Chapter 8Chapter 8

Artful Performance and Artful Performance and National StandardsNational Standards

William Allan Kritsonis, PhDWilliam Allan Kritsonis, PhD

The Art of Educational LeadershipThe Art of Educational Leadership

The main focus of this book is attempting to The main focus of this book is attempting to balance artful performance with balance artful performance with accountability within educational accountability within educational leadership.leadership.

Artful LeadershipArtful Leadership

Pg. 5 Leadership is an art because it involves a Pg. 5 Leadership is an art because it involves a purposive construction of selfpurposive construction of self

Pg. 11 Leadership is an acquired set of habits Pg. 11 Leadership is an acquired set of habits and skillsand skills

Pg. 33 Campbell’s Universal Leadership JourneyPg. 33 Campbell’s Universal Leadership Journey Pg. 40 Leadership is about culture and is stirred Pg. 40 Leadership is about culture and is stirred

along the lines of cultural traditionsalong the lines of cultural traditions Pg. 53 The core values of a leader help him or Pg. 53 The core values of a leader help him or

her know how to respond, which challenges to her know how to respond, which challenges to accept or to ignore, and how to shape the accept or to ignore, and how to shape the practice of leadership in schoolspractice of leadership in schools

Artful LeadershipArtful Leadership

Pg. 65 Humans cannot perceive outside of their own Pg. 65 Humans cannot perceive outside of their own humanity and its linguistic/cultural and contextual frame.humanity and its linguistic/cultural and contextual frame.

Pg. 89 The inescapable dilemma of every leader is the Pg. 89 The inescapable dilemma of every leader is the gap between deeply held personal beliefs concerning gap between deeply held personal beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and evil, and the requirements of right and wrong, good and evil, and the requirements of working in environments in which these principals working in environments in which these principals become muddled in a messy world. become muddled in a messy world.

Pg. 121 Leaders are constructed by engaging in Pg. 121 Leaders are constructed by engaging in “dramaturgical performance emphasizing the traits “dramaturgical performance emphasizing the traits popularly associated with leadership: forcefulness, popularly associated with leadership: forcefulness, responsibility, courage, decency and so on.responsibility, courage, decency and so on.

Pg 187 Servant Leadership: The Mind and the Heart as Pg 187 Servant Leadership: The Mind and the Heart as oneone

Currently the national standards for Currently the national standards for evaluating preparation programs for evaluating preparation programs for educational leaders focus on accountability educational leaders focus on accountability and assessment strategies that are not and assessment strategies that are not reflective of the actual practice of reflective of the actual practice of educational leadership.educational leadership.

National StandardsNational Standards

The ISLIC The ISLIC (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium) (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium) has been adopted by nearly 30 states and has has been adopted by nearly 30 states and has become the basis for a national exam known as the become the basis for a national exam known as the School Leaders Licensure AssessmentSchool Leaders Licensure Assessment

StandardsStandards AreaArea

11 A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implantation, and students by facilitating the development, articulation, implantation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community.community.

22 AA school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all

students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

33 AA school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all

students by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources students by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.

44 AA school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all

students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.

55 AA school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of allschool administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all

66 AA school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of allschool administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all

Producing an Unequivocal Platform for the Producing an Unequivocal Platform for the Normalizing Gaze and the Policing FunctionNormalizing Gaze and the Policing Function

For sanctions to work, those who can be For sanctions to work, those who can be disciplined must consent to the process. disciplined must consent to the process. For such possibilities to be accepted, the For such possibilities to be accepted, the actions have to be perceived as actions have to be perceived as unambiguous, nonpolitical, and fairly unambiguous, nonpolitical, and fairly applied.applied.

Additional standards page 195Additional standards page 195

Retracing the Steps in the Retracing the Steps in the Development ProcessDevelopment Process

Step 1: Reductionism, Rationality, and Step 1: Reductionism, Rationality, and Core TechnologiesCore Technologies

Job Standardization eliminates or severely Job Standardization eliminates or severely erodes the primacy of professional erodes the primacy of professional preparation in university settings. It also preparation in university settings. It also eliminates any unique university approach eliminates any unique university approach to professional preparation.to professional preparation.

Retracing the Steps in the Retracing the Steps in the Development ProcessDevelopment Process

Step 2: The Erasure of Context So One Size Fits Step 2: The Erasure of Context So One Size Fits AllAll

When the administrator’s job can be simplified When the administrator’s job can be simplified and narrowed, a generic test can be employed and narrowed, a generic test can be employed to assess a candidate’s competence. When a to assess a candidate’s competence. When a common set of standards applies to not only all common set of standards applies to not only all principalships, but all formal leadership positions principalships, but all formal leadership positions as averred, then all administrators become as averred, then all administrators become interchangeable parts, and jobs that have been interchangeable parts, and jobs that have been de-skilled can be filled cheaply.de-skilled can be filled cheaply.

Retracing the Steps in the Retracing the Steps in the Development ProcessDevelopment Process

Step 3: Stifling Research Dissent by the Vicious Step 3: Stifling Research Dissent by the Vicious Circle Principle (V.C.P.)Circle Principle (V.C.P.)

The national accreditation process headed by The national accreditation process headed by NCATE welds the enforcement of the NCATE welds the enforcement of the ISLLC/ELCC standards into a confluence of ISLLC/ELCC standards into a confluence of agencies, each of which erodes the autonomy of agencies, each of which erodes the autonomy of every preparation program in the nation by every preparation program in the nation by insisting on an approach of uniformity.insisting on an approach of uniformity.

The Other ViewThe Other View

Efficiency in operating schools requires Efficiency in operating schools requires tight connectivity between means and tight connectivity between means and ends, inputs and outputs. School ends, inputs and outputs. School management and the preparation of management and the preparation of school administrators needs to be school administrators needs to be vigorously redirected toward the vigorously redirected toward the enhancement of the outcomes of enhancement of the outcomes of schooling for children.schooling for children.

The National Debate on Educational The National Debate on Educational Leadership PreparationLeadership Preparation

Cell A – The “Pipeline” Scenario: Not Cell A – The “Pipeline” Scenario: Not “Enough” Quality Leaders for the Schools“Enough” Quality Leaders for the Schools

Increase candidates by lifting the need for Increase candidates by lifting the need for licensure or previous kinds of experiences licensure or previous kinds of experiences school leaders are believed to need.school leaders are believed to need.

Erasing the requirement of leaders to have Erasing the requirement of leaders to have had prior classroom teaching experience, had prior classroom teaching experience, and the recruitment of leaders from and the recruitment of leaders from business and the military to run schools.business and the military to run schools.

The National Debate on Educational The National Debate on Educational Leadership PreparationLeadership Preparation

Cell B – The “Real World” Scenario: Cell B – The “Real World” Scenario: Universities Are Too Removed From Universities Are Too Removed From Reality to Prepare Educational Leaders Reality to Prepare Educational Leaders WellWell

University programs must retool to University programs must retool to become more “relevant,” partner with become more “relevant,” partner with school districts, use “research-based school districts, use “research-based practices…that will have the greatest practices…that will have the greatest impact on student achievement.impact on student achievement.

The National Debate on Educational The National Debate on Educational Leadership PreparationLeadership Preparation

Cell C – Some Schools Are “ Broken” Scenario: Cell C – Some Schools Are “ Broken” Scenario: Leaders Need Incentives/Competition to “Fix” Leaders Need Incentives/Competition to “Fix” ThemThem

The way ‘broken schools” are “fixed” is by The way ‘broken schools” are “fixed” is by providing them with leaders who are sufficiently providing them with leaders who are sufficiently motivated to “take charge” and holding them motivated to “take charge” and holding them accountable for “results.”accountable for “results.”

School inadequacy is entirely a human problem School inadequacy is entirely a human problem with the lack of insufficient focus and with the lack of insufficient focus and unmotivated faculty.unmotivated faculty.

The National Debate on Educational The National Debate on Educational Leadership PreparationLeadership Preparation

Cell D – The Social Justice Scenario: Leadership Cell D – The Social Justice Scenario: Leadership Is a Distributed FunctionIs a Distributed Function

The “achievement gap” is “built in” to existing The “achievement gap” is “built in” to existing schooling operations. It will not be removed by schooling operations. It will not be removed by making schools more efficient and no amount of making schools more efficient and no amount of accountability for results will change that. accountability for results will change that. Schools have to be remade and reworked to Schools have to be remade and reworked to fundamentally alter what they do.fundamentally alter what they do.

Writing in Your Personal Reflective JournalWriting in Your Personal Reflective Journal

How do you reflect on your leadership?How do you reflect on your leadership?

……what works…what’s meaningful…what’s right…what works…what’s meaningful…what’s right…why leadwhy lead