Competency 5

Advance ideas through influence and negotiation within political systems.

Educational leaders must have the ability to:

• "Understand the political landscape.
• Recognize special interest group influences.
• Expect conflict.
• Become an effective participant.
• Clearly communicate organizational objectives.
• Form coalitions with power players.
• Befriend those who may resist change.
• Clearly understand and empathize with varying points of view.
• Be honest about divergent positions.
• Include all stakeholders in the decision making process.
• Collaborate with all stakeholders.
• Build partnerships for overcoming future challenges." (Farmer, 2008)

Educational leaders must understand the political systems in which they work in order to advance ideas.

This competency is consistent with the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standard that educational leaders must "have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context" (ELCC, 2002). Understanding the politics of education and how one influences the political community through negotiation are requisite skills for effective leadership.

Effective leaders develop power to understand the leverage system and leverage points as well as the impact of leadership behavior within political systems. They have the ability to advance ideas through persuasion and negotiation.

Effective leaders understand the stakeholders they are trying to influence (the recipient of influence) and how to unfreeze their minds.

Effective leaders understand the connections between political systems, organizational theory and behavior, and the power of collaboration with and the interdependence of internal and external publics.

Rose (2004) notes that "education has become more politicized as we have moved from a society in which higher levels of education were considered the province of the few to one in which a high-quality education is viewed as both a universal right and a necessity for individual welfare" (p. 123). All stakeholders-parents, students, business, community, and political leaders, and educators-have vested interests in the educational system. Effective leaders understand that their world extends well beyond of the walls of the school.

Brimley and Garfield (2005) found that the constantly increasing financial burden on local school districts and universities, coupled with the simultaneous increase in state controls and standards, has resulted in a challenge to the traditional notion of local control. The increase in standardization at both the state and national level has caused many citizens to feel decreased influence (Farmer, 2008). Hence, educational leaders at all levels face the added challenge of dealing with the tug of war between local interests and the larger political arena and between the state and federal government mandates. The political players in the educational field come from every level of government and from virtually every constituency of the population. Educational leaders must understand how to negotiate the politics of education in order to successfully lead their schools or school districts.

References:

Brimley, V., Jr., & Garfield, R. R. (2005). Financing education in a climate of change (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Farmer, T. A. (2008). Politics of local education. Retrieved January 7, 2009, from Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m14432/latest/

National Policy Board for Educational Administration, (2002). Standards for advanced programs in educational leadership: For principals, superintendents, curriculum developers, and supervisors. Retrieved January 7, 2009, from National Policy Board for Educational Administration Web site: http://www.npbea.org/ELCC/ELCCStandards%20_5-02.pdf

Rose, L. C. (2004). The politicization of K-12 education. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(2), 122-127.