Administrator as a Change Leader: Support to Develop and Implement Change

Support to Develop and Implement Change

Hargreaves el al. (2001) state that a change leader has three fundamental tasks:

To support teachers, and, where necessary, push them to be able to implement appropriate changes that matter.
To ensure that the changes teachers make can be sustained over time.
To ensure that changes can be generalized beyond a few enthusiastic teachers or specifically supported pilot schools...to affect whole systems (p. 157).

Elementary School Engaged in Implementing Differentiated Instruction

Fullan (1991) states "that the relationship between behavioral and belief change is reciprocal and ongoing, with change in doing or behavior a necessary experience on the way to breakthroughs in meaning and understanding" (p. 91). It takes considerable practice for new behaviors to become technically proficient as well as to integrate with existing teaching repertoire.

Joyce and Showers (2002) identify three collective agreements when a faculty commits to a schoolwide initiative for change. These agreements include:

Commitment to practice/use whatever change the faculty has decided to implement.
Assistance and support of each other in the change process, including shared planning of instructional objectives and development of materials and lessons.
Collection of data, both on the implementation of their planned change and on student effects relevant to the school's identified target for student growth (p. 88).

Administrator as a Change Leader