The Role of Education Leaders

The Role of Education Leaders

The Role of Education Leaders

Action Research Plan

Smith, Justin C.

Capella University

ED 5515 - Actions for Teacher Leaders

2109 Settle Circle

Atlanta, GA 30316

(678) 978 -1675

E-mail: justin_c_smith@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Instructor: Dr. Gary McDaniel

Introduction

In their textbook, Foundations of Education, Ornstein and Levine (2006, p.196) indicate that control over the American educational system is shared among four different levels of government - "local, intermediate (in some states), state and federal." Not having a national system of education, as many countries do, means that we have fifty separate and distinct state systems, each with a variety of local systems.

Many say control belongs to the school boards, yet William G. Howell, Assistant Professor of Government at Harvard University, claims that "Today, professional politicians drown out the voices and displace the visions of ...locally elected school boards" ("Besieged: School Boards," 2005). The school boards are composed of elected or appointed representatives, as mandated by state law. They represent the school districts, with power to control daily operational issues within their schools as delegated by the state educational systems (Ornstein and Levine, 2006). Data suggests that school boards share responsibility with principals and school based management teams. Larger school districts tend to have more centralized authority, thus making the decisions with regard to determining the curriculum used, hiring of new full-time teachers and establishing disciplinary policies, whereas principals in smaller districts have more autonomy and the freedom to make such decisions (Anderson, May 1993). School boards are charge with the following eight responsibilities: policy, staffing, employee relations, fiscal matters, students, curriculum and assessment, community relations and intergovernmental requirements. According to Howell, school boards have been hindered by the following four recent trends in reform of public education: "Site based management involving principals, parents and teachers rather than abiding by school board decisions; 2) Mayors and states taking over from school boards that do not meet the expectations of other political players; 3) Choice and voucher systems that may reduce the role of school boards to administrative functions such as health and safety of students; 4) Federal standards of accountability, epitomized by No Child Left Behind, which intrude on local board independence" At the local level, the school board, school superintendent, central office staff, and school principals all take part in governing and administering the schools. Local school boards have assumed significant decision making responsibility and exercise power over school property and personnel (Lehman, 1995).

Review of Literature

Intermediate units are assigned by the states to bridge the gap between state and local educational leadership. They serve in legal and political capacities, providing personnel resources, consulting services and specialized serviced that range from bilingual education to technology education. Over fifty percent of states have intermediate units in place, composed of twenty to thirty school districts on average within a fifty square mile radius.

State government is responsible for carrying out federal mandates that relate to education, enacting legislation, creating and maintaining schools, influencing the use of state taxes for schools and gives powers of taxation to local school districts. The state board of education both serves the state legislature and is dependent on it for both appropriation of funds and authority. It performs such acts as: Implementing educational legislation, determining qualifications, establishing standards for teacher and administrator certification, managing educational funds, creating advisories dictated by law, and establishing policies, rules and regulations in regard to all educational matters. They also adopt policies regulating institutions of higher learning. By contrast, the state department of education serves under the state board of education and is responsible for carrying out the laws mandated by the state legislature as well as the state board regulations (Ornstein and Levine, 2006). The state legislature, subject to the restriction of the state constitution, can modify a local district's jurisdiction, change its boundaries and powers or even eliminate it altogether. In most states, the legislature is primary responsible for establishing and maintains public school and broad powers to enact laws pertaining to school education (Ornstein & Levine 2006).

A law is the product of a constitutional process. School laws are ratified by either the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. or by a state government in a state capital. Since, the laws governing schools in Georgia come from Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia. Most school laws are passed by the states. As a result, laws can, and sometimes do, differ greatly from state to state. The Federal Government has become more and more active in passing school law during the last 40 years. Therefore, Congress makes the policies that govern schools. It is left up to each state to ensure that they are in compliance with what the federal government has decided pertaining to policies and guidelines (Hockok and Ladner)

. Curriculum in the United States varies widely from district to district. Not only do schools offer an incredible range of topics and quality, but private schools may include religious classes as mandatory for attendance, this also causes the problem of government funding vouchers (Hockok & Ladner 1). As we examine curriculum we will take a look at activities that relate to curriculum. First we examine the official curriculum, controlled by forces that often work at cross purposes. These forces include the state legislature, state education agency, state board of education, chief state school officer, local board of education, superintendent, principals, curriculum directors, and supervisors (Lehman, 1995). Secondly,