21 Competencies for School Administrators
A competency is a combination of knowledge (factual and experiential) and skills that one needs to effectively implement the practices. Factual knowledge is simply “knowing” content; experiential knowledge is the knowledge one gains from understanding – it is knowing the when and why. Skills bring structure to experiential knowledge. It is when one can put their accumulated knowledge into a series of steps that – if followed – will lead to practice. There are many competencies that are obviously inherent in the successful performance of all of the practices listed under each of the eight critical functions of leadership.
The principal may or may not personally possess all of these competencies but must ensure that a team is in place that not only possesses them, but can effectively and efficiently execute them. Although the principal may not personally possess them all, he or she is still responsible for their effective use in the various leadership practices. The competencies listed below are not so obvious in the practices, can be applied to multiple practices and are absolutely essential for all school executives to possess to ensure their success. For example, the competency – conflict management is important in Micropolitical Leadership, Strategic Leadership, Cultural Leadership, and perhaps one could argue that this competency is necessary in all eight Standards. These competencies are listed here to emphasize their importance and to make sure they are incorporated into the development of school executives.
A competency is a combination of knowledge (factual and experiential) and skills that one needs to effectively implement the practices. Factual knowledge is simply “knowing” content; experiential knowledge is the knowledge one gains from understanding – it is knowing the when and why. Skills bring structure to experiential knowledge. It is when one can put their accumulated knowledge into a series of steps that – if followed – will lead to practice. There are many competencies that are obviously inherent in the successful performance of all of the practices listed under each of the eight critical functions of leadership.
The principal may or may not personally possess all of these competencies but must ensure that a team is in place that not only possesses them, but can effectively and efficiently execute them. Although the principal may not personally possess them all, he or she is still responsible for their effective use in the various leadership practices. The competencies listed below are not so obvious in the practices, can be applied to multiple practices and are absolutely essential for all school executives to possess to ensure their success. For example, the competency – conflict management is important in Micropolitical Leadership, Strategic Leadership, Cultural Leadership, and perhaps one could argue that this competency is necessary in all eight Standards. These competencies are listed here to emphasize their importance and to make sure they are incorporated into the development of school executives.
Communication – Effectively listens to others; clearly and effectively presents and understands information orally and in writing; acquires, organizes, analyzes, interprets, maintains information needed to achieve school or team 21st century objectives.
There was a need to redo our Discovery Intervention Block. To effectively do this, I sent out a memo to the staff detailing the upcoming changes. Discussed were the plan of action, the reasons for the changes, and the intended outcomes. This plan was initially communicated at a staff meeting and placed into writing for reference. Follow up with students and staff has been ongoing as data driven alterations have occurred. |
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Change Management – Effectively engages staff and community in the change process in a manner that ensures their support of the change and its successful implementation.
Select teachers participate in biweekly professional development from the Educational Resource Group. There is a focus on best teaching practices. The coach from ERG meets with the administrative team after each day on campus to debrief. This allows administration to continue providing feedback consistent with the ERG feedback. All of this allows the school to focus on the mission and vision of providing all students with an excellent educational experience. |
Conflict Management – Anticipates or seeks to resolve confrontations, disagreements, or complaints in a constructive manner.
I worked with teachers, students, and families on a consistent basis to enforce expectations in a fair and equitable manner, ensuring that all was aligned with the expectations of our school and district. This also worked in conjunction with our schools plan for Restorative Justice. My 7th grade cohort of students have seen a decrease of 7% in the number of referrals going from 29% in the 2016-2017 school year to 22% for this current school year. For teachers, I have included them in parent meetings regarding student behavior so everyone has the same understanding of how to proceed and the best ways to support the child. |
Creative Thinking – Engages in and fosters an environment for others to engage in innovative thinking.
Establishing the implementation plan for Restorative Justice and maximizing its potential has taken a lot of collaboration and creativity. One of our latest initiatives is the Kindness Challenge. the team had previously come up with a similar idea that we had planned to implement when Dr. Shear introduced to this nationwide challenge. A part of this challenge is a Kindness Ritual. We had to think creatively of what ritual would work well with our school. We came up with a Kindness Dragon where by students, staff, and families can write words of kindness on flames and post them on the wall next to a dragon decal. |
Customer Focus – Understands the students as customers of the work of schooling and the servant nature of leadership and acts accordingly.
It should be the goal that all decisions made in schools are centered around ensuring the best possible outcome for students. This includes everything from quality instruction to student discipline. When I speak to students regarding their behavior, we spend time talking through the scenario. We then discuss what could have been done to achieve a more desirable outcome and what steps need to occur to fix the problem. I believe that taking the time to do this helps build the capacity of our students and shows that I truly care about them. In addition to these conversations, I try to employ the strategies learned in our training "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen." |
Dialogue & Inquiry – Is skilled in creating a risk-free environment for engaging people in conversations that explore issues, challenges or bad relationships that are hindering school performance.
At the start of my residency, I created a survey inquiring about the current state of the school and and concerns, needs, or suggests teachers had. Additionally, to elicit feedback from the staff on how restorative justices practices were working for them, the Restorative Justice Team sent out a Padlet where staff could provide feedback with or without identifying themselves. |
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Emotional Intelligence – Is able to manage oneself through self awareness and self management and is able to manage relationships through empathy, social awareness and relationship management. This competency is critical to building strong, transparent, trusting relationships throughout the school community.
As part of the program, I participated in a True Colors Training. I was able to bring this back to the staff at Brogden. After leading the staff in a professional development, the staff members were able to bring this back to their classes. By introducing this to the school, everyone understanding of each other and overall relationships were improved. |
Environmental Awareness – Becomes aware and remains informed of external and internal trends, interests and issues with potential impacts on school policies, practices, procedures and positions
Through my graduate program I was able to attend AEI (American Enterprise Institute), and gain a greater understanding of how federal policy impacts what is going on in North Carolina, and also how ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) will impact what we are asked to do as future principals. |
Global Perspective – Understands the competitive nature of the new global economy and is clear about the knowledge and skills students will need to be successful in this economy.
Schools play a significant role in molding students into productive citizens. Through my program, I had the opportunity to visit Eastlawn Elementary School. Eastlawn has a very successful duel immersion program. Seeing this program in action was an eye opening experience. Moving forward, I will consistently look for ways to embed this within my schools culture. |
Judgement – Effectively reaching logical conclusions and making high quality decisions based on available information. Giving priority and caution to significant issues. Analyzing and interpreting complex information.
As part of our course work for our finance class we were provided with the budget, SIP, and achievement data on a real middle school. After evaluating all the data, we had to make decisions on how to spend the budget. We analyzed and researched programs that we would want to purchase to positively impact the school's achievement, culture, and staffing. We had to weigh the areas that we saw as the greatest concern and make sure we addressed them without going over the budget. This class also taught us a decision making model that we applied to various scenarios. |
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Organizational Ability – Effectively plans and schedules one’s own and the work of others so that resources are used appropriately, such as
scheduling the flow of activities and establishing procedures to monitor projects. As a member of the testing team, I created the testing schedule for NCFEs and CASE 21. This ensured the school continued to maximize instructional time and all necessary components of the day were met and addressed. This document was shared with the staff as well as sent out in an email to ensure everyone had knowledge of the changes. |
Personal Ethics and Values – Consistently exhibits high standards in the areas of honesty, integrity, fairness, stewardship, trust, respect, and confidentiality.
When interacting with staff, students, and families, I ensure I am exhibiting respect and fairness. I always work to ensure my personal integrity. Through my actions, I display honesty, confidentiality, and stewardship. I have included my personal vision statement which drives my work in schools. It is important to balance task behaviors and relationship behaviors in a way that does not compromise my values or the values of others. |
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Personal Responsibility for Performance – Proactively and continuously improves performance by focusing on needed areas of improvement and enhancement of strengths; actively seeks and effectively applies feedback from others; takes full responsibility for one’s own achievements.
As part of my residency, I kept a weekly log of how my time was spent and any reflections or lessons learned from the week. When looking back, there were many themes that consistently appeared. This included the importance of relationships, communication, and consistency. Additionally, the importance of a mission and vision was prevalent. |
Responsiveness – Does not leave issues, inquiries or requirements for information go unattended. Creates a clearly delineated structure for responding to requests/situations in an expedient manner.
It is my goal to return emails and phone calls within 1 business day. While I do not always meet this goal, I do try to always respond as quickly as possible. |
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Results Orientation – Effectively assumes responsibility. Recognizes when a decision is required. Takes prompt action as issues emerge. Resolves short-term issues while balancing them against long-term goals.
When dealing with staff, students, and parents balancing interests within the school's vision and mission is crucial. I have included a parent email that reflects this desire to work with the parent, acknowledge their concerns, look for next steps, and create a positive relationship moving forward. |
Sensitivity – Effectively perceives the needs and concerns of others; deals tactfully with others in emotionally stressful situations or in conflict. Knows what information to communicate and to whom. Relates to people of varying ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.
I make sure to thank teachers for their efforts, especially when I know something they are doing is particularly challenging for them or has caused them stress. |
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Systems Thinking – Understands the interrelationships and impacts of school and district influences, systems and external stakeholders, and applies that understanding to advancing the achievement of the school or team
In November, Durham Public Schools received a new Superintendent, Dr. Pascal Mubenga. As part of his introduction into the school system, he organized a Listening and Learning Tour so to increase his understanding of the district and begin to share his plans for the district moving forward. The tour included Town Hall events, two of which involved administration and staff. This is where Dr. Mubenga entertained a question & answer period, and a working session where staff members collaborated on discussion points. |
Technology – Effectively utilizes the latest technologies to continuously improve the management of the school and enhance student instruction.
As part of the implementation of Restorative Justice, the team conducted walkthroughs to examine the environment of the school. For the first walkthrough, all data was tracked on paper. This made analyzing the results and distributing them to the staff a bigger challenge than it should have been. I proposed that we do subsequent walkthrough on Google Forms. Google also tracks the data and allows for us to view graphs that show trends of where our school has strengths and areas to grow from these walkthroughs. |
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Visionary – Encourages imagineering by creating an environment and structure to capture stakeholder dreams of what the school could become for all the students.
During my program, I was afforded the opportunity to attend the BB&T Leadership training. here we received extensive training helping us understand ourselves, how we portray ourselves to others, and how this either positively or negatively impacts our ability to effectively impart a vision. |