A paper from my Masters program, to outline the importance of understanding School Laws, one's own morals and vision, when becoming a leader in education.
Leaders in Education: A Paper
When becoming a leader in an educational setting, one must understand and implement California school laws, guidelines, and other relevant federal, state, and local requirements and regulations within that role of leadership. Knowing, understanding, and implementing laws, guidelines and regulations are essential for ensuring effective and lawful operation of a school.
As a leader, one must continuously monitor updates and changes within the federal, state, and local education laws and regulations. Attending school board meetings, consulting with district personnel, and researching laws would support a leader with staying informed and making informed decisions. Leaders should find opportunities to collaborate with district personnel or stakeholders to develop, review, and update district and school policies and procedures, making sure that there is alignment with federal and state regulations. Establishing a Compliance Team composed of administrators, teachers, and support staff, would ensure ongoing compliance with various regulations.
School leaders should team with the district to provide all staff personnel with regular training and professional development of current laws and regulations. If all members of a school community are knowledgeable of specific topics such as Student Privacy (FERPA), Special Education laws (IDEA), Cyberbullying, Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Prevention, Childhood Sexual Assault Prevention, Child Abuse: Mandatory Reporting, and Title IX, the more support a campus would have in following the correct educational laws and regulations. This would prevent any legal actions against the school or staff due to being misinformed.
School leaders should also partner with the district’s Special Education department to ensure that all laws pertaining to their Students with Disabilities are being followed and implemented with fidelity. School leaders should meet regularly with the Special Education teacher(s) on their campus to ensure that the needs of all Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are being met by teachers and Special Education staff, and that laws are being upheld. Documentation for these laws is essential to protect the rights of Students with Disabilities.
It is also the responsibility for a school leader to follow the laws and regulations around student discipline to ensure a safe and inclusive school environment. School leaders must promote a safe, inclusive, and nondiscriminatory environment for all students. A Code of Conduct must be established, taught, and modeled for all students and staff, to uphold state and federal laws as well as the district board policies. School leaders should first focus on building strong relationships and rapport with all students in order to promote a caring environment that emphasizes relationships before discipline. Any disciplinary actions that a leader must take against a student should be legally compliant and fair. Knowing the laws and district policies around student discipline is essential.
By knowing and understanding educational laws, guidelines and regulations, school leaders can effectively implement the laws and regulations in California, ensuring that the school operates legally, safely, and in the best interests of the students, staff, and community in which it serves. Training, collaboration, continuous seeking of knowledge, and documentation are essential tasks for effective and transformative school leaders.
Personal and Professional Ethics
Modeling and upholding personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, as well as recognizing discriminatory practices within the school or district, are essential responsibilities for a school leader. School leaders lead by example. The values and personal commitment of the school leader to ethical behavior, integrity, justice and fairness, need to be shown in their actions and decisions.
First, school leaders need to communicate clear expectations for personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness for all staff members, students, and stakeholders. School leaders must expect that all members of their school community respect and appreciate the diversity of backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and identities of those present within the school. This could be done through monthly celebrations, Cultural Awareness days, inviting guest speakers from the community, and hosting school events involving the communities in which the school serves.
Clearly communicating that the campus in which the school leader leads has no room for discrimination, harassment, or bias based on race, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, disabilities, or any other protected identification emphasizes that all are welcomed, loved, and respected. It emphasizes the importance of cultivating an environment where every student, staff, and family member feels valued, heard, and included, regardless of their differences. School leaders must also promote an environment that encourages honesty and truthfulness. When school leaders demonstrate inclusivity, honesty, and integrity through everyday interactions, they become the positive role models in which they expect the staff and families to uphold.
Next, when school leaders practice fair treatment and conflict resolution, they hold themselves and others accountable for personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness. School leaders must implement systems in which staff and students clearly understand and implement on the school campus. One system that must be implemented, trained, modeled, and upheld is behavior expectations of all staff, students, and families. In order for all members of the school community to be treated fairly and equitably, the school leader must outline explicit standards that are not fluid, that hold the same accountability for each situation. These standards emphasize the importance of safety and well-being of all individuals in the school community, and need to be aligned with state and federal laws and regulations, as well as the district policies that reflect the desired, legal outcome.
In situations that become more hostile, school leaders must encourage conflict-resolution methods that promote respectful collaboration and understanding. Having an open-mind to listen to those who perpetuate an issue on campus, and understand where this behavior comes from, allows for school leaders to then react in a way that holds accountability and responsibility for the actions and decisions of those affected, including the school leader. Sometimes, leaders can affect situations for the worse. Being able to take feedback and adjust accordingly shows strong leadership skills. It also promotes trust and respect of the school leader and those in which they lead.
To model and uphold personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, as well as recognizing discriminatory practices within the school or district, a leader must also set clear expectations for academic integrity. This includes holding all parties accountable to providing the best education opportunities possible for all students. IEPs need to be upheld, teachers need to be communicating to families about progress, and support staff need to know how to best support the students within each classroom. Data needs to be analyzed on a regular basis of student growth and achievement, and broken down into sub-demographics to identify any discriminatory practices within academic growth. Academic success needs to be valued by a school leader, and they need to support their teachers in whichever way they can to ensure academic excellence is being taught through best instructional practices.
Lastly, in order to maintain personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, a school leader must emphasize the importance of confidentiality, especially when it pertains to California educational laws and policies. School leaders need to protect the staff and students, even when there is conflict with the school leader. School leaders must model assuming good intent, and keeping inner conflict confidential from others to not show bias against another member of the school community. Sensitive student or personnel information needs to be protected. School policies and procedures need to be communicated to all members of the school community, as well as the federal, state, and local laws. If there are any ethical breaches, discrimination, or violation of these expectations from any member of the community, school leaders must report their concerns.
In order to model and uphold personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, as well as recognizing discriminatory practices within the school or district, school leaders have to commit to improve both personally and professionally. They must value clear expectations of inclusivity, fair treatment, conflict resolution, academic integrity, and confidentiality. Leaders lead by example, and the strongest leaders lead to impact their school community for the better.
Personal and Institutional Bias
Identifying, analyzing, minimizing, and eliminating potential personal and institutional bias is essential for creating an equitable and inclusive learning environment. School leaders need to be self-aware of how their actions and values impact their school community. Professional development and trainings, classroom practices, restorative practice and interventions, data collection, family and community engagement, and continuous feedback are vital to how a leader identifies and eliminates potential personal and institutional bias.
The most important aspect of eliminating potential personal and institutional bias is for the school leader to engage in their own self-reflection to examine their own biases, beliefs, and attitudes. A school leader leads by example, as stated above. The first step in transforming a school campus into a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive community is for the leader to address their own personal and professional bias, and adjust accordingly. This then can lead to campus-wide analysis and discussions for others to recognize and eliminate their own biases. A school leader can team up with their district to provide Implicit Bias training, Cultural Competence training, or other professional training and developments for all staff members, to raise awareness about unconscious bias and how it can impact decision-making and interactions. In addition, school leaders can create Bias Response teams, a team or committee that can engage in discussions about bias and equity. School leaders can use this committee as additional input for interventions that reduce bias and foster understanding when addressing potential bias issues. This team can also collect and analyze data on student discipline to identify any disparities, and hold accountability for addressing bias. This data may show where potential bias may exist.
Another strategy to limit personal and institutional bias is to emphasize inclusivity across the school campus. Having an inclusive curriculum as well as inclusive classroom practices will eliminate potential personal and institutional bias for our students, making all feel welcomed and valued. Reviewing and revising curriculum with an Instructional Coach, lead teachers, or Vice Principal will ensure that all curriculum respects and includes diverse perspectives, cultures, and historical events. This will support eliminating curriculum bias that could educate on misinformation or reinforce stereotypes. Encouraging teachers to research and implement inclusive teaching practices, such as analyzing and implementing inclusive instructional materials, incorporating various learning styles, and fostering a safe and respectful classroom environment, will foster inclusivity within the classroom.
Lastly, school leaders can use their staff, students, and community as resources to identify and eliminate potential bias. Involving families and the community in discussions and reviewing policies can gain input and knowledge from many different cultural, ethnic, and diverse backgrounds, providing a more in-depth analysis of potential bias within the school or district setting. School leaders can partner with community organizations that specialize in diversity, equity, and inclusion to provide more resources to addressing any potential bias. Students can also participate in discussions related to bias within their classrooms and education, giving them an opportunity to voice their own opinions on the school’s culture.
Privilege and Power in Education
Issues of privilege and power can significantly impact decision-making by educational school leaders. Some school leaders lead by authoritative measures. This causes issues within the systems operating at the school, and can cause damage to trust and morale, affecting staff absences, turnover, and student behavior and discipline. A leader must work with people in an organization to accomplish a task (Kaplan & Owings, 2015, p. 35). If a school leader only leads by dictation and fear, this is an abuse of power and privilege.
Contrarily, if a leader can become a transformational leader, using their privilege and power to “help each other advance to a higher level of morale, motivation, and improved outcomes” (Kaplan & Owings, 2015, p. 48), then a leader can impact decision-making on campus to benefit the greater good. School leaders who take input from their stakeholders can reinforce that everyone is responsible for establishing a safe and respectful school environment. It’s not one person’s responsibility to create success.
An area in which school leaders need to recognize their privilege and power is in their established disciplinary practices. Personal biases can influence disciplinary decisions. School leaders may react to different staff or students based on their own conflicts with that staff or student, or their own bias of the staff or student. This can lead to negative relationships and the possibility of contributing to the “school-to-prison” pipeline. School leaders need to check their privilege and hone their power to build the relationship with those who may have caused harm. In schools, transformational principals consistently model ethical and trustworthy behaviors… (Kaplan & Owings, 2015, p. 49). In building the relationship, the school leader can use their power to focus on restorative practices instead of punitive actions, and set a precedent on their campus that all can succeed even those who may have made mistakes along the way.
Conclusion
In conclusion, school leaders must also recognize the detrimental effects of discriminatory practices through data analysis, and collaborate with stakeholders to minimize, and ultimately eliminate, potential personal and institutional bias from the decision-making process. With this position comes privilege and power, and it is the school leader’s responsibility to use their privilege and power to make systematic changes that benefit positive change.
When becoming a school leader, it is their responsibility to commit to ethical and equitable conduct and practices, align their decision-making to the California educational laws, guidelines, and other relevant federal, state, and local requirements and regulations, and lead with the desire to inspire positive change within the educational institution.