Effective Leadership and Anti-Racism

Lesson 2 Reflection: Effective Leadership and Anti-Racism
For this reflection please first read the chapter White Principals and Race-conscious Leadership from Theoharis and Haddix. This chapter describes the anti-racist leadership practices of six White principals:
Based on the course materials to this point, as well as your own experiences, perspectives, and understandings, how do these principals exhibit effective leadership practices? To what extent do you think anti-racist leadership is consistent with effective leadership practice more broadly within a contemporary educational context?
In a word processing application (e.g., Word), please craft a response in a few paragraphs. Save and archive the Lesson 2 Reflection until you are ready to submit all reflections for the first half of the course.
Label and hold the Lesson 2 Reflection until you are ready to submit all reflections for the first half of the course
Lesson 3 Reflection: Leadership Qualities and Styles
In a few paragraphs, share your thoughts, ideas, and/or insights about leadership style using the following guidelines:
Tell a story about a leadership challenge (big or small) you experienced that had a positive outcome.
Define the problem.
Share the solution you initiated and connect it to your own mind/cognitive/learning style and/or leadership style.
What did you learn from this leadership challenge?
Given what you learned in Lesson 03, what would you have done differently?
What contributed to the successful outcome?
Label and hold the Lesson 3 Reflection until you are ready to submit all reflections for the first half of the course.
Lesson 5 Reflection: Decentralized School Governance Models (SBM and Distributed Leadership)
The purpose of this lesson's reflection paper is to have you stop and think about the structures and philosophies of site-based management and distributed leadership. Please respond to the following question prompts but feel free to add additional thoughts, musings, or insights:
If you were in a school that the superintendent had targeted to be decentralized via either SBM or through a distributed leadership change initiative, what would you most excite you?
How do either of these models relate to what you already know and believe about leadership?
What areas of professional development would be critical for you to have to help you grow as a professional?
Other reflections?
Label and hold the Lesson 5 Reflection until you are ready to submit all reflections for the first half of the course.
Lesson 6 Reflection: The Principal Story
The Principal Story examines the leadership practices across an entire school year of two elementary school principals in high need schools, principal Tresa D. Dunbar of the Henry H. Nash Elementary School in Chicago, and principal Kerry Purcell of Harvard Park Elementary School in Springfield, Ill. The documentary chronicles the efforts each principal makes to galvanize support within their schools and the communities to increase student achievement through strategic school reform in the face of resource shortages and community disadvantage.
In Hoy and Miskel’s chapter on "Power and Politics" in school, they state that, “Power matters; it is an important aspect of what an organization does, and it affects what members do.” In an effort to integrate the readings with the film The Principal Story, share your thoughts in response to the following four questions:
How would you describe the core leadership characteristics of each of these principals? How do these leadership characteristics align with the school environments?
Hoy and Miskel explain some basic principles of persuading and influencing. Which principles worked best for the two principals that enabled them to win over constituents and influence people to follow their leadership style.
Identify the social and political resources and the social and political constraints faced by each principal as they work towards school improvement. What were some of the tactics Tresa Dunbar and Kerry Purcel used to achieve their goals? To what degree you believe these tactics were effective?
Public policy-makers and community members often hold educators and educational leaders accountable for student achievement goals that are extremely daunting in the face of complex social problems like poverty and families in distress. In Tresa Dunbar’s school, 98% of students come from low income families while the same is true of 87% of the students at Kerry Purcel’s school. What do you see as the political forces at play that create school and community conditions such as these, and what are the implications for educational leadership?
Label the Lesson 6 Reflection.