Who Will Throw the Ball?: Leadership in the School House to Promote Student Success

By Ida H. Love Ph.D.

School leadership is the difference maker in achieving high expectations for all students by involving all staff, parents, community, and business partnerships. Everyone employed in the school has an important role in promoting high student achievement! The principal is the leader and is ultimately responsible for everything but does not need to do or know everything! Organization, early learning, professional learning, implementation, follow-up, and feedback are critical components in building an effective school. The principal needs a strong leadership team and a very smart, dependable, and knowledgeable secretary (administrative assistant) to give leadership to the front office. Any principal without anyone other than the best in this position has a setup for failure because the major part of the job is in the classroom for the leader and not the office!

Early learning is the foundation for all future learning, and beginning in pre-k and kindergarten, educators can set the tone for student success. All children can learn to read by the end of kindergarten by utilizing the services of paraprofessionals who have received professional learning skills to reinforce instruction previously taught by the teacher! Why do we have some students in middle and high schools who cant read? The answer is obviousthe foundation was not set in the early years! Try building a house without a foundation and you will find yourself spending twice the amount of time and money doing what should have been done in the first place! Many times, when students have not been adequately prepared to enter secondary schools, they no longer have the will and motivation to learn, and this is tragic, because dropout is usually the only option.

Students need social, emotional, and other developmental skills in the early years, but it is time to emphasize instructional skills also, starting with writing, reading, listening to daily storytelling, and daily high frequency words. We cant afford to continue moving students from grade to grade, and they cannot read!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504959681

Ida H. Love Ph.D.

Ida Higginbotham Love is an education advisor for schools and school districts. She was employed for a school district in the Midwest for thirty years in positions of classroom teacher, title I administrator, elementary principal, director of schools, deputy superintendent, and intern superintendent. She continued in education for six years as superintendent of schools and four additional years as deputy state superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the southeast. Ida received a BS degree in elementary education from Grambling State University, an MS degree in reading from Central Missouri State University, an ES degree in elementary administration from Central Missouri State University, and a PhD in education administration from University of Missouri at Kansas City. Ida continues to live in the southeast with her husband, Richard Love. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.

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© 2015 Ida H. Love, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/05/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5969-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5970-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5968-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918219

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter I Early Learning Experiences

Chapter II Spotlight on School Leadership

Chapter III Professional Learning for All Staff

Chapter IV Classroom Instruction

Chapter V Learning Beyond the Classroom

Chapter VI The Evidence is Conclusive: All Children Can and Will Learn

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

About the Author

Introduction

Everything that is done in the schoolhouse should focus on student learning, academic achievement, and career life goals for all students. I am writing this book to encourage educators at every level to stay the course and keep the faith because all children can learn and become successful learners. Under no circumstance will I tell you the road to successful schools is quick and easy, but I am here to tell you it can be done because my career of forty years is my testimony of how it can be done.

First, you must have the determination to be the best at your work, which requires that you be a willing learner because one or two semesters of student teaching or a masters in administration was only the beginning of a plan for lifelong learning. Second, you have chosen a career where you are responsible for the education of students, and you are the guide to a successful career of those in your care.

There are many factors to consider in bringing about the changes necessary to achieve success for students in terms of human and material resources. One resource that will shape the high-achieving environment is in the leadership of the school principal in organizing for learning. Schools have teachers, students, parents, support staff, administrators, community partners, business partners, and others, and they can all play a meaningful role in the learning process. Each group is a leader in its own right, but it is the principal who must give leadership to bond these leaders together in pursuit of academic excellence for the students they serve. It is the principal who has to bring everyone together to effect a cultural change in the school building and the entire school community. This change may be in what students learn and the way they learn it, how teachers deliver instruction, how involved the support teacher team is, or in involvement of parents and the district central office. The goal is to build and sustain a strong learning environment where students are learning and achieving at a high level.

In addition to the human element, material resources are also highly relevant. There are many types of resources: technology, books, games, and other materials. But school leaders have a difficult task selecting appropriate developmental materials for all students. Successful student learning is based on techniques of the classroom teacher that align these resources to engage students in learning strategies.

Groups cannot continue to work in isolation and expect to meet the needs of all children. Every employed adult in the school building plays a meaningful role in the learning process, and each must be prepared to do the work because resource materials are meaningless without proper and consistent implementation.

This book emphasizes preparing staff in every department to be accountable for student learning. The school is a special type of business where everyone is supporting their fellow employees to achieve the goals for student improvement. Education in many of our school districts is getting a poor reputation because assessments are showing that students do not learn the skills to be successful in this global society. The blame game will stop when we take responsibility as educators for student achievement because schools will be successful only when students are learning.

It all starts with early learning in homes, followed by preschool and elementary schools. But we cannot control homes. Therefore, schools can support early learning by using services of paraprofessionals, community volunteers, and parent volunteers to reinforce classroom instruction. Paraprofessionals are a valuable resource when they are properly trained and employed to assist teachers in the instruction process.

We will also discuss learning beyond the classroom and what it means for students. Some schools depend on parents and community volunteers, but they also need to participate in professional learning activities when they are involved in the instruction process. It is critical for all participants to be provided an opportunity to learn the skills they are expected to deliver.

The principal plays a pivotal role in a school’s learning environment, where everyone, including the leader, has an opportunity to engage in professional learning programs designed to support change in attitudes and beliefs. There certainly is a difference in running a race and leading a race. Knowledgeable leadership expects all staff to be actively involved in learning. Leaders can achieve success by giving effective leadership, providing firm directions, and outlining ways of teaching and learning where everyone can be a part of the team.

It is also important to have high expectations for all and to use data to show progress in both individual and group performance. Achievement gap has been an issue for a long time, but we must focus also on the teaching and leadership gap.

All schools in school districts can successfully educate all children when careful attention is given to human and material resources. Once careful selection is made of these resources, organization and consistent implementation take priority over all other business in the school. Leadership in the schoolhouse is serious business when everyone is focused on his or her role in helping students learn.

Outstanding leaders believe every student can learn and be successful. All educators must be learners, advocate access for all students, believe and demonstrate that people come before paper, and allow staff to feel free to be risk-takers. They must believe that parents are important in the learning process and that there must be accountability for everyone. This book focuses on early learning, prekindergarten, kindergarten, and the elementary school, but the leadership skills presented in this text will benefit all levels, K–12.

The levels of learning, student engagement, and teacher direction may differ to some degree, but the role of the principal is basically the same at all levels. The position is lonely, but it does not need to be alone. It is the principal’s responsibility to make sure that there is continuity and understanding among staff members about what is important in the school. In order to make this happen, there must be ongoing communication and complete teamwork through professional development programs.

Successful leaders work to develop teams of people, providing staff with support and training to succeed. The team includes everyone employed to work in the school, and the principal gives leadership to ensure buy-in by all to the mission of the school.

Getting the school ready to achieve success with students is never an easy task. The principal has to be a fearless leader because making changes in the way we do business is the highlight of getting to the promised land of all students learning and achieving our goals. I wish I could tell building leaders that the job is easy, but there will never be two days that are the same. This is the interesting part of the job. You will never be bored! The most difficult part of the job is following up with staff on well-designed plans for proper implementation because change has come to the workplace.

There will always be some staff members who will work to do the job well and others who will do so for a while but will fall back into their old ways of doing things. I am reminded often of the book Who Moved the Cheese, by Dr. Spencer Johnson, which explains that it is easy to get into a rut doing the same things the same way every day and not pay any attention to changes around.

This book emphasizes change and challenges educators everywhere to come out of their comfort zones to embrace and support change for the students they serve. The leader has to remember that learning is necessary for all staff and that it is important to meet the needs of all departments because the needs of the maintenance and food service staff will differ from what is needed for the teachers or paraprofessionals. Even though the goal—high student achievement—is the same for everyone, the way to get there often differs because of the various roles of personnel. Throughout this book, leadership is addressed to highlight the road to excellence in teaching and learning.

The focus must continue to be on early learning so students can get the foundation necessary to achieve success throughout post-secondary education. Even though many students leave preschool programs and homes reading, there is still some controversy about whether kindergarten, full-day or half-day, should be mandatory for all children. Full-day kindergarten is by far the best way to help children reach their full potential.

A recent research study in Las Vegas reported Full-day kindergarten may be a gateway to higher academic achievement and improved health for Nevada’s youth.The research team found that students in full-day kindergarten score better on tests than their half-day counterparts. It added that this could lead to improvement in Nevada’s high school graduation rate".¹Many states have not adopted mandatory kindergarten programs. But not having access to early learning is a terrible disservice to young learners because before they enter the school system is the period for young children to build a foundation.

This book highlights most of my career in education. It relates my success in teaching children in the classroom and in working with teachers. It tells how I built staff as a principal, provided leadership to district staff, functioned as a central office administrator, and provided leadership as a superintendent. Finally, it describes my administrative experience as state deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

I can attest to what works and does not work in schools, in school districts, and in a state-level department. The documented record clearly shows that schools can successfully educate all children by doing a few very basic things. I have been working on projects and consulting with school districts, knowing that my experiences as a principal in building accelerated learning institutions could be shared with others.

Working as a principal in the Midwest during the early eighties and as a superintendent in the southeast in the late nineties were two of the most successful leadership experiences that I had during my tenure in education. I remember as a central office administrator being concerned about the needs of children in schools. Another administrator said to me, If you want to help children, you will need to go back to the school. That hit me like a ton of bricks and helped me to realize that the farther away from the schoolhouse I was, the less control I had in helping students learn. I will be more specific about making a difference in schools as I share my administrative experiences and realizing what it meant to be farther away from schools. Much of my discussion focuses on how to organize and use resources to advance educational improvements and to help all students achieve high standards.

I feel compelled to share my experiences because we have to get serious about early learning and school leadership, not continuing to leave children behind. School systems should not be trying to teach middle and high school students how to read when they should have been reading in kindergarten or maybe earlier. Early is the time for building a solid foundation for all future learning as students are promoted from grade to grade throughout preschool, elementary, middle,