Almost every school is consistently looking for ways to improve its system and provide students with the best possible education. That’s the main reason why they need good education leadership. Surprisingly enough, many people can’t define what it actually is. So let’s dig deeper and find it out!
What is educational leadership?
Education leadership can be defined as a complex process that utilizes the forces and knowledge of teachers and parents in order to improve the education system. However, it also requires help and collaboration of students, policymakers, and even the general public. In other words, educational leadership is a method of quality control, which main purpose is to ensure academic success through training and material improvements. Its process involves the following:
- Creating a vision of academic success for all students no matter what their socio-economic level is;
- Maintaining a safe and responsive learning environment;
- Giving enough responsibility to everyone involved;
- Improving curriculum content;
- Developing instructional methods.
Leadership styles defined by assignment makers
As with any type of leadership, there are different styles of educational leadership described in the literature. Professionals can influence student learning and achievements in various ways. To get an in-depth understanding of how different educators lead, you can ask an assignment maker from a special writing service to gather some data for you, or just keep reading the article. There are five main types of leadership: instructional, transformational, constructivist, servant, and strategic. Let’s consider each of them in more detail.
Instructional leadership enhances student learning outcomes by improving the quality of teaching through teachers’ professional development. Instructional leaders work directly with teachers to help them advance their skills through mentoring and coaching.
Transformational leadership is aimed at empowering school teams to participate in decision-making processes and collective goal-setting. Experts working in this approach try to create a shared sense of purpose which sets the foundations for growth.
Constructivist leadership is all about facilitating the learning process instead of directing it. According to this approach, students should control their own learning, not teachers. However, it also emphasizes customized teaching that takes into consideration individual needs of students.
Servant leadership helps teachers and students to develop their skills and boost their performance. A servant leader must maintain high expectations and keep a focus on both results and relationships. His/her main responsibility is to motivate the school community to fulfill their long-standing vision.
Strategic leadership is based on a long-term planning made after the assessment of current school performance. This approach is used to set the general direction of the school, create frameworks, set up certain interventions, allocate resources, and maintain reforms.
Now that you know more about educational leadership, it’s time to learn how to brand yourself as a leader.
Some tips for self-branding
1. Find your voice
It’s almost impossible to become an influential leader if you can’t give speeches or effectively communicate with people one-to-one. To learn that, you should first listen to others a lot and after that determine how to engage with them. Remember that you can give thoughtful recommendations only if you open yourself to incoming messages. This will also help you to express yourself with confidence and clarity. Additionally, try to talk about topics you are experienced in and truly passionate about.
2. Take training
Some surveys show that nearly 90% of people believe in the power of annual skill set building. However, only about a third of them receive some organizational support to make it happen. Therefore, if you want to stand out from the crowd, take training into your own hands. Develop yourself as a leader, enhance your skills, build strengths and overcome weaknesses.
3. Network as much as possible
It doesn’t make sense to wait until you graduate from a leadership program to join professional organizations. You should get involved there as early as possible to start networking. Become a member of some committees or attend special events to make invaluable contacts, exchange ideas, learn about trends in education, or even meet a potential employer in a non-interview context.
4. Create a strong resume
To be perceived as a great leader and get an invitation to an interview, you need to create a top-notch resume. Try to make it accomplishment-focused rather than task-focused. For sure, this will increase your chances to get a job. It’s important to describe the activities that indicate your leadership assets and customize your resume for each job application instead of making it generic.
5. Request feedback
Once you’ve made the first steps to develop your leadership brand, you should ask people around how they see you. Explain to them that you need to hear the whole truth to improve yourself. Even though an outside perspective may be tough, you must know what you’re missing to fix the situation.