Domain 3: Organizational Leadership is comprised of four standards integral to successful school operation.
Standard 6: Decision Making. Effective school leaders employ and monitor a decision-making process that is based on vision, mission and improvement priorities using facts and data.
How do you employ and monitor a decision-making process that is based on vision, mission and improvement priorities using facts and data?
School administrators are faced with a multitude of decisions on a daily basis. A crucial element to the success of any school involves the leader being able to effectively make decisions and give priority to those decisions that will most profoundly impact the learning culture of the school. The Institute of Educational Sciences (2011) recommends school leaders use data to monitor students’ academic progress and evaluate instructional practices. School leaders must set a clear vision for school-wide data use, develop a data-driven culture, and make data part of an ongoing cycle of instructional improvement. It is also crucial, as part of this process, to teach students how to use their own data to set learning goals.
The shifting role of school administrator from disciplinarian to instructional leader is evident in the expectations regarding decision-making. There is a clear expectation that effective school leaders use critical thinking skills to identify problems or issues and to employ adequate solutions to solve those problems. All decisions must be evaluated for their effectiveness, equity and outcome. The outcome of all decisions should be carefully evaluated to determine both the intended and real results as well as the consequences of those results. Revisions to those decisions should be made as appropriate. Decisions involving student learning and teacher effectiveness take priority over all other decisions, as outlined in the newly revised Florida Principal Leadership Standards (www.floridaschoolleaders.org).
School leaders must also make decisions regarding the delegation and monitoring of tasks. An effective leader practices the art of delegation and empowers others to complete tasks for the good of the organization.
