We often overlook the level of management, coordination, and competence in action behind the scenes by leaders in school settings who take charge in delivering the learning experience.
The reality is, educational leadership can be daunting for its highly required combination of experience, skills, and knowledge.
Positive leadership in education is important because itโs the core driving force behind the education and empowerment of future generations.
Not only does it boost the pipeline of upcoming educators, but school leaders who adopt a strategic managerial lens can help facilitate inclusive, safe, and equitable learning for all.
Whether youโre considering a role as a principal, curriculum coordinator, or head of a subject department, preparation and upskilling will be required to help you transition into the role. Hereโs how you can prepare for a leadership role in education.ย
Shift into the Mindset
It all starts with the mind. Limiting belief through doubt or assumption that this role may be too big for you can suppress your thoughts and prevent you from achieving any career progression.
The educational leadership mindset is also one that adopts a considerate and harmonious approach and welcomes everyone.
This can come down to the language you use, such as saying โour schoolโ, โour teamโ, and โour studentsโ rather than just โmyโ.
Small changes such as these help draw you to the overall end goal and encourage you to take initiative towards developing an educational leadership mindset – one that is more considerate of their team and the common goal.ย
Shifting into an educational leadership mindset also allows you to maintain a positive culture, even in times of dealing with change and managing conflict.
An educational leadership mind is one that constantly rethinks the system and current processes and looks for ways to optimize.
Dealing with dinosaur computers and seeking out a deal with an IT company to provide newer and advanced PCs for your students, for example. Getting into an innovative mentality is a good trait for effective educational leadership thinking.ย
Prioritize Continuous Learning
Climbing up the career ladder means you need to be continuously learning. An effective attitude to help propel you into becoming a competent leader in education is always keeping an open mind that is willing to learn.
You can consider completing online modules and short courses, or even undertake formal education through a Doctorate in Educational Leadership online.
Continuous learning can also take the form of seeking out a mentor who can provide you with advice and guidance in your career or attending networking events, seminars, and conferences to stay up to date with the latest in the educational sector.
Whatever you choose, there are many avenues to increasing your knowledge and developing the skills needed to be a leader.
Always question and critically assess what currently works. Educational leaders who excel at what they do are asking questions to help themselves evaluate the school setting, the students, and the needs that are or should be met.
Doing so not only helps you self-improve but also drives forward the building blocks that benefit your professional development and elevate your institution as a place of learning.
Take Risks
Asking questions and evaluating current processes can reveal fixes that need to be made, especially in systems that have remained unchanged for a long time.
It can be very easy for educators to remain in a routine of what has always worked, especially from preschool up to senior year.
These might be convenient for teachers, but with half of the US adult population claiming that K-12 education is declining in quality, you gotta ask yourself – is it actually helping students? This is where taking risks as an educational leader is important.ย
It all begins within management at learning institutions. As a leader in education, youโre required to have the determination, courage, and drive to take risks through testing and introducing new ideas and concepts if you wish to see positive change in your school.
Never be afraid to start small. Even strides such as attending a conference, drawing up an entirely new initiative, and researching new policies are all stepping stones that can help bring about improvements in your organization. Taking risks is necessary for educational leadership.
Stepping up to the plate of educational leadership is no simple task. But with the right guidance, mindset, and decision-making approach, you are guaranteed to elevate into such roles that may be more rewarding to your career and professional development.
