The following has been supplied to me by my friend and colleague, Dr. Steven Sroka. Steve is an expert in several areas,not the least of them on school violence. You may have seen him on Oprah among other television appearances.
Leadership is essential to effective education. Here are some “Tips from the Trenches” from the school leaders and leaders of national education organizations themselves.
Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone and recent speaker at the National School Boards Association’s annual conference in Boston:
- “The cost of education is cheaper than the cost of incarceration. We must invest more with kids who need more now, or pay later.”
- “Our world is changing. Businesses have seen a need for change and have made changes. Why can’t schools?”
- “We need to stand up and fight for our kids. Our job is not to try to figure out what our kids can live without, but rather what can our kids live for.”
Esther Monclova-Johnson, director of equity affairs for Virginia Beach City Public Schools:
- “Our purpose in education is to help create learning environments that are culturally responsive, engaging, and respectful of the young people that we serve.”
- “In order to fully engage in this tremendous learning experience that lasts 13 years or more, we should honor the true relationship. If we want to know what interests and excites our youth, we need to talk to them and share in constructive dialogue. If we want to ensure that they acquire the skills they need to be successful in life, then we have to make learning relevant, rigorous, and exciting.”
- “We have to pay attention to the development of resiliency skills in their educational experience.”
C. Ed Massey, president of whole child partner National School Boards Association:
- “Leaders in today’s world must be flexible. Adaptive leadership is meeting the challenge of a changing educational environment.”
- “Leaders must push people to their potential while not pushing them beyond their capacity.”
- “Leaders must rise above the trenches so as to see the battlefield globally rather than locally. By doing so, problem solving becomes contextual.”
- “Leading is dangerous work and not for the ill of heart. Many times those not familiar with the issues at hand dislike the message and as a direct result, they blame the messenger. Leaders continue to promote a message even in the midst of travail. They understand that the conveyance of their message is their role and they don’t take the criticism personally. As a result, persistence has a chance to prevail.”
Betsy Landers, president of whole child partner National Parent Teacher Association:
- “It’s simple: parent involvement equals student achievement. Decades of research continue to show a direct link between family engagement and student success, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, religion, or background.”
- “A 2010 study examining school improvement work in Chicago’s lowest performing public schools found that success depends on five necessary ingredients. Not surprisingly, family engagement is one of them. Like baking a cake, researchers found that if even one ingredient was not in place, there was no recipe for success. We know this to be true, yet we continue to fail to see family engagement made a priority in many reform movements.”
Barbara-Jane Paris, principal at Canyon vista Middle School in Austin, Tex., and president-elect of whole child partner National Association of Secondary School Principals:
- “Programs don’t change behavior, people do. Chose the right ones. Fire a few.”
- “Work smarter, not harder. Give everyone a productive role by knowing what drives them.”
- “If you put the wrong task with the wrong person, they work harder, but the mission fails. It’s like straightening the chairs on the Titanic.”
- “Speak with one voice. In difficult times, there is rarely one solution””if there were, the situation would never have happened. Pick an underlying principle and stick with it.”
- “Above all: students first.”
Senator Richard Marcellais, North Dakota State Senator (D-9), chairman of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and president of National Indian School Board Association:
- “Native American schools have the lowest AYP scores in the nation. What happened with No Child Left Behind was that it was for only non-native schools.”
- “As a Native American, I believe that non-natives need to understand the culture of each tribe because each tribe is different and has different beliefs.”
- “In order to educate the Native American students, I believe educators need to better understand the issues and concerns and be able to communicate on the culture level.”
- “As a senator, I am on the education committee because I believe education is the most important thing to help everyone in their lives.”
© 2013 Stephen R. Sroka, PhD, Lakewood, Ohio. Used with permission.
