POLITICAL CONTEXTS OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

ISLLC STANDARD SIX

Chapter 4: The Politics of District-Level Decision Making

Misconceptions

Vocabulary for Chapter 4

  • Dissatisfaction Theory
  • Media
  • School Board Elections

Pre-Reading Questions

As you read, look for specific quotes (page and paragraph numbers) to answer these questions:

  • How do stakeholder interests affect the work and vision of superintendents?
  • How do the effects on superintendents of stakeholder interests trickle into school building work?
  • What is the role of media in depicting issues about a community’s education system?

Post-Reading Questions

Use evidence from the text or the reference list to support your answers to these questions:

  • How do school board elections affect the length of superintendents’ employment in any district?
  • What are the steps that a school leader can take to reach the media before other groups spin the situation to their own advantage?

Activities to Extend Learning

  • Click the following citation http://jel.sagepub.com/content/10/2/1.full.pdf+html  to read the case:

    Kearney, K. S. & Mathers, J. K. (2007). Rooms with a view. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 10(2), 1–18. doi: 10.1177/1555458907301088

  • Interview the PIO (Public Information Officer) of your local school district.  Find out how new media is addressed by the schools.

Chapter 4 Misconceptions:

New Media is Only for Extreme Politics

New media is ideal for schools and school districts. Many news outlets limit their coverage of local schools, searching only for the unexpected or apocryphal man-bites-dog news. Social media has empowered people who feel as if they are invisible and their perspectives are ignored. Schools often lament the lack of good news coverage of their students' accomplishments, and new media can give schools an outlet for these stories.

Schools also can be more strategic in gaining access to their stakeholders with new media. An important strategy for schools is to explain the choices and the stories before others have a chance to spin the information from their perspectives. School leaders need to be proactive about using new media rather than avoiding it.