Notes from the Field
Submitted by Frank Murphy, March 1, 2011
I was invited to speak at last Friday’s community protest rally at the School District of Philadelphia’s headquarters. This event was organized by the Teacher Action Group (TAG) and endorsed by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT). According to media reports, more than 500 demonstrators gathered outside of the district’s central office complex at 440 Broad Street.
The participants were enthusiastic and vocal. The lineup of speakers: parents, students, teachers and community activists, was representative of the diverse members of our school communities.
It was great to see such a large turnout of people advocating for the well being of the children of our city. It is evident that many of us share the same apprehensions regarding the reform efforts of the School District of Philadelphia.
I was proud to have been invited to be a participant at this protest. To join with a large gathering of fellow citizens in an expression of our basic right to the freedom of speech was an exhilarating experience. This is a feeling that I am sure I shared with many of my fellow demonstrators. It isn’t often that we can publicly exercise the right to express our dissatisfaction with the manner in which our leaders are exercising governance over a public institution.
The organizers of this demonstration had requested that I speak about what great leadership should look like in a school district. In the few minutes that I was allotted, I knew that I would barely be able to skim the surface of this broad topic. So instead of becoming bogged down in a theoretical discussion of leadership qualities, I decided to focus on identifying three attributes that exceptional leaders regularly demonstrate. These are: respect, engagement and support.
The text of my speech is provided below .
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Tag 440 Rally Speech: Friday, February 25
Dr. Ackerman often states that it is her intention to build a system of great schools in our city. In order to accomplish this goal we must have great leaders in our district.
And what would these leaders look like?
First of all …. great leaders would demonstrate respect for the members of every school in the district … and for every single member of each school.
What would this look like?
To begin with, you would see and hear our leadership here at 440 saying the following:
“Thank you staff. Thank you for all of your sincere commitment to the children of our community. Thank you for your dedication to the value of providing them with a more than adequate education … and your continuous battle to achieve equity for all children. Thank you for the sacrifices of time and income that you have made in order to assist your students. Thank you for the emotional investment that you make daily on their behalf.”
But …. this isn’t what we do see and hear in our district. Instead of this positive recognition we are constantly labeled as failures. Instead of being showered with words of praise and encouragement, we are bombarded with threats and acts of intimidation.
This is not how great leaders speak and act.
The second attribute of great leaders is that they meaningfully engage and involve the people of their organization in decision-making and planning efforts.
In the School District of Philadelphia this does not occur. All decisions are made at the top and are then imposed down on the organization.
This is not how great leaders engage their organization.
The third attribute of great leaders is that they support their team. They give their team members the tools that they need to get the job done. They recognize every member of the team as a professional they need to assist and support.
In our district, the tools that teachers receive are the ones that the leaders have decided they need. And teachers are expected to be robotic script readers, not thoughtful professionals.
This is not support. This is heavy handed management.
Respect. Engagement. Support. These are what great leaders give to their team.
The actions of our district leaders are not the actions that will lead the way to a system of great schools.
Those of us gathered here today do want a system of great schools in our city. We can see this vision. We can support it. We are willing to do what it takes for us to make this a reality. We are committed to the Philadelphia School District. In return for our commitment, dedication and sacrifice we expect to be led by great leaders who respect us, engage us and support us!
This what we need. This is what we expect. This is what we demand. We will not be intimidated.
Can you hear us Dr. Ackerman?
Can you hear us Dr. Ackerman?
Can you hear us Dr. Ackerman?
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In conclusion, I again express my appreciation to TAG for organizing this event.
They did great job of knocking on the front door of the district. The voices crying out in front of 440 were loud and insistent. The people are demanding to be heard.
Is our district’s leadership listening?