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Supportive or Pushy? Good Administrators Are Both

EducationWorld is committed to bringing educators the practical tools they need to make good decisions, engage in effective leadership and implement strategies that work. To further this commitment, we have formed a content partnership with Stenhouse Publishers. EducationWorld is pleased to feature a variety of book excerpts as part of this collaboration. Check back frequently as we feature additional excerpts from Stenhouse titles.

The following excerpt comes from Leading and Learning: Effective School Leadership Through Reflective Storytelling and Inquiry, by Fred Steven Brill (Stenhouse Publishers, 2008). The book retails for around $21 and is available on the Stenhouse Web site.

Read two more excerpts from this book: Storytelling as Professional Development and Be Careful With What You Put in Writing.

This excerpt discusses the daily challenge school leaders face in maintaining an appropriate balance between listening and communicating, reflection and action.

Yield and overcome;
Bend and be straight;
Empty and be full;
Wear out and be new;
Have little and gain;
Have much and be confused…
Be really whole,
And all things will come to you.
—Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

Making decisions and taking action require a deep understanding of the needs and desires of the competing stakeholders, the various influences, and the core values that permeate the field. At each turn, the school leader is expected to make explicit where he or she resides along the various continua related to school leadership. No wonder the process of identity construction is such a difficult process: walking the tightrope of school leadership requires incredible dexterity, courage, and commitment. Demonstrating poise and balance under the big top is part of the artistry of serving as a school leader.


About Stenhouse Publishers

Stenhouse publishes professional development books and videos by teachers and for teachers. Their titles cover a range of content areas -- from literacy and mathematics to science, social studies, the arts, and environmental education -- as well as a variety of topics, including classroom management, assessment, and differentiation.

Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy

Many tensions exist in the world of educational leadership. Just as there is discord between theory and practice in the larger field of education, there is also tension regarding the need to apply the appropriate balance of pressure and support. Researched-based, “scientific” strategies guide effective decision making and leadership, but there is also an artistry that requires graceful social interactions, feedback, and facilitation. A school leader must balance inquiry with advocacy. Leaders whose advocacy is too strong or passionate may be seen as bulls in a china shop; however, if an inquiry stance is used too frequently, the leader will be seen as weak and indecisive.

An effective leader also must maintain an appropriate balance between listening and communicating, reflection and action. School leaders must work as actors in the unfolding drama of school leadership, readily jumping into the role of critic, confronting the disheartening data, and having hard conversations in which they must trust their judgment and speak their truth. At times, they will be expected to do the grunt work of a mild-mannered reporter, whereas at other times, they will be called on to play the role of superhero. Following is a list of tensions found in the literature, uncovered in the stories, and observed in the field of the school leader.

Tensions in School Leadership

 Remain mindful of educational and
 learning theory.

 Focus on practice and that which works in the field.

 Build intimacy and cultivate a caring and
 nurturing school community (offer
 support).

 Push, challenge, question, and confront (apply
 pressure).

 Create informal, open, flexible,
participant-driven learning communities (Little, 2002; Lave & Wenger, 1991).

 Create institutionalized structures, protocols,
and processes within a professional learning
 community (Palinscar & Brown, 1984).

 Focus on the art of teaching, learning, and
 leading.

 Focus on the science of teaching, learning, and
 leading.

 Promote collaborative inquiry (Senge,1990).

 Engage in passionate advocacy (Senge,1990).

 Focus on process.

 Focus on outcomes.

 Listen.

 Communicate.

 Engage in theory acquisition.

 Engage in theory development.

 Focus on theory and reflection.

 Focus on practice and action.

 Work as an actor in the unfolding drama.

 Serve as the critic.

 Work as Clark Kent.

 Fight like Superman.

 

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