Florida Educational Leadership Standard 2: Instructional Leadership
Florida Educational Leadership Standards
Standard 2: Instructional Leadership
Standard 2: Instructional Leadership – High Performing Leaders promote a positive learning
culture, provide an effective instructional program, and apply best practices to student
learning, especially in the area of reading and other foundational skills.
Knowledge
I have the knowledge and understanding of:
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Student growth and development
Applied learning theories
Applied motivational theories
Curriculum design, implementation, evaluation, and refinement
Principles of effective instruction
Measurement, evaluation, and assessment strategies
Diversity and its meaning for educational programs
Adult learning and professional development models
The change process for systems, organizations, and individuals
The role of technology in promoting student learning and professional growth
School cultures
Dispositions
I believe in, value and am committed to:
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Student learning as the fundamental purpose as schooling
The proposition that all students can learn
The variety of ways in which students can learn
Life long learning for self and others
Professional development as an integral part of school improvement
The benefits that diversity brings to the school community
A safe and supportive learning environment
Preparing students to be contributing members of society
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Florida Educational Leadership Standard 2: Instructional Leadership
Skills
Throughout my internship experience and coursework at FGCU I have learned and evidenced
through integrated essays and artifacts the following list. As an administrator I will facilitate
processes and engage in activities ensuring that:
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All individuals are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect
Professional development promotes a focus on student learning consistent with the
school vision and goals
Students and staff feel valued and important
The responsibilities and contributions of each individual are acknowledged
Barriers to student learning are identified, clarified, and addressed
Diversity is considered in developing learning experiences
Lifelong learning is encouraged and modeled
There is a culture of high expectations for self, student, and staff performance
Technologies are used in teaching and learning
Student and staff accomplishments are recognized and celebrated
Multiple opportunities to learn are available to all students
The school is organized and aligned for success
Curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs are designed, implemented,
evaluated, and refined
Curriculum decisions are based on research, expertise of teachers, and the
recommendations of learned societies
The school culture and climate are assessed on a regular basis
A variety of sources of information is used to make decisions
Student learning is assessed using a variety of techniques
Multiple sources of information regarding performance are used by staff and students
A variety of supervisory and evaluation models is employed
Pupil personnel programs are developed to meet the needs of students and their
families
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 2: Instructional Leadership
The fundamental purpose of schooling is student learning. The principal is the educational
leader who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that this occurs. Educational leaders take on
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many roles; they manage, they operate, and they decide. Above all, they influence the norms,
values, and culture of a school. A school where student learning is a norm, is valued, and is
integrated into the culture will be effective and successful. According to a Mid-continent
research for education (McREL) study there is a significant correlation between principal
leadership and student achievement (Florida Department of Education, 2006).
Through the development of organizational culture, a combination of shared norms, beliefs,
values, that center on student learning, administrators have the responsibility to ensure that a
commitment to relevant curriculum and best instructional practices are a key factor in the
shared vision of the school. In this way, the school administrator is the steward of the
curriculum in a school.
“The curriculum is all of the educative experiences learners have in an educational program,
the purpose of which is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives that have been
developed within a framework of theory and research, past and present professional practice,
and the changing needs of society”. Curriculum goals can be grouped into two broad areas
generally agreed upon by scholars: goals that relate to society and its values, and goals that
relate to the individual learner and his or her needs, interests, and abilities. Five broad, general
curriculum goals, which can be used to argue the purpose of schooling include citizenship,
equal educational opportunity, vocation, self-realization, and critical thinking (Anctil, Hass &
Parkay, 2006).
Human development knowledge gives administrators, curriculum planners, and teachers
that ability to utilize and design curricula that focus on the nature and needs of individual
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learners. The generally accepted stages of human development include infancy, childhood,
early adolescence, middle adolescence, late adolescence, and adulthood. The childhood stage
is typically experienced in a student’s elementary schooling; the adolescent phases occurring
through middle and high schooling. Understanding the needs of learners at various levels of
education is a useful tool in guiding curriculum. Humans have much in common as learners, but
human nature also causes us to be individuals with specific needs and differences, making it
difficult to define the development of a human at any particular age. Five aspects to human
development which are used to guide curriculum planning and planning for instruction include
the biological basis of individual differences, physical maturation, intellectual development and
achievement, emotional growth and development, and cultural and social development (Anctil,
Hass & Parkay, 2006).
Several theories of human development have had influence over curriculum planning in the
last century. Many of these theories determine that there is a fixed order to developmental
changes, and learning occurs as each person passes through the stages. Jean Piaget developed
a theory of cognitive development. His theory suggests that children learn through interacting
with their environment and that a child’s thinking progresses through a sequence of four
cognitive stages. Erikson developed a model of psychosocial development which follows a
person’s emotional growth through eight stages of life, each involving some sort of
psychosocial crisis that must be overcome before moving onto the next stage. John Dewey, a
theorist well-known in the educational field, developed a cognitive-development approach that
recognized that moral education also has its basis in stimulating the active thinking of a child
about moral issues and decisions. Lawrence Kohlberg, building off of Dewey and Piaget’s
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theories of moral development, developed a model for moral education which suggests that
people progress through levels of development when reasoning the difference between right
and wrong (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004).
In the Educational Leadership course Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction I
constructed a timeline of Historical Foundations of curriculum, cross referenced with relevant
legislation, political and economic events, and the party in power. This timeline,
Artifact 2-1
Timeline.doc
outlines the onset of behavior and cognitive theories, including the influence of
John Dewey as he came onto the education scene.
While not defined but generally agreed upon, learning is a change in an individual’s
knowledge or behavior that results from experience. There are two families of learning and
motivation theories, behavioral and cognitive, each with a significant amount of underlying
subgroups. An administrator needs to understand the key features of each family, as they lead
and support the school teacher in incorporating various forms of instructional strategies in
school lessons. Because the learner has unique and individual needs, most curriculums are
based on both learning theories.
Behavioral learning theories focus on changes in behavior that can be observed, which are a
result of stimulus-response associations made by the learner. Learning is a result of the design,
not an accident. Reward response is a major component of stimulus-response learning
theories, in that a response must be rewarded in order for learning to take place. John B.
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Watson and B.F. Skinner, are considered the two developers of the behaviorist approach to
learning (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
Cognitive learning theories focus on the mental processes people use as they acquire new
knowledge and skill. This is an unobservable behavior, because the cognitive process involves
processing, storage, and retrieval of information from the brain. The source of learning for the
cognitive theory, is the individuals own original actions and thoughts. Cognitive learning
theories emphasize personal meaning, generalizations, principles, advance organizers, discover
learning, coding, and superordinate categories (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
A current education practice which finds its roots in cognitive learning theory is the use of
Thinking Maps. Thinking Maps are a set of eight visual tools use to graphically represent the
following thought processes: defining in context, describing, cause and effect, compare and
contrast, classifying, building analogies, part to whole, and sequencing. Utilizing the maps
creates a connection in the brain between the thought process and the actual content being
used with the map. This program was adapted by Osceola Elementary and I was given the
opportunity to serve as a trainer for staff. See
Artifact 2-2 Thinking
Maps Trainer.docx
for further detail.
Motivation is the explanation of why people do the things that they do. Motivational
patterns are evident in human behavior, observable through one’s direction of decisions,
persistence, and intensity. Motivation also falls into two families (approaches) of behaviorist
and cognitive. Extrinsic views, behaviorist approach, of motivation states that people are
motivated by external rewards and punishments. Intrinsic views, cognitive or humanist
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approach, states that people are motivated by internal capacities, such as aspirations,
perceptions, attitudes, or thoughts that can be motivating or demotiviating (Owens & Valesky,
2007).
A student’s learning style is the approach to learning that works best for them. There is no
one size fits all when it comes to learning styles. All students are capable of learning. Finding
the learning styles and instructional strategies that fit with individual students is part of the
responsibility of an administrator in their role as the instructional leader. A school that chooses
one approach will not be successful, as they will not be meeting the needs of all the learners.
Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that there are numerous ways in
which individuals connect with the world, and are therefore attributed to learn better through
different approaches.
Throughout my experience in the Educational Leadership program I have spent a significant
amount of time learning about Exceptional Student Education. I have researched the history
Artifact 2-3A
Artifact 2-3B
Inclusion History.doc Inclusion History.ppt
, law, theory, and current best practices for students with
disabilities.
In 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), was reauthorized and
amended. The changes made to IDEA affect the way that educational stakeholders, including
administrators, teachers, parents, and related service providers, provide quality education,
special education and related services, and early intervention for students with disabilities.
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The principal is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the practices of the school meet the
legal requirements of IDEA, but they are also a key component in so much more. Principals
must make certain that their school meets the diverse needs of students and their families
through many facets of the school including the organization, curriculum and instruction, staff
development, school climate, and assessment (Warger, Eavy & Associates, 2001).
IDEA was developed to guarantee that children with disabilities have access to a free
appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE involves special education and related services
designed to meet their individual and unique needs, ultimately preparing students for life postschooling. The principal has many responsibilities in the implementation of IDEA that are laid
out in Standards of Excellence written by the National Association of Elementary School
Principals (NAESP). Categories of Standards of Excellence which fall to the responsibility of the
principal are organization, leadership, curriculum and instruction, staff development, school
climate, and assessment (Warger, Eavy & Associates, 2001).
There are three NAESP Standards of Excellence pertaining to Curriculum and Instruction
which are the responsibility of the school principal: 1. There is an established curriculum
framework that provides direction for teaching and learning, 2. The common core of learning is
supported by adequate financial and material resources, and 3. Effective instructional practices
are essential to accomplishing the schools mission (Warger, Eavy & Associates, 2001).
A NAESP Standard of Excellence in the organization category is that Placement and grouping
practices are determined by child needs. Guidelines for principals in meeting this Standard of
Excellence include the principal ensuring that placement decisions are made by a placement
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group including the parent and child, understanding special education is not a place but a
system of instruction and services to ensure opportunity, ensuring all children are full
participants in the school community, implementing procedures consistent with the overall
intent of the IEP team, and ensuring that both regular and special educators share responsibility
for the educational achievement of children with disabilities (Warger, Eavy & Associates, 2001).
There are different ways of organizing the special education system within schools that
are believed to be successful. The law states that students must be placed in the least
restrictive environment (LRE), meaning “that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with
disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are
education with children who are nondisabled; and that special classes, separate schooling or
other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs
only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the
use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily”. The law also states
in regards to placement that “each public agency shall ensure that a child with a disability is not
removed from education in age-appropriate regular classrooms solely because of needed
modifications in the general curriculum” (Warger, Eavy & Associates, 2001).
It is my belief that the Inclusion method of schooling is the best practice to meet the needs
students and IDEA. While inclusion has been in development over the past century, only in
recent decades has it become a widely used and accepted system of special education. There is
little empirical evidence to suggest that inclusion does or does not result in student
achievement, making this a prime area for future study. For details see the following artifact
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 2: Instructional Leadership
Artifact 2-3C
Inclusion Today.doc
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on inclusion research from the course Foundations of Curriculum and
Instruction.
I was fortunate to have completed half of my practicum at a full inclusion school. Osceola
Elementary School opened 7 years ago as a fully inclusive school. All staff members, students,
and families were made aware of this from the inception, as it was a part of the shared vision of
the school. The mission of Osceola Elementary is to provide and outstanding education for
EVERY student. Working with organizations such as the Florida Inclusion Network (FIN) and the
district ESE department, Osceola teachers became versed in concepts such as co-teaching,
accommodations to meet specific student needs, and collaborative planning.
Inclusive education is “a core value and set of practices that support the belief that all
students in a school, regardless of their strengths, weaknesses, or labels – should be full
members of the general education school community, with their individual needs met within
that general education contexts” (Sapon-Shevin, 2007). The preceding comes from the book
Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms. See
Artifact 2-4 Widening
Circle Book Review.docx
for a detailed
review of the book from the course School Curriculum.
Curriculum planning is founded upon three bases; social forces, theories of human
development, and the nature of learning and learning styles. These three bases give way to
many different designs that can be followed when planning a curriculum. Deciding on a
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curriculum for a school or district is no simple task. There are many factors that come into play
such as the social forces on the learning community, the vision of the school, norms, values,
and culture of the school (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006). The history of curriculum development
reads a path of change, development, and adaption. The following artifact
Artifact 2-5
Approaches Chart.doc
outlines various curriculum development approaches over the past century.
The Tyler Rationale lays our four leading questions when considering the planning or
selection of a curriculum for a school or district. The Tyler Rationale questions include:
1. What education purpose should the school seek to attain?
2. What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?
3. How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?
4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?
Tyler’s model was considered a modern view of curriculum design when first introduced. He
described developing curriculum as a mechanical rational approach that could be systematically
followed in any context with any group of students. Recent theory however, considers this
method to be too constricting and that curriculum design is shifting to be based on diverse
voices, meanings, and points of view (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
The curriculum development process typically begins with an analysis of the knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and values that students should be able to convey at the completion of a unit of
study. Things to consider at this phase in curriculum development include the desired balance
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between the acquisition of content and mastery of processes, sequencing of content, students’
prior knowledge, identifying methods for assessing student learning, short-term versus longterm performance, and quality versus quantity. A basic unit of study should have the following
components at a minimum: 1. Introduction, 2. Objectives, 3. Content of Unit, 4. Methods and
Activities, 5. Teaching Materials and/or Resources, and 6. Assessment of Student Learning
(Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
Since the 1990’s there has been a significant shift in curriculum development towards
standards based education. Content standards, refers to the agreed upon knowledge and skills
that students should obtain in various academic areas. These are often subdivided into
benchmarks which give specific statements of what students should be able to do at specific
grade level or developmental stages. In 2002 the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) required that
states create standards for math, reading, and science. All students were required to be tested
using assessments aligned with the standards. Each state, district, and school are expected to
make Adequate Yearly Progress towards meeting those standards, by sorting students test
results into subgroups for economically disadvantaged, racial or ethnic minority groups,
disabilities, or limited English proficiency. An additional component of NCLB is for all students
to be “technologically literate” by the end of eighth grade (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
Curriculum is the “what” and instruction is the “how”. Successful school leaders will foster
an effective learning environment by encouraging and expecting the use of appropriate
instructional methods paired with meaningful curriculum. Teachers will use different
instructional methods for teaching various subjects as well as students. The school principal, as
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 2: Instructional Leadership
the instructional leader must ensure that all teachers are trained and versed in a variety of
instructional methods. Through teacher observations and staff development records, the
principal has information as to what instructional tools a teacher possesses. As the
instructional leader, the principal must work towards strengthening the human capital of all
staff. This can be done many ways. Encourage collaboration between staff members who
share different strengths, conduct staff development needs assessments and plan for staff
development using the data, study student performance data to find areas of strength and
areas of weakness. Then, use that information to brainstorm, research, and obtain various
instructional methods.
Models of teaching, because they are designed to meet different needs and present
different content, are pulled from areas of student and theory such as behavioral psychology,
human development, cognitive processes, and social interaction. Five common models of
teaching are mastery learning, cooperative learning, theory into practice, behavior
modification, and nondirective teaching (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
Each of these models of teaching must include a component which assesses the student
learning. Assessment is much more than taking and passing a test. Assessment provides
teachers with information that can be used to determine student learning of material, to
identify type of feedback that will enhance student learning, to develop strategies for
improving their effectiveness as teachers, and to determine if students have reached certain
levels of performance. In addition to student assessment, curriculums must be assessed and
evaluated as well (Anctil, Hass & Parkay, 2006).
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I participated in a group curriculum writing project during the class School Curriculum. The
requirements of this project were to develop a curriculum plan using an identified model. We
were required to articulate current social aims, forces, and problems impacting the curriculum,
apply knowledge and theories of human development, apply knowledge about how learning
occurs, apply knowledge of the nature of knowledge, formulate and justify an set of criteria for
evaluation a teaching plan, explain the roles of various persons in curriculum planning and
change, identify, describe, and evaluate characteristic features, trends, and innovations of
education programs, accommodate current reform initiatives, and develop skill in integrating
the knowledge and using the processes required for effective curriculum planning. This project
follows the curriculum writing process from inception to final project. See
Artifact 2-6
Curriculum Writing.doc
.
Understanding diversity, embracing it, and realizing the benefits that it brings to a school
community is an important aspect if being an instructional leader. All population projections
point to continued growth in diversity in the years ahead. Unfortunately in today’s world many
view diversity as a problem. Pedro Noguera believes this is due to the fact that American
schools have historically seen cultural assimilation of immigrants and non-whites as central to
their mission. While the arrival of new groups, especially racial minorities, often leads to racial
conflict and the venting of various kinds of prejudice and intolerance. Too often, those receiving
the new arrivals feel threatened and insecure and react with hostility and resentment
(Noguera, 1999).
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Multi cultural education, a school reform movement, if implemented properly has the
potential to transform schools in ways that will enable them to prepare students to live and
function effectively in the coming century where the nation’s student population is expected to
have become dramatically more diverse (Banks, 1995).
Educational theory, curriculum, and instructional strategies are dynamic. To keep up with
the times, and best serve our students organizations must have the willingness to experiment.
The will to always do better triggers the ability to change. A culture for change needs to be
programmed into an organization's method of operating (IBM, 2002).
The school administrator must be the captain who guides the wheel of change. The
goals of education, whatever they may be for a particular school, district, community, state, or
nation will be reached by the direction of the instructional leader.
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References
Anctil, E.J, Hass, G., & Parkay, F.W. (2006). Curriculum planning: A contemporary approach.
(8th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Banks, J.A. (1995). Multicultural education and curriculum transformation. The Journal of Negro
Education, 64(4), 390-400.
Florida Department of Education. (2006). Florida school leaders: The William Cecil Golden
school leadership development program. https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/
IBM. (2002). Change toolkit. http://www.reinventingeducation.org
Noguera, P. (1999). Confronting the challenge of diversity. School Administrator 56(5), 16-19.
Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2004). Curriculum foundations, principles, and issues (fourth
ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Owens, R.G. & Valesky, T.C. (2007). Organizational behavior in education: Adaptive leadership
and school reform (9th ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Sapon-Shevin, M. (2007). Widening the circle: The power of inclusive classrooms. Boston, MA:
Beacon Press.
Warger, Eavy & Associates. (2001). Implementing IDEA: A guide for principals. Arlington VA:
Council for Exceptional Children.