Leadership with a Heart
by Jill Levy, President, CSA

I recently returned to the classroom to lead a professional development workshop for CSA members, many who are aspiring principals. But, as I went over my lesson plan, I saw the material was misaligned with what is happening in our school system every day. Everything in my presentation i.e., what “should be,” seemed to be at odds with “what is,” i.e., the school system's current approach to leadership.

How could I put forward a set of attitudes and characteristics so far removed from what my students, supervisors and administrators in the NYC public schools, witness every day? Would it be possible to help my adult students overcome their feelings of oppression and fear, common emotions experienced under the present regime. Would the expectations for leadership performance to which I subscribe conflict with what the school system expects of them?

Leadership to me is the ability to inspire and lead others to form a shared vision for an organization, and to implement a strategy to make that vision a reality. Isn't that at direct odds with the Mayor's autocratic, top-down approach?

With a good deal of trepidation, I went into the classroom. In my lessons, I try to emphasize two points: a) effective communication skills and b) the ability to include every individual and group who have a stake in the organization's future. But my students told me that these ideas have little relevance in the world in which they work.

CSA members say that their participation in decision-making is more limited than ever. They say use their skills to carry out orders from on high, but they are not allowed to exercise true leadership within their schools. As for communication, nobody knows how decisions are made or policies developed.

In the past, I generally spend time discussing how leaders must have a clearly articulated vision for their organizations. But no compelling vision is forthcoming from Tweed. My students report that they hear nothing more than empty slogans. There's no inspiring vision, they say. And CSA members are not involved in developing plans so they lack what we call ownership of any long-term design.

A good leader communicates his vision to subordinates through honest dealings with them and through consistent actions each day in his or her dealings with those who have a stake in the success of the organization. I don't think CSA members experience those qualities of leadership from this administration.

School supervisors and administrators have quickly learned that their mission is to carry out ideas that belong entirely to other people, and they do it accordingly. But they remain curious about two things: “How is it,” they ask, “that people who know little or nothing about educating children see themselves as experts, and why does the public so readily accept the views of non-educators?”

CSA members must learn that whether the dictatorial behavior is fueled by hubris or arrogance, in the end, it is the professional leadership, which every school leader exercises that will determine how well our children are educated.#

Jill Levy is the president of the Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA).