Philosophy  of  Educational  Leadership  Lori  S.  Jacobson  

 My  personal  philosophy  of  education  is  rooted  in  the  belief  that  every  child  deserves  the  opportunity  to  

learn  in  an  environment  that  is  safe  and  uplifting  with  an  overall  determination  to  teach  and  model  skills  of  life-­‐

long  learning.      I  will  strive  to  inspire  my  students  to  thrive  in  an  instructionally  sound  and  creative  teaching  

environment  that  is  data-­‐driven  and  goal  oriented.      I  believe  the  culture  and  atmosphere  of  my  school  and  

community  are  important  and  will  work  to  foster  a  sense  of  belonging.    Part  of  that  longing  for  belonging  will  

stem  from  my  core  value  and  belief  in  the  strength  derived  from  diversity;  I  promote  and  appreciate  the  gifts  

that  diversity  provides.    With  deeply  held  beliefs  in  the  value  of  diversity,  my  philosophy  on  educational  

leadership  falls  in  line  with  situational  leadership.    Every  child,  student,  teacher,  school  and  community  culture  

is  different  and  can  potentially  impact  any  given  situation.    As  all  circumstances  are  unique,  the  best  option  for  

my  style  is  situational  leadership.    As  secondary  styles,  I  lean  towards  transformational  and  shared  leadership  in  

my  decision-­‐making  opportunities.  

I  believe  all  students,  teachers,  staff  members,  parents,  and  the  community  as  a  whole  should  be  

invested  and  involved  in  the  educational  process.    As  an  administrator  it  will  be  my  role  to  inform  stakeholders  

as  to  the  successes  and  needs  of  our  efforts  and  solicit  support  as  required  for  success.  

    I’m  a  believer  in  setting  high  standards  and  having  healthy  expectations  for  students.    With  that  being  

said,  I  believe  it’s  important  to  accommodate  the  various  learning  styles  and  abilities  of  individual  students.      I  

believe  students  can  achieve;  it’s  the  level  of  achievement,  and  how  that  achievement  is  measured,  that  needs  to  

be  determined  based  on  all  variables  affecting  a  child’s  learning  opportunities.  

I  will  bring  to  my  school  integrity,  dedication,  inspiration,  hope,  strong  communication  skills,  fairness,  

confidence,  conflict  resolution  skills,  an  openness  to  new  and  creative  ideas,  the  ability  to  work  with  various  

personality  styles,  and  a  high  level  of  affirmation  for  the  efforts  of  collaborators  and  students  alike.    I  will  strive  

to  be  a  barrier  remover  for  my  staff  members  whenever  possible  and  feasible.  

I  will  strive  to  provide  vision  acquired  through  personal  inquiry  and  research,  collaboration,  and  goal  

setting  as  a  team  member  and  leader.    It  will  be  important  to  foster  collaborative  efforts  internally  with  my  staff  

members,  and  externally  with  parents,  district  and  state  leadership,  as  well  as  business  and  community  

members.    There  will  be  an  ever-­‐increasing  need  to  work  with  various  agencies  and  organizations  in  an  effort  to  

meet  the  growing  demands  society  brings  to  all  children  and  their  families.    My  goal  will  be  to  find  new  and  

innovative  ways  to  meet  the  demands  that  our  changing  society  presents.