what is educational leadership essay

Educational Leadership: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

When it comes to the success of students and positive outcomes for whole families and communities, educational leadership can play a critical role. 

Communities and whole societies are changing at a rapid pace, creating a tremendous need for practical-minded leaders who can innovate new ways of learning and meet the needs of diverse communities. Whether in traditional school settings, nonprofit organizations, or large corporations, thoughtful and skillful educational professionals in leadership roles can make all the difference. 

Take Danielle Keane, a principal in the South Bronx, who dedicated herself to making the school “a place that people wanted to be” when the 2021 school year began. Throughout the summer, she hosted small in-person middle school graduations and facilitated “homecoming” sessions twice a week where families could come back to the school building and hear about safety measures, scheduled comedy nights and literacy classes. She hosted a movie night in the park and a back-to-school carnival. And when school started, she welcomed back 90% of the school’s students to in-person learning, well over the city’s average.

Educational leaders like Keane can transform whole communities through their meaningful work. 

If you’re looking to take on an educational leadership role, you must first envision what is involved. There are many key qualities and skills a leader must incorporate into the many situations of the workplace. Depending on your skillset, you will be eligible for different career paths, salary levels, and opportunities . 

No matter which academic or career path you choose, there are few callings more rewarding than that of a leader in education. In this blog, you can learn:

• What is Educational Leadership?
• Why Educational Leadership is Important
• Educational Leadership Qualities
• Educational Leadership Skills
• The Top Considerations of an Educational Leader
• Equity and Educational Leadership
• Educational Leadership Jobs
• Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs: PhD vs. Ed.D.

What is educational leadership?

Educational leadership is built on the premise of constructing and applying knowledge in ways that make a positive difference. Through collaboration and communication, professionals in educational leadership work with diverse communities and build partnerships to promote positive outcomes by setting and meeting transformative goals. 

While many educational leadership professionals have advanced degrees and can work in academic settings, they are practitioners who work in applied positions. By connecting theory to real-world projects and contexts, educational leaders take a comprehensive, evidence-based, relational approach to problem-solving.

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Why educational leadership is important

The impact of educational leadership is felt throughout schools, nonprofits, and private sector organizations.

School Principals

A recent study by The Wallace Foundation reported that effective school leaders make both a stronger and broader positive impact on the schools they lead than research had previously shown. The study:

• Estimates that replacing a school principal in the 25th percentile of effectiveness with one in the 75th percentile of effectiveness would result in approximately three months of additional math and reading learning gains each year for students in that school
• Suggests that the impact of an effective principal on student learning is nearly as great as the impact of an effective teacher
• Finds that the way school principals approach educational leadership has a direct relationship with school outcomes and test scores

Higher Education Administrators

Leaders of educational institutions stand to influence everything from curricular decisions to public perception of their campus. Studies have found that the approach higher educational leaders take in making various decisions can have a powerful ripple effect throughout their faculty members, students, and even the broader community. For example:

• Higher education leaders’ positive attitudes toward diversity and inclusion efforts cultivate greater awareness of bias among employees who are less likely to experience the negative impacts of bias, thereby increasing the likelihood of those employees endorsing inclusion efforts.
• Leadership was found to be the most crucial enabler of agility in higher education institutions. 
• Higher education institutions whose leaders have implemented disability-related supports see significantly higher rates of student persistence among students with disabilities.

Nonprofit Leaders

Studies show that nonprofit organizations with poor leadership negatively affect the staff working with them, the clientele they serve, and even the public at-large. Poor leadership in the nonprofit sector erodes public trust . 

Conversely, nonprofit executives who receive relevant training in the knowledge and skills they need in order to effectively lead an organization experience positive personal outcomes (such as their mindsets) and improve their organization’s practices. Likewise, nonprofit leaders who guide their organizations in accountability, communication, and advocacy can help bring about more positive public perceptions of nonprofit organizations. 

Human Resources Directors

HR professionals with a post-grad education degree are especially skilled at strategic collaboration with diverse audiences and stakeholders and promoting change across diverse organizational settings. Those abilities can promote meaningful change in human resources roles. 

Effective human resources directors can make a noticeable difference in company culture, employee morale, and even the bottom line. Check out just a few statistics from McKinsey on the benefit of good human resources professionals:

• Organizations with human resources departments that facilitate a positive employee experience are 1.3 times more likely to report that they outperformed their organizational goals.
• Companies with cultures that rank in the top-quartile of the McKinsey Organization Health Index post a return to shareholders that is 60 percent higher than median companies and a staggering 200 percent higher than companies that rank in the bottom quartile.

Educational leadership qualities

While anyone can strive to become a successful educational leader, there are some common qualities that are found in professionals who tend to gravitate toward educational leadership: compassion, vision, and perseverance. 

The role of an educational leader is, at its core, a role that seeks to meet the needs of others. Rachael George, an elementary school principal, spoke to the role of compassion in educational leadership in “ Leading with Compassion ,” a blog post for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in which she discusses the impact of two colleagues in leadership roles:

“Creating bonds and intentionally fostering relationships with your community is the foundation for academic achievement. As three educational leaders, we strive to show genuine love for those in our community. That deep care is likely one of the reasons why our students have been successful, with each of our schools blasting through average scores on state assessments.”

Leadership roles involve goals and metrics, but they’re also about culture, creating a sense of belonging, and empowering people through connection. People who naturally come by compassion and seek to cultivate it in their lives have one of the key qualities of educational leaders—and, as George’s example shows, an emphasis on compassionate care for others often leads to positive outcomes and impressive metrics, as well.

Successful educational leaders tend to be people who can evaluate past challenges and policies where they work and develop a better way forward . Not only that—they can see, or collaborate in seeing, what it will take to get to that future place. Their ability to imagine and creatively plan, for example, can directly correlate to student success .

Take a look at a few examples of visionary leadership in an academic setting, nonprofit organization, and the private sector:

• A 2020 study found a positive relationship between visionary leadership in school principals and teacher performance. 
• Nonprofit leaders report that visionary leadership improves raising of funds as well as recruitment of volunteers.
• Visionary leadership is identified as one of five leadership styles that are components of an optimistic leadership style that can determine successful, future-driven leadership .

Perseverance

Educational leaders are faced with many challenges. They are often called upon when social and cultural issues arise , when injustice dominates current events, and when individuals and communities are suffering. Attempting to develop long-term fixes for systemic problems while responding to immediate, pressing needs can be a tightrope to walk.

That’s why perseverance matters so much for educational leaders. For example, DonorBox ranks “resilience and stamina” as the number one quality of a successful nonprofit founder :

Hardship is a daily reality for most nonprofit leaders. The Greater Good Science Center defines resilience skills as being able to minimize the impact of stress, which in turn helps us avoid burnout. Nonprofit founders need to be flexible, willing to adapt, and able to move forward despite setbacks— demonstrating persistence.

Educational leadership skills

Professionals who are trained in educational leadership are equipped with many of the top skills that employers are looking for in the modern workplace. Some of the most important educational leadership skills, which correlate with some of the most-wanted skills among recruiters, schools, and companies, are analytical thinking, collaboration, and leadership. 

Analytical Thinking

The World Economic Forum named “analytical thinking and innovation” as the number one skill for 2025 in “The Future of Jobs Report 2020 .” As more and more data becomes available in every sector, from education to the corporate world, leaders with strong analytical thinking skills are more necessary than ever when it comes to asking the right questions of the data set before them. 

Consider just a few examples of how analytical thinking has made a positive difference in organizations led by educational leaders :

• School administrators are applying analytical thinking to student data to improve their return on investment for technology purchases and to highlight best practices that lead to better student outcomes. For example, a charter school administrator analyzed data and discovered that one biology teacher specifically outperformed the other biology teachers in the school. So the leader designated that teacher as the biology mentor for all charter schools in their system. 
• Human resources directors are cutting through their cognitive biases and experiencing new insights in existing company cultures as they apply analytical thinking in minimizing bias and increasing fairness.
• Community college administrators find that good data analysis helps them to make more informed decisions and present compelling evidence to key stakeholders.

Collaboration 

Educational leaders often spend a great deal of time speaking to others—whether those they are serving, those who work within their organizations, or community partners. By collaborating with diverse audiences and stakeholders about organizational research, practices, and theories, educational leaders can make collaborative strategic plans that lead to positive outcomes. 

Here are some examples of how educational leaders have fostered collaboration to create positive effects:

• Ten liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania partner to facilitate faculty development, study abroad programs, and compliance and risk management.
• Community organizations in rural north central Wisconsin collaborated to serve over 1000 immigrant families and provide them with information about the COVID-19 pandemic in their preferred language.
• A school district, a pair of agencies serving homeless youth, and a group of local philanthropists in Texas repurposed an abandoned school into a shelter that serves approximately 4,000 unhoused students.

The top considerations of an educational leader

Professionals in educational leadership roles will perform a multitude of tasks based on their specific positions, which is to say that a superintendent’s day may look quite different from a human resource director’s day. But, if we peel back the layers just a bit, we’ll see that many of their decisions and approaches are likely shaped in similar ways and based in similar issues faced by educational leaders, including:

• How to answer questions of equity, ethics, and social justice 
• What it looks like to bring about solutions to complex problems
• The way to make a positive difference in a community or culture
• How to make and measure a positive impact in a given setting, person, or group

Equity and educational leadership

One of the highest callings of educational leaders is fostering diversity, inclusion, and equity among the people they lead. As a practitioner, the role of the educational leadership professional is not one of theory or distance from real communities. As people who work with people, educational leadership professionals are embedded every day in real-world circumstances that deal with questions of social justice, ethics, and equity.

Educational leaders may pursue greater equity for the people they serve through community partnerships, advocacy, or educational opportunities.

Educational leadership jobs

Careers in educational leadership range from small schools to huge corporations. Educational leadership often refers to administrative positions in schools, school districts, and universities. Many educational leadership professionals work as principals or assistant principals, instructional coordinators, and academic deans. These individuals help to meet the needs of students, families, and teachers so that each person has the opportunity to reach their goals and experience positive outcomes. 

But, as we’ve discussed, school settings are not the only place where educational leadership is important. Educational leadership is also put into practice in the corporate setting, such as in the case of human resources directors, chief learning officers, and trainers. In the nonprofit sector, educational leadership professionals work as program directors, executive directors, and community organizers. Educational leadership professionals who are interested in policy may work as education policy analysts for school systems, in think tanks, or for lobbying organizations.

Educational leadership doctoral programs: PhD vs. EdD

For those who are interested in educational leadership programs, there are several options. Some people will go with a masters degree, others a PhD, and others an EdD. While professionals with master’s degrees can have successful careers in educational leadership, those with doctorates will experience more open doors and greater potential for the careers they want. 

So then, what are the differences between a doctorate of education and PhD in education ? Before we get there, let’s note the similarities. Both degrees

• Are terminal degrees (the highest a student can go on that academic path)
• Focus on enhancing professional knowledge in various environments
• Make candidates more marketable and increase their salary potential
• Benefit graduates’ employers
• Prepare candidates for roles in administration, supervision, training, development, curriculum, instruction, and teaching 

From that common ground, some differences emerge. Let’s take a look at what they are. 

A PhD usually pursues a teaching career in academia and does first-hand research to help inform best practices. This allows candidates primary exploration of their field.

A PhD is likely to take on the role of an academic in higher education. PhD candidates are likely to publish original research in academic journals and present research papers at conferences.

An EdD program is designed to develop scholarly practitioners for applied positions in real-world settings. The research is oriented around making a local impact and developing a better understanding of a local context. An EdD will feature a substantial core curriculum in leading an organization, ethical leadership and social justice, and implementing organization change. 

Because of its emphasis on real-world application, the EdD leads to more opportunities for its graduates. While PhD graduates will largely work in research and theory, which may limit the workplace opportunities for them, EdD graduates can apply their leadership knowledge in nearly any setting . It’s difficult to think of any workplace that wouldn’t benefit from visionary leadership, an emphasis on meaningful change and transformative partnerships. With an EdD, leaders can bring about impactful change in schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses that support whole communities.

Become an effective educational leader with an EdD from Marymount University Online

Are you ready to foster strategic collaboration, empower meaningful change, and innovate in ways that make a direct, positive impact in schools, communities, or organizations? If so, an EdD from Marymount University Online may be an ideal fit for you.

The degree program is designed for working professionals who want to bring elevated skills to their current organizations or find new opportunities for leadership. With no GRE requirement and a path to completion that’s less than three years long, active professionals can prepare for educational leadership while maintaining their current personal and professional responsibilities. 

Imagine your future in education administration, corporate leadership, nonprofit management, or policy analysis. You can take a step toward that future today. Prepare to use transformative leadership to promote change across diverse instructional and organizational settings. With our rigorous, practitioner-focused degree, you’ll be ready to effect change that matters.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Theories of Educational Leadership

Introduction, general overview of educational leadership styles and related theories.

• Textbooks and Handbooks
• Journals and Professional Organizations
• Historical and Philosophical Foundations
• Conceptual Approaches and Frameworks Exemplars
• Large Data Sets and Empirical Evidence
• Complementary, Diverse, and Alternative Perspectives
• Critical, Global, and International Applications

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• Administrator Preparation
• Assessing School Leader Effectiveness
• Continuous Improvement and "High Leverage" Educational Problems
• Culturally Responsive Leadership
• Distributed Leadership
• Education Governance
• Leadership in Early Childhood Education

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Forthcoming articles expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section.

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Theories of Educational Leadership by Lorri Michelle Johnson Santamaría LAST REVIEWED: 23 August 2018 LAST MODIFIED: 30 August 2016 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0153

Prior to understanding theories of educational leadership, it is important to begin with a comprehensive definition of educational leadership. In this article, educational leadership is the professional practice of a leader (or leaders) in an administrative role(s) working with, guiding, and influencing educators in a particular context toward improving learning and other educational processes in early childhood education centers and in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions. These people are most often individuals or small teams employed as school site leaders, principals, and assistant or associate administrators. In early childhood, higher education, or other educational settings these individuals may serve as center director, head of school, department chair, academic dean, provost, or president. Theories of educational leadership have origins in the United States, where frameworks have been drawn largely from industry and commerce management principles. Leadership theories and practices drawn from business-oriented frames of reference have been adopted and adapted for use in educational settings in the United States and similarly developed nations. Therefore, theories of educational leadership have been derived from a diversity of interdisciplinary conceptualizations and models over time. As a result, theories of leadership can be considered emergent, dynamic, and subject to further evolution. In fact, every theory of educational leadership is subject to investigation by researchers in educational centers, schools, and university settings who seek to better understand the dynamics of leadership in a variety of educational contexts. Beyond seminal notions and ideations of educational leadership, developing and sometimes groundbreaking theories contribute to the existing canonical literature in the field. Nonetheless, most theories of educational leadership comprise key elements, which often include capabilities, approaches, and practices. A closer look at these elements further reveals theoretical types of educational leadership (e.g., styles, traits, behaviors), characteristics of educational leadership (e.g., management versus leadership, power, coercion, conceptual frameworks), or the activities or practices educational leaders engage in as expressions of their leadership in action (e.g., approaches, ways of leading). Each element is dependent on the educational context within which it occurs and warrants the consideration of multiple and international perspectives for relevance in diverse and global societies in the 21st century. Therefore, this article includes a representative sampling of influential textbooks, handbooks, journals, and relevant literature as exemplars of sources to explain, illuminate, introduce, interrogate, and evaluate a variety of educational leadership theories. Additionally, this article provides historical and philosophical foundations, general overviews, conceptual frameworks, supporting literature on large data sets, and multiple complementary international perspectives of the theories considered. Pertinent examples are provided from each area for further exploration, consideration, and study by readers.

While literature on educational leadership styles and related leadership theories has been contested by scholars in works such as Spillane, et al. 2004 , representative research discusses leadership styles as relevant to the field. Contributions on educational leadership styles provide reference points from which to begin a deeper consideration of theories of educational leadership. Familiarity with these works (e.g., servant, authentic, instructional/ pedagogical, distributed, transactional, transformational, etc.) is relevant for students, aspiring leaders, practitioners, and academics interested in the discipline to understand ways in which the theories have been developed, are manifested, and are sometimes contested in educational settings. Following the general to specific, business, commerce, management to education progression, and cross-disciplinary nature of educational leadership theories, servant leadership emerges as one of the oldest if not the first leadership style. Many researchers have studied servant leadership, however, Greenleaf and Spears 2002 (originally published in 1977) provide the most thorough presentation of the type. The authors of these works present philosophical underpinnings of servant leadership in educational and other contexts with clear connections to authentic, transactional, and transformational conceptualizations of leadership in education. Evidence of the dynamic nature of educational leadership is provided in the varied opinions on particular leadership styles. For example, scholars, in works such as Avolio and Gardner 2005 , present authentic leadership in schools, while Southworth 2012 and West-Burnham 2013 present understandings of and counter-perspectives to instructional and pedagogical leadership. Similarly, Harris 2004 features the pros and cons of distributed leadership specific to educational contexts. Building on multiple voices in educational leadership, an intriguing juxtaposition is found to exist between transactional and transformational leadership. To learn about it, new students and practitioners should consult Bass 1999 . Complementing this work, the contributors to Leithwood, et al. 2009 write about and assert the benefits of transformational leadership, whereas Fink 2005 and Day 2003 offer critiques of this style. In a further departure of transactional leadership, Shields 2010 pushes beyond the theory by introducing transformative leadership as a style more inclusive of leadership for social justice and more appropriate for culturally and linguistically diverse contexts. This work is similar to those of Bogotch 2002 and Brown 2004 . Further demonstrating the multiple ways in which educational leadership styles can be conceptualized by scholars and researchers in the field, Fehr, et al. 2015 and Frick 2009 investigate moral leadership. Readers are reminded that this comprehensive general overview is open to additional exploration and, as such, it is not exhaustive. It is designed to set the stage for conceptual framing of educational leadership theories through a deeper consideration of the theme. Selected handbooks and textbooks serve to bring together all of the aspects covered in this entry in single volumes from a variety of worldviews and perspectives.

Avolio, Bruce J., and William L. Gardner. 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. Leadership Quarterly 16.3: 315–338.

DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001

Excellent read. Leading scholars in the field provide readers with diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives, including discourse on definitions for the constructs of authenticity, authentic leaders, authentic leadership, and authentic leadership development, including a detailed description of the components of authentic leadership theory.

Bass, Bernard M. 1999. Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 8.1: 9–32.

DOI: 10.1080/135943299398410

Peer-reviewed article is significant because it offers a review of the research to the date of publication on transformational leadership considering application in interdisciplinary contexts (business, military, industrial, hospital, and educational). A key contribution because it states research findings that indicate women leaders tend to be more transformational than their male counterparts.

Bogotch, Ira E. 2002. Educational leadership and social justice: Practice into theory. Journal of School Leadership 12.2: 138–156.

Expert author in the field explores and defines social justice leadership in educational contexts and concludes its creation is dependent on community context and players with pluralistic or individual means and ends. Important foundational reading for understanding other theorists who include social justice aspects in their scholarly contributions on educational leadership.

Brown, Kathleen M. 2004. Leadership for social justice and equity weaving a transformative framework and pedagogy. Educational Administration Quarterly 40.1: 79–110.

DOI: 10.1177/0013161X03259147

Features strategies to help pre-service leaders develop as transformative, reflective scholars and practitioners actively engaged in political, emancipatory interests by way of examination of ontological and epistemological assumptions, values and beliefs, context and experience, and competing worldviews.

Day, Christopher. 2003. What successful leadership in schools looks like: Implications for policy and practice. In Handbook of educational leadership and management . Edited by Brent Davies and John West-Burnham, 87–204. London: Pearson Education.

Book chapter in edited handbook. Offers a balanced critique of transformational leadership from an international perspective.

Fehr, Ryan, Kai Chi Sam Yam, and Carolyn Dang. 2015. Moralized leadership: The construction and consequences of ethical leader perceptions. Academy of Management Review 40.2: 182–209.

DOI: 10.5465/amr.2013.0358

Current research provides an overview of moral leadership and features the construction and consequences of ethical leader perceptions. It also reveals ways in which values underlying the moralized behaviors of leaders determine specific types of follower behavior.

Fink, Dean. 2005. Developing leaders for their future not our past. In Developing leadership: Creating the schools of tomorrow . Edited by Martin J. Coles and Geoff Southworth, 1–20. Maidenhead, UK: Open Univ. Press.

Frick, William C. 2009. Principals’ value-informed decision making, intrapersonal moral discord, and pathways to resolution: The complexities of moral leadership praxis. Journal of Educational Administration 47.1: 50–74.

DOI: 10.1108/09578230910928089

Good article for understanding the nuances of what is meant by moral leadership. The research featured explores internal struggles experienced by school leaders when making ethically informed judgments. Contains principals’ intimate reflections about professional decision making in response to personal versus organizational and/or professional value discrepancy.

Greenleaf, Robert K., and Larry C. Spears. 2002. Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness . Mahwah, NJ: Paulist.

The seminal book on servant leadership, this book is an interdisciplinary must-read for those interested in learning more about this enduring leadership style. Originally published in 1977.

Harris, Alma. 2004. Distributed leadership and school improvement: Leading or misleading? Educational Management Administration & Leadership 32.1: 11–24.

DOI: 10.1177/1741143204039297

Important article on the topic by a leading scholar who suggests further research is needed to confirm a relationship between distributed forms of leadership and improved student learning outcomes.

Leithwood, Ken, Doris Jantzi, and Rosanne Steinbach. 2009. Changing leadership for changing times . 2d ed. Maidenhead, UK: Open Univ. Press.

Originally published in 1998. Examines the types of leadership that are likely to be productive in creating and sustaining schools with records of improvement. It is based on a long term study of “transformational” leadership in school restructuring contexts and offers what the authors consider to be a highly readable account of leadership that is grounded in empirical evidence.

Shields, Carolyn M. 2010. Transformative leadership: Working for equity in diverse contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly 46.4: 558–589.

DOI: 10.1177/0013161X10375609

Author/scholar and leader in the field delineates a theory of transformative leadership, distinct from other theories (transformational or transactional leadership) to assess the utility of the theory for guiding the practice of educational leaders who want to effect both educational and broader social change.

Southworth, Geoff. 2012. Connecting leadership and learning. In Leadership and learning . Edited by Jan Robertson and Helen Timperley, 71–85. London: SAGE.

The author in this edited book argues that leadership should be focused on teaching and learning and, in particular, pedagogical practices.

Spillane, James P., Richard Halverson, and John B. Diamond. 2004. Towards a theory of leadership practice: A distributed perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies 36.1: 3–34.

DOI: 10.1080/0022027032000106726

Widely read scholars of educational leadership suggest the term style offers a fixed approach to leadership and that more critique of this term is called for with regard to educational leadership.

West-Burnham, John. 2013. Contemporary issues in educational leadership. In Principles of school leadership . Edited by Mark Brundrett, 9–26. London: SAGE.

West-Burnham offers a commentary on the evolution of school leadership and management theory.

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The Practices of School Middle Leadership pp 21–41 Cite as

Theories and Models of Educational Leadership

• Peter Grootenboer 2  
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1 Citations

In this chapter, the focus will be on leadership as it has been conceptualised and understood in the literature. This will be a selective review of the educational leadership literature, primarily focusing on those which have some connection to middle leading. Specifically, a significant part of this chapter is devoted to shared models and/or theories (e.g. distributed leadership, dispersed leadership), as these by definition include middle leaders. Central to the review is a commitment to the dual purposes of education outlined in Chap. 1—the development of individual students and the development of communities and society, and the focus on the classroom as the ‘hot spot’ of school education. ‘We know that principals’ effects on students are largely indirect. Their actions are mediated by the instructional program and the school culture’ (Murphy, Neumerski, Goldring, Grissom, & Porter, 2016, p. 459).

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• Dispersed Leadership
• Educational Leadership Literature
• Instructional Leadership

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In this chapter, the term leadership (i.e. a noun) is often used even though a feature of the whole book has been on ‘leading’ (i.e. a verb). This is because the literature primarily refers to educational leadership .

This is discussed in much more detail in later chapters.

To this end, Gronn ( 2009 ) proposed the idea of ‘hybrid leadership’—this will be briefly discussed in a later section.

There is not space to do justice to this theory of leadership here, but for a more fulsome account, see Gronn ( 2011 ).

For an overview of instructional leadership, see Chap. 2 in Hallinger and Wang ( 2016 ) and Murphy et al. ( 2016 ).

Although in this chapter, the term leadership has been used extensively because this is the word used in the models reviewed.

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Educational Leadership and Management Reflective Essay

My new skills about educational management and leadership, reference list.

Schools and colleges bring teachers, parents, and students together (Fitzgerald, 2009). Each of these groups has its unique goals and objectives. Every school leader should employ the best strategies in order to mentor these stakeholders.

School leadership is a complex practice aimed at guiding teachers and learners. Educational leadership is one of the best practices towards improving the performance of different learners.

I have gained new skills as a school leader. My first understanding is that the quality of school leadership determines the performance of every learning institution. This explains why every person should apply the best educational leadership skills. Every institution requires the best leaders in order to attain its goals.

The best leaders will ensure their institutions provide quality education to their learners. Leadership should promote “performance, openness, mentorship, and teamwork” (Day, Gronn, & Salas, 2004, p. 874).

I will use this knowledge in order to become a successful educational leader. Every educational leader should focus on the best goals (Cranston & Ehrich, 2009).

Creating Teams

The first concept towards better educational leadership is creating cohesive teams. According to Bush (2007, p. 396), “a team is a group of individuals whose mission is to achieve a set of common goals or solve the problems affecting them”.

Every team member is committed to the targeted goals or objectives. A team will succeed if it has a good mentor or leader. A motivated team will achieve its goals much easier. The class readings have also explored some of the best practices towards better educational leadership.

Leaders should use different teams in order to achieve their goals (Sheard & Kakabadse, 2004). This practice will ensure every team achieves its educational goals (National College of School Leadership, 2009).

Team Leadership

Team leadership is a dynamic approach that ensures every learner achieves his or her academic goals. The readings have widened my skills as a team leader in an academic environment. The application of proper leadership ensures every team achieves its goals.

Every team leader should be competent and self-determined (Mayrowetz, 2008). I am also planning to become a professional team leader.

Team leaders should be ready to promote cohesiveness and improve the level of communication. Team leadership is “the ability to solve every problem affecting a given group” (Hall, 2002, p. 730).

Distributed and Middle Leadership

Distributed leadership remains a major practice in many learning institutions. This leadership approach helps every manager devolve his or her responsibilities across the institution. This leadership approach follows a top-down strategy.

This leadership approach is effective because it improves the level of academic performance (Johnson, 2003). The class materials have also informed me about the importance of middle leadership. Middle leaders examine every aspect of their learning institutions.

The leader “promotes enquiry, professional development, and curriculum” (Sheard & Kakabadse, 2004, p. 102). This leader also encourages his students and teachers to establish new teams.

The leaders sustain the best networks in order to achieve their goals. I have understood why every educational leader should use the best leadership styles.

I have gained new skills from the learning process. I am planning to use these skills in my future professional practice. A good educational leader supports every teacher or learner (Gunter & Fitzgerald, 2007).

Every manager should portray the best organisational behaviours. Different leadership models such as transformational and transactional practices will ensure every learner is contented with the learning environment. I will always use these practices in order to create the best teams.

Bush, T. (2007). Educational leadership and management: theory, policy, and practice. South African Journal of Education, 27 (3), 391-406.

Cranston, N., & Ehrich, L. (2009). Senior management teams in schools: Understanding their dynamics, enhancing their effectiveness. Leading and Managing, 15 (1), 14-25.

Day, D., Gronn, P., & Salas, E. (2004). Leadership capacity in teams. The Leadership Quarterly, 15 (6), 857-880.

Fitzgerald, T. (2009). The Tyranny of Bureaucracy: Continuing challenges of Leading and Managing . Educational management administration and Leadership, 37 (1), 51-65.

Gunter, H., & Fitzgerald, T. (2007). Leading learning and leading teachers: Challenges for schools in the 21st Century. Leading and Managing, 13 (1), 1-15.

Hall, V. (2002). From teamwork to team-work in education. In K. Leithwood & P. Hallinger (Eds.), Second international handbook of educational leadership and administration. Part 2 (pp. 697-733). London: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Johnson, N. (2003). Working in Teams . Web.

Mayrowetz, D. (2008). Making sense of distributed leadership: Exploring the multiple usages of the concept in the field. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44 (3), 424-435.

National College of School Leadership. (2009). School leadership: Federations and distributed leadership . Web.

Sheard, G., & Kakabadse, A. (2004). A process perspective on leadership and team development. Journal of Management Development, 23 (1), 7-106.

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IvyPanda. (2023, December 20). Educational Leadership and Management. https://ivypanda.com/essays/educational-leadership-and-management/

"Educational Leadership and Management." IvyPanda , 20 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/educational-leadership-and-management/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Educational Leadership and Management'. 20 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Educational Leadership and Management." December 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/educational-leadership-and-management/.

1. IvyPanda . "Educational Leadership and Management." December 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/educational-leadership-and-management/.

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IvyPanda . "Educational Leadership and Management." December 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/educational-leadership-and-management/.

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Writing an Educational Leadership Philosophy Statement

Dr. natasha kenny, phd, & dr. carol berenson, phd, taylor institute for teaching and learning .

December 2016

We often support instructors in creating teaching philosophy statements, and various resources exist to support their development (e.g. Chism, 1998; Kenny, Jeffs, and Berenson, 2015; Schonwetter et al., 2002).  However, few resources are available to help faculty in preparing educational leadership philosophy statements.

We recently created a resource to help faculty preparing educational leadership philosophy statements as part of their nomination dossiers for institutional and national awards, such as the University of Calgary Teaching Award for Educational Leadership and the  3M National Teaching Fellowship .

Similar in format to a teaching philosophy statement, an educational leadership philosophy statement “clearly communicate[s] what our beliefs are about educational leadership, why we hold these beliefs and how we translate our beliefs into practice” (Berenson and Kenny, 2015).  An example structure for an educational leadership philosophy statement and guiding questions to help those preparing a statement are presented in Table 1 below.  While every statement will uniquely articulate the educational leadership beliefs and practices of each author, these questions provide a foundational guide for helping to support faculty in creating an educational leadership philosophy statement.

Dr. Ken MacMillan, 3M National Teaching Fellow, and the 2015 recipient of the UCalgary Award for Educational Leadership has shared an  example educational leadership philosophy statement here .

Philosophy statement components

Developing an educational leadership philosophy statement provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own leadership beliefs and activities. This process also makes visible the many ways in which leadership is formally and informally enacted by individuals on our campus.

Beliefs about educational leadership

What are my beliefs about educational leadership in post-secondary education? Why do I hold these beliefs?   Who or what has most informed my leadership approaches? How have my beliefs been influenced by my experiences postsecondary educator and/or scholarly literature related to leadership? What difference do I hope to make as a leader? What does it mean to be a good leader in a post-secondary context?

Educational leadership activities and initiatives

What educational leadership activities, practices and initiatives have I implemented? How do these align with my beliefs? When have I felt most engaged and affirmed as an educational leader? What are my key strengths and skills as a leader? What am I most proud of? What sets me apart? What are some of my accomplishments as a post-secondary leader?

Impact and influence

What difference have I made, and how do I know? What has been the impact and influence of my educational leadership (on me, on students, on colleagues, on my department, on my faculty, on the institution and beyond)? What have others learned from my leadership approaches?

Future aspirations

How will I continue to develop, grow, and improve as a leader? What interests me most about teaching and learning in post-secondary education? What changes do I most hope to see and inspire? What are my future goals and aspirations as a leader in post-secondary education?

Guiding questions adapted from: Kearns, K.D. & Sullivan, C.S. (2011); Kenny, Jeffs & Berenson (2015); Stavros & Hinrichs (2011); Schonwetter et al. (2002); Seldin, P., Miller, J. E., & Seldin, C. A. (2010).

Related content

Sample teaching philosophy statements .

Read more >>

What Makes a Great Teaching Award Nomination Dossier? 

Berenson, C. & Kenny, N.A. (2016).  Preparing an Educational Leadership Philosophy Statement . Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Chism, Nancy. (1998). Developing a philosophy of teaching statement.  Essays on Teaching Excellence: Toward the Best in the Academy, 9,  1-3.  Retrieved from http://podnetwork.org/content/uploads/V9-N3-Chism.pdf

Kearns, K.D. and Sullivan, C.S. (2011). Resources and practices to help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows write statements of teaching philosophy.  Advances in Physiology Education , 35, 136-145.

Kenny, N.A., Jeffs, C., & Berenson, C. (2015).  Preparing a Teaching Philosophy Statement.  Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Schonwetter, D.J., Sokal, L., Friesen, M., & Taylor, L.K. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements.  International Journal for Academic Development,  7(1), 83-97

Seldin, P., Miller, J. E., & Seldin, C. A. (2010). The teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions. John Wiley & Sons.

Stavros, Jacqueline M, & Hinrichs, Gina. (2011). The Thin Book Of SOAR: Building Strengths-Based Strategy: Thin Book Publishing.

Educational Leadership: Definition and Impact

When children have access to a good education, they have a higher likelihood of becoming successful adults. The benefits of a good education include improved communication and critical thinking skills, increased career advancement opportunities, higher income potential, and enhanced self-reliance. However, educators often face challenges as they strive to fulfill their mission to deliver quality education to students. 

According to Public School Review, some of the most common challenges that public schools face are insufficient budgets, too many students per teacher, student poverty, and poor student health. 

With skilled educational leadership, educators can overcome challenges with a solutions-based approach that values innovation, inclusion, and diversity of thought. To equip themselves for this important work, educational leaders can earn an advanced degree in education .

What Is Educational Leadership?

Educational leadership—sometimes called teacher leadership —refers to an educational system approach that unites everyone under a common goal and a core set of values. It is most closely associated with transformational leadership, a leadership style that emphasizes positive change and growth, and inspires workers to reach their full potential for the collective benefit of all.

Leadership applies to all levels of academia, from prekindergarten through college. Often, principals or education directors emerge as leaders. Leadership in education typically involves the following:

• Leading by example—demonstrating a commitment to a core set of values and to students
• Uniting and elevating others
• Making meaningful connections with teachers, staff, students, and parents
• Embracing diversity of thought by valuing the opinions, ideas, and viewpoints of others
• Being solutions oriented and willing to make changes for the benefit of students and teachers
• Inspiring a positive work culture that is team oriented, is inclusive, and operates with a clear vision of the future
• Demonstrating thought leadership and the ability to overcome complex challenges

When effective educational leadership is in place in a school, educators become more proficient in their roles, students get more value out of their education, and parents and guardians actively participate in the process. 

Why Is Educational Leadership Important?

Educational leadership is important because it enables schools and universities to overcome challenges and innovate ways to deliver a meaningful classroom experience to students. An example of leadership in action can be found in the way schools responded to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faced with unplanned suspensions of in-person learning, school leaders across the country were challenged to pivot their classrooms to remote-only learning on a tight timeline. Although some schools were more successful at this than others, the shift spotlighted online learning as a viable—and occasionally more effective—mode of education delivery.  

During the pandemic, effective leadership was required to address a challenge brought on by a public health crisis. 

Educational leadership has often focused on addressing the needs of specific student populations or on making education more accessible to students with learning disabilities or other challenges. Notable examples of leadership in education include the following:

• In 2008, CEO and founder of Khan Academy Sal Khan launched his nonprofit organization with the goal of providing free education to students in underserved US communities and developing countries. Khan has also developed math software specifically for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Dr. Maria Montessori demonstrated true thought leadership and vision by introducing collaborative play and hands-on learning into the classroom. Popularized in Rome in 1907, the experimental Montessori method led to students having a much deeper understanding of their schoolwork, and it improved students’ social interactions.   
• Educator Erin Gruwell found a way to teach students deemed unteachable. In 1994, she got her first teaching job in Long Beach, California, at a school dealing with gang violence and low family involvement. Gruwell adapted lessons to engage her students. For example, she framed Romeo and Juliet in the context of warring gangs. She gave students journal writing assignments in which they were asked to write about their thoughts and feelings. These entries are featured in the book The Freedom Writers Diary .  

Careers in Educational Leadership

Leadership in education applies to both administrative and teaching roles. The following are some high-ranking careers in educational leadership.

• University president: the university executive who oversees the operations of the entire school
• Superintendent: the leader of a school district responsible for appointing principals, managing financial resources, and monitoring academic performance
• Department head: an educational leader who manages the instructors teaching in a specific department
• Principal: an educational leader of a school who oversees teachers and staff  

Become a Leader in the Field of Education

Leadership in education is essential to problem solving and innovating in the classroom and the wider school community for the benefit of all students. It takes passion, dedication, and thought leadership to unify teachers and staff so that they may collectively reach their full potential.

Educational leadership also requires expertise in academic policy and the foundations of teaching. Individuals who aspire to become leaders in education are encouraged to invest in their own education, such as through any of the online programs offered by American University. They include:

• Online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
• Online Master of Education (MEd) in Education Policy and Leadership
• Online EdD in Education Policy and Leadership

Each program features coursework that can prepare education professionals to pursue a successful career in academia in any of a variety of roles—in the classroom or in administration. Begin pursuing your goals in education with American University.   

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Public School Review, “10 Major Challenges Facing Public Schools”

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Today the world has focused on leadership, because all the problems which emerge in the changing circumstances of the world are due to weak or poor leadership style. So, leadership plays a vital role in the lives of people. Similarly in the educational system, the role of head teacher as a leader has its critical importance. Current study is about the relationship between the leadership styles and job satisfaction level of higher Secondary School Teachers. For proficient management of an organization, human resources are its paramount essentials. competent leaders and subordinates give a lot to attain organizational goals. Positive relationship between teachers and head’s performance is necessary for raising educational principles (Khan et al. 2009). During the past decade, schools have undertaken fundamental changes in areas such as curriculum development, teaching techniques, teachers’ roles, and learning strategies. These changes have been brought about a shift in the philosophy that dominated the realm of educational leadership.

As Leithwood (1994) indicated, the form of instructional leadership corresponded well to the period of the 1980s and the 1990s because it met the opportunity of the public and the decision-makers’ expectations from the figure head. However, the changes undertaken during the 1990s could not be dealt with, when the head was functioning as an instructional leader. The concept of transformational leadership steadily moved to the center of the discussion as school heads were expected to bring the imaginative leadership to the institution’a task that was not taken care of, by instructional leaders. Leithwood and Jantzi (1990) showed that school heads that succeeded in their job have used a broad variety of mechanisms to motivate and activate their staff to bring about the changes in their school culture. A variety of leadership styles are used by the leaders but most frequently used styles are autocratic leadership style and democratic leadership style.

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Educational Leadership Reflective Essay

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What It’s Like Leading a Dual-Language School

See how one school leader creates responsive and constructive spaces for English language learners at a dual-language elementary school.

Research supports the role of dual-language education—students’ full immersion in two or more languages across areas of instruction—in supporting social, emotional, and academic growth, as well as cultural competency . 

But the model is often thought of as beneficial for English-speaking students, a way to expand their academic and cultural horizons, rather than a critical tool in equity-centered learning—a way to provide educational access to students and families whose native languages are not English. 

To better understand what it takes to lead a dual-language program primarily for English language learners (ELLs), I spoke with Dr. Liza Burrell-Aldana , 2023 Washington Post principal of the year and leader of Claremont Immersion Elementary School in Virginia. In fall 2023, she launched an 80/20 dual-language program in grades K–1, meaning 80 percent of instruction is in Spanish and 20 percent is in English; the rest of the school operates on a 50/50 model. 

Born and raised in Colombia, Burrell-Aldana came to the United States for her undergraduate education and became committed to understanding the inner workings of the U.S. public school system to create responsive learning environments where ELLs, especially newcomers, can succeed. 

We discussed strategies for leading a dual-language school and some ways administrators can support ELLs in any school.

BRITTANY COLLINS: What is it like leading a dual-language program?  

LIZA BURRELL-ALDANA: At times, we think about bilingual education as something that is just nice to have as part of your toolbox. But the purpose of dual-language programs is to provide access, not only to educational services, but to what the school system means to families—the possibility to connect with teachers, the administration, in the best interest of kids. We need to have a specific, special type of passion for these programs and believe in the benefits that they bring to our students.

Fifty-seven percent of my current population is Hispanic; 34 percent are English learners. Parents feel comfortable coming to school programs because they can communicate, they can access parent education programs. 

Not every teacher, not every administration, has that knowledge, that full understanding that this type of program really makes a difference. Even though the purpose of dual-language education is the same across districts, it’s understood differently. That has changed a lot of aspects of my leadership. Professional learning, using research, going back to the purpose—all of that has to be approached differently. Not with “Here’s the data, and we have to do it?” but with “Let’s go back to the foundation. Why are we here? What are we doing? Who are we doing it for?”

We’re in a high-performing school division, but look at the number of students who are not performing—they are actually the ELLs, the reason for these programs. Let’s go back to the purpose. 

COLLINS: What strategies are most helpful when you’re working to communicate that broader purpose to your staff?  

BURRELL-ALDANA: Listening a lot, learning, and staying true to myself as a leader and to the purpose; having lots of one-on-one conversations with teachers; identifying those teachers and teacher-leaders and community leaders who can explain that purpose; identifying key players in the school that are open to more than change, to transformation; and observing everything from the perspective of finding the purpose for what we do. That approach is more strategic, more transformational from the inside. 

The only way that we can transform schools is to have a plan, to build relationships, to have effective ways to communicate our vision and mission. To try to understand where we are all coming from.

Professional development comes with that. I attend the PLC meetings, the book studies. 

We’re having great discussions around the program and purpose. It’s been seven months, and every week, I see teachers interacting more. I see them coming to this very rich conclusion around the purpose for dual language programming. Especially after the pandemic, we can’t be teaching like we used to 15 years ago. The needs are different. And there are so many wonderful instructional practices that are research-based for dual-language programs; if we don’t stay up-to-date with them, we’ll end up doing what we used to do years ago. That was good for some, but not for all.

COLLINS: What advice do you have for leaders of dual-language schools, and for leaders of schools that are not dual language but want to do more for ELLs?  

BURRELL-ALDANA: Stay up-to-date with best practices. There are sheltered language programs that used to be popular 10 or 12 years ago. Now we have new programs, like GLAD —the Guided Language Acquisition Design Model. This type of strategy is highly effective because it’s more interactive. 

These programs allow for more student discourse, which is what we want. When we have second-language learners in our classrooms, we want them to use the language to develop their skills. If we’re not hearing them, if they’re not practicing the language, they’re not really using it. And that’s what we’re seeing with ELLs in very traditional pull-out settings; they’re not having access to general education settings. They do drills one-on-one with a teacher, but in the general education setting, they don’t have, for example, visual representations around them that they can access to support their language development. 

For all of us who grew up bilingual, or who had an opportunity to become bilingual, it wasn’t just because we were pulled out and put somewhere else with one person, it was because we were immersed, participating. And that takes time. We need to expose children to that reality; otherwise, we separate them and the gap becomes wider and wider, and then we wonder why it never closed.

Trust the process. Students need to be provided services, but we also need to give them an opportunity to be in general education settings with scaffolds and support. That’s the only way they will build their confidence to use the language. 

COLLINS: Are there any issues that you feel are not talked about enough regarding dual language or ELL education?  

BURRELL-ALDANA: Equity. Equity has to be part of the conversation. It’s very brave to bring the conversation to the school division, because it can be misunderstood. It can shake a lot of people, because you’re being confronted with “Is what I’m doing really something that is benefiting all? Or am I just teaching to some, just leading for some? Am I really responding to all families?” 

That discussion doesn’t happen everywhere. It takes courage, and it’s not easy. It requires professional development and courageous conversations—and it requires a lot of patience, too, because bias exists in education. It exists in society. We all have it. We don’t want to hear it, because [we think], “I don’t discriminate. I’m not a racist.” But we need to be aware of how our bias, our perceptions, can impact what we do, how we deliver services, how we communicate with families, with each other. 

It has to become a topic in PTA meetings and all-team meetings. In my conversations with the PTA, I’m always going back to “How is this aligning with the purpose of the program?” With my staff, I list the five questions that should drive decision-making: Is it equitable? Is it in the best interest of the child? Is it in the best interest of the program? Is it sustainable? Is it ethical? 

COLLINS: How do you support the social and emotional well-being of ELLs and their families?

BURRELL-ALDANA: We’re a RULER school, which is a social-emotional learning program, and the beauty of RULER is that it starts with the adults in the building. 

For ELLs, especially when they’re newcomers and they don’t really understand the system, and they’re struggling with learning the language, there [can be] some behavior issues. And sometimes those behavior issues mask [discomfort]. It can be very challenging for their families. 

The beauty of our program, though, is that teachers who are bilingual can help families understand the system, provide parent education, and have phone calls in the parents’ native language. Maybe 70 percent of my staff is bilingual; our office staff is all bilingual. We have a bilingual family liaison, and I, as principal, am bilingual. When a phone call needs to be made, it’s not just the language line. I can connect with families, not only at the academic level, but also in that emotional aspect of learning.

Certain roles are critical in a dual-language school—the social worker, school counselor, and school psychologist, in particular—and they need to be bilingual. They need to be able to communicate with families from diverse backgrounds. They’re truly the face of the school.

We have a Latino parent group; every Tuesday, they come together to volunteer, make material for the classrooms, or support school activities. They get parent education sessions. That’s a great way to build community. And when the principal is part of that, the parents see you as the leader of the school, and they see you participating, supporting it. It gives them an opportunity to interact with the leadership, to share concerns and suggestions, or to celebrate. It’s important to be visible.

This interview has been edited for brevity, clarity, and flow.

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Sheets of SEHS

The School of Education and Health Sciences is having an internal "sheets" competition! Some of our departments and centers have designed and hung a sheet outside of their suite to encourage awareness and philanthropy in conjunction with One Day, One Dayton. 

Check out all of the sheets below, and stop by Fitz Hall to see them in person and to vote for your favorite!

Can't make it to Fitz Hall to vote? Email Emily at [email protected] with proof of a donation to One Day, One Dayton to get a link to the ballot.

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New Flexible Format for Educational Leadership Ph.D.

The University of Dayton’s long-standing Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership is expanding its offerings and reach by moving to a flexible hybrid format.

Is Ryan Walters the 'Music Man' of Oklahoma? He has failed on every level to be a leader

“Trouble, oh we got trouble, right here in River City!

"With a capital 'T' that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for POOL!"

The central figure in "The Music Man" is Harold Hill, a con man who convinces the naive townsfolk of River City that playing billiards is influencing their young boys into a life of immorality. Once he creates fervor in the community, he pitches the con of starting a band to divert the youths from a life of sin. Upon arranging for the purchase of expensive band uniforms and instruments, he plans to skip town.

Substitute porn for pool, and it looks like state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters is selling a con to Oklahomans. Walters claims our schools are filled with groomers, and libraries full of pornographic books being proffered to our kids by the woke boogeyman. Walters' sales pitch is a solution in search of a problem, which has little to do with getting our schools off rock-bottom status. Even worse, his rhetoric has harmed children, teachers, public schools and our state. Inappropriate books in Oklahoma school libraries is not even a top 10 problem for our bottom 10 schools.

More: Ryan Walters' response to Nex Benedict's death only causes more pain for Oklahoma's LGTBQ+ families | Editorial

What’s Walters selling? It’s pretty simple. He’s selling himself to right-wing extremists and unknowing voters in Oklahoma to gain further power on a national stage. His list of priorities are all about speaking engagements, television appearances and riling Oklahomans to promote his brand of politics. The recent news of the Oklahoma State Department of Education spending tax dollars for a consulting firm to garner national TV spots for Walters points to a much different set of priorities than Oklahomans should desire. Putting aside a laundry list of harmful things he’s done, Oklahomans deserve to know what is being done to make our schools a better place for students to learn and grow and a place where teachers feel appreciated.

In spite of having approval ratings lower than Joe Biden among Oklahomans, Walters appears to be emboldened by the 17% of our state who think he’s doing a good job. Based on his performance and approval ratings, Walters deserves to be removed from office, and seems quite vulnerable to much more serious legal problems. This list of questionable behavior and antics is getting longer by the week. Meanwhile, the state Education Department is in shambles, with almost every key staff member having resigned since Walters took over, little more than one year ago.

While Walters seems to see pornography everywhere he looks, there is no leadership to be found in his administration. Our school superintendents have made it clear he is not in communication with them, and is completely out of touch with what’s happening in our schools. In the absence of leadership, our public schools will soon perish. Walters has become the main attraction in this circus, when we should be focusing on how to get our schools back to top 20 status, as was the case just 12 years ago.

More: Legislators, remove Ryan Walters. End his toxic crusade against Oklahoma teachers

It's time for our Republican legislators to realize Ryan Walters is their problem. This affects all of us and will leave a mark on our state for many years to come. Common-sense conservatives need to speak up. Walters has failed on every level to be a leader. There is no strategic plan to help Oklahoma schools prosper, and his rhetoric is making Oklahoma look like a rather backward and unwelcoming place to live. Walters and the ultra-right extremist agenda of his and other legislators will take our state to a place we don’t want to go. Oklahoma will be excluded from many future opportunities, by virtue of having the worst schools, being the worst state for women and by being one of the least inclusive states on the map. Walters, and others like him, will be responsible for these looming problems.

This performance will not end well for Oklahoma. Our leaders need to act, and have good reason to do so. The only viable option is a change of leadership at the state Education Department. For Ryan Walters, the music must stop.

Drew Williamson, a private wealth adviser, is a lifelong Oklahoman and graduate of Noble Public Schools and Oklahoma City University. He is an advocate for public schools, as a substitute teacher and a former trustee for Teachers Retirement Systems of Oklahoma.

Civil Rights Groups Seek Federal Funding Ban on AI-Powered Surveillance Tools

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Dozens of civil rights and education groups have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education asking it to ban the use of federal funds to purchase school surveillance technologies.

The No Tech Criminalization in Education (NOTICE) Coalition wrote in the March 18 letter that the groups are concerned about “the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and big data technologies in K-12 public schools,” which they argue have the potential to “violate the civil and human rights of students from historically marginalized communities.”

The groups include GLSEN, a nonprofit advocacy organization focusing on LGBTQ+ students in K-12 schools; research and advocacy nonprofit Education Law Center; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; and Teachers Unite, an independent membership organization of New York City public school educators.

Schools have increased their reliance on high-tech solutions, such as AI-powered facial- and weapons-recognition technologies, to ensure the physical safety of their students and staff. In addition, many schools have also turned to software that monitors students’ online activity as a response to rising gun violence in schools and student mental health challenges that pose a risk to the school community.

“One of the things we have seen is that a lot of those COVID-era funds have been used to procure a lot of these technologies,” said Clarence Okoh, one of the leaders of the coalition and a senior policy counsel for the Center for Law and Social Policy, an anti-poverty advocacy nonprofit. “The private sector companies that sell these technologies actually market the fact that there are these federal grant programs that are available and encourage schools to leverage them.”

These “problematic” technologies have “devastating consequences for young people” and don’t necessarily improve student safety and well-being, the coalition wrote in the letter addressed to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona; Catherine Lhamon, the assistant secretary for civil rights; and Monique Dixon, the deputy assistant secretary for policy.

Researchers have found that schools that tighten security and surveillance in response to shootings or other acts of violence may worsen long-term discipline disparities and academic progress , particularly for Black students.

Student surveys suggest that surveillance technologies, such as device monitoring, can make students less likely to express themselves openly or less willing to seek support for their mental and behavioral needs, according to a 2022 report from the Center for Democracy and Technology , a nonprofit that advocates online civil liberties.

Many school districts lack the technical expertise they need to fully evaluate surveillance technologies before they use them, the letter pointed out. So far, only a few states have issued guidance around the use of AI for a variety of purposes in schools.

There’s an open question about what is the difference between supervising students and surveilling students?

“Even in [that] guidance, we’re not seeing any kind of significant mention of the implications of these technologies in relation to student civil rights protections, especially as it relates to student discipline and the use of the technologies by law-enforcement officials in schools,” Okoh said. He emphasized that’s why it’s important for the Education Department to get involved.

The New York state education department last year permanently banned the use of facial-recognition technology in schools —the first state to do so. Okoh and the NOTICE coalition said the federal Education Department should follow New York’s lead.

Along with banning the use of federal funds to purchase school surveillance technologies, the coalition also asks that the Education Department study the prevalence of these technologies in public schools; issue and offer technical guidance to help districts evaluate AI-powered technologies; and include the voices of youth and caregivers when developing policies around the use of AI technologies in schools.

Drawing the line between safety and surveillance

Studying the prevalence of AI-powered monitoring systems and offering technical guidance to districts are vital priorities, said Amelia Vance, the president of the Public Interest Privacy Center, which advocates effective, ethical, and equitable privacy safeguards for all children and students.

“We need to know more. We don’t know what has been adopted,” Vance said. “A lot of times, when it is adopted, the actual efficacy rate is not something that is accurately provided to districts.”

However, when it comes to banning “police-surveillance technologies,” Vance said it could be “difficult to define” what falls under that category.

“A longtime responsibility that I think pretty much everybody in society would say that schools have is to supervise their students,” she said. “And there’s an open question about what is the difference between supervising students and surveilling students?”

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Here’s what’s open (and closed) on Good Friday 2024

Good Friday is a conundrum for many people. Easter is such a major holiday in the Christian faith that it seems like it would also be a government holiday. It’s not, though. But that doesn’t mean everything will be open.

Markets, governments and businesses usually agree on days off, but they have differing policies when it comes to Good Friday. Confused? Don’t worry. Here’s what you can expect.

Are banks open on Good Friday?

Yes—and no. Good Friday is not a federal holiday, so banks in most states will be open. Twelve states, however, recognize Good Friday as a state holiday, so branches in Connecticut, Texas, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and North Dakota could be closed.

Will there be any mail delivery on Good Friday?

Yes. Since this isn’t a federal holiday, the U.S. Postal Service will operate as it does on any other day. UPS and FedEx will conduct business as usual, also—and their drop off locations will have normal hours.

Is the stock market open on Good Friday?

Here’s where things get a little confusing. The stock market observes Good Friday as a holiday, so the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will both be closed.

Are government offices open on Good Friday?

As with banks, it really comes down to where you live. Since 12 states recognize the day as an official holiday, you won’t be able to access DMV offices, courts or city halls in Connecticut, Texas, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and North Dakota.

Which retail and grocery stores are closed on Good Friday?

Almost none. No major retailer shuts down for Good Friday—and several hold Easter or Spring sales hoping to lure in last-minute shoppers who are assisting the Easter Bunny this Sunday.

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