EARCOS Admin Conference 2008
Leadership for the 21st Century: Awakening to School 2.0



Today’s 21st Century School Leader

For those of you who have been paying attention to trends in international schools, you may have noticed that we may be close to reaching a tipping point. What do The American School of Bombay, Surabaya International School, Escuela Campo Alegre, The New International School of Thailand, Taipei American School, Mont’Kiara International School, The American School of Warsaw, and The American School of Dubai all have in common? Answer: They have already established or they are in the process of planning and implementing 1:1 laptop programs. The Greaves Group in America’s Digital Schools 2006, reported that the top two trends in educational technology are 1:1 laptop programs and ubiquitous computing. This is an exciting time for schools, and it is apparent that savvy leadership is essential. Today’s leaders require new knowledge and skills to effectively lead the charge. Iowa State Educational Administration professor and author of the blog Dangerously Irrelevant, Scott McLeod stated, “if the leaders don’t get it, it isn’t going to happen.” For “it to happen”, today’s leaders will have to assume the roles of visionary, change agent, educational leader, modeler and manager.

Visionary
Much has been written about the rapid pace of technological change and how this impacts the workplace of the future. If we are truly committed to preparing our students for the future, it is essential for school leaders to scan the horizon to project how technology will change the educational landscape in the not so distant future. Visionaries look to the future, promote futuristic thinking with members of the school community and have the ability to connect ideas from other industries to education.

Those who excel in this role scan the web by reading and contributing to blogs, wikis and other e-publications. In the community, he/she visits businesses and speaks to leaders about how technology will impact the future of their industry. In the school setting, she/he dialogues with students, parents and teachers about future trends creating an environment where individuals are excited about being on the cutting edge. These discussions encourage others to scan the horizon and share their findings with the rest of the group.

Change Agent
The change agent understands the impact that technology has on the teaching and learning environment. The tools change administrative and educational practices within the organization. Couple the initial change with the rapid rate of technological change today, and individuals can drown in the current. Today’s change agent considers the mix of humans and machines and focuses on the human element. He/she knows that changing behavior over the long term can be challenging.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of research out there for school leaders to use. By picking one specific model the members of the organization can focus their collective efforts on adjusting to the changes. The astute change agent sticks to the model, is open and understanding with teachers, students and parents, and perseveres over the long haul. Everybody in the school has to understand the process. This understanding comes from open discussion and dialogue that the leader initiates.

Educational Leader
School leaders have always had to be educational leaders, but the 21st century leader must now understand what effective uses of technology in teaching and learning are and he/she must know what the goals are for student learning. With information multiplying exponentially, the curriculum for the future focuses less on content and more on skill development and these skills must be defined. While the tools have changed, many of the fundamentals of good teaching remain the same, so today’s leader has to be less enamored with the gadgets and more interested in the final learning results.

The conversations around teaching and learning should not change since the fundamentals remain the same. The experienced educational leaders must first know the curriculum and then utilize the backward design approach. Leaders must ask teachers questions about their goals, process and product. They promote the results of master teachers who use technology effectively and encourage the reluctant to experiment with new tools.

Modeler
While school leaders have always had to work to improve administrative tasks, the modeler is constantly searching for ways to incorporate technology in the improvement process. The savvy leader is able to “walk the talk” and show that he/she is willing to learn and take risks with new technology. The modeling may or may not be related to teaching and learning, but it has to assist with improving the leader’s performance. The message that teachers and students receive is that the leader is willing to take the time to learn about new tools and then implement them into his/her daily work. This is certainly appropriate since this is the same process that the teachers go through.

A first step can be to determine where improvements are needed and then seek technological tools that will help. The areas may be in streamlining administrative tasks, improving communication, or making data collection and analysis simpler. The learning process generally includes playing around with and asking questions about a variety of tools. The modeler may or may not be considered a techno geek by teachers and students, but they’re viewed as willing to try new gadgets, much like the teachers and students do. The savvy leader goes beyond using e-mail, presentation software and spreadsheets by exploring web 2.0 tools, open source software and cutting edge solutions to improve her/his performance.

Manager
In the manager role today’s leader has to have some understanding of the terminology and nuts and bolts. This knowledge is important when making big dollar purchases and when communicating with board members, parents, teachers and students. He/She also has to hire technology support personnel, and teachers who are comfortable with technology so it’s important to be able to ask the right questions and speak the lingo.

This is often a role that leaders have limited skills, knowledge and interest in playing and frequently they rely on technology experts to make recommendations. While it is appropriate to rely on the experts, the buck typically stops with him/her so it’s important that he/she have sufficient knowledge of the technology. A first step is assessing personal knowledge and interest and then determining how much to rely on the tech experts. The savvy leader is able to comfortably answer difficult questions from constituents, promote the initiative and make important decisions.

While today’s leader has to consider these five roles, no one expects him/her to be highly proficient in all five areas. Today’s leaders acknowledge the roles and make plans to provide the necessary leadership. This framework will provide school leaders with guidance when preparing to move schools into a 21st century learning environment that provides teachers and students with ubiquitous access to technological tools for teaching and learning.