Educational leaders of today operate in highly complex local contexts. They are faced not only with everyday challenges in schools but also issues that arise outside of schools, such as the lack of staff as well as problematic school boards and budgetary restrictions. There are some new patterns and characteristics of these complex environments that educators must be aware of. Educational leaders are in a political environment that is marked by disputes across all levels of resources and how public education should be conducted.
The health of the nation’s economy is tied to the education system and has shifted the focus of political debate on education policy from concerns of equity to concerns about student performance. States have been increasingly centralizing the policymaking process for education to expand the influence of the government in the areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Due to the increasing importance of international comparisons of education and economic performance many states have placed a greater emphasis on accountability, standards and improvement of the standardized tests. However, certain reforms to education have decentralized public education , expanding the use of site-based fiscal management.
School administrators in the new environment have to be able to both adapt to state requirements and also take on more authority in the management of their budgets within their schools. Other decentralizing initiatives have provided more power in the field of education to parents through the use of unconventional methods of education delivery, including vouchers and charter schools. Pressures from the political sphere have profoundly altered the routine of local educators especially through their involvement in the implementation of standards and assessments. The leaders at all levels need to be aware of the current trends in both state and national education policy, and they must determine the best time and method to react to changes.
The numerous connections between economics and education present new challenges to educators. Both as a consumer and provider, education draws money from local communities and at the same providing human resources in the shape of students who are prepared for successful jobs. As the school’s quality district is dependent on its income, its wealth also depends on the quality of its public schools. The direct connection between the amount of education invested and individual earnings. In particular it was found that early education at the primary level offers the highest rate of return, in terms of proportion of individual earnings to educational costs. This is a reason to increase spending on early education. Knowing the connections between education and early childhood, leaders in education should determine which educational programs can ensure a positive ROI for students and taxpayers. If local economies don’t favor knowledge-based jobs, education investment could yield negative returns. Leaders should work to promote the education of knowledge-based workers as well as assisting communities in becoming appealing to companies offering this jobs. Educational leaders need to know the character the local economy as well as of the changing dynamics in national, local, or global marketplaces. In order to connect schools effectively with local economies, the leaders must build strong relationships with local resource providers, develop collaborations with universities and businesses and take part in the development of policies that impact education, taking note of the complicated interrelation between public wealth and education.
Two major changes to the nation’s fiscal environment over the last 19 years have helped transfer the responsibility of school officials over school districts to the state authorities. First, the growing amount of the federal and state budgets for public education has strained administrators to comply with governmental requirements regarding spending and accountability. Additionally, the state aid is increasing linked to ensuring equal “adequacy” of expenditure across the districts. This has encouraged leaders to utilize money to achieve better results as well as to help students with higher requirements, such as low-income or disabled children. The underlying cause of these changes is the different financial conditions across districts. These differences in financial situation have created substantial differences in expenditure between districts in urban regions and rural areas quite common. In the current financial climate educators must work to expand the resources they have available for their schools, adapt to accountability mechanisms of state governments and look for community support while they work to make more efficient use of resources through reducing class sizes and preparing children who are not achieving in preschool programs and invest in the professional development of teachers.
Recently, two significant accountability issues have garnered a lot of attention. The first one has to do with accountability in the market. Because markets are accountable to service providers If the market for options in education such as vouchers and charter schools expands the school’s leaders might be forced to invest more time in advertising their schools. Another problem is related to accountability from the political sphere. States’ accountability rules force officials to conform to requirements set by the state or face scrutiny from the public and possibly even penalties. The level of scrutiny varies across states, based on the subject matter, cognitive challenges, as well as the punishments and rewards that are included in accountability measures. School administrators can address accountability pressures that originate from the state’s policies by focusing on the scores of their tests or, more preferably in the long run, by focusing on improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning. External measures that result from policies that promote accountability can direct on the school’s work however, school leaders must also mobilise resources to improve the quality of instruction for all students, in order to meet the state’s requirements. They must also meet state needs even as the standards as well as the definitions of learning that are appropriate undergo substantial changes.
Public education is growing in both student numbers as well as diversity. A more polarized political climate has been associated with the rise in diversity. Immigration is also influencing the demographics. In particular, many immigrants’ children need to learn English and ensuring that they receive this training could strain the school system. The economic environment is also affecting schools as the amount of children living in poverty is increasing and the burden of poverty is becoming more concentrated in the cities of the United States.