Effective education leadership is crucial to delivering a clear and consistent vision of teaching and learning throughout your school. School leadership takes many forms. Administrative leaders influence the school environment and culture, setting the stage for effective leadership. Next are teacher leaders, who have many methods and opportunities to choose from to develop into the best educators they can be with the support of administrators. Finally, there are leaders among the students who take their cues from the leadership modeled by their teachers. Developing effective teacher leadership skills among educators is essential for inspiring and guiding students towards enhanced student learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of communication, inspiration, advocacy, flexibility, trustworthiness, and the ability to lead change in the educational landscape.
Table of Contents:
- 6 Ways to Develop Leadership in Yourself and Others
- Key Qualities for Strong Education Leaders
- How to become a better school administrative leader
- Practical Classroom Ideas
- Here are 4 actionable ways to help empower students
- Practical ideas for nurturing leadership in the classroom
- Effective school leadership in review
- Transform Your School’s Leadership and Recruitment Process
6 Ways to Develop Leadership in Yourself and Others
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Be Open to Change and Feedback: Embrace and be receptive to feedback to foster continuous improvement.
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Expand and Improve Your Skills: Continuously develop your professional skills to stay current with educational trends.
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Foster a Supportive Environment of Mutual Respect: Create a school culture based on mutual respect and support.
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Listen and Empathize: Practice active listening and empathy to build strong relationships.
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Look for, Encourage, and Recognize the Best in Others: Identify and celebrate the strengths of your colleagues and students.
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Continually Review What’s Working and What Isn’t to Make Improvements: Regularly assess and refine your practices.
Qualities of an Effective School Leader
What makes a successful, effective leader? Liz Wiseman, author of Multipliers, says the leaders referred to in the book are “genius makers who bring out the intelligence in others. They build collective, viral intelligence in organizations.” The role of school culture in defining the effectiveness of school leaders cannot be overstated, as it lays the foundation for a supportive and innovative educational environment.
Key Qualities for Strong Education Leaders
According to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Education, these are pivotal in achieving academic success for all students. Fostering an environment where educators, parents, students, and policymakers collaborate to enhance student learning and school progress.
Fostering a Supportive Environment
Nurturing a supportive school community should be a primary focus for every educator in a leadership role.
To do so, leaders can create coaching and mentorship opportunities, lead professional development sessions, and encourage collective responsibility.
Additionally, leaders should be interested in what’s happening in the classroom—including the lessons, the teachers, and the students. A great way for administrators to do this is through “learning walks.” This means visiting the classroom regularly to identify best practices and the best practitioners in the school. When done right, with nurturing support and recognition of success, learning walks mean “welcome drop-ins” rather than “cause for alarm.”
Commitment to Student Success
Teachers are in the classroom every day and have the firmest understanding of what their students need. As such, strong teacher leaders pursue opportunities to improve learning conditions for their students.
Passionate, open-minded, flexible, and humble teachers will do best with that mission. They need those qualities to create inclusive environments, launch new teaching methods, and make other changes that support student success.
Dedication to professional development and teacher leadership skills
The world of education is always evolving. As a result, it’s no surprise that strong educator leaders have a focus on their professional growth. They pursue new expertise, learn from peers, and stay open to new opportunities.
Leaders' focus does not stop with themselves. They are also dedicated to the development of their co-workers, their school community, and, of course, their students.
Willingness to take calculated risks
At the end of the day, successful teachers help nurture a desire to learn in and out of the classroom. To do that for their students, leaders take calculated risks. That can mean trying new teaching methods or implementing creative exercises. By having the courage to leave old ways behind and demonstrating the willingness to fail, they set a great example for students: that it’s OK to make mistakes when trying to improve things.
An essential aspect of this is reflection on what worked and what didn’t. Changing course if necessary is OK—sometimes in the middle of a lesson!
How to become a better school administrative leader
Effective school leadership starts with administrators. Here are four categories administrative leaders can look at to ensure they’re doing their best—and if not, how to find ways to improve. School administrators play a crucial role in fostering a positive school environment and leading by example to create a team-oriented climate that promotes high student achievement and a positive school culture. Building relationships with community members is essential in creating a supportive and inclusive school culture, emphasizing the importance of reciprocal family and community partnerships.
Nurture a positive school environment
Nurture the best possible educational environment to set your teachers and students up for success. First, communicate with empathy and respect for colleagues and students. Then, lead by example by continually developing your education leadership skills. Be open about your shortcomings and mistakes. Stay open to feedback and demonstrate that you internalized it through your actions.
It’s also important to block off time to be visible. Your office isn’t your living room. Be seen, engaged, and involved throughout the halls of your school whenever appropriate.
A leader is conscientious, respectful, and acts with integrity. By demonstrating these qualities and focusing on your actions first, you are creating a positive environment for education.
Demonstrate commitment to your teachers’ skills and careers
Teachers are your school’s greatest resource. Learn how to spot education talent—and then appreciate it. Show teachers how important they are by prioritizing mentoring and supporting them. Listen to what they need. Acknowledge the successes of both high and low performers. Offer them the best possible professional development opportunities.
Giving teachers the encouragement, resources, and recognition they need gives them space and autonomy to fulfill their main purpose—teach! No one wants to be micromanaged. Letting teachers take the reins is the ultimate demonstration of your trust and respect for them.
Measure, learn, and grow
A leader has the courage and wisdom to change and try something new if the old way isn’t working. Be flexible and adaptable. This is where data comes into play. Use whatever metrics you’re tracking to guide change and prioritize learning initiatives. Setting actionable, measurable goals for yourself, your teachers, and your students will light the path forward—and give everyone a valuable sense of accomplishment when they meet targets.
Practical Classroom Ideas
What are some specific ways teachers can be better leaders? Here are 6 actionable tips from the Louisiana Resource Center for Educators to help teachers of all ages and experience levels grow as leaders in the classroom. Sharing learning outcomes is crucial in creating inclusive learning environments that cater to student's diverse needs and ensure all learners have access to the resources and support they need to succeed.
Establish essential agreements
Instead of creating an excessively long list of rules, establish behavioral protocols that everyone agrees to for the classroom. As for many other things, such as decisions and planning, simpler is better.
Share learning outcomes
Students are more successful in the classroom when the learning outcomes of a lesson are clear—and typically aligned with their final exams. By clearly stating your objectives, you and your peers can plan more clearly and design better lessons.
If there is a rubric, share it at the beginning of the lesson or unit. Don’t wait until the end. In particular, dedicated leaders set clear objectives not only for their lessons but for their professional growth.
Provide real-time feedback
Studies show that students who receive real-time feedback make greater progress in and out of the classroom—regardless of their performance level.
As a leader, apply this principle not just to your students but also to your peers. Don’t wait until quarterly reviews and parent-teacher conferences. When it comes to feedback—formal or informal—smaller and sooner is always better.
Make feedback about the future
Perhaps the hardest on the list to achieve, providing effective feedback reaffirms good behavior and acknowledges areas of improvement. For students and peers alike, school leaders should look to provide tangible advice that’s focused on growth.
Problem solvers solve more problems
Liz Wiseman says, “When leaders teach, they invest in their people’s ability to solve and avoid problems in the future.”
No matter the issue, an effective leader will demonstrate strong problem-solving skills for their students and peers—and then teach them how to do the same.
By providing an example of self-reliance, a leader can help members of their school community grow their self-confidence and become better problem solvers.
Effectiveness is everything
At the end of the day, educators of every level are here for their students’ growth.
Knowing this, leaders should spend time and energy improving their teaching skills and becoming more effective through reflection, feedback, and professional development. And a strong education leader will teach students to do the same.
Empowering students as leaders
As every educator knows, teaching goes beyond subjects like math and science. Of those many soft skills taught in the classroom, leadership is a quality that every educator should strive to model and teach.
Here are 4 actionable ways to help empower students:
1. Provide examples
An effective strategy for teaching leadership skills is to demonstrate them using role models, historical figures, and literary characters. Examples should include vivid displays of leadership, like uniting groups and overcoming adversity. To affirm your lessons, you can even have your students make lists of people they see as leaders. As the leader of your classroom, remember to model the same skills you hope your students will learn.
2. Practice presentation skills
Presentations teach students how to articulate their thoughts in clear and understandable ways, a key skill for any leader.
Public speaking skills take time to develop, however. To help your students grow as communicators and leaders, challenge them to give a presentation of their choosing—with guidelines based on age and skill level.
Encouraging post-presentation questions can also teach active listening skills to the audience, another key leadership quality.
Regardless of the presentation style, give your students feedback to build confidence and help them improve further.
3. Don’t forget supportive leadership
A leader isn’t always a central figure rallying a large group. One of the more commonly forgotten approaches is providing help and service for others—also known as supportive leadership.
To teach this quality, you can intertwine the idea of service into your classroom. One way to do this is to assign your students simple age-appropriate tasks that support the classroom, from passing out papers in younger grades to moderating peers in debate in middle or high school.
Another idea is to assign your students group projects. To collaborate, they must listen, share ideas, compromise, and reach agreements—all skills embedded in supportive leadership.
4. Teach goal setting
Every good leader can set short- and long-term goals.
To build this skill, integrate goal setting into your classroom experience. Goals tailored to the age group can be everything from completing homework assignments to reading a certain amount of books.
The key is to ensure goals have three characteristics: they should be attainable, measurable, and have a deadline.
Practical ideas for nurturing leadership in the classroom
Now that you’ve reviewed the qualities of administrator, teacher, and student leaders and how to improve them, here’s the fun part: classroom-ready ideas for building leadership.
A safe, encouraging classroom is perfect for exploring and enhancing collaboration, teamwork, listening, and public speaking. But how do you do it?
Here are some great ideas for transferring leadership learning from mere concepts to hands-on practice:
Presentations
Presentation projects are simple ways to help your students build leadership and communication skills.
For younger groups, offer show and tell and book reports. Older students can practice defending an argument or persuasive speaking by giving a TED Talk on a topic they’re passionate about.
Presentations should include time for positive and constructive feedback to build confidence and offer teaching moments.
Clubs and extracurricular activities
Clubs and extracurriculars offer many opportunities for students of all ages to learn new skills, such as teamwork, respect, and commitment.
Because clubs, sports, and other activities are peer-to-peer environments, students will have tangible experiences with multiple leadership styles, including supportive and coach-style leadership.
You can even start a club or coach a team as a teacher!
Games
Playing games can be an effective way to teach students how to lead, communicate, and collaborate. Find intentional ways to weave them into your classroom time.
“Silly Topics” is a fun way to practice debating, strengthening key leadership skills of clear communication and argument building. “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” or “Is chili a soup?” are examples to keep it challenging but also light and fun. Your students will practice staying calm under pressure, active listening, and expressing themselves.
Trivia is another game-based way for kids to practice problem-solving, active listening, and deductive reasoning. It also allows kids to work independently or in a group, both great learning opportunities.
Best of all, it’s easy to incorporate into your classroom. Make a trivia game about whatever you’re learning in class! Start building that Jeopardy game now. It will be fun and educational for you, too!
Effective school leadership in review
Developing leadership in yourself and others in your school can be daunting until you break it down to the most important concepts and practices. To be an effective leader, start with yourself to ensure you’re modeling the qualities you wish to help others embody. Be open to change and feedback. Develop your skills, take risks, and allow yourself to make mistakes. All these steps will help you create a nurturing container where you can encourage the leadership of others. A positive classroom and school environment lays out essential agreements, encourages listening and empathy, and fosters mutual respect.
Practical ways to teach leadership include learning about famous historical leaders, offering service opportunities, presentations, debates, or playing other games like trivia. Listen to and respect each other, recognize success, and have fun
Transform Your School’s Leadership and Recruitment Process
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