Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Chapter Nine
Leadership

The Organizational Structures That Support Rigor

[The highest level] leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful; humble and fearless. To quickly grasp this concept, think of United States President Abraham Lincoln . . . who never let his ego get in the way of his primary ambition for the larger cause of an enduring great nation.1

Content Sections:

• California’s Distributed Educational Leadership Structure
  
  
• County Leadership
  
  
• Regional Leadership—Creating a Culture of Learning
  • California Middle Grades Alliance
  • California Middle Grades Partnership Network (CMGPN)
  • California League of Middle Schools (CLMS)
  • Association of California School Administrators—Middle Grades Council
  • California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA)
  • Regional System of District and School Support (RSDSS)
    
    
• School District Leadership
  
  
• Local Governing Boards
  • Professional collaboration among board members
  • Local governing board support for aligning curriculum with the standards
  • Local governing board support for articulation
  • Fiscal support from the local governing board
    • Compliance with the Williams case
    • Support for facilities that are safe and attractive
    • Support for instructional technology
    • Support for professional development
      
    
    
• School District Superintendents
  • Set the vision
  • Keep a focus on accountability
  • Provide curriculum and instructional leadership
    
    
• School Site Leadership
  
  
• Principals—The Learning Leaders
  • Create a climate for learning
  • Lead professional learning
  • Ensure availability of instructional resources
  • Lead data analysis
  • Hold teachers accountable
  • Hire and retain qualified teachers
  • Assign teachers/team placements
  • Connect families
    
    
• Distributed Leadership
  • Teacher leadership
  • School site council (SSC) leadership
    • Single Plan for Student Achievement
    • Categorical Program Monitoring
  • Parent and family leadership
  • Student leadership
    
    
• Education Technology Leadership
  • Educational technology leadership roles
    
    
• Technology Support for Leaders
  • Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL)
  • TechSETS
  • Total cost of ownership and maintenance issues
  • Network and computer security
  • Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
  • E-mail
  • Web sites and Web portals
  • Professional organizations and tools
  • Online fund-raising
    
    
• Conclusion

• Appendices
  • Appendix 9-A. Leadership Recommendation in Action
  • Appendix 9-B. Teaming Practices Related to Leadership
  • Appendix 9-C. Leadership: Chart of Related Initiatives on Middle Grades Reform
  • Appendix 9-D. Online and Print Resources on Leadership

Footnote
1Jim Collins, Good to Great. New York: Harper Business, 2001, p. 22.

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