demanding stronger accountability from teachers and higher levels of achievement from students on standardized tests. It is the job of educational leaders to balance the social responsibility to their students and the fiscal responsibility to their bottom lines.
In addition, school leaders need provide focus and direction to curriculum and teaching and manage the organization efficiently to support student and adult learning. School leaders are responsible for evaluating teachers and making decisions about their classroom assignments, when classroom instruction is weak in underperforming schools it is a direct reflection ofthe leadership in that school or district.In an effort to improve classroom instruction and student achievement administrators need to facilitate and support technology enriched learning environments. In order to assist teachers in using technology, administrators need to provide the tools necessary.Administrators should create a climate that encourages the use of technology for productivity and communication with colleagues, staff, parents, and the larger community. One key task of an administrator is to maintain awareness of emerging technologies and their potential uses in education. Schools thrive on information, especially in the ever-changing world filled with new technology.
Student performance can be improved when the enhancement of teaching and learning using technology is implemented.As public education enters the 21st Century, the public increasingly looks for more efficient and equitable ways of providing schooling services that meet their high expectations. In order for any school to meet these expectations they don’t need a school administrator but an educational leader who will ensure that all students be given the opportunity and tools to reach their greatest potential.
