Leadership for Innovation

It is difficult to include innovative strategies and procedures to the instructional program when one does not feel that efforts will be supported. As mandates change and require specific procedures within the learning environment, the ability to take risks that include innovations fade due to uncertainty of the direction that must be taken to comply. Negative attitudes about new mandates may stifle the creative process for school professionals (McKeown (2002).

Administrators can promote the desire and ability to innovate for the purpose of inspiring students. This can be done by planning for collaboration among colleagues, having committee meetings to discuss the steps that need to be taken to protect the school’s positive climate and culture, and banding together to establish professional knowledge that is able to stand up to and even fight occasional trends. Collaboration is important to exchange information and ideas that lead to the production of common goals (Polenchar & Boyer 2012).

Strengthening the social climate of the school affects students and professionals. When the school climate is positive, creativity becomes one of the strong characteristics of the environment (Allodi 2009). 

McKeown, R. (2002). Reorienting education. The education for sustainable development. Retrieved from http://www.esdtoolkit.org/discussion/reorient.htm

Palenchar, L. & Boyer, L. (2012).  Response to intervention: Implementation of a statewide system. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 27(4), 18-26. Retrieved from http://libraryguides.waldenu.edu/educ8765

Allodi, M.W. (2010). Goals and values in school: A model developed for describing, evaluating, and changing the social climate of learning environments. Social Psychology of Education, 13(2), 207-235. Retrieved from http://libraryguides.waldenu.edu/educ8765