Maintaining a Clear Focus

I had a professor in grad school who told us that principals were little more than middle managers. That bothered me.  I have worked for principals who were unable to make any decisions without "getting permission" from central office and everything that happened in the building was because of some directive from central office. I don't want to feel like my vision is at the whim of what someone else believes to be the priority for my school. I am fortunate to work in a system where the superintendent believes that building principals are powerful leaders and that the work of moving the district and the students forward cannot happen if we are simply "middle managers." So, as we prepare to return to the challenging work of being change agents in schools, we must be clear in our focus - in our vision - for what we want to see in our children, in our staffs, and in our families during 2016 so that we can own the changes and not simply manage them.

Education is always a politically charged topic and everyone involved seems to have the answers that will fix struggling schools. 2015 certainly saw a great deal of political staging regarding the future of education and 2016 will be no different. While the pendulum seems to be shifting away from federal control of school reform and back toward individual states' control, it is important for us as leaders to be clear about where our own beliefs regarding higher standards fits within our vision. Without clearly understanding your own core beliefs as a leader, you may be quick to implement fad based policies, rather than deeply engaging with what you know will work to move student achievement in your school.

Visioning is key to effective leadership. I practice visioning activities with my teams in order to make sure that we are aligned in what we see at the end of this school year and out three years. When we know where we want to be in three years, we can plan backwards to make sure that we have the right supports in place to get there. As we move away from No Child Left Behind, it is essential for leaders to identify what information you need, how you will get it, and what you will expect teachers to do with that information in order to have a clear focus about assessment data and its role in tracking student achievement.

Whatever 2016 has in store for you, take time to clarify your focus and reaffirm your vision as you re-engage in the work of managing change, standards, and increasing student achievement. As leaders, there is so much for us to manage - having a clear focus helps keep the priority on our students and allows us to keep the changes we face - manageable.