LEADERSHIP STANDARDS

The IDEAL Program is aligned with the Florida Educational Leadership Standards (FELS). The purpose of these standards is to establish Florida’s expectations for effective school administrators. These evidence-based standards form the foundation for school leadership preparation programs, educator certification requirements, professional learning for school administrators, and school administrator evaluation systems. The Standards reflect interdependent domains, qualities and values of leadership work that research and practice suggest are integral to student success:

Standard 1. Professional and Ethical Norms.
Standard 2. Vision and Mission.
Standard 3. School Operations, Management, and Safety.
Standard 4. Student Learning and Continuous School Improvement.
Standard 5. Learning Environment.
Standard 6. Recruitment and Professional Learning.
Standard 7. Building Leadership Expertise.
Standard 8. Meaningful Parent, Family, and Community Engagement.

IDEAL Program Core Values and Beliefs

The program is guided by the following foundational statement of intent and core values and beliefs.

Vision

We will be widely recognized as a leading school leadership professional learning program locally, nationally, and internationally, developing the strongest school leaders and leadership teams to lead and transform schools into model learning organizations.

The IDEAL School Leader Profile

The program is grounded in five core values and beliefs about educational leadership, expressed as the IDEAL School Leader Profile:

Leader of Leaders and Learning

School leaders who are committed to a vision of leadership that is instructional, collaborative, distributive, data-informed, research-based, ethical, developmental, innovative, and courageous. They understand that leadership is most effective when it is shared and focused on developing leadership capacity within schools and school systems. They are lead learners whose leadership requires the ability to use pedagogy and andragogy in facilitating the learning of everyone in the school and its community.

Reflective Practitioners

School leaders who are reflective practitioners with a world view to create dynamic learning environments. They are strategic thinkers who develop organizational and operational systems to promote ongoing reflective and critical inquiry to inform action. They welcome critical feedback to develop the personal insight necessary to increase their leadership attributes and skills.

Transformative Decision-Makers

School leaders who recognize that their leadership is a transformative and political process to bring about positive change in the pursuit of a better society and world. They understand and demonstrate the capability to evaluate the moral and legal consequences of decisions and make their choices based on the goal of maximizing student learning and fostering a democratic community. They are strategic and systems thinkers with a growth mindset.

Relationship Builders

School leaders who are adept at building positive relationships that support the wellbeing of all members of the school community. They are culturally aware leaders who treat each individual with civility, empathy, respect, and forthrightness while holding high expectations for everyone who contributes to the learning organization. They build external relationships with families, community members, and community organizations to strengthen the school programs they lead.

Visionaries with High Expectations

School leaders who communicate and create a shared vision that inspires high expectations for their own performance, as well as for the performance of all others in the school. They embrace accountability and give feedback as tools for continuous improvement while remaining focused on student learning as a priority. They are passionate leaders who persevere and challenge the status quo.