Describe the power dynamic at your school site. How can you use this information to influence change at your school.
In schools, there are various forms of power dynamics. Power dynamics is used to shape a desired culture within a school. The power dynamic at my school is democratic in nature. Ultimately, the principal makes the final decision on issues facing the school. However, the principal values our opinions and allows us to share them, via faculty, team, and PLC meetings. The next level of hierarchy following the principal and assistant principal is the Leadership committee, which consists of our Curriculum and Reading Specialist, Guidance Counselor, and grade-level lead teacher. The Leadership committee works hand-in-hand with the principal to solve problems and to share ideas. Then, there is the teacher committee. On each teacher committee there is a grade-level lead teacher who reports the issues, concerns, and outcomes to other teachers on that team. Within the teams are teachers who work cohesively, concerning student achievement, behavior concerns affecting the school, procedures and school improvement. Lead teachers report back to the Leadership committee to express teams’ opinions about issues at the school. The information is filtered back to administration for change to be considered or addressed.
To influence change at my school, I will recommend there being more collegiality, open lines of communication between staff and principal, support among colleagues, and celebration of success, which in turn will boost morale and staff will feel appreciated.
Overall, the entire school’s staff and stakeholders play an important role in the power dynamics of the school because it takes an entire community of skilled staff and educators to provide a quality learning experience. This community of professionals must also feel that their opinions are valid and that the democratic process that has been established in my school, meets their needs.
Angela, Thank you for explaining the power dynamic at your school. Although I was a student of the public school system (all those years back!) and know, in general, the hierarchy of the power structure, I don’t honestly know all the details you provided from a teacher leader/educator standpoint. I’m in the college system which is definitely different than the K-12 system. Clearly, there are similarities, but there enough differences to keep it interesting!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I’m glad to hear that you have such an open-minded, listening-oriented principal and vice-principal who value your and other teachers’ feedback. I’ve heard from other teacher friends that not all principals and vice-principals are as receptive! I can well imagine that principal support makes a world of difference in both morale and productivity. I was also pleased to learn about your schools’ Leadership Committee as well as Teacher Committee. It sounds as though everyone’s issues, concerns, and outcomes are being expressed and communicated up the various channels. At my college, we also have similar committees – staff and faculty committees – for just about everything! There are way too many committees to list here, but all of the committees have elected/selected members who voice issues, concerns, and outcomes and are involved in decision-making processes. At my college, like your school, most of the decisions end with the President, 4 Vice-Presidents, and the Board. However, all the input from individuals and committees is taken into account by those in power. I have to say that the decisions that are made my committees at our college carry much weight, and rarely if ever, do the powers that be go against them. However, it has been known to happen if there are larger, macro- issues that our Administration is trying to manage.
Your ideas for influencing change are sound and productive! I am a firm believer in recognizing successes and in sharing them. At our college, we have an Employee Recognition Ceremony as well as recognition events and publications throughout the year. We’ve also grown so big that it has been difficult for us to maintain those open lines of communication and collegiality. Every semester, our President requires a College-Wide Professional Development Day which tries to ensure those connections. Additionally, our director of professional development has created specific semester-long academies for faculty and staff to do just as you recommend – open the lines of communication and to establish collegiality.