School Leadership

School Leadership

Name

Course

Date School Leadership

Introduction

The Superintendent of Schools is the principle leader for school districts across the United States . Principles and teachers of individual schools look to the Superintendent to provide inspiration to be the best educators possible regardless of external influences such as low teacher pay . The Superintendent should have transformational leadership and exhibit traits of integrity , intelligence , social skills and charisma in to be effective in the leadership role

Constraints

Today , teachers are asked to overcome many obstacles in the

classroom Studies have shown . that the job satisfaction of teachers is very low due to factors such as under payment , lack of sources , inappropriate leadership styles of principles , and stress on the job (Korkmaz 2007 br

.24 ' Teachers also must deal with low parental involvement in the classroom and bad behavior from children as a result of the poor parental involvement . All the factors must be dealt with in some fashion before the teacher can effectively educate in the classroom . In for teachers to remain passionate about teaching children , the Superintendent of Schools is a key figure that leads the way to providing the passion and drive required to keep teachers focused and involved in the teaching profession . Teachers are in effect leaders within an individual classroom . Therefore , the leadership styles of school district managers will dictate the type leadership a teacher provides in the classroom on down to the inspiration the students receive from the teacher . Superintendents ' of Schools must recognize the impact specific leadership styles have on teachers will trickle down to students and effect classroom performance

Transformational Leadership

A transformational leader leads by invoking a vision for others to follow that is inspirational . Transformational leadership allows employees to find their own way , with proper guidance , to a desired goal . There are four distinct dimensions that make up transformational leadership (Ilies 2006 paragraph 4

Idealized influence

Inspirational motivation

Intellectual stimulation

Individualized considerations

A transformational leader does not lead by force , but by creating passionate visions

In contrast , a transactional leader leads by force under the premise that subordinates will do what their leader says . Transactional leadership is not inspiring , but . a contingent reinforcement approach in which the leader shapes behavior by promising rewards or threats contingent on a follower 's performance (Kelly 1998 paragraph 3 ' The problem with transactional leadership in a school environment is that teachers become afraid to try new things or step outside of comfort zones to initiate new types of education based on the fear of retribution . A transformational leader . influences follower performance and innovation (Boerner 2007

.15 Transformational leadership inspires the innovation necessary to keep education viable and useful for future generations . If teachers are not constantly inspired to find new ways to reach the pupils they teach then formal education will lose value and importance . If teachers are subjected to transactional leadership from the Superintendent of Schools , innovation will be quelled and education reform will not keep pace with societies...