Schools today educate a diverse population of students and prepare them for a rapidly changing, information-based global society. Where once schools prepared students either to go to college or enter the workforce, now all young people need a pathway to postsecondary education to achieve a successful future. Effective schools organize what they teach and how they teach to match these demands. They also pay attention to how they operate, creating flexible and inclusive structures that support and model a professional learning community.
The mission of small schools to put students at the center of the learning experience does not begin and end in the classroom; it extends throughout the entire school community and involves teachers, administrators, students, families and community members in making decisions together. Moving beyond traditional principal-dominated school leadership models, these schools seek to enlarge the circle of leadership, influence, and accountability. Small schools embrace such alternative approaches to leadership because they provide a framework for priorities such as teacher collaboration and personalized learning in a personalized environment.
What are essential elements in small schools efforts to create effective leadership?
- Equitable Leadership. Leadership is equitable when decision-making bodies at all levels of the school reflect the racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic diversity of the community.
- Distributive leadership. Distributive leadership is a “flat” organizational structure; the power of decision-making is spread across a representative group of players in the school and the community.
- Effective governance. Effective governance is characterized by decisions that are made in a fair and timely way by a representative governing body.
- Professional development. Well-designed professional development builds skills among teachers and other staff so they are confident and competent to actively participate in all levels of school decision-making.
Review these elements on the Oregon Small Schools Initiative School Change Rubric Self-Assessment Tool.
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