President's Corner
Growing Effective Leaders
By Christopher O. Gaines/School Administrator, December 2018


AS EDUCATORS, we are in the people-development business — our work involves developing young children into educated, self-reliant and productive young adults. To succeed, we need our best people on the job, facilitating learning in our classrooms, driving our buses, maintaining our school facilities, cooking and serving food, and providing resources and services.

Leadership is important at all levels of our school districts, and how we, as district leaders, cultivate the leadership capacity of our staff and students is critical.

New in my district this year is a leadership development program for all classes of employees. Teachers, bus drivers, custodians, secretaries and cooks participate in the program — 32 people in all.

Over the year, these aspiring leaders will meet a dozen times for 70 hours of presentations, reflections, activities and conversations that will guide them to be our future department heads, principals and directors.

Many districts around the country provide similar leadership programs for their employees. The Deerfield 109 School District in suburban Chicago works with the Illinois Principals Association to develop aspiring leaders through a statewide Aspiring School Leader Network that meets several times a year.

In my home state of Missouri, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education hosts an annual leadership academy for teacher, building and district leaders. The focus is on developing school leaders at all levels who will engage with the community, serve as catalysts for meaningful change, promote excellent instruction and create and sustain a culture of learning.

AASA offers a national Aspiring Superintendents Academy program to develop future district leaders. The academy, which includes four mandatory in-person sessions throughout the year, connects aspiring leaders with mentors to help them prepare to lead teams of people effectively.

The association also has partnered with several state associations to offer a similar program. These academies for aspiring superintendents include opportunities for personalized learning, networking with peers and guidance from mentors.

Future leaders from all levels of education are ripe for development. During a visit to a 1st-grade classroom this fall, I saw a mirror hung near the door. Around the mirror were the words “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ... There’s a Leader in Us All!” The message is clear: Leadership training begins with students.

As I have shared in the past, the Boy Scouts gave me my first opportunities to lead and my experiences as a scout shaped me over my lifetime. The Boy Scout model of leader development moves young children from being highly dependent on adults to being interdependent as young Boy Scouts to being empowered young adults at the end of their scouting career.

The scouting framework has two leader training courses for scouts that rival the best corporate trainings on leadership. Many of our students have attended these courses, and I can see the difference in them upon their return.

In our schools, student councils, Future Farmers of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Distributive Education Clubs of America, honor societies and other student organizations help students develop leadership skills that will benefit them throughout their careers in school and in the workplace. We can learn from these students as they share their excitement for the future. They have so much to offer.

I am fortunate to have mentors and coaches who have helped me throughout my career. As education leaders, we have a duty to mentor and coach those who will come after us, those aspiring leaders in our classrooms and beyond.


CHRIS GAINES is AASA president for 2018–19. Twitter: @paddlingsupt