Central Office + Campus Leaders = Sustainable Leadership

Let's Talk CO and Campus Leaders

    "A key force leading to meaningful. long-term change is leadership sustainability" (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Do you agree with this statement when applied to campus leaders and the central office? Central Office staff members are our behind-the-scenes staff members. Campus Leaders are the ones physically in the "trenches" right? I hear colleagues often communicate that we are top-heavy with central office personnel. I too at times struggle with this same idea when I just need a little more support and cannot seem to get in touch with the right person or I've waited days for an email reply. Frustrating, right?  However, where the problem lies is teachers do not understand the roles of Central Office staff members or even know/comprehend their job descriptions. This piece is what I believe makes teachers not visualize the work they are doing. Further clarification would be beneficial. 

    Central Office focuses on articulating the goal of the district, developing our mission statement, and working toward executing a plan for the successful achievement of the goal and district mission. The mission that is created is what impacts our instruction in the classroom. The mission helps provide resources to support the educational process. Our Campus Leaders, must take the mission and goal and share the vision with their staff members. The mission guides the teaching process and sets the tone for expectations of student learning. We all must "carry the torch" by sharing responsibility in order to spread the message that impacts our student's success (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Central Office should efficiently serve the community in addition to the students. Campus Leaders are involved with the community as we mentioned needing to share responsibility for student success. Community involvement looks a little different for Campus Leaders, but is necessary on both ends. Networking is a form of resource used to help both Central Office and Campus Leaders, but their networking is done among different colleagues. Central Office staff would be meeting with parties to look into overcoming countervailing pressures that the state places on them, however, campus leaders are looking into more campus specifics, such as behavior, discipline, demographics, programs, attendance, and any other important data (Grove, 2002). 

    Hargreaves and Fink mentioned a great point about ensuring campus leaders are being socially just by not just being campus-focused and looking into confirming that benefits will occur across the district and accepting that their actions on their campus do impact other campuses within their district (2004). We had a similar situation in a neighboring district that appeared they would send specific students to one elementary school. Ultimately, that was eliminated by new Central Office staff. Therefore, this shows that Central Office is supportive and communicates expectations. I do think teachers can become confused by district expectations and campus expectations, they should align, but that does not all exist. 

    This brings me to my closing, Central Office staff maintain consistency throughout as they develop the items in place in order to support all involved. This is impactful for instruction. We need strong, lasting leaders at both Central Office and Campus Levels to ensure "meaningful improvements in learning" (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Sustainable leadership will happen when the proper blend of Central Office and Campus Leaders has been achieved. 

References

Grove, K. F. (2002, May 1). The invisible role of the Central Office. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-invisible-role-of-the-central-office)

Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2004, April 1). The Seven Principles of sustainable leadership. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-seven-principles-of-sustainable-leadership