21 Responsibilities of School Leader

I had interesting results of the Balanced Leadership profile compared to my self assessment. The balanced leadership profile provided more detailed results so it was easier to determine the strengths and areas of improvement. My self-assessment was all done in whole numbers so needed a little further thought to determine what areas were stronger or weaker than others to determine the seven strengths and areas of improvement. They are listed below.
I find it most interesting that three responsibilities considered strengths on the Balanced Leadership Profile, I considered weaknesses. They are:
-Protects teachers from issues and influences that would detract from their teaching time and focus;
-Monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning;
-Establishes a set of standard operating procedures and routines.

I do believe strongly in all of these responsibilities particularly in the need to keep instruction time sacred and not distract teachers from it and the need for operating procedures and routines. I also believe that we need to gather data and use it to make informed decisions. I believe that's why these areas showed up as strengths in my profile. However, I don't believe that I am good at doing any of these things(obviously, from my self assessment placing them as weaknesses).
I believe I have difficulty establishing routines and sticking to them and this causes or would cause a disruption in teaching time and focus. I also believe I work on projects or complete activities in certain ways without the follow up of carefully looking at assessment data and determining if the activity was a success in regards to student learning.

For the self assessment, I tried to think about what I do now as a technology teacher to help me determine the rating for each responsibility. For the Balanced Leadership Profile, I really did more projecting of myself as a principal to answer questions. Maybe this seems as if I was measuring two different skill sets, but I felt it was a good way of determining where I am in my practice versus where I want to be.

Reading about authentic leadership made me realize we all have the opportunity to put our beliefs systems to work every day. There are times when we fall into the routine of the atmosphere or culture of our school, and this may keep us from acting on our own beliefs.
It is true leaders are responsible for setting the the school culture and tone, however, each person contributes to it and in successful schools many potential sources of leadership exist(What we know about successful school leadership, page 3). By paying more attention to my actions in regards to my beliefs, I can practice authentic leadership and contribute in a more positive way to my school.

I was happy to see that my strengths covered 4 of the 5 most effective responsibilities according to Marzano's correlation to student academic achievement. However, the most effective, situational awareness, is actually an area of weakness according to both my self-assessment and the leadership profile. I have always tried to keep myself removed from the undercurrents at school as I think it's a big energy drain. However, knowing the value of this information, I can try to be more in the loop, without succumbing to the negative aspects of it.
Overall, I found the process of self assessment and the leadership inventory helpful and enlightening. Reflection and self-evaluation are useful tools. This is an activity I will recommend to our administrative staff.
Strengths: On both bold/italic; Self-assessment in italic; Balanced Leadership inventory in bold
1. Has quality contact and interaction with teachers and students(.20)
2. Is willing to and actively challenges the status quo(.25)
2. Establishes a set of standard operating procedures and routines(.25)
3. Is an advocate and spokesperson for the school to all stakeholders(.27)
4. Is directly involved in the design and implementation of curriculum, instruction and assessment processes(.20)
5. Provides teachers with materials and professional development necessary for the successful execution of their jobs(.25)
5. Monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning(.27)
6. Communicates and operates from strong ideals and beliefs about schooling(.22)
7. Protects teachers from issues and influences that would detract from their teaching time and focus(.27)
7. Establishes strong lines of communication with teachers and among students.(.23)

Areas needing improvement:
On both bold/italic; Self-assessment in italic; Balanced Leadership inventory in bold
1. Demonstrates an awareness of the personal aspects of teachers and staff(.18)
2. Involves teachers in teh design and implementation of important decisions and policies(.25)
2.Establishes a set of standard operating procedures and routines(.25)
3. Ensures that faculty and staff are aware of the most current theories and practices, and makes the discussion of these a regular aspet of the school's culture(.24)
4. Establishes clear goals and keeps those goals in the forefront of the school's attention(.24)
4. Monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on studetn learning(.27)
5. Is knowledgeable about current curriculum, instruction and assessment processes(.25)
5. Protects teachers from issues and influences that would detract from their teaching time and focus
6. Recognizes and celebrates school accomplishments and acknowledges failures(.19)
7. Is aware of the details and undercurrents in the running of the school and uses this information to address current and potential problems(.33)