1. Identify at least two educational leadership theories that you could use to lead the process of developing the strategic plan with the school principals. 2. Describe how the educational leadership theories would be applied. Provide detailed examples supported by research. 3. Discuss how the selected educational leadership theories would influence your decisions and actions. Provide detailed examples supported by research. 4. Determine the most effective educational leadership theory. 5. Defend your choice of the most effective educational leadership theory. Explain why this theory would be the most effective. Provide a synthesis of the research to support your choice. Scenario You have been recently appointed to a school-district level position in a school district that serves approximately 55,000 students (mid-sized) in a suburban school district. You are excited about the possibilities of this appointment and having the opportunity to make a positive impact on student achievement. As you study the demographics of the school district’s population, you find that the student demographics of the school district are as follows: White—40% African American—15 % Hispanic/Latino—25% Asian—12 % Two or more races—8% In addition, 55% of the students qualify for free and reduced meals, and 25% of the students are identified as being English language learners (ELLs) and are enrolled in English as a second language (ESL) services. As you review the student testing data for the district, you note that no student group in any of the district’s middle schools (Grades 6, 7, or 8) met proficiency in reading on the state test. You discuss the situation with other district leaders. You hear a variety of possible causes, including low teacher morale, over-referrals to special education, an overwhelming number of new district mandates that take teacher time away from instruction, large numbers of students who do not speak English as a first language, large numbers of students being suspended for misbehavior, and poor communication of instructional objectives between principals and teachers. You convene a meeting with school principals to get their input on the causes. They explain that the school district recently switched to a new middle school reading curriculum. Teachers did not receive appropriate professional development on the new reading curriculum, especially in how to provide the instruction to students who are struggling readers or who do not speak English as a first language. They say that teachers are also concerned about student behavior interfering with classroom instruction. Principals say that teachers often send students out of the classroom to the office, and the students are frequently suspended. Everyone is frustrated. Some of the principals admit to feeling that the situation is hopeless.
