Working At The Edge

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What is a leader’s role in setting organizational aspirations?

By Randy Ziegenfuss

dreambigFrom How to Help Kids Find Their Aspirations:

The Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations, an independent non-profit organization, defines aspiration as the ability to set goals for the future while maintaining the inspiration in the present to reach those goals. When a student has dreams for the future and is actively working towards them, she’s in the “aspirational zone.” And in that state, student achievement increases.

It’s a good article about students and aspirations. Definitely go read it. As I read the article, though, I couldn’t help but think of how the ideas connected to leadership. As leaders, what are our aspirations for the people we lead – the big dreams for our students, teachers and parents? And what are we actively working for? Now more than ever, it’s important for us as leaders to create that audacious vision for our schools and inspire ourselves and those around us to reach our goals. Too many of us are mired in the vision-less mandates of policymakers and departments of education. We have an imperative to break from the cycle and lead our schools to aspire to loftier aims. Would our organizations be different if we were more actively engaged in setting our organizational aspirations?

What are you doing to mold the aspirations of your school and provide the inspiration to bring to reality an audacious vision for teaching and learning?

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Randy Ziegenfuss
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Randy Ziegenfuss
I've retired from public education after 34 years, most recently as Superintendent. In addition to blogging at WorkingAtTheEdge.org, I co-host two podcasts at TLTalkRadio.org and ShiftYourParadigm.org. Learn more at https://workingattheedge.org/about/.
Randy Ziegenfuss
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About Working At The Edge:

My name is Randy Ziegenfuss, and I'm a retired public school superintendent and a life-long educator with over 34 years experience developing a passion for teaching, learning, leadership and technology. <read more...>

I first came across the phrase working at the edge while learning about the work of Marzano, et al. School Leadership That Works: From Research to Results. In this work, the researchers define 21 responsibilities of the school leader, one being change agent. A change agent is defined as one who is, "...willing to challenge school practices that have been in place for a long time and promoting the value of working at the edge of one's competence."

Randy Ziegenfuss, Ed.D.

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