Leadership Beyond Compliance
More and more Tweets, professional articles, and trainings in education focus on leadership and are not confined to traditional educational leaders – principals, superintendents, and directors. There is a call for leadership at all levels, in the teaching profession and among students, to contribute toward a better educational experience in schools.
We celebrated leadership this past month in several ways. Sixty high school students were inducted into the National Honor Society on October 9th. In addition to demonstrating scholarship, inductees must exhibit service, character, and leadership. North Providence Police Chief Col. David Tikoian was asked to speak at the induction ceremony due to his role as a leader in our state. Through his service in the Rhode Island State Police and now, as the North Providence Police Chief, he works tirelessly to serve the community.
This same month, nearly 50 Gallagher Middle School and Smithfield High School students were trained by the Anti-Defamation League to serve as peer leaders in an effort to recognize bias, value diversity, and improve relationships and school culture.
Why focus on leadership? It certainly can’t be any type of leadership that brings about greatness because we have plenty of governmental, educational, and business leaders and all do not realize excellence. David Culberhouse, an educational leader and writer, posits, “the leaders who’ll have real impact will be those who move past compliance into creativity… beyond implementation into innovation.” (@DCulberhouse, Sep 24, 2015)
If we accept Culberhouse’s argument, we then need to ask what we are doing in Smithfield that moves us “past compliance into creativity” and “beyond implementation into innovation.” The Rhode Island legislature and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education certainly keep us busy just keeping up with compliance and implementation. A tight budget provides another challenge. Excuses are plentiful but cannot be used as a barrier to creativity and innovation.
Administrators still need to complete their lesson observations, submit their budget, and ensure safety. Teachers still need to teach to standards, assess student learning, and provide a positive classroom environment. Students still need to engage in their learning, complete homework, and be respectful. All of this is hard work in itself. Getting beyond the compliance to creativity and innovation will distinguish the leaders among us and will ensure that we provide students with more than mediocrity.
Our district improvement efforts include a focus on expanding world language programming and on applying a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle of continual improvement. An initiative to improve school libraries doesn’t simply contemplate staffing and book collections but ponders the design of learning commons that include “maker spaces,” technology access, and project work space. A focus on grant writing across the district doesn’t just set out to bring in additional resources but also aims to spur innovation and creativity.
As we continue to do our work as educational leaders, teacher leaders, student leaders, and community leaders, let’s challenge ourselves to stretch beyond compliance to true innovation. 2,405 students are counting on us.
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