Competency 1

Achieve key organizational objectives.

Educational leaders must have the ability to:

• Use theory to achieve objectives.
• Conceptualize, articulate, and write key organizational objectives.
• Manage change.
• Understand the dynamic interrelationship and interdependence of systems impacting the organization.
• Coordinate managerial and leadership focuses.

The challenges for today's educational leadership are becoming more complex and dynamic, having deeper roots in the larger social, political, economic, legal, and cultural context. Educational institutions are charged to inspire excellence in all learners and staff while striving to educate, challenge, and encourage all learners to become thinking, responsible, and contributing citizens in an ever-changing world.

As a result of federal and corresponding state legislative action, American educational leaders are faced with the renewed challenge to educate all learners who attend their educational institutions. The general public, state educational agencies, and federal and state politicians are demanding excellent schools at an appropriate cost, with greater accountability from the teachers at all levels and the individuals who lead these schools.

To meet these challenges, an effective leader must be aware of current research and utilize new leadership theories to achieve these noble educational objectives. They must be able to mobilize a diverse set of stakeholders to adapt a school's culture, climate, and practices so that every learner can maximize their potential and learn. Leaders who are not lifelong learners and who fail to keep abreast of new theories and research-based techniques will not be personally successful, and the institutions and staff they are responsible for will fail to meet the needs of their students. Effective leadership in a twenty-first century school demands that their leadership facilitate the conceptualization and development of key organizational objectives. They will need to collaborate with all stakeholders, to strategically and operationally plan how they will collectively achieve those objectives, while effectively managing the organization, operations, and resources to ensure a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment. 

Along with the emergent demand for excellent educational institutions and more accountability for those charged with teaching and leading comes a major shift in thinking about the role, responsibilities, and accountability of educational leadership. This thinking has been framed by a number of national organizations in the form of standards. Leadership standards are being used to build a framework from which school effectiveness can be measured and help ensure that those tasked with leading these schools have the requisite knowledge, dispositions, and skills required. Donaldson (2006) argues convincingly that "leadership is not about making all kids learn as much as it is about cultivating relationships among talented and will-intentioned educators and parents so that we all assure that every child learns" (pg 3).

According to Green (2009), school leadership has evolved into being the CEO of a complex organization. The educational leader must fulfill many disparate roles in the day-to-day operation of the institution. The leader must manage and lead the organization in each of the diverse domains of management:

• Personnel.
• Budget and finance.
• Communication systems.
• Public relations.
• Resource management.
• Curriculum and instruction.
• Staff development.
• Program and personnel evaluation.
• Safety and security.
• Physical plant management.

While the list seems neverending, the overriding goal of each leadership function is ultimately to sustain educational improvement. This really comes down to measurable outcomes-framed by leadership standards-that include academic and social outcomes. However, of all the outcomes associated with the school experience from the perspectives of all the stakeholders in the school and community, leaders are encouraged to consider instructional leadership one of their most important roles. To effectively achieve this outcome, the leader must:

• Understand curriculum and instruction issues.
• Conduct staff appraisals.
• Keep abreast of best practices.
• Foster a healthy culture.
• Develop partnerships with all constituencies.
• Engage in data-driven improvement.
• Understand technology integration and twenty-first-century work skills.

Many of those outcomes are discussed further in the following competencies for the Capella EdD in Educational Leadership and Management.

References

Green, R. L. (2008). Practicing the art of leadership: A problem based approach to implementing the ISLCC standards. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Prentice Hall.

Donaldson, G. A. (2006). Cultivating leadership in schools: Connecting people, purpose, and practice. (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.