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Show Pfil"'!SIDENr' S LET.I~E~ Those who attend the public education committee interim meetings have heard Representative Lloyd Frandson try to encoura9e his fellow legislators to look at ideas expressed in A~l?.s.~iQD. fer , • · · ~-: +-b• r LD.ifffe-1:f;~ by Tom Peters, co-author of In .~a~ch. fQ~ SX9..ell~ and Nancy Austin"' This book, a sa1Uel to the €:tirlh~r nsearch'', looks at exaw;jles of actions at the three key areas of e:tc,.:;lJ.ence in any organization-superior service to customez s or cJ ients, innu-t" at. 1on wj :·,,tj n the company and .people. They focus on leadership and create rritat they call MBWA ( "Managing By Wandering Aroundn_) as a tool fGr manaqi.ng for excellence., In "Search". the a.uthors found that leadership in ~xcellent compar1ies "'had simplercrisp a71d clear visions but the intensity and clarity of the shared values behind those visions·anawed lots of room for autonomy, creative expression a.11d love, care and empathy. One chapter of the boQk is devoted to school leadership. The authors say they took the leap from discussing good business management to school.rr..anagement because they felt the subject was important, they noted the similiarity of traits of good business leaders and good school leaders, and the fact that a book, The Good High School by Sara Lightfoot (1983} supp:,rted their contention that cn-nroon sense has not been much practiced in public schools. The educators they focus on are "showrnen, visionaries, users of syrrbols and supersalesmen." They have developed a philosophy and follow it. In addition, they manage by wan~ering around the campus. They care :passionately about the students and faculty. The men they cite are tough disciplinarians who grant autonomy in the classroom and create a sense of family in the school system~ "'rhe School Philosophy of Brookline (Mass) High Schooln ts thought provoking~ It states: 1. Fiiucation Presumes a Clin:-ate of Cure; 2@ Thou9htfuln.ess is the social as well as the intellectual aim of education; 3c No style of learning or teaching is privileged; 4.-. L(::arning is a mixture of pleasure and of pain and 5~ Education examines not the individual but the .. ,w ~Y"'!e'J'""l. ~!:"~\,.; .. es·;., H""1>',, c•~J•. .. Jy ..... i.... ,,. .a. (;w "fl~-·v J.i~"""'"'i.11,J. L-r..:~ t,.., .~r;,.~ ""'Cb'"",.)'t ·_y ::,: .... f\...~...-...t.. ot·• "l-1a· J .....T"·'::, v~::. 0YCellent' l"'r,i.~·it·····1,..,,,...0~~ ~'II»..!' :..,.0 leadershin? Does the caxeer ladder progra:n de-:11 v-rith these ideas? At,,. ,,,, a I • 'J:he Board is focusing its attent5fm on. ai1nuc:d me ~ting 1 S(i'.!hetiuled ·.for April 12~ Berte Keith, ?3.13sisted by Ell<:n Mitchell and Kathy .Pa11y - will prepare the budget and Lajette FE~nton, with Peggy Eble·and-Lyla Fuller, will look at p~ssible by-law changes .. I a-rn saddened to.note that the Boa.rd and the organization are losing the ·services of. five r11t~mbers .~ho ate moving this summer. Jean Weston is. 'moving to the· Philadelphia area- and, Kat~y Fahey, Sara Michl and MerryKaye Merriman ,are roving t~ TexasTI_The.last individual is waiting for her- husband to resign.,·. We will. miss all of the-rn--and • Jmow that our loss is someother LW' s gain! ,1··0.·j; ,;f~ ' (/ . - |
