Cardiac Rehab Referral Program Principal Essay

The principal's role in creating a vision for the school begins with creating readiness among staff and this can only be accomplished through clearly articulating the vision to school staff and this may take time in order that they really comprehend the vision and in order that they entertain new models which are necessary in many envisioned school goals. New model creation can be enabled through:

(1) Forming study groups;

(2) Visiting schools or businesses that have already restructured; or (3) Collecting data that challenge comfortable assumptions." (Lashway, 1997)

The National College for School Leadership (2003) work entitled: "School Leadership: Concepts and Evidence" states that leadership and specifically visionary leadership "…is a process of influence leading to the achievement of desired purposes. Successful leaders develop a vision for their schools based on their personal and professional values. They articulate this vision at every opportunity and influence their staff and other stakeholders to share the vision. The philosophy, structures and activities of the school are geared towards the achievement of this shared vision."

The work of Pellitteri, et al. (2006) entitled: "Emotionally Intelligent School Counseling" states that the "visionary, transformative school leadership model is a valuable one, especially if the leader has a definitive view of the big picture goals and objectives of the initiative."

It is important however, as noted in the work of Pellitteri, et al. (2006) that the leader should use alternative leadership models in cases where the big picture becomes clouded and should refrain from collaboration in this instance with parents until the leader has once again gained clarity in the vision of the direction that the school should head to attain its goals.

Summary and Conclusion

Visionary leadership is needed in many of today's schools because these schools are characterized by a plethora or seemingly insurmountable problems and strenuous challenge in making the provision of education. Because these conditions exist visionary leadership has become critically important in order to articulate and effectuate a vision in and among the school community.

Bibliography

Bolam, Raymond, Wieringen, Fons van (1999) Waxmann Verlag 1999. Google Books Online available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=OaZLZpW9IFIC

Fritz, Robert. "Corporate Tides: The Inescapable Laws of Organizational Structure." San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 1996.

Hong, Laraine K. "Surviving School Reform: A Year in the Life of One School." New York: Teachers College Press, 1996.

Lashway, Larry (1997) Visionary Leadership. ERIC Digest. Online available at: http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-3/visionary.html

School Leadership: Concepts and Evidence (2003) Summary Report. National College for School Leadership Online available at: http://www.ncsl.org.uk/media-84d-76-school-leadership-concepts-and-evidence-summary.pdf

Pellitteri, John, et al. (2006) Emotionally Intelligent School Counseling Routledge, 2006. Google Books online available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=zubesSC5I74C

Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (2009) Educational Leadership. Online available at: http://www.uni.edu/coe/elcpe/edleadership/professionaldevelopment/isllc_standards.shtml

Florida Principal Leadership Standards (2005) SBE Rule 6B-5.0012, Approved April 19, 2005. Online available at: https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/fpls.aspx