ISLCC Standards in a School Setting, Essay Example

Introduction

Over the last 2 years the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA), has strived towards revision of the ISLLC standards.  These policies were approved by the Governing Board in December 2007 and enacted in 2008 ISLCC Standards 2008.  6 standards were identified to promote better leadership, vision and performance standards in the School system.  One of the motivating forces being to provide a common set of skill standards, thereby setting measurement criteria or benchmarks.

The six standards identified are as follows:

“(1) Setting a widely shared vision of learning; (2) Developing a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth; (3) Ensuring effective management of the organization, operation, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment; (4) Collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources; (5) Acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner; and (6) Understanding, responding to, and influencing the political, social, legal, and cultural contexts”  (Wright, 2007, October)

Each School administrative function is expected to develop their own action plan in order to develop the ISLLC standards as best practice guidelines.

Getting the Actions Into Our School Setting

Standard 1: Setting a Wide Shared Vision of School Learning

• Adopt a framework that clearly articulates the Schools’ mission statement and the underpinning goals and objectives that will help to achieve it;
• Promote a culture of organizational learning, whereby lessons learned are translated into remedial action statements for the future;
• Ensure that the goals and objectives are translated into a proper project planning tool e.g. Microsoft project, such that they can be tracked and reported on;
• Ensure, in association with the plan, that progress is tracked. Conduct appropriate fine tuning to retain integrity of the plan. Ensure adequate flexibility in the plan i.e. don’t make the plan too rigid

Standard 2: Development of Culture and Instructional Program

• Foster an environment of mutual respect, learning, collaboration and high expectations of quality in the learning environment;
• Ensure students remain highly motivated by sustaining a learning environment that promotes a challenging and comprehensive curriculum
• Develop the leadership capacity of the staff, providing adequate training particularly in the more  junior staff;
• Ensure that their remains a currency in the educational learning environment with particular focus on the use of computers and technology;
• Periodically evaluate the instruction program to ensure expectations are being met. Make any corrective actions to maintain high standards.

Standard 3: Effective Management of the Organization

• Ongoing monitoring of the management / administration and operating environment. Ensure appropriate benchmarks are being achieved and maintained. Fine tune as considered appropriate;
• Develop a clear and comprehensive Health and Safety policy that looks after the welfare of the students;
• Ensure the full range of resources are allocated in order to maintain an efficient school administrative function;
• Ensure that leadership is evenly distributed throughout the School and that a clear command and control structure is maintained;
• Emphasis on quality teaching and student learning is paramount and needs to be maintained.

Standard 4: Collaborating With the Faculty & Community

This standard is about diversity and effective communications. Administrations must be holistic by nature and both receive and transmit communications from a range of different sources:

• Maintain a database of information and knowledge specific to the school learning environment;
• Promote the schools diversity in terms of culture, education, learning, social  and  intellectual capacity
• Build and maintain relationships with all stakeholders of the school e.g. sponsors, parents, governors, education committees etc.

Standard 5: Ethics and Integrity

• Foster an environment of equity whereby all students have an equal chance to be successful;
• Develop an ethical policy and widely distribute amongst staff and pupils. Ensure that all comply to an ethical code of conduct that upholds the high moral and integrity standards of the school;
• Promote social justice providing student have adequate coverage of all their schooling needs;

Standard 6: Political, Social, Legal, and Cultural Contexts

• Become an advocate for Children, Families and Caregivers;
• Become an influencing voice in local, state and national interests that impact the school and pupil educational values;
• Examine future trends and try to remain abreast of strategic thinking, ensuring the School remains a leading institution (CCSSO, 2008)

Conclusions

The following statement sums up the need for properly formulated standards.. ” The new standards are designed to serve as broad national policy standards that states use as a national model for developing their own standards. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Program Standards guide planning, implementing, and accrediting of administrator preparation programs. Assessment standards provide test specifications to determine how licensed administrators should demonstrate entry-level knowledge and skills. Evaluation standards guide how practicing administrators should be evaluated as they move toward expert performance.  Practice standards can be used to establish professional career plans and guide professional development as leaders demonstrate continuous improvement toward expert performance.”  (Anon, 2008)

School Administrators are no different to any other professionals in a number of key areas:

1. They need Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in order to retain currency of leadership and administrative skills;
2. The need to subscribe to a Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics;
3. They need to be measured for performance an quality expectations. As such standards form an important benchmark of that evaluative process.

Works Cited

Anon. (2008, 11 21). National Policy Board for Educational Administration. Retrieved 10 31, 2009, from National Policy Board for Educational Administration: http://www.npbea.org/projects.php

CCSSO. (2008). Educational Leadership Policies and Standards. Washington DC: CCSSO.

Wright, G. &. (2007, October). Paper on a program presented at the Association for counsel or Education Supervision Conference. Columbia OH.