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To many, leaders are not born, but made. It is increasingly accepted, however, that in order to be a good leader, one must have the experience, knowledge, commitment, patience, and most importantly the skill to negotiate and work with others to achieve goals.

Good leaders are thus made, not born

Great man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent, that great leaders are born, not made

the trait theory assumes that people inherit certain qualities or traits make them better suited to leadership.

Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which style of leadership is best suited for a particular work situation.

Situational theory proposes that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational conditions or circumstances.

Behavioural theories of leadership are based on the belief that great leaders are made, not born.

articipative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account.

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Transactional theories, also known as management theories, focus on the role of supervision, organization and group performance and the exchanges that take place between leaders and followers. These theories base leadership on a system of rewards and punishments (Charry, 2012).

Relationship theories, also known as transformational theories, focus on the connections formed between leaders and followers. In these theories, leadership is the process by which a person engages with others and is able to “create a connection” that results in increased motivationand morality in both followers and leaders. 

This theory states that learned knowledge and acquired skills/abilities are significant factors in the practice of effective leadership. Skills theory by no means refuses to acknowledge the connection between inherited traits and the capacity to lead effectively, but argues that learned skills, a developed style, and acquired knowledge, are the real keys to leadership performance.

Autocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactional leadership, where leaders have complete power over staff. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make suggestions, even if these are in the best interest of the team or organization

Bureaucratic leaders follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their staff also follow procedures precisely.

Charismatic leadership theory describes what to expect from both leaders and followers. Charismatic leadership i

a leadership style that is identifiable bu

may be perceived with less tangibility than other leadership styles

Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and team members are often highly engaged in projects and decisions.

Laissez-faire leadership may be the best or the worst of leadership styles (Goodnight, 2011). Laissez-faire, this French phrase for “let it be,” when applied to leadership describes leaders who allow people to work on their own. Laissez-faire leaders abdicate responsibilities and avoid making decisions, they may give teams complete freedom to do their work and set their own deadlines.

This leadership style starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader when they accept a job.

Transformational leadership takes from each of the other kinds of leadership its best qualities and then uses those, along with a deep sense of shared purpose, to motivate subordinates.

For education in particular, transformational leadership offers the best of everything – from tapping into the emotions of workers to offering the compensatory core that is the case for all forms of business, to guiding from a place of support.

Collaboration is crucial in the education realm.

. School leaders serve the students, parents, and teachers of their school community by constantly seeking ways to improve the educational experience for all.

ffective school leaders resist any barriers to success by having high expectations for every student.

great school leaders are constantly searching for ways to improve

They use this data to seek news ways to help students achieve constantly.

When educators collaborate, research shows us that great things happen

Educational leadership cannot be lumped into the same molds as leadership styles appropriate for businesses and governments.

ollabor

ative Leadership.A collaborative leadership style suggests that the supervisor involves the staff in setting the direction of the school

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Participative Leadership.Participative leaders work with their staff members to guide the school and its programs

Bureaucratic Leadership.Bureaucrats generally prioritize according to established rules and regulations, some of which can inhibit innovation.

Charismatic Leadership.Charismatic individuals can exercise almost any leadership style and garner sufficient staff support to move the organization in the chosen direction.

Laissez-faire Leadership.Laissez-faire leaders allow staff members to determine the direction they wish to move individually or as a group

Benevolent Despot.Theoretically, benevolent despots use charm, good will and savoir faire to get exactly what they want.

Autocratic Leadership.Many people are drawn to, respect and gladly follow an autocrat — someone who possesses power and does not hesitate to use it to achieve goals.

The six dimensions of social-media-literate leadership

instant communication

ncorporate video streams into their blogs

That unease soon vanished with practice

Leveraging

Equally important is the skill of creating and sustaining a body of social followers who help to spread and reinforce the message.

n traditional corporate communications, consumption is a mostly passive act: you are pretty much left alone to make sense of messages and to assess their authenticity and credibility. In the social-media realm, information gets shared and commented on within seconds

engage more closely with stakeholders

To achieve this goal, leaders must become tutors and strategic orchestrators of all social-media activities within their control

agile

School administrators and teachers grappling with the often confusing and contradictory premises of these popular initiatives can draw on three useful sources of information: (1) meta-analyses of research studies regarding program effectiveness and instructional practices that support and enhance achievement, (2) studies of the initiatives' effect on English language learners' English language acquisition and academic achievement, and (3) databases that compile language assessments administered to large populations of English language learners over time and across grade levels. Several myths about the instruction of English language learners do not stand up to scrutiny when examined through the lens of this research base.

The "One-Size-Fits-All" Myth

Schools throughout the United States use a variety and range of theoretically sound programs to meet the needs of their specific populations of English language learners, who vary in demographic and linguistic characteristics.

For instance, bilingual programs are appropriate and effective in schools that serve concentrations of students who use a common native language

In many schools, however, English language learners speak a number of different native languages; such schools often use English as the common language of content-area instruction. Therefore, some state agencies and language-minority educators advocate a mix of services and program types in response to each school district's demographic mix—an approach that contradicts the state laws requiring a default model of sheltered English immersion

The "Language of Instruction" Myth

But according to Education Week, cumulative and comparative studies based on National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) scores suggest that statewide mandates limiting bilingual education in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts have produced "less-than-stellar" results (Zehr, 2008, p. 10).

Proponents of the ballot initiatives mandating sheltered English immersion argue that bilingual education is the reason for low levels of English proficiency among immigrant students—especially Latinos, the group served by the vast majority of the bilingual programs.

(Parrish, Pérez, Merickel, & Linquanti, 2006). The study found that students participating in English-only education programs had no statistically significant advantage in terms of academic achievement over those in bilingual education programs that parents chose through the waiver process under the law.

Thus, ballot initiatives have not realized their goal of improving English language learners' academic achievement.

In denying the injunction against the implementation of Proposition 227, the U.S. District Court in Valeria G. v. Wilson (1998) ruled that structured English immersion was based on delivery of English language and content instruction that was "sequential" rather than "simultaneous."

This focus is based on the belief that the "problem" facing these students is essentially a "language problem.

K-12 Program Continuity and Coherence Programs for English language learners must be proven models with a demonstrated track record. Programs must have long-term goals and continuity in the curriculum as students move up through the grade levels. As students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English grow, the focus of instruction should shift, and instruction should be differentiated according to students' language levels (Mora, 2006). Differentiating the curriculum in this way requires monitoring students' progress toward performance benchmarks in English language proficiency, literacy, and content-area learning (Gottlieb & Nguyen, 2007)

Targeted Professional Development Educators must view the education of language-minority students as a shared responsibility. Teachers must have ample professional preparation in how to use appropriate curricular materials and teaching strategies to promote English language learners' achievement. Both new and experienced teachers need intensive professional development above and beyond the teacher education coursework required by the state credential and certificate programs. For example, teachers should be knowledgeable about second-language acquisition and cross-linguistic transfer so that students learning in their second language can capitalize on the commonalities in literacy with their native language, regardless of whether their instruction is in dual languages.

Local school districts must have the freedom and support to establish sheltered English immersion programs and/or bilingual education programs depending on community values, parental choice, and available resources. Policies must allow flexibility in use of students' native languages—especially for development of literacy skills. In states with anti-bilingual mandates, local jurisdictions should apply liberal and open interpretation of petition and waiver requirements to support parent empowerment and involvement in program selection.

Research-Based Policies to Replace Politically Based Policies

I think that digital literacy has three parts. The first is the ability to use information well—to find it, consume it, analyze it, and leverage it to solve a problem. The second part of digital literacy is the ability to use media and digital technologies to communicate and collaborate effectively.

Third, and arguably the least understood, is the development of digital citizenship

If leaders want people to try new things, they have to openly show, that they are willing to do the same.

we have access to so much information, not only from schools, but from outside organizations.

The least innovative organizations often seem to surround themselves with like-minded people.

Spending time with people and building solid relationships with them often leads to them going miles beyond what is expected and move away from “what has always been done”.  When people know they are valued and safe in trying new things, they are more likely to do something better.  This is at the core of an innovative school.

should try to create new ideas, but it is more important that they create a culture of innovation