Leadership magazine Nov/Dec 2015 V45 No 2 | Page 11

the information, training and parameters
they needed to make good decisions. At the
same time, he did not want to disempower
himself as he continued to provide a framework. This is and was an evidence-based
practice (Thompson, 2013). He solicited
input from everyone on the staff and always
encouraged spirited debates as the school
charted its course toward improvement. He
was hard on issues, and “soft” on people. This
process took steps to ensure that differing
points of view were presented and considered as the faculty grappled to reach consensus. He established credibility by modeling
behavior that was congruent with the vision
and values of a school. Peter Drucker said,
“The only definition of a leader is someone
who has followers.” I say, however, “Without
credibility and trust, there are no followers.”
The premise to this work has been consistent with Peter Senge’s notion that, “Work
must become more ‘learningful.’ It is no
longer sufficient to have one person learning for the organization. It is just not possible
any longer to ‘figure it out’ from the top, and
have everyone else following the orders... The
organizations that will truly excel... will be
(those) that discover how to tap people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all levels in
an organization” (Senge, 1990). It is important to note that the staff gained experience
in developing educational programs and systems, while working with limited resources.
Again, they utilized a process to enhance the
teaching staff ’s learning through the development of a sound systems approach. At one
of the collaboration meetings, the question
arose: How do we get both parents and the
community involved in our efforts and why?
This question was critical because the
quality of the community, both economic
and social, is inextricably tied to the quality of education provided to its students.
Research has shown that one characteristic
of effective schools is high parental involvement (Marzano, Waters, McNulty). This
research was supported by James Comer,
as part of his New Haven Project, which
showed improved student learning with increased parent involvement, consistent with
research by Joyce Epstein, a longtime authority figure on parental involvement.
The principal knew and understood that

If standards are to improve
student achievement, teachers
must be equipped with the
knowledge, skills and strategies
required for instruction.

education equity was an essential part of
school improvement (Heifetz and Linskey,
2002). The bottom line was that in just a 10month period, the fifth grade standardized
reading scores went from the 30th percentile to the 70th. This caught the attention of
educators throughout the San Francisco Bay
Area. Over the years, students’ scores were
not only maintained, but they continually
increased. This once poor performing school
became a top performing school, earning the
California Distinguished title, in part because academic equity was a major focus. n

References

schools must work to empower parents and
to involve the community at large in the educational process. This means schools must
use multiple communication strategies to
inform and involve families in school programs and student progress. Michael Fullan
stated, “The research is abundantly clear:
nothing motivates a child more than when
learning is valued by schools and families/
community working together in partnership… These forms of involvement do not
happen by accident or even by invitation.
They happen by explicit strategic intervention” (Fullan, 2001). Patrick Dolan stated,
“To educate children without a deep partnership of teacher and parent is hopeless.”
The principal realized that in order to be
a successful leader, he must seek out and
utilize input from the community and staff
to establish a shared vision for educational
improvement and generate community,
staff and student support for the vision. He
needed to be knowledgeable about educational trends most beneficial to students. He
realized that actively participating in community and educational affairs that promote
the welfare of students and partnerships
between schools, parents and the business
community were important and essential
to success. Under his direction, a school improvement plan was developed and adopted
by the Board of Education, utili