How do you update your educational leadership skills?

1 Assess your strengths and gaps

The first step to update your skills is to identify your current level of performance and areas for improvement. You can use self-assessment tools, feedback from others, or professional standards to evaluate your skills. For example, you can refer to the National Educational Leadership Preparation Standards (NELP) or the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) in the US, or the Australian Professional Standard for Principals (APSP) or the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) in Australia. These frameworks provide clear and comprehensive criteria for effective educational leadership in different contexts and roles.

2 Plan your professional development

Once you have a clear picture of your strengths and gaps, you can plan your professional development activities accordingly. You can choose from a variety of options, such as formal courses, workshops, webinars, podcasts, books, articles, blogs, or online communities. You can also seek mentoring, coaching, or peer support from other educational leaders who can share their insights and experiences with you. The key is to align your professional development goals with your personal and organizational needs, and to monitor and evaluate your progress regularly.

3 Apply your learning to practice

The best way to update your skills is to put them into practice. You can do this by taking on new challenges, projects, or initiatives that require you to use your skills in different ways. You can also experiment with new strategies, tools, or approaches that you have learned from your professional development activities. For example, you can try using data-driven decision making, collaborative inquiry, or distributed leadership in your school or district. By applying your learning to practice, you can test your assumptions, refine your skills, and learn from your successes and failures.

4 Reflect on your impact

Another important step to update your skills is to reflect on your impact as an educational leader. You can do this by collecting and analyzing evidence of your leadership outcomes, such as student achievement, teacher satisfaction, school culture, or stakeholder engagement. You can also solicit feedback from your colleagues, students, and stakeholders on how they perceive your leadership style, behaviors, and actions. By reflecting on your impact, you can identify your strengths and areas for improvement, celebrate your achievements, and set new goals for your continuous growth.

5 Connect with other leaders

The final tip to update your skills is to connect with other educational leaders who can inspire you, challenge you, and support you. You can do this by joining professional associations, networks, or communities that offer opportunities for learning, sharing, and collaboration. You can also participate in events, conferences, or forums that showcase best practices, innovations, or research in educational leadership. By connecting with other leaders, you can expand your knowledge, perspectives, and resources, and foster a culture of learning and improvement in your field.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?