COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Educational leaders are also pivotal when it comes to engaging the community in the school. One of the greatest
challenges to education reform is maintaining the support of parents who feel “out of the loop” or distanced from
the changes within the school (Hargreaves, 1997; Hinde & West, 2004). This challenge can be more significant
for parents whose own educational journey was less than successful. It is important for educational leaders and
other agents of change to incorporate the full school community in the process of transforming schools and
implementing innovation.
The following guidance is provided to support your reflection upon the leadership and culture within your
organization. As you go about that effort, be mindful of that fact that this component of the model—perhaps
more than any other—impacts each of the other four components. Without effective leadership, and a supportive
culture, change in any area will be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish.
PRINCIPLES
Leadership is distributed—It reflects the idea that everyone in a school shares the responsibility of leadership
and establishing culture, and seeks to give voice to all constituencies, including teacher, student, parent and
community.
Leadership and culture are open and tolerant—They embrace all stakeholders, give attention to differing
perspectives, and benefit from the diversity that is present.
Leadership is visionary—It focuses on the future, the world in which students will live and work, and seeks to
continuously improve the learning experience in an effort to better prepare students for their future.
Leadership advocates—It involves leaders serving as advocates for both teachers and students to ensure that
they have what they need to successfully in prepare today’s students for tomorrow.