My resume states that my objective is: Effective leadership in charter schools
through collaboration and shared vision.
I believe this can be accomplished through an alignment of three areas
of interest: teacher development,
leadership development, and effective policies and practices. I believe that charter schools are
entrepreneurial in nature and that they can benefit from culling the best ideas
from both the education world and the small business world. I believe that charter schools are most
effective when they are based on an educationally sound mission statement with
a clear vision that is shared by all in the community. With that mission and vision as the
foundation, the school can focus its attention of developing teachers, leaders
and policies to further the goals of the school.
I would like to consider the question of career paths to leadership, with effective policies to support this process. Based on an informal survey of the teachers in my school, most teachers have no plans for their career beyond the classroom. They have achieved the goal of having their own classroom and tend to focus their attention within the walls of that room. They may have tunnel vision, seeing problems and opportunities from the perspective of the classroom but not the wider picture of the school or community. Teachers at charter schools are not generally connected to teacher unions and may not have experience in district schools. Typically, no one is asking them what they would like to do next, what training and education they wish to pursue, or what skills they wish to develop. Many are willing to take on leadership roles when asked, but they may not seek these opportunities on their own. An article in a recent Educational Leadership edition states that most teachers are interested in shared leadership but they have no wish to become principals. The article states that 51% have a formal leadership role at their school (i.e. department chair or mentor) and 51% are interested in teaching part-time and combining teaching with another responsibility in their school, but only 16% are interested in becoming a principal (Educational Leadership, October 2013, p. 8).
Teachers choose to work in charter schools because they want to be part of something they believe in. They may love the curriculum, the small class size, the mission statement, or the sense of community. They shrug off the sacrifices, including lower salary, longer hours, and higher workloads. They establish strong partnerships with peers and dedicate themselves to the success of each student. And yet, we allow them to burn out, leave the school or the profession, and lose the passion that brought them to the school. At Good Foundations Academy, we have only 53% of the teachers we hired when we opened the school four years ago.
I hope to have the opportunity to investigate current practices among charter schools which have developed career paths and leadership opportunities for teachers, research comparable leadership development in the small business world, and consider what policies and practices will lead to an effective, flexible, and meaningful process for developing teacher leaders in charter schools.
I would like to consider the question of career paths to leadership, with effective policies to support this process. Based on an informal survey of the teachers in my school, most teachers have no plans for their career beyond the classroom. They have achieved the goal of having their own classroom and tend to focus their attention within the walls of that room. They may have tunnel vision, seeing problems and opportunities from the perspective of the classroom but not the wider picture of the school or community. Teachers at charter schools are not generally connected to teacher unions and may not have experience in district schools. Typically, no one is asking them what they would like to do next, what training and education they wish to pursue, or what skills they wish to develop. Many are willing to take on leadership roles when asked, but they may not seek these opportunities on their own. An article in a recent Educational Leadership edition states that most teachers are interested in shared leadership but they have no wish to become principals. The article states that 51% have a formal leadership role at their school (i.e. department chair or mentor) and 51% are interested in teaching part-time and combining teaching with another responsibility in their school, but only 16% are interested in becoming a principal (Educational Leadership, October 2013, p. 8).
Teachers choose to work in charter schools because they want to be part of something they believe in. They may love the curriculum, the small class size, the mission statement, or the sense of community. They shrug off the sacrifices, including lower salary, longer hours, and higher workloads. They establish strong partnerships with peers and dedicate themselves to the success of each student. And yet, we allow them to burn out, leave the school or the profession, and lose the passion that brought them to the school. At Good Foundations Academy, we have only 53% of the teachers we hired when we opened the school four years ago.
I hope to have the opportunity to investigate current practices among charter schools which have developed career paths and leadership opportunities for teachers, research comparable leadership development in the small business world, and consider what policies and practices will lead to an effective, flexible, and meaningful process for developing teacher leaders in charter schools.
