Research in Educational Leadership-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Broadly Organize your paper into the four main stages for Planning Change as Identified by Hodges and Gill. Answer: Introduction The maintenance of the efficient school or educational leadership is the key to attain the sustainable reformation of the educational process. The principals are equipped to handle a rapidly changing and complex environment in order to improve the educational system and lead the students towards acquiring the secure future (DuFour Mattos, 2013). The presence of the instructional leaders determines the sustainable innovation in the educational field. However there are several instances where the leadership within the educational institutions goes wrong. According to Arafeh (2014) bringing chance into educational institutions are not easy. There are explicit power situation due to the position of the individual which may be not adequate for catalyzing the change into the organization. Previous educational researches show that different school administration variables do not have much impact on the learning process, considering separately, however collectively the variables may have a huge impact on reaching the students and creating a warm environment for the students. Few years ago, the concept of school leadership was evidently lacking from most of the middle schools and there was a serious lack in the leadership as most of the school management did not see school leadership and the responsibility of the school principle as a significant matter of interest (Fullan, 2013). However, gradually more researches in this field have contributed to this field which made the school leadership to be a major issue for the school environment and student learning. This study will focus on the change management in leadership of the ABC Middle School which has faced a severe situation due to faulty leadership and turnover of staffs on a regular basis. The study will consider planning the change management as it has been identified by Hodges and Gill (2015). Accountability of Principle in educational institutions While reforming the schools, the school leadership comes first in the priority list for most of the major school reformations. As stated by Guskey (2014) an improved principle leadership among different other issues that are faced by the middle schools. However the quality of the teachers in the educational institution is the most significant factor in the improvement of the educational institutions, but the school leadership is as important as the other issues. The educational researches in this field indicate that the principle of the middle school resemble to the manager of the business organizations (Santamara, 2014). Within the changing arena of the education there are several reformations based on the quality standards and the accountability, therefore a remarkable conception that has emerged which draws lessons from the contemporary business organizations (Hallinger, 2014). Furthermore it suggests that leadership is the primary factor that should be put in the focus with a gre ater clarity in the middle school management. The principles in middle schools have huge accountability for carrying out the rules and regulations avoiding any kind of mistake. The major responsibilities of the principle in a middle school include, shaping the mission and vision of the educational success for the students in school based on the higher standards of the academic field, creating a hospitable and safe atmosphere for the students that entails a cooperative and fruitful spirit, cultivating the sense of leadership within other teachers so that they can realize the vision of the educational institution at the same time, improving the instructions to other teachers so that they can give their best to the students, therefore enhancing the learning process along with a careful management of people, guardians and processing the data so that the improvement of the school can be fostered (Parkay, Anctil Hass, 2014). These key responsibilities may turn difficult for the principle , yet these are required to be carried out for enhancing the educational success of the students. Background of the Problem In Canada, middle schools basically act as the transition period between the secondary schools and primary schools. ABC Middle school realizes that it is necessary to understand for the middle school management that the years students spend in the school are the most crucial stage of their lives. Within this period the student may lose interest in their academics or they can be more and more interested in their academic career. The school has around five hundred students coming from various backgrounds and different ethnicity. The school does not encourage any kind of racial discrimination within the school premises. Recently the school had faced a severe issue with the principle of the school. After the retirement of the previous principle, a new principle has been appointed who initially seemed to be over qualified for the position having more than ten years of experience in the educational field. However the situation in the school had changed soon after the joining of the new pri nciple, Mr. Jones. He has implemented new rules for the teachers such as specific dress codes and added extra classes to their routines that they are not experts at. He has also implemented a new schedule for exams which initially seemed to be overburden for the children. In the school meetings the teachers had opposed to such implementations as they knew that the students might not accept these sudden changes and they may react in a different way. However Mr. Jones acted in an autocratic way and did not listen to any suggestions coming from the teachers and the other management personnel. The teaching staffs also did not take the new rule implementation on a positive note as for any minor failure from the new rules; they had been encountered with monetary disadvantages. Therefore soon few senior teachers had left the school due to such unnecessary strict rules. The students had also felt issues with the new principle as they had faced racial discrimination while encountering the pr inciple. Mr. Jones has also employed few teaching staffs who were not much experienced and were harsh on the students. Soon the entire situation in the school has turned into a miscellany of confusion. Linear Change Model by Hodges and Gill The organisational change depends on the implementation of the sequential plan. Once the performance gap is recognized, it is essential to understand the course of action that will be helpful for an organisation to manage the performance and implement the change. It is to be indicated that the organisational change or changes brought to the leadership style require the structural planning (Burke, 2014). After implementing change, it is necessary to monitor the effectiveness for few months. If the outcome of the changes seems positive, the management of the school should provide the attention towards maintaining the consistency. It is essential to monitor the reaction of the associated staffs towards the change. The implications provided by Hodges and Gill regarding the change management process include four different step. In this section of the study, these four stages will be discussed to ensure the implementation of the change management initiatives in ABC Middle school. The four stages of the change management model are discussed further: Stage 1: Defining the need for change and developing the vision The organizational change management requires the identification of the problem that creates the gap in the performance. As per the scenario discussed in this study, the ABC Middle School has been facing the significant and recognizable issues with the ineffective leadership management. The Autocracy maintained by the principles is increasing the staff turnover rate. Moreover, the extensive outspread of the racial discrimination is the major issues. Many children from the outside countries take admission in this school. However, the racial discrimination faced by the international students is creating huge dissatisfaction. It generally creates the dissatisfaction among the students, their guardians, and the associated teachers. Hence, it is essential to eliminate such behaviour and maintain the anti-discriminative laws within the organisation. In addition to this, the recruitment process is also below the expectation level (Conner, 1992). The hired staffs are not fully educated to me et the educational parameter. It generally creates the obligation in terms of the improvements determined to the educational field. Hence, it is essential to change the leadership techniques to maintain the stability and long term sustainability. Moreover, the change is also required for minimizing the turnover rate and influencing the staffs to develop the educational skill. However, it is notable that the organisation needs to pay attention towards the recruitment process as well. In order to mitigate the performance gap, the organisation has decided to change the leadership structure. At the initial stage the autocratic leadership style was followed by the principal of ABC Middle School. However, following such leadership style was quite insignificant since it increased the staff turnover rate. The recruitment of the qualified teachers and the staffs would be necessary for the school to improve the educational process. In fact, the vision should be based on the development of anti-discriminative law or regulations to eliminate the discriminative behaviour with the international students or staffs. It is essential because it reduces the chances of dissatisfaction and improves the education quality. Stage 2: Initiating the Change Initiating change signifies the stage where the change initiatives are defined properly. The leaders need to identify the appropriate solutions to improve the organisational situations by implementing the effective changes (Santamara, 2014). For instance, since ABC Middle School has been facing the issues with the leadership autocracy, it can be inferred that the institute can adopt the transformational leadership style. In the transformational leadership style, the staffs receive the opportunity to communicate directly with the leader. In fact, in terms of bringing any changes to the school functionalities, the staffs can actively participate in the decision-making process. Moreover, they can even develop their performance and professional skills since they have the scope to deal directly with the leader (Thomson, 2014). On the other hand, understanding the needs and demands of the schools in terms of qualification of the staffs is necessary to bring the future improvements in the e ducation level. Therefore, the recruitment process requires more changes and developed. In fact, it is essential to mitigate the issues with the discriminatory behaviour within the schools (Hallinger, 2014). The international students face the significant challenges in communicating due to the cultural barriers and the discriminative behaviour. The implementation of the anti-discriminative law would be much preferable in such cases to mitigate the issue. Stage 3: Implementing the Change Before implementation of the change, it needs to be communicated properly with the associated staffs. For example, during the decision-making process within the school, the principal needs to communicate with other teachers and the staffs to make them aware of the requirements. In fact, the human resource management needs to derive the ideas about the organisational expectations while recruiting the qualified teachers. These expectations are even needed to be conveyed to the teachers while selecting them for the school (DuFour Mattos 2013). It is essential to eliminate such behaviour and maintain the anti-discriminative laws within the organisation. In addition to this, the recruitment process is also below the expectation level. The hired staffs are not fully educated to meet the educational parameter. Accordingly, imposing the rules and regulations for the non-discriminatory behaviour within the school would be effective enough in establishing the positive environment. Both the st affs and the students would get the sense of reliability if the discriminative attitudes are eliminated. The changes in the policies and the leadership styles would be implemented. After implementing change, it is necessary to monitor the effectiveness for few months. If the outcome of the changes seems positive, the management of the school should provide the attention towards maintaining the consistency (Arafeh, 2014). It is essential to monitor the reaction of the associated staffs towards the change. it is essential to eliminate such behaviour and maintain the anti-discriminative laws within the organisation. In addition to this, the recruitment process is also below the expectation level. The hired staffs are not fully educated to meet the educational parameter. The influences created by the change will be reflected in the organisational environment and the behaviour of the staffs. Hence, continuous review and monitoring is essential for a change process. Stage 4: Institutionalizing the Change The institutionalizing of the change is determined when the change undertaken within an organisation becomes the norm. The maintenance of the consistency in the change management is necessary to bring the continuous improvement within the organisation. Similarly, ABC Middle School needs to concentrate on the developmental factors of the change. In order to achieve the vision of the organisation, it is essential to practice these changes by following the implemented policies. The human resource management even needs to pay attention towards the maintenance of these norms for the future improvements (Parkay, Anctil Hass, 2014). It is essential to eliminate such behaviour and maintain the anti-discriminative laws within the organisation. In addition to this, the recruitment process is also below the expectation level. The hired staffs are not fully educated to meet the educational parameter. The teaching staffs also did not take the new rule implementation on a positive note as for any minor failure from the new rules; they had been encountered with monetary disadvantages. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention towards such necessities to retain the staffs and reduce the staff turnover rate. The concept of school leadership was evidently lacking from most of the middle schools and there was a serious lack in the leadership as most of the school management did not see school leadership and the responsibility of the school principle as a significant matter of interest (Fullan, 2013). Currently, the organisations have been considering the educational leadership as an integral part. Therefore, maintaining the change management initiatives is essential for bringing more improvements. The improvements brought to education quality are necessary for retaining the reputation of the organisation. It is essential to understand the course of action that will be helpful for an organisation to manage the performance and implement the change. It is to be indicated that the organisational change or changes brought to the leadership style require the structural planning. The proper staff motivation and enhancements of the educational quality is the key driver for the sustainable development of the school. In addition to this, the successive approaches to the change management scenario ensure the reliability among the students and staffs. The role of the human resource management is also much remarkable. Conclusion In conclusion it can be said that the entire situation in ABC Middle School required an immediate change of the leadership. The students and staffs were manipulated and they had to adhere to the autocratic rules of the new principle. This report had proposed a detailed change management procedure with the help of Hodges and Gill Change Management model and defined the requirement and developing vision along with the procedures and methods of initiating, implementing and institutionalizing. As a leader of the educational institution, the principles job is to motivate students and to balance his leadership traits aligned with the expertise of his faculty. The change management model shows the shaping of leadership within the educational institution and how it can be influential for the students future. References Arafeh, S. (2014). Educational Technology Leadership for Educational Leaders.Educational Leadership: Perspectives on Preparation and Practice, 253. Burke, W. (2014). A Brief History of Organization Change. In Organization Change: Theory and Practice (4th edition). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. pp. 28-51 Conner, D. (1992). The Roles of Change. In Managing at the Speed of Change. New York: Villard Books. pp. 107-125 DuFour, R., Mattos, M. (2013). Improve Schools?.Educational Leadership,70(7), 34-39. Fullan, M. (2013).The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership. John Wiley Sons. Guskey, T. R. (2014). 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