Leadership and Achievement Education Assignment Paper (Essay Sample)

Leadership and Achievement
Leadership and Achievement
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Leadership and Achievement
Part2
It’s plain truth that leadership in the education sector has played an important role in helping children with SEN/Ds. The mission and vision of every school leadership to take their students from where they are right now and take them to their dreams and goals (SciencePG, 2012). Same to education, leadership is the one to help students achieve their goals.
The government and other non-governmental organizations have invested much funds and time in leadership to ensure the education sector has advanced. The government has put up leadership training colleges to ensure highly qualified teachers are in school. For example, in England, they have put in place training programs for teachers by constructing colleges to teach purely school leadership. Besides knowledge impacted into the students in the classroom, school leadership is of secondary importance. According to the researchers, of the students administered with good knowledge, a higher percentage of them will always excel in their studies (Whelan, 2009:78).
Good leadership in schools always comes by understanding the environment and specific role they will be playing in school. And it’s very important for leaders in schools to be able to understand the context in which they are leading in schools. For example, they should understand the type of school behavior and also know the reasons behind it. In addition to that, the school leaders should also be able to know how matters are conducted in schools, analyze social alienations, cultural and also the procedures of running the institution in order learning may go on well. There is key roles leadership serves to ensure the education sector goes on well.
Types of leadership models
First, there is the adaptive leadership. This is a leadership in schools which focus on leadership as a practice which will be used in situations where there are no solutions (Australian Public Service Commission, 2017). When using this type of leadership model, there are some rules to be followed. That is, in this leadership, a leadership will have to observe patterns and events and take data without making any assumptions about the data’s meaning or forming judgments. And finally, one will have to design interventions based on the observations and final the leader will have to make progress on the adaptive challenge. This leadership is very vital in schools especially when a problem has occurred which the action taken by one person can influence the others.
Secondly, there is the authoritative leadership. This type of leadership is usually exemplified when school leader dictates procedures and also policies, and he decides the kind of goals that need to be achieved in the class or school. Moreover, in this leadership model, the teacher has full control of the students. This type of leadership is very important in schools because the students always have some respect for the teacher because he is the one who controls everything and gives the instructions. The school will always run in order; the head teacher will be above the other teachers and the class teacher rule the class.
Another leadership model that is very important in schools is the team leader. This type of leadership involves someone providing direction or instructions in schools because of the purpose of achieving a goal. The one who is chosen to be the team leader reports to the one above him above till it reaches the overall head of the school. This model is very important in the education sector, in that when the students in class want to achieve a particular goal, they choose a team leader who will be able to lead them, same with the teachers.
Conditions Associated with the Success of a School
In a study conducted by Christopher Chapman et al (2012), they were able to highlight some of the conditions that lead to a school’s progress and the standards of leadership that assist to foster these operational terms. The first condition was culture and ethos. In this condition, the school leaders put all their manpower in the learning of each and every student. This condition is also characterized by the involvement of teachers even in the student’s personal life. The second condition was practiced. The condition promotes all round excellence in a student’s performance. From this study, there was a difference in practice from one school to the other. The common factor in this condition was the togetherness of staff members in regard to their students. Structure and systems were the third conditions. The conclusion drawn from this condition was that the schools had well-defined structure systems that could accommodate any learning challenge including children with special needs and disabilities. The fourth condition was leadership and management. School leaders were happy with how they manage their schools and how they are able to meet different cultures brought about by their students (Chapman et al., 2010).
However, these conditions are not a representation of every school. The atmosphere in a school influences a child’s learning ability. It is important for schools to adopt diversity since they are the pillars of the society. A child’s disability does not make them any different from their peers in terms of achievement. Exclusion of these students causes them not to reach their level of performance ability, hence placing them in the role of societal outcasts. In a report from Ofsted (2010), it is stated that those students who come from backgrounds that are not stable are more prone to exclusion from school. Hence, they eventually perform lower as compared to their counterparts. The saddening part in all this is that, even with the exposure the society has to the disabled and special needs children, nothing much is changing. The story still remains the same. School leaders need to realize that they play the biggest role in bringing about change. However, the government needs to place more effort in giving these students a standing in the society. Schools need to implement many improved structures that will not only support the SEN/D students but also give them an equal platform to compete with their peers. This will help greatly aid them in reaching their full potential.
Societal Contributions on a Student's Achievement
The society plays a big role in the performance of a child in school. The government is at a place where it is fighting for the SEN/D's rights. However, despite the efforts being made by the government to include the special needs and disabled children in mainstream schools, these children are still being excluded in the society. It is stated in the Lamb inquiry (2009) that, children in the special needs group are nearly eight times more prone to exclusion in their learning activities than their peers are. So where does this issue arise from and how can it be rectified? It is recommended to adopt the social model as a mechanism to solve this issue. The social model involves changing the school's structure, to accommodate all types of children with special needs. The prestige of any school is in its performance. No one disagrees with this since children go to school to learn and be the best they can in the society. The problem arises in cases where schools put more effort in their performance and their place in the society, that they disregard the inclusion of SEN/D. Without inclusion, these children continue to perform poorly. This norm is however not found in all schools. Some schools have a system that encourages the inclusion of special needs students and provides a platform in which these students can thrive. The society has sung the slogan that, ‘disability is not inability' for so long. However, few people put this to heart, and the society still views the SEN/D as a pariah. Changing this mentality is not easy. This is especially so in schools which face external pressure from parents and the society at large. Nevertheless, a change can come about if the beliefs and mentality of people change.
Relationship between Culture and Leadership
A person's culture determines their view points and how they lead. Therefore, an individual's decision making can be influenced by the cultural norm in the institution. This often at times act as a hindrance to change. On the other hand, a school may decide to adopt a much new culture where they are inclusive of the special needs children and those also with disabilities. Culture change can happen if the leaders are more open to newer things. That is why it is important for schools to interact with other schools. Through activities like benchmarking, schools are able to expose themselves to other school cultures, and this facilitates change. In a study conducted by Zollers, Ramanathan, and Yu, it was discovered that schools that have adopted successful inclusion, have some elements in common; funding, collaboration, visionary leaders, revising the utilization of the various assessments, promoting the staff and learners, involving parents effectively and adapting curricular practices that come along with instructional exercises.
Such students need to feel normal in order for them to achieve both in school and in life. Therefore, the expectations people place on them in regard to education needs to equal that of their peers. They also need their school leaders to not only encourage them but to believe in them. There is a clear symbiosis between leadership and achievement. The first step to a more accepting and accommodating society is with school leaders. In spite of a child's ability or disability, the world stands together in emphasizing the importance of education. However, the bigger question is, and still continues to be, where do we place students experiencing additional...