IPSB Standard 1

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared by the school community.

Prior to promoting the vision of learning, the administrator should call on its’ staff to develop what that vision is.  By doing this, it will be common for all staff, and they will all have shared in the process of defining the vision. By seeking the staff’s input, they will be more willing to work towards that vision.  Once the vision of learning is established, it must be effectively communicated to the entire school community.  This includes staff, students, parents and community members.  The administrator can do this in many ways: through mailings, community round table discussions, and various publications in classrooms and the building.

After the vision of learning has become familiar to all stakeholders, it is then up to the administrator to define and implement a plan in which objectives and strategies on how to achieve the goals of the vision are clearly stated.  This plan must be regularly monitored to provide feedback on the progress being made towards meeting the vision of learning, while the stakeholders and administrator work hand-in-hand to continually define and address any barriers that would hinder achieving the desired vision.  Revision of the plan can always be made accordingly.

The administrator will evaluate the success of the plan and the achievement, or reaching the vision of learning goal, in several ways.  Most likely there will be statistical data that can be used to determine the success or failure of the desired outcome.  Also, feedback from the stakeholders will provide a source of evaluation for the effectiveness of the plan.  It is crucial that if the outcome is positive, the contributions and efforts that the school community members (i.e. stakeholders) made in the realization of the vision are celebrated.

IPSB Standard 2

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

To attain this standard, the administrator must have strong beliefs in the following concepts:  that student learning is the fundamental process of school; the idea that all students can learn; the importance of being a life-long learner; and that staff development is the key to school improvement.  If the administrator believes these concepts strongly and models them to others, the concepts will then become the driving force behind the success of the school. 

There are many ways to set the tone for this type of behavior.  The administrator must be prepared to treat stakeholders fairly and with dignity.  There should be a sense of high expectations for the administrator, students and staff performance, where the responsibilities of each member are well defined.  The principal and staff work cooperatively to see that the school is well organized and aligned for success.  The administrator needs to provide multiple learning opportunities for staff and students that are curricular, co-curricular, and extra curricular to further enhance and diversify the school culture and climate. 

Assessment of attaining this standard will come from ongoing evaluations of student and staff performance by the administration.  The students and staff will also use multiple sources of information regarding their performance, to then seek alternatives methods to improve upon their performance when needed.  The administrator will use a variety of supervisory models to enrich the feedback given to teachers and to students.  Models such as observation/evaluation and portfolio assessment are just two of several models that could be incorporated by the administrator to help meet this standard.

IPSB Standard 3

A school administrator ensures the management of the organization, and resources for a safe, efficient and effective learning environment.

To meet the criteria in standard 3, the administrator must not only act as the school leader, but as the school manager as well.  He must be ready to make management decisions that not only affect but also enhance student learning and teaching.  The administrator must be willing to involve the stakeholders in this decision-making and management process while being aware that they themselves must take sole responsibility for the process.

There are many things that the administrator must be aware of in order to meet this standard when making decisions.  For instance, he must be aware of any and all collective bargaining language, and other contractual agreements within the school.  The administrator needs to have a good knowledge of the operational procedures in his building and manage them to maximize the opportunities for successful learning.  He will also need to study and recognize new trends in management areas, and apply them to the school setting when necessary.

Evaluation on whether or not this standard has been met will again come from constant study and feedback from the administrator and the stakeholders.  He will continually assess that the financial, human, and material resources of the school are aligned to the goals set forth in the vision.  During the ongoing assessment, any problems, or potential problems will be identified and dealt with accordingly through input with the stakeholders.  A timeline would also need to be in place and followed, in order to help achieve such organizational skills that fit into this standard.  The timeline then serves as another evaluation source for the administrator.

IPSB Standard 4

A school administrator collaborates with families and community members.  Responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.

Schools operate as an integral part of the larger community.  Because of this, communication and collaboration with families and community members is crucial to encourage and continue the support that they provide the school.  When the administrator is willing to lend his hand to the community, they embrace it and become partners in the education of their children.  This can be achieved easily when the administrator makes a conscious effort to be actively involved in the community, and to actively involve the community in his school.

When the administrator acts in this way by becoming highly visibly and actively involved, communication with the larger community occurs.  Relationships then begin to form with community members and leaders, and all parties involved nurture these relationships.  Through the nurturing process, the members involved gain respect and any conflicts of values, opinions, or cultural are recognized but not argued.  The administrator and staff then reach out to businesses, religious, political and other service agencies to help serve one another as resources.

In the evaluation process of this standard, I am not sure if there is a negative implication of involving the community actively in the school.  Partnerships will be established with businesses, institutes of higher learning, and other community groups.  This kind of support can only strengthen programs in the school and help to attain the goals of the vision.  Communication would be the biggest tool in assessing the achievement behind this standard in order to make sure the school and community are keeping the best interest of the children in mind.

IPSB Standard 5

A school administrator acts with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.

Acting with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner are each important characteristics of an educational leader in today’s changing society.   An administrator must promote the ideal of the common good for the school community through his own actions.  Due to the amount daily decision-making the administrator must do, he must have high ethical principles, based on the same principles set forth in the Bill of Rights.  As stated earlier, he must also be willing to accept the consequences of upholding those principles and actions.

In the process of developing a caring school climate, the administrator can use the influence of his office and his staff productively and constructively in the service of students, and their families.  The most effective way to set this type of climate is for the administrator to model the personal and professional code of ethics he expects from students and staff.  It is important for him to demonstrate the high values, beliefs, and attitudes that inspire others to higher levels performance.  When students and staff see this being modeled, they will, in almost all cases, follow by the example that has been set.

The administrator will realize meeting this standard through his professional evaluations from superintendents, as well as informal feedback from staff and students.  The need to self- evaluate his own actions in order to achieve this standard will also be very important.   The administrator must always question each decision and contemplate the ramifications that may result from that decision in order to make sure that he is acting in an ethical manner, with the best interest of the school and the students in mind.  He may also get personal feedback from other stakeholders such as families, and community members that have given their support to the school.

IPSB Standard 6

A school administrator understands, responds to, and influences the larger political, social, economical, legal, and cultural context.

Lastly, the administrator is not only a leader and a manager for its school, students and staff.  In today’s highly politically driven educational world, he is also a legal advocate for the school community.  He must be very aware of the laws that govern education and schooling.  One of the best ways to achieve this awareness is to continually read and review the ever-changing laws that pertain to schools.   When the administrator does this, he will be able to ensure that the political, social, economical, legal, and cultural environment in which his school operates is influenced solely on the behalf of students, their families, and staff. 

 It is also his job to make sure that his staff is just as aware of these laws as he himself is.  It is crucial that he communicates the legal and political trends, issues, and potential changes in the environment in which the school operates.  The administrator and his staff will have to work together within the framework of policies, laws and regulations that are enacted by local, state, and federal authorities.  By acting accordingly to, and enforcing such public policies, the administrator and staff will be able to provide quality education for all students.

Due to the legal implications that come with this standard, it will be of great concern to the administrator to constantly assess himself and his staff on the enforcing and abiding to such legal, social and political values.  It will be important for the staff and administrator to accept the fact that there will be varying degrees of ideas, values and cultures brought to the school setting, and that they must uphold each within these legal, social and political constraints.  If they haven’t done this, accordingly, they will know quickly when the school receives a contact from a legal advisor representing a student and their family.

As I reflect on my own beliefs of educational personnel philosophy, one thing keeps returning to me.  In my interview I did with my principal, I asked him what the most difficult part of dealing with school personnel was in his opinion.  He answered by stating that he was unable to spend the time needed to supervise his staff.  He compared his situation to a business.  In a business setting, a supervisor is usually responsible for eight to ten employees.  At this ratio, of manager to worker, there is ample time to observe, evaluate, and work with employees to raise them to the next level.  In a school building, the administrator is the manager of, at the minimum, 30-40 employees.  There is just not adequate time to do the necessary observing, and coaching with this amount of staff. 

I believe this poses a conflict of what is seen as urgent vs. important.  By this, I think it is important to have ample time devoted to leading your staff.  However, there is always more urgent issues that confine the administrator to leaving the duty of supporting and leading his staff behind.  This is when having a strong staff under you becomes very important.  I think a good, seasoned staff, will realize the demands that an administrator faces on a daily basis, and will in turn, do their personal best each day and appreciate what time the principal can give to them as a group and as individuals. 

There will always be the few staff members who will not be able to comprehend why they are not given more support from their leader.  In these cases, it will be important for the principal to provide other sources of support for these teachers.  Grouping the less experienced or frustrated teachers with peers that have more experience would be one way to help in this situation.  Henry Ford once said, “All problems are personnel problems.”  I would have to agree with this.  In today’s educational arena, any problem the school faces will ultimately affect the personnel, and that may be the most complex problem for an administrator to solve.