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Servant Leadership

Thomas McCann

Saint Marys University of Minnesota

Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs

Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standard 1 and 2

EDUW 691

Caroline A. Hickethier, Assistant Professor

May 24, 2014


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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 1: Teachers know the subjects they are teaching.

Knowledge. The teacher relates his/her disciplinary knowledge to other subject areas.

Dispositions. The teacher realizes that subject matter knowledge is not a fixed body of

facts but is complex and ever-evolving. S/he seeks to keep abreast of new ideas and

understandings in the field.

Performances. The teacher can represent and use differing viewpoints, theories, ways

of knowing, and methods of inquiry in his/her teaching of subject matter concepts.

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 2: Teachers know how children grow.

Knowledge. The teacher understands that students physical, social, emotional, moral,

and cognitive development influence learning and knows how to address these factors when

making instructional decisions.

Dispositions. The teacher is disposed to use students strengths as a basis for growth,

and their errors as an opportunity for learning.

Performances. The teacher stimulates student reflection on prior knowledge and links

new ideas to already familiar ideas, making connections to students experiences, providing

opportunities for active engagement, manipulation, and testing of ideas and materials, and

encouraging students to assume responsibility for shaping their learning tasks.

Danielson Domains

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

Component 4e: Growing and Developing Professionally


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Pre-assessments

Self-assessment of Instruction Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

For Wisconsin Teacher Standards (WTS) 1 and 2 I want to use the Servant Leadership

model with my teachers in order to lead them to become better educators. Based on what I

understand of Servant Leadership I believe that that model fits my personal beliefs and values of

leadership. I am currently the principal of two small rural Catholic elementary schools. I have

one teacher who has been resistant to change who needs help with improving math instruction

for 3rd and 4th grade students using the Saxon math curriculum. She teaches in a combined

classroom consisting of grades 3 and 4. I have been unsuccessful as of late in convincing her to

make needed changes to her instruction. With limited time remaining in the current school year

to effect substantive change in her teaching, I intend to research and then use Servant Leadership

techniques in order to guide her in making the needed improvements to her instruction during the

next school year.

The knowledge descriptors I chose to focus on were the teacher relates his/her

disciplinary knowledge to other subject areas and the teacher understands that students

physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive development influence learning and knows how

to address these factors when making instructional decisions. I have been unable up to now to

help the teacher make the necessary change to her instruction in order to see improvement in

students math scores. I understand that my methods of leadership have not been effective in

assisting her and I have to apply a different approach to leadership in order to help her make the

necessary improvements to her teaching.

I chose two disposition descriptors. The first is, The teacher realizes that the subject

matter knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex and ever evolving. S/he seeks to
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keep abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field. This descriptor is critical in that I

need to learn a different leadership approach in order to help my teacher grow. Researching a

different leadership style and being open to a new idea such as Servant Leadership is what will

hopefully make the difference that will enable me to help her improve. The second disposition

descriptor I chose is, the teacher is disposed to use students strengths as a basis for growth, and

their errors as an opportunity for learning. I need to be aware of her strengths as I plan to lead

her to improve instruction in order to build off of what she does well. I also must present her

struggles as an opportunity to learn something new and see that a new approach may be what

allows her students to learn better.

The following performance descriptor, the teacher can represent and use differing

viewpoints, theories, ways of knowing, and methods of inquiry in his/her teaching of subject

matter concepts, was chosen because I must be able to present a different viewpoint on how

best to instruct 3rd and 4th graders in Saxon math than what she has been doing and do so using a

new method of leadership. I also chose the teacher stimulates student reflection on prior

knowledge and links new ideas to already familiar ideas, making connections to students

experiences, providing opportunities for active engagement, manipulation, and testing of ideas

and materials, and encouraging students to assume responsibility for shaping their learning

tasks because it is imperative that I guide her to reflect on her prior knowledge of her

performance in order to help her realize that a change is needed. I believe it is important that she

take ownership of the change and evaluate its effectiveness. A method of leadership, such as

Servant Leadership, is what I think will allow me to be a more effective leader of my teachers.
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Assessment of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

Assessment of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)

Students in the 3rd/4th grade classroom are having a difficult time with the Saxon math

curriculum. Using standardized test data over the last four years (the time from which the

current Saxon math alignment was implemented) students on average are about 20 percentage

points lower in 3rd grade than they were at 2nd grade. There is also an uptick is scores beginning

in 4th grade showing substantial improvement by the time students graduate in 8th grade. The dip

is clearly and consistently showing up in the 3/4 classroom. In addition, parents and students

both have expressed concern about how math is being taught. My own observations have

confirmed many of their concerns.

Saxon math recommends a specific methodology that, as a school, we intend to employ.

While observing the teacher I noticed that the method of instruction intended was typically not

being used. For example, students are to be given direct instruction along with skill practice.

The skill practice is to be accompanied by individual coaching. Students are not to advance to

the next lesson without attaining 80% mastery or better using formal and informal assessments.

Although students were given a small amount of direct instruction, their practice time took up

most of the remaining class time and occurred with little or no coaching. Students worked

frequently alone at their desk and were told to seek each others help before approaching the

teacher. The next class period was for a new lesson regardless of the score the students received

on the previous lesson. The teacher was going to plow ahead.

In observing over the course of two school years I noticed that students who were

typically the top math students in 2nd grade would start out quite strong in 3rd grade and most of

the other students would do rather well in the beginning also. Since Saxon math spends a large
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amount of time reviewing the previous years material in the opening lessons of the next level

most students do start rather well. Once new material is introduced in the 3rd grade, however, the

students tended to struggle rather quickly except maybe for the mathematically gifted, but even

they would have a hard time by late in the school year.

Assessment Conclusion and Essential Question to Guide Research

After having reflected on my own difficulties in effecting a change in the instruction

provided by the 3rd/4th grade teacher as well as my overall assessment of the situation I believe

that it is necessary for me to employ a better leadership strategy in order to reach my goal of

improving math learning for the 3rd grade students. My essential research question is: What are

the key qualities of a servant leader that can assist me as principal in leading effectively?

Research Summary

Servant leadership is being considered as a viable leadership model for Catholic schools

because of its strong connection to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Research is quite limited,

however, as it relates to the effectiveness of servant leadership within organizations, particularly

schools. The availability of research has probably been reduced because of the lack of a clear

consensus as to the definition of servant leadership. Most research in this field seems to be

focused on trying to operationalize the concept of servant leadership, in other words, how does

the theory work in practice? This direction in the research does not bode well in the near future

for providing any clear, definitive answer to the part of my research question about effecting

change, however, the important qualities that a servant leader should possess are relatively clear

and generally agreed upon.

Although a common definition of the theory of servant leadership has not been uniformly

agreed upon, there are some consistent elements across my research. All of my references
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referred, in varying degrees, to Robert K. Greenleaf. Greenleaf is considered the originator of

the term servant leadership. As Parris & Peachey (2013) stated, The majority of research in

servant leadership has streamed from Greenleafs (1977) foundational texts and the Greenleaf

Center (p. 379). Greenleaf (1977) described servant leadership thusly, The servant-leader is

servant firstIt begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then

conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead (p. 27). Greenleafs statement also appears, or

parts of it, in all of my references. It is important to clarify that to serve, as Greenleaf uses the

term, does not mean doing someone elses job for them, but instead helping one to do their job

better and thereby serve the organization more effectively. It is from Greenleafs description, as

well as reviewing Greenleafs writings and the work of others on servant leadership, that Larry

C. Spears, former CEO of the Greenleaf Center, was able to synthesize 10 characteristics of a

servant leader (Black, 2010).

The 10 characteristics that Spears (2009) articulates are also addressed in Black (2010);

Crippen (2005); and Stueber (2000). Each of these sources point to these 10 characteristics as

being critical to understanding servant leadership as well as implementing it in practice:

listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship,

commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Some have focused on a

different set of traits. The systematic literature review (SLR) conducted by Parris & Peachey

(2013) looked at how researchers have organized the complexity of Greenleafs concepts on

servant leadership by identifying different characteristics (p. 380). Of the three reviews Parris

& Peachey studied, one can see great similarity between Spearss list and the lists identified in

their SLR. I will focus on understanding the 10 characteristics created by Spears.


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The 10 characteristics posited by Spears (2009) are in no particular order. Stueber

(2000), for example, lists them differently. Using the order that Spears (2009) himself provides

and using his description of each trait as the overall benchmark, Ive synthesized a brief

explanation of each characteristic based on the information provided in Black (2010); Crippen

(2005); and Stueber (2000).

The first trait of a servant leader is listening. A servant leader responds to situations by

listening first and then reflecting on what is being said. The servant leader encourages

thoughtful silence. He or she tries to remove bias while listening and he or she seeks to clarify

and identify the needs of either the individual or the group (Spears, 2009, p. 20).

Empathy expresses unlimited liability for others it never rejects others. Servant leaders

view those they serve as just like them.

Healing is a powerful and necessary force for transformation within an organization. It

repairs damage to relationships and seeks to make each other whole (Spears, 2009, p. 20).

Awareness has two components: general awareness and self-awareness. Awareness

begins inside first and then extends outward; servant leaders know themselves.

Persuasion is the opposite of coercion. The position of authority that a servant leader

may possess does not play into effecting change. The servant leader uses reason to enlighten

another and thereby lead them to see that change is needed.

The trait of conceptualization means that you can see beyond the routine. A servant

leader has a vision and works toward that vision.

Foresight is similar in that it sees the future direction of the organization and directs

momentum toward long-term goals that will achieve the vision.


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Peter Block (as quoted in Spears, 2009, p. 20) defines stewardship as holding something

in trust for another. Servant leaders are stewards for the greater good of the organization and

ultimately for society. They are accountable without being controlling.

Commitment to the growth of people intimates that people are more important than

things, more important than organizations. There is a vested interest in seeing that people

succeed. Power is always ethically used. The success of people will lead to the success of the

organization.

The last characteristic is building community. Servant leaders make a conscious effort to

build community among stakeholders. Servant leaders know that, by nature, human beings are

communal. They understand that whatever is built is built for all.

Employing the 10 characteristics of a servant leader seems to be elemental in leading by

serving. If I wish to effect change at my school, and particularly with my staff, as a servant

leader, I must integrate these 10 traits within my leadership style.

Research Implications

My research question was, What are the key qualities of a servant leader that can assist

me as principal in leading effectively? The research implies that by acting on the 10

characteristics of servant leadership one can effectively and ethically lead others as a servant

leader. Although the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of servant leadership as a

leadership method is lacking, I should be able to use the 10 traits and gauge my own success as I

attempt to help my 3rd/4th grade teacher make the needed changes to her math instruction.
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Research-based Action Plan

Action Plan Summary Outline

1. Determine which of the 10 characteristics of a servant leader would be most critical in

helping my 3rd/4th grade teacher make changes to her math instruction. Create a plan to use those

key characteristics.

2. Envision the implementation of the plan with my 3rd/4th grade teacher over the

summer.

3. Assess the envisioned plan and make necessary improvements. Implement the revised

plan next school year.

Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

1. Standardized goal: Improve teacher performance using the Servant Leadership model.

2. Targeted learning objective: Effect change to the math instruction given by the 3rd/4th

grade teacher at my school.

Task(s) and Essential Proficiency Criteria for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

1. Task: The 3rd/4th grade teacher will implement needed changes to her math

instruction.

2. Criteria that Prove Proficiency in Meeting Targeted Learning Objective(s)

a. The teacher will be observed consistently using recommended

methodology in the instruction of the Saxon math curriculum.

b. Students in 3rd/4th grade will not advance to the next lesson in Saxon

math without having achieved at least 80% mastery.

c. Standardized test scores in math will show an improvement in both 3rd

and 4th grade compared to the previous year.


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Method(s) to Assess Progress of Proficiency for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

My personal evaluation of the criteria outlined above.

Post-assessments

Instructional Insights Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

My first task was to identify the most critical servant leadership traits to accomplish my

objective. I identified listening, empathy, persuasion, and stewardship. I realized that I needed

to begin by listening to her concerns so as to identify her needs. If her needs were not addressed,

I believed little would change. She needed to know that I truly cared for her and her needs,

which is why empathy was chosen. By my listening and my actual attention to what she needed,

I would be able to help her understand that my intentions were honorable and integral to her and

her students success. Persuasion, I believed, was most important. Through reasoned

explanation I had to convince her of the changes I wished her to make to her instruction and the

methods of evaluation I would be using. I also wanted her to be completely involved in the

changes, hence stewardship. She needed to know that I held her in high regard as well as

professionally responsible for her students achievement.

The greatest insight I gained was that my failure to initiate change before was because of

my approach. Before, all I did was tell her what I wanted her to do. I realized that I needed to

guide her to what was needed. The process I learned through my research was more involved,

but in the long run potentially more effective. It was also a process that truly fit my beliefs and

values. If I were in her shoes, I would want my principal to listen to me and understand my

concerns and needs. I also would want my principal to convince me that his or her method to

address the problem was logical and doable.


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Comparison of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

Comparison of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)

Next school year begins with a meeting between my 3rd/4th grade teacher and myself.

She is already aware of my concerns with her math instruction, but what will be different will be

my approach. I envision her sharing her concerns about having to teach two levels of Saxon

math. I also believe that she will articulate the difficulties involving the transition from Saxon

level three in second grade to level 5/4 in third grade. Both of those are valid concerns and I will

be empathetic with her struggles over those issues.

After spending whatever time is needed to listen to her concerns, I will ask her for her

suggestions as to how improvements can be made. There will be no need to convince her of the

problem since she has acknowledged the problem already. What I envision her doing is not

having a clear answer to my query, that will give me an opportunity to make my case. I will

have an answer for her concerns regarding the issues mentioned above as well as additional steps

I would like her to understand and take. I will end our meeting by asking her to consider what I

have proposed.

After a reasonable time to think about my proposal, I anticipate that she will be willing to

try it. I will inquire of her if she needs any help with understanding the method of instruction to

be used. If necessary, I will arrange for her to see the method in action within our school or at

another school. I will also offer to provide instruction to her myself if needed. I will then let her

know that I will be observing her progress and that we will meet periodically to discuss that

progress. I will also indicate that she may let me know at any time if she has additional

suggestions or questions.
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As I observe her progress I envision that she may need reinforcement regarding the

method of instruction I expect her to employ. I do not expect that she will need help in

understanding the method as much as she will need reminders as to what is expected. I also

expect that I will observe that students are not moving on to the next math lesson before

achieving 80% mastery on the current lesson.

In the final analysis I expect to see improved student performance in math on the

standardized test.

Reflection of Entire Learning Process

I began this entire process with the intention of understanding servant leadership and how

it can be used by me to effect change in my school. I learned a lot about the theory of servant

leadership and the traits needed for a servant leader. I was disappointed, however, to discover

that there is little research on the effectiveness of servant leadership. That discovery did not stop

me from taking what I learned about servant leadership and employing it in a practical way

within my own school and with a particular teacher.

What Worked and Why

1. I learned that my own methods of leadership were lacking. I needed to be able to use

other methods to effect needed change in my school.

2. By envisioning using different methods to achieve results, I learned that I am open to

change myself and that I must be open to new ideas.

What Did Not Work and Why

1. My greatest struggle was trying to design a method of action research using servant

leadership ideals. Measuring the success or failure of a method of leadership that did not have
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professionally agreed upon, clear practically defined criteria was challenging. I am not

completely comfortable with my action research project design.

2. The timing did not work either. Because of my workload as principal is extensive, it

allowed me little time for this course. I did not make an adequate judgment as to what was

expected of me prior to registering. As a result I was not able to carryout the research process in

reasonable timeframe. It would have been more effective if I had actually implemented my

action plan instead of just envisioning the results.

My Next Steps

1. Actual implementation of my plan next school year. Changes to math instruction in

the 3rd/4th grade need to be made, so I will carryout what I have planned.

2. If the implementation proves at least moderately successful, it will have done a lot

toward confirming my belief in servant leadership and I will be inclined to study it further.
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References

Black, G. (2010). Correlational analysis of servant leadership and school climate. Catholic

Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 13(4), 437-466. Retrieved from ERIC

database. (EJ914879)

Crippen, C. (2005). Servant-leadership as an effective model for educational leadership and

management: First to serve, then to lead. Management in Education (Education

Publishing Worldwide Ltd), 18(5), 11-16.

Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and

greatness. New York, NY: Paulist Press.

Parris, D., & Peachey, J. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in

organizational contexts. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377-393.

doi: 10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6

Spears, L. C. (2009). Servant leadership. Leadership Excellence, 26(5), 20.

Stueber, R. (2000). Leadership perspectives: Making a difference with servant leadership.

Lutheran Education, 136(1), 49-55.

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