Florida Educational Leadership Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies
Florida Educational Leadership Standards
Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies
Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies – High Performing Leaders plan effectively, use critical
thinking and problem solving techniques, and collect and analyze data for continuous school
improvement.
Knowledge
I have the knowledge and understanding of:
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Decision making tools and processes of making decisions
Theories and models of decision making
Information sources, data collection, and data analysis strategies
Systems theory
Theories and models of organizations and the principles of organizational development
Dispositions
I believe in, value and am committed to:
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Collaborative decision making
Making management decision to enhance leaning and teaching
Accepting responsibility for decisions
Involving stakeholders in appropriate decisions
The importance of continuing dialogue with other decision makers affecting education
Examining and considering the prevailing values of the divers school community
Skills
Throughout my internship experience and coursework at FGCU I have learned and evidenced
through integrated essays and artifacts the following list. As an administrator I will facilitate
processes and engage in activities ensuring that:
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Facilitative leadership, effective group-process and consensus building skills are used in
making group decisions
A systems approach used in making decisions
There is staff buy-in to decisions prior to implementation
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Florida Educational Leadership Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies
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A variety of sources of information is used to make decisions
Potential problems that require problem-solving are identified
Problems are confronted and resolved in a timely manner
Effective problem-framing and problem solving skills are used
Effective communication skills are used
Decisions are communicated to all stakeholders
Lines of communication are developed with decision makers outside the school
community
Decisions are evaluated appropriately and results communicated to stakeholders
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies
Culture in an organization, is developed over a period of time in which an organization takes
on particular norms, assumptions, and beliefs. The behavior of organizational members is
influenced by interaction with the intangible characteristic of the organization’s environment.
Persons in an organization will approach internal and external problems with a consistent set of
solutions that has continually worked for the group. New members are taught the inner
workings of the solutions as the right way to perceive and think about problems. The basic
assumptions and beliefs are shared by members of the organization, and will direct the way in
which problems are approached and decisions are made (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
School leaders will take part in two separate types of decision making; individual and
organizational. Organizational leaders are expected to be decisive, be able to make decisions in
that are well informed and ethically acceptable in a timely manner without delay. However,
school administrators are also part of a larger organization which involves working with and
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies
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through other people to reach the goals of the organization. Therefore, organizational decision
making, in which stakeholders are involved in determining the behavior of the organization, are
necessary to maintain an organizational culture that is founded on a shared vision for the
organization (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
Historically, decision making has been believed to be a scientific process that is orderly,
rational, logical, and sequential. Western culture has continually supported the perception that
large complex systems can be broken down into parts of a whole to explain problems within
the organization and systematically organize a solution. Rational decision making models have
stemmed from this way of thinking. Two notable contributors to the science of decisionmaking models are Herbert Simon and Peter. F. Drucker.
Simon identified three major phases in the process of making decision; intelligence activity,
in which a search of the environment reveals circumstances that require a decision; design
activity, where alternative courses of action are thought up developed, and analyzed; and
choice activity, where a course of action is selected from the options considered.
Peter F. Drucker, created a list of five steps to help an administrator organize decision
making. Those steps are: (1) define the problem, (2) analyze the problem, (3) develop
alternative solutions,(4) decide on the best solution, and (5) convert decisions into effective
actions (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
In more recent decades it has become more widely understood that large organizations are
complex, filled with uncertainty, instability, and uniqueness. This makes the task of applying
science to understanding organization, unreliable. Decision making in an organization such as a
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school may initially follow steps such as Drucker’s, but the action of the decision will nearly
always be followed up with additional decisions. Decisions made within an organization will
impact at least one of the four key organizational factors of school climate; ecology, structure,
milieu, and culture. Because these factors interact and overlap, a change in one factor will
result in a change in each factor. Decision making cannot be approached as a one-time deal.
Organizational systems simply don’t allow for it (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
The human resources development theory of educational practice has taken over as the
more widely accepted approach to education in recent years. The theory of human resources
development is based on theories and concepts developed by scholars such as McGregor and
his Theory X and Theory Y, Maslow’s concept of motivation, Herzber’s maintenance factors,
Likert’s System 4 management styles, among others. These overlapping and combined theories
create a set of assumptions about an organization which place the persons of an organization,
their thinking, beliefs, abilities, and socialization to the values and purpose of the organization,
at the core of organizations success (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
These assumptions of human resource development, paired with the recognition of
effective organizations being characteristically disorderly and illogical, create a theory of
decision making which involve participative methods. Participation in the group process
involves mental and emotional involvement on behalf of individuals, as they are encouraged to
contribute to and share responsibility for group goals. Participation gives the individual
ownership of the decisions, resulting in a personal commitment to the decision and its goals.
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Making better decisions and fostering the growth and development of organization
members are two potential benefits of implementing participative decision making. Three
factors should be kept in mind as a guide for administrators who chose to utilize the
participative process. They are: (1) The need for an explicit decision-making process, (2) the
nature of the problem to be solved or the issue to be decided, and (3) criteria for including
people in the process (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
In the course Organizational Development, I created a set of belief statements that applied
organizational theory to my own core beliefs and values. In this “game plan” for administration
I discuss my belief in McGregor’s Theory Y as well as participate decision making. Further
details is recorded as
Artifact 5-1 Game
Plan Belief Statements.docx
.
There are many reasons for needing methods for decision making. A school community has
many different interest groups that will be affected by complex organizational decisions, using a
process will assist those involved if there are a number of different ways in which the decision
could be made. Another reason for using a method of decision making is that often times we
will utilize a past solution when faced with a new similar problem, even though that may not be
the best approach. Additionally, while effective school organizations are considered flexible,
having constantly changing expectations can be damaging to the organization. Standard
policies and procedures help to guide our day-to-day operations. Methods for creating and
modifying these policies are needed. Furthermore, simple and complex problems often arise in
a learning environment because people with diverse goals, objectives, and expectations are
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involved. Lastly, decision making can take considerable time if not managed effectively. Time
which may be better spent by the stakeholders involved completing other tasks (FLDOE, 2006).
If not properly organized, participants in the decision making process may not be aware of what
their role is. Choosing an explicit method of decision-making that is a publicly known set of
processes and is acceptable to participants should be the first step in the participative decision
making process (Owens & Valesky, 2007).
The Decision Making Methods module on the William Cecil Golden School Leadership
Development website, outline several decision making tools that could be considered when
choosing an explicit method of decision making. They include Arguments for and Against,
Weighted Ranking of Options, Thinking Outside the Box, Prime Advocate/Devil’s Advocate,
Mapping a Process, and Being Prepared/Staying Educated (FLDOE, 2006). In the educational
leadership course, Organizational Development, I completed this module and its corresponding
activities.
Artifact 5-2 WCG
Module Decision Making.docx
is the product of this module.
Identifying the problem to be solved or issue to be decided is the second factor to consider
when implementing participative decision making. The nature of the problem or issue will lend
itself to a better model of decision making. Discrete problems are characterized as being clearcut, having readily separable elements, requiring a logical sequence of acts to reach the
solution that must be performed by one person. These problems are best solved by an expert
individual. Emergent problems are quite different. They are characterized as being ambiguous,
the elements of the problem are intertwined, the solution requires coordination and
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interaction of a number of people, and the dimensions and full nature of the problem are not
able to be fully known at the time of the decision making but will unfold as the problem is dealt
with over time (Owen & Valesky, 2007).
Determining who should participate in the participative process is the final guideline. The
intent of participative decision making is not to involve everyone in the process. This would be
time consuming, impractical, and most likely very unpleasant. Edwin Bridges suggests two rules
for identifying decisions in which it would be appropriate to involve stakeholders. The first is a
test of relevance, in which the individual’s personal stakes in the decision are high. For
instance, a teacher would have a high personal stake in decisions relating to teaching methods,
classroom management, and curriculum. The second is a test of expertise, in which the
stakeholder is then deemed competent to contribute effectively. An example may include a
decision on the organization of the related arts schedule, in which a math teacher would not be
qualified to contribute. In determining who should participate in this process, it would also be
advisable to determine if the participants in the group would have any kind of control or
jurisdiction over the problem, if not then their efforts may simply lead to frustration (Owens &
Valesky, 2007).
In all Florida public schools, the school advisory council (SAC), represents one form of
participative decision making. The SAC committee is comprised of administrators, teachers,
parents, non-instructional staff, and community member not employed by the school district.
The SAC committee makes decisions regarding the school improvement plan and school budget
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(Beckham & Raiford, 2003). A record of the 2008-2009 SAC committee enrollment is
Artifact 5-3 SAC
Committe Data.docx
.
A paradigm shift in educational practice in recent decades has been the onset of the era of
accountability. All education stakeholder groups - taxpayers, parents, community members,
politicians, and business leaders - are demanding that schools measure success by whether or
not students are learning. To measure student learning, states have adopted a new concept of
targeted, accountable results for all students regardless of their diverse backgrounds including
gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or ability. These new demands on schools and districts
require a change in how we think about the teaching of our children. It has become necessary
to manage inputs and processes to obtain targeted results, necessitating personalized in
instruction for every student (IBM, 2002).
In simple terms, student outcomes will improve if data is gathered about student work. The
data is looked at and analyzed for patterns, strengths, and weaknesses. Then, a teaching style
or method is adapted as a result of the analysis. Schools that engage in data-driven decision
making value data analysis as a critical tool in meeting their instructional goals for student
learning. Data analysis is the force that drives instructional and operational decisions, as it is
used to improve student learning (IBM, 2002).
Using data-driven decision making give schools and districts the power to manage learning
results. Managing the learning results is a systemic process, involving the whole school,
administrators, teachers, and students. First, the school or district determines a set of student
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performance goals based on academic standards and benchmarks. An example of measureable
objectives based on data is included in this artifact which was a curriculum writing project. The
measureable objectives were the driving force of curriculum and instruction
Artifact 5-4
Curriculum Writing.doc
Once that is done a school or district must create processes for and assign resources to:
hypothesis generation, evaluating the links between instructional and operational inputs and
student performance goals; data collection, ensuring that relevant data is available and
accessible; data analysis, to develop hypotheses about appropriate interventions; and
intervention, choosing those that are deemed appropriate based on an analysis of results.
Data-based decision making is certainly at the top of the priority list in Collier County where
I completed my educational leadership practicum. At Osceola Elementary, all staff member are
a part of two professional learning communities (PLC). Each staff member belongs to their own
grade level PLC, and is also a member of a vertical PLC which specializes in one particular
content area. Each PLC is required to develop a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic, and timely) goal that is developed through the use of assessment data collected and
provided by Collier County. During my educational leadership practicum this summer I
compiles school performance report from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, as well
as data on Adequate Yearly Progress. I developed and designed a template that could be used
to gain a visual representation of areas of progress and challenges for each school and grade
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level in the county based on FCAT data. This was an immense project, this artifact is an
example of one school’s report
Artifact 5-5 Big
Cypress Progress and Challenges Report.xlsx
.
How a school leader and an organization make decisions is driven by the shared vision
organization. The shared norms, beliefs, and values provide the foundation in which decisions
are made. Understanding and believing in this theory along with utilization of best practice
decision making strategies will ensure that leaders make effective decisions to promote student
learning.
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies
References
Beckham, J.C. & Raiford, S.A. (2003). The Florida school administrator’s legal guide. Bulverde,
TX: Omni Publishers, Inc.
Florida Department of Education. (2006). Florida school leaders: The William Cecil Golden
school leadership development program. https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/
IBM. (2002). Change toolkit. http://www.reinventingeducation.org
Owens, R.G. & Valesky, T.C. (2007). Organizational behavior in education: Adaptive leadership
and school reform (9th ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
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