Leadership Framework

Stephanie Smith-Weatherton

Philosophy of Education

All students have the right to a quality education regardless of learning abilities, backgrounds,
gender, race or socioeconomic status. Critical thinking is needed in order to investigate,
interpret, analyze, and synthesize information accessible to them through the Internet, college
professors, society, and/or the workforce. With the information available, students must use
these their taught skills as citizens of a community to render thoughtful and responsible
decisions.

Schools should be a positive, respectful, and safe environment, which offers students
opportunities before, during, and after school, that allow every student the chance to reach their
full potential. School leaders and staff set the culture for students to prosper and foster the rules
and expectations on a campus. Professional Learning Communities administrators, teachers, and
staff to collaborate for the purpose of aligning standards and curriculum to ensure all students
learn the content of required courses regardless of their individual teacher.

Highly qualified teachers should create rigorous lessons related to TEKS standards to develop
creative and engage students and help them understand their lesson. Taking the time to gather a
repertoire with students, along with utilizing data from summative and formative
assessments will help guide teachers in differentiating instruction so that each student can
experience academic success. A teacher’s knowledge should always be clear and visible in the
classroom.

Philosophy of Leadership

As the instructional leader of a campus, the principal has the responsibility to ensure that all
students, faculty, and staff have are safe and have an environment to meet the goals and
expectations of the campus and district. A principal’s leadership style has a direct impact on the
successes or failures of the campus in meeting state goals

In an ideal situation, the principal should have a researched Leadership model in place that
empower their staff and faculty in the decision-making process and trusting in their skills and
professionalism to get the job done. As such, I believe that our leaders should follow a
Situational Leadership model where the style of leadership is based on the situation and person at
hand. To ensure success leaders must be flexible and develop a close working relationship with
all stakeholders.
Vision for Learning

Technology is changing the way our students learn things. Information, through the Internet, is
readily available to all students. Students must learn to critically evaluate and apply the
information available to them to make responsible decisions in our community. In addition,
students must learn the skills to adapt to technological advancements throughout their
lifetime. Technology education starts in the school where teachers model how to appropriately
use technology and they teach students how to evaluate information for accuracy and purpose of
application.

Students learn differently, so differentiated directions that include audio, visual and written
instruction should be provided. While some individuals choose to construct these items through
inquiry, others follow the method conducive to their learning style. Through differentiation of
material presented to students in schools, every student should have the ability to master their
learning in all content areas.

Vision for Teachers

All teachers are stakeholders in education. Their style of classroom management and teahing
methods make their instruction unique. A successful teacher has the ability to capture the hearts
of their students to make them believe they can do the impossible. Teachers who are caring,
compassionate, and considerate of their students while having high expectations for their success
for and build positive relationships.

Teachers should be knowledgeable of curriculum and work innovative with their instruction.
Effective teachers work beyond the school hours and days to ensure authentic learning in their
classrooms. Teachers who have set the expectations in their classrooms can teach with fidelity
instead of constantly stopping to address behavioral concerns. Successful teachers are prepared
for all situations through research of the material, detailed lesson plans, and answer keys to all
activities.

Teachers are team players who respect and follow the rules. Collaboration occurs between grade
level and content teachers to guarantee curriculum is aligned vertically as well as to state
standards. Also, teachers research best practices for student academic success.

Teachers should always stay abreast with professional development opportunites for growth,
development and understanding.

Vision for Organization

A campus is a part of of a multi-level organization in which each level is held accountable by

another level. Within each level, individuals from different backgrounds and philosophies must
find common ground to collectively work towards a shared vision. Structure, communication,
and a sense of unity are three characteristics needed for a successful organization.
The campus is a community of learners where all stakeholders should be striving to excel and
grow with the goal of meeting a set of high expectations. The climate of the school should
reflect this in all areas from its appearance to its academic programs to the expectations laid out
for students, faculty, and staff. Open lines of communication must be established and all
stakeholders should be encouraged to participate in the decision making process

Organizational structure is important as it provides a framework for the management of the

organization. The structure provides distinct job responsibilities known throughout the
organization, which aids in decision-making and the follow through of protocols.

Vision for Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment

Standards are very important to classroom instruction as they provide teachers a goal to work
towards. All disciplines and grade levels will follow local and state standards to create authentic
and rigorous lessons. When local and state standards are not available, teachers must provide
research-based standards for use in their classroom. Content/grade level curriculum guides,
which include assessments, objectives, vocabulary, and lessons, will be developed based upon
the standards and needs of the students. Teachers and administrators will work closely to ensure
the curriculum is implemented in classrooms with fidelity.

A variety of instructional strategies should be used in all classrooms to ensure each student’s
success. Through the use of technology, teachers are able to increase engagement though
interactive lessons and provide instant feedback through a variety of quiz programs.

On a daily basis, teachers monitor their students understanding of content through discussions,
assignments, projects, and sometimes assessments. Theses formative assessments allow teachers
to tailor their instruction to the needs of the students in their class. Summative assessments, at
the end of the unit, ensure students have retained the information learned. Data from all
assessments allows teachers to refine their teaching practices, monitor the progress of their
students on standards, and support struggling students in small groups.

Vision for Professional Growth

In education laws, procedures, innovations, technology, research is constantly changing. As role

models for life-long learning, educators must continue learning through professional
development offered through the school district, professional organizations, and continuing
education.

Educators can attend professional development conferences offered by their local service centers.
This type of professional development offers a variety of content related topics in addition to
teaching strategies and technology. These conferences are more beneficial for individual
teachers; however, many educators shy away from this type of conference because of the
cost. As an administrator, I hope to budget for each department to attend content related
conferences either yearly or bi-yearly.
Method for Vision Attainment

As a leader, having a clear vision that’s reachable for all is where growth will occur.
Communication between district personal, building administration and staff as well as parents
and community members is critical for the success of a vision. Communication through emails,
press conferences, newspaper interviews, and meetings allows for the stakeholders to stay
informed of the schools progress towards their vision. Providing positive feedback and taking
the time to build relationships between the schools and the community is important for the
vision.

Positive and informative communication within the district and school allows for a level of trust
to be built among stakeholders. The community trusts the school district to produce productive
citizens, parents trust the school to provide a safe and secure environment while providing a
sound education, and educators trust the district to provide a positive climate for them to educate
children. Without trust, teamwork can be accomplished but it is without uniformity and complete
satisfaction of all stakeholders.