02+Decision+Making

= Decision Making =


 * Text Support & Personal Experience:**
 * Lambert states that it is necessary to "establish mutual understanding with staff about decision rules that clarify which decisions are made through consultation, advisement, consensus, individual choice, or not at all" (2003, p. 50). This understanding is sometimes more important than the result of the decision itself. This is process especially important to communicate to parents and community members. Too often, we fail to inform or involve the larger community in the decision-making process. ~Kate


 * Lambert's Figure 4.1, Examples of Leadership Coaching, cites in the Collaboration cell of Teacher Leader Characteristics, "promotes collaborative decision making to meet the diverse individual and group needs of the school community" (2003, p. 35) When all stakeholders have a say in a decision, the decision is broad-based and addresses the needs of every side. I have seen this firsthand in my school as we try to implement a new strategy in our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System). All of the staff were on board, and collaborated, when we first brought the PBIS into our school - rewards are based on classroom behavior. Then a group wanted to expand the reward system to individual students, this was not a collaborative effort, but instead brought about by a few interested staff members. This strategy/system is not anywhere near successful as the school wide PBIS. The Decision-Making was not a collaborative effort and I feel is the reason it is not successful. ~Laura


 * For decision making, there are obvious times where a teacher has a final say in the classroom, a principal has a final say in the school, and the school board has a final say in the district. There are also times where a joint/shared decision is important to have. All decisions should all directly related to the shared vision of the school, which should ultimately be student learning. One of Lambert's bullets in figure 5.1 states, "Clarify decision rules with the staff ahead of time. Include rules about which decisions are consulting or consensus decisions, which are for the faculty to make, which are for the principal to make alone, and which are made elsewhere." (2003, pg. 49) The figure is for strategies to help principals break dependency relationships, but I think it is important for everyone in a school to be aware of who makes what decisions, or what decisions a particular person gets to help make. -Kelly