Educational

(Instructional)
Leaderships: The
Culture Builder
Reporters:
1. Kamarudin Walis Kamid
2. Eden Floriano
3. Bernadette Francia
Objective

Broaden the perspective and

appreciation of the relationship
of theory to practice and
dynamics of leadership in an
increasingly complex culture.
What is Educational Leadership?

Educational leadership is a collaborate

process that unites the talents and forces of
teachers, students and parents. The goal of
educational leadership is to improve the
quality of education and the education
system itself. Read below to learn why
educational leadership becomes more
important every day.
What is the Purpose of Educational
Leadership?
The primary purpose of educational leadership is
to ensure academic success through process,
material and training improvements. This is
mainly accomplished through collaboration with
different individuals, such as educators, parents,
students, public policy makers and the public.
From a business perspective, educational
leadership is a form of academic management
and quality control.
What are the Key Qualities of Educational Leadership?

Educational leadership is centered That is, a healthy school environment

on certain key principles. First, is key to providing comfortable, orderly
and structured classrooms. Third,
educational leadership creates a educational leadership delegates
vision of academic success for all responsibility to others. This means
students. This is important because that teachers, parents and even
there has always been a historical students are empowered to take
gap between students on different responsibility and accept
accountability. Fourth, instructional
socio-economical levels and high methods and curriculum content must
and low achieving students. Second, be continually improved. Fifth, the field
educational leadership strives to of education must borrow and adapt
maintain a safe and receptive modern management tools, processes
learning environment. and techniques.
How Do Teachers Contribute to
Educational Leadership?
According to the Association Specifically, teachers are
for Supervision and resource providers that help
Curriculum Development students and other teachers find
online and community resources.
(ASCD), teachers are the
They provide valuable classroom
foundation of educational management and teaching
leadership. They not only strategies to other teachers. They
manage students, but also act also provide educational leaders
as leaders among their with constructive feedback for
colleagues. curriculum improvements.
How To Become an Educational Leader?
Every academic level Anyone interested in A master’s degree in
has educational becoming an educational leadership is
leadership career educational leader available as a Master of
opportunities. For should have on-hands Arts, Master of Science
example, this includes teaching experience and and Master of Education.
private kindergarten a bachelor’s degree. Coursework will include
directors, public school classes that cover law,
principals and university finance, professional
deans. development and
strategic planning.
What makes an effective leader
in education? No matter what your
management style, there
The words to define a leader aren’t are many universal
far off from the same words that qualities that are crucial
might describe an excellent to successful school
educator. Many of the same traits leadership. When asking
that are valued in a teacher are
invaluable in a leader trying to
how to be an effective
create a better school or leader, try to embody the
community environment. As following traits.
teachers are at the heart of the
classroom inspiring student  Visionary
success, educational leaders are at 
the center of a community driving
Passion
 Respect
student, teacher, school and even
district-wide success. There are  Honesty
many types of leadership, ranging  Integrity
from autocratic to participative, that  Courageous
often have both advantages and  Dedication
disadvantages.  Compassion
 Communicator
 Influence
 The Culture Builder

Changing a toxic school culture into a healthy school

culture that inspires lifelong learning among students and
adults is the greatest challenge of instructional
leadership.
Probably the most important—and the most
difficult—job of an instructional leader is to change
the prevailing culture of a school. The school's
culture dictates, in no uncertain terms, “the way
we do things around here.” A school's culture has
far more influence on life and learning in the
schoolhouse than the president of the country, the
state department of education, the superintendent,
the school board, or even the principal, teachers,
and parents can ever have. One cannot, of course,
change a school culture alone. But one can provide
forms of leadership that invite others to join as
observers of the old and architects of the new.
The culture of a school is apparent to the
newcomer. In one school, a beginning teacher
stands up in a faculty meeting to express her
views to the others on, say, pupil evaluation. Her
contribution is received with mockery, cold
stares, and put-downs. “Who does she think she
is?” As the new teacher quickly learns, the
culture at her school dictates that newcomers
must not speak until they have experienced, for
at least two or three years, the toil and tedium of
the old-timers. “That's the way we do things
around here.” And she learns that cruel and
unusual punishments await those who violate
the cultural taboos of the school.
 A school's culture is a complex pattern of norms,
attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, values, ceremonies,
traditions, and myths that are deeply ingrained in the
very core of the organization. It is the historically
transmitted pattern of meaning that wields astonishing
power in shaping what people think and how they act.
Every school has a culture. Some are hospitable, others
toxic. A school's culture can work for or against
improvement and reform. Some schools are populated
by teachers and administrators who are reformers,
others by educators who are gifted and talented at
subverting reform. And many school cultures are
indifferent to reform.
 Changing the Culture
To change the culture requires that more To change a school's culture requires
desirable qualities replace the existing mustering the courage and skill to not
unhealthy elements. Clear personal and remain victimized by the toxic of the
collective visions are crucial for this elements school's culture and to
enterprise. Educators Sapphire and King
address them instead. Culture building
identified a dozen healthy cultural
norms: collegiality, experimentation,
requires the will to transform the
high expectations, trust and confidence, elements of school culture into forces
tangible support, reaching out to the that support rather than subvert the
knowledge bases, appreciation and school's purposes. Of course, these
recognition, caring celebration and acts violate the taboos of many school
humor, involvement in decision making, cultures, which is why culture
protection of what's important, changing is the most important,
traditions, and honest and open difficult, and perilous job of school-
communication. based reformers.
Characteristics of a Toxic Culture
1.Focused on negative values

2.Fragmented meaning is derived from subculture

membership, anti student sentiments, or life outside work.

3.Almost exclusively destructive

4.Spiritually fractured
Negative Roles
•Saboteurs
•Pessimistic storytellers
•Keepers of the nightmare
•Negaholism
•Prima donnas
•Space cadets
•Martyrs •deadwood
Outcomes of Strong School Cultures
Changing School Culture:
Seven steps in responding to toxic cultures

1.Confront the negativity head on; give people a chance to vent their venom in a
public forum.
2.Shield and support positive cultural elements and staff
3.Focus energy on the recruitment, selection, and retention of effective, positive
staff.
4.Rabidly celebrate the positive and the possible
5.Consciously and directly focus on eradicating the negative and rebuilding around
positive norms and beliefs.
6.Develop new stories of success, renewal, and accomplishment
7.Help those who might succeed and thrive in a new district make the move to a
new school.
Four Ways to Shape the Culture
They infuse shared values They observe rituals as a
and beliefs into every means of building and
aspect of the culture maintaining esprit de corps

They anoint heroes and They perpetuate meaningful,

heroines, anointing and value-laden traditions and
recognizing the best role ceremonies
models in the school
Three Examples of Ways Teacher Leaders can Work
with Principles in Reinforcing Positive Aspects of
Culture:

Celebrate successes in staff

meetings and ceremonies
Use clear, shared language
created during professional
development to foster
Tell stories of accomplishment
commitment to staff and student
and collaboration whenever
learning
they have the opportunity
Thank you