PLDC MISSION: ( . . . why we exist, the business that we are in)

To develop dynamic, future-focused educational leaders
. . . which requires "looking at education through leadership eyes"

PLDC BELIEFS ABOUT LEADERS AND LEADING: ( . . . what we believe and, therefore, how we do things)

• Leadership is the key to organizational effectiveness
• Integrity is the core of Authentic Leadership
• Courage, risk-taking, and innovation are prerequisites of productive change

PLDC BELIEFS ABOUT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: ( . . . what we believe and, therefore, how we do things)

• Leadership can be learned . . . and in a variety of ways
• Development must include the person, his/her values, knowledge and skills
• Development must be both future-focused and research based
• Leadership is learned best in collegial groups
  

PLDC CORE VALUES: ( . . . what we value, what we honor, and what we believe is most important)

• The Power of Education
• Accountability and Continuous Improvement
• Lifelong-Learning and Development
• Integrity, Diversity, Contribution, and Success

PLDC VISION: ( . . . what we will look like, feel like, act like, and be like when we are operating at our ideal best)

Regarding Products and Services . . .

• We live in a time of rapid change. Education is changing, leadership is changing, leadership development is changing. The products and services of PLDC are continuously being upgraded, modified, and changed. Clients expect to get the latest, the best, the highest quality when they enter into a relationship with PLDC. What is on the PLDC menu today will not be what will be on the menu tomorrow . . . that is, unless nothing more effective has been discovered.
  
• The Total Leaders Framework is the core of the products and services offered by PLDC. This framework is continuously challenged and modified to accommodate new realities, new research, and new leadership issues.
  
• Today, Pennsylvania school systems and individual leaders can expect quality, in-depth learning experiences on the following leadership dimensions:

1. Creating a Compelling Organizational Purpose
2. Creating Meaning and Ownership Around Organizational Purpose
3. Empowering Everyone in the Organization
4. Modeling the Organization's Purpose and Principles
5. Managing Toward an Organizational Purpose and Vision
6. Creating a Culture of Cooperation, Innovation, Quality, and Success
7. Creating a Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement
8. Employing Win-Win Strategies With Customers and Clients
9. Creating a Change-Friendly, Continuous Improvement Mindset
10. Being the Lead Learner and Creating Learning Organizations
11. Strategic Design . . . Creating a Client-Centered, Future-Focused Direction for Your Organization
12. Principles of Professionalism . . . Creating and Operationalizing the Organization's Moral Foundation
13. Supervision for Alignment . . . Making Sure that Everyone is On The Bus
14. Strategic Leadership Selection . . . Helping Leaders to Make Their Most Important Decision

This listing of products and services changes continuously as the needs and desires of leaders and organizations change, as the issues of our profession change, and as the research and theory indicate that there are new, better, and more effective ways of leading.

Regarding the Delivery System . . .

• Clients of PLDC include practicing leaders, those considering leadership careers, those pursuing leadership credentials, and those who simply wish to learn more about leadership. Services are open to all leaders and all aspiring leaders who embrace the beliefs, mission, and values of PLDC.
• Most PLDC workshop facilitators/consultants are practicing leaders who have proven themselves to be Total Leaders. Workshop leaders and consultants are chosen carefully for their knowledge of the content, their record of success in the areas in which they consult, their ability to present and facilitate learning experiences, and their commitment to being lifelong learners. The success of consultants and workshop facilitators is monitored closely and opportunities to team with other highly skilled facilitators are made available to everyone interested in becoming a PLDC facilitator/consultant.
• Although most leadership concepts and skills can be learned best in collegial groups, much is also learned from experience and reflection, and much is learned from the personal study of leadership theory and research. PLDC realizes that people learn in different ways and at different rates. Therefore, PLDC delivers services, in workshop settings, to organizations and leadership teams with real problems and visions, and to individuals via on-line learning experiences. PLDC embraces today's reality that "anyone, can learn anything, at any way, at any time, from world-wide experts." Bureaucratic policies, based on administrative convenience, are trumped by a service-oriented organization focused on meeting customer/client needs.
• Leadership development in Pennsylvania is much larger than PLDC . . . and we recognize that fact. PLDC creates and maintains strategic relationships with other PA organizations that have missions, beliefs, values, and visions similar/complementary to those of PLDC. PLDC leverages their resources and influence to meet the leadership needs of PA education.

Regarding Influence, Recognition, and Credibility . . .

• PLDC is recognized and respected statewide for their ability to bring the best leadership thinking and leadership development to education. They have established their credibility through performance . . . performance over time. PLDC is viewed by PA leaders as the place to go to get the latest and best thinking regarding leadership, productive change, and future-focused planning.
• If it is sponsored by PLDC, customers/clients expect quality. PLDC leadership ensures that all workshops, all learning experiences, all facilitators meet high standards . . . standards that have been clarified, measured, and monitored. PLDC has created feedback loops and continuous improvement processes that ensure quality . . . quality as defined by clients and customers.

THE PLDC FRAMEWORK IS BASED ON THE Total Leaders FRAMEWORK

[ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ] [ ORGANIZATION ] [ MARKET ] [ INITIATIVE ]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Today's leaders for tomorrow's schools will be better prepared by participation in the leadership opportunities provided by the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center. The assessment, professional development modules and continued professional support will empower these leaders to articulate and apply the best practices of leadership.

The Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center (PLDC), a non-profit organization formed in 1995 and committed to providing strategic leadership development training opportunities for Superintendents and persons aspiring to become Superintendents is ready to embark on a new paradigm in leadership assessment and development.

Utilizing the expertise of Dr. Charles Schwahn, noted author of the book Total Leaders: Applying the Best Future-Focused Change Strategies to Education, and numerous dedicated educators throughout Pennsylvania a new approach to Strategic Leadership Assessment and Development has been designed incorporating the following parameters:

• Total Leaders Framework
• Ten Critical Performance Roles of the Total Leader
• Strategic Leader Selection. An External Assessment
• Personal Leadership Assessment. Detailed Rubrics for each of the Ten Performance Roles
• Leadership Development Opportunities. For Individuals and Teams - PLDC Training Modules for the Ten Performance Roles
• Performance-Based Electronic Portfolios - Leaders demonstrating the Ten Performance Roles

The Duquesne University School of Education Leadership Institute, PASA, Pennsylvania School Study Council, and the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center have all worked cooperatively creating an assessment and strategic leadership development process for Pennsylvania school administrators.

Ten leadership training modules have been developed focusing on five domains of leadership: authentic, visionary, cultural, quality, and service. Additionally, the modules are cross-referenced to the ISSLC standards. Furthermore, the validity and reliability of Dr. Schwahn's Systematic Transformative Leader Selection Tool as an assessment process for professional development has been established by Duquesne University.

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THE ORGANIZATION

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, the Pennsylvania School Study Council, and the School of Education - Duquesne University, the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center was formed in 1995 to offer professional growth opportunities for educational leaders in Pennsylvania utilizing materials developed by American Association of School Administrators and National Association of Secondary School Principals. These materials focused on analyzing participant performance in eleven (11) skill dimensions with fellow superintendents serving as facilitators and observers ultimately providing a written critique of the performances after the one and one/half day session. The facilitators worked one on one with six participants at each center and provided feedback on the skill dimensions observed as well as identifying potential derailers that could impact on the present or future performance of the participant.

A board of sponsors appointed from the sponsoring organizations oversees the operation of the center programs in collaboration with the executive director. The board membership includes practicing superintendents as well as persons active in educational programs at the university level. The present board members include the following persons:

Dr. Pat Crawford, Superintendent, Bedford County School District
Dr. Ann Keim, Superintendent, Pequea Valley School District
Dr. Kenneth Kitch, Superintendent, Steelton-Highspire School District
Dr. Patricia A. Lowery, Superintendent, Williamsport School District
Dr. David Krauser, Superintendent, Pocono Mountain School District
Dr. James Scott, Executive Director, Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13
Dr. Helen Sobehart, Director, Leadership Institute, Duquesne University
Dr. James Henderson, Dean, College of Education, Duquesne University
Dr. Seldon Whitaker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania School Study Council
Mr. Stinson Stroup, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators

As leadership development moved to a more future focused orientation, the PLDC Board of Sponsors was challenged to develop a new model to enhance the preparation of existing and aspiring leaders. Through two grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, PLDC acquired the funding needed to establish the new format. Duquesne University received the bid to develop the new model and utilizing the expertise of Dr. Charles Schwahn of Schwahn Leadership Associates and the expertise of educators throughout Pennsylvania in addition to the Leadership Institute at Duquesne University succeeded in developing ten (10) modules focusing on Strategic Leadership Dimensions identified in Dr. Schwahn's book Total Leaders. The ten modules were recently field tested at sites throughout the state and are ready for presentation to individuals, teams of school district leaders, intermediate units, colleges and businesses throughout the state.

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THE MARKET

The PLDC Board of Sponsors recognizes there is a serious need for strategic leadership development programs for educators serving in central office and building level administrative positions as well as for persons aspiring to become educational leaders. This is especially true as senior administrators are rapidly reaching retirement age with new persons entering the administrative arena. Likewise, the demands for persons well-trained in leadership skills are essential in order to meet all the expectations such as the federal "No Child Left Behind" legislation that has been mandated for all Pennsylvania school districts as well as other state and federal initiatives and mandates.

Previous development efforts were limited in the number of centers conducted and the persons annually involved. After administrative certification, very few opportunities existed to be involved in a comprehensive, structured, personalized on-going process, both synchronously and asynchronously. The strategic leadership development modules that have been formulated provide flexibility in their design and meet the needs for both aspiring and existing leaders. We strongly affirm that the potential exists to provide leadership development opportunities to a significantly greater number of persons than the number of persons previously serviced in the former model. We anticipate serving a minimum of 100 persons each year over the next several years.

In the former paradigm a team of six (6) superintendents were needed to conduct a center. With the new format a minimum of two (2) persons can offer one (1) of the ten (10) strategic leadership modules to any number of persons at locations throughout the state. Previously, a participant would have to schedule at least one and one/half days out of their professional obligations in order to complete the center and would then have to meet with their facilitator several days later in order to receive feedback about the skills that they had demonstrated in the center activities. Additionally, the facilitators would have to schedule at least two days from their professional duties in order to complete the tasks associated with the center. Now, there is no module more than six (6) hours in duration. Thus, participants and presenters alike are not tied to such a demanding schedule in order to receive training.

Likewise, the Assessment instrument that was validated at Duquesne University that can be used in connection with this program can be administrated over the telephone by persons who have been specifically trained by Dr. Charles Schwahn in using the instrument. The assessment takes an hour to complete. Furthermore, the modules are so structured that they can be selected based on the participant's interest rather than in a pre-determined sequence. Similarly, the participant is not required to complete the assessment instrument in order to schedule the modules.

Additionally, the strategic leadership modules are constructed so that other persons in other professions besides education can enroll in the modules as the need arises. Although the training focuses on school leaders, the principles can be utilized in business operatives as well. 3.

Finally, we anticipate offering an electronic portfolio option for participants where they can dialogue with other colleagues and share their professional development activities that have evolved after participating in the training modules.

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THE INITIATIVE

Dr. Charles J. Schwahn, in his book Total Leaders, Applying the Best Future-Focused Change Strategies to Education, has put together and synthesized all available leadership theories into one comprehensive and useable leadership/change model.

Based upon Dr. Schwahn's work, PLDC working in collaboration with Duquesne University through the leadership of Dr. Helen Sobehart, received two grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to validate a leadership assessment tool, to develop administrative training modules based generally on Dr. Schwahn's work and specifically on his assessment instrument, and to field test the modules to practitioners in the field.

In his book Dr. Schwahn identifies five (5) broad clusters that he calls "domains of leadership performance." The domains are: Authentic, Visionary, Cultural, Quality and Service. Each domain has its own set of proponents, experts and practitioners, and each embodies a distinctive set of leadership performance roles and skills.

Over the past several months a team of educators has developed ten (10) leadership training modules focusing on the five domains of leadership. The modules are incorporated into individual binders containing module support, Power Point presentations and transparencies. Additionally, a team of educators have been trained to present the modules at locations throughout the state and the modules have been field tested in preparation for final edit of the modules.

Following is a list of the ten (10) Strategic Leadership Assessment Dimensions including descriptor for each module.

Dimension 1: Creating A Compelling Organizational Purpose. This dimension is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands the concepts of organizational purpose, vision, and core values and the role they play in shaping organizational change; (b) understands the strategic leader's role in the creation and maintenance or a future-focused organizational purpose, vision and core values; and (c) shows evidence of being able to create consensus around a compelling, future-focused organizational purpose and vision.

Dimension 2: Creating Meaning and Ownership Around Organizational Purpose. This dimension is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands and believes that it is important that all employees find motivational meaning in their work; (b) understands that the leader has a significant role to play in creating meaning for employees; and (c) shows evidence of being able to structure work activities consistent with a compelling organizational purpose that help employees find meaning, intrinsic motivation, and fulfillment in their work.

Dimension 3: Empowering Everyone in the Organization. This dimension is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands what "empowerment" is and why and how it leads to job satisfaction and productivity; (b) understands that leaders significantly influence the conditions that create feelings of empowerment in employees; and (c) shows evidence of being able to implement policies, procedures, and practices that bring out the best in people and significantly increase the capacity of the organization.

Dimension 4: Modeling the Organization's Purpose and Principles. Dimension 4 is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands the power and importance of "modeling" and symbolic leadership; (b) believes that trustworthiness and integrity are prerequisites to leadership legitimacy and leadership effectiveness; and (c) shows evidence of being able to establish trust and to align his/her behavior and decisions with the purpose and the vision of the organization.

Dimension 5: Managing Toward an Organizational Purpose and Vision. This area is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands that visionary leaders must also be effective managers, able to align all organizational components with the organizational purpose and vision; (b) believes that strategic leaders have the responsibility to create concrete visions, conditions and structures that encourage systemic change; and (c) shows evidence of being able to make day-to-day management decisions that align the organizational structures, policies, processes, and practices with the organization's purpose and vision.

Dimension 6: Creating a Culture of Success, Cooperation, and Quality. Dimension 6 is the area designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands why and how the values and beliefs of individuals and the culture of an organization influence how people think and behave; (b) understands and accepts the role of the leader in creating and maintaining an organizational culture based upon core values; and (c) shows evidence of being able to create a culture of sustained success, workplace cooperation, and quality products and processes throughout the organization.

Dimension 7: Creating Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement. This section is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands the motivational power of feedback, the role that feedback plays in helping organizations continuously and systematically improve, and why feedback is a prerequisite for accountability; (b) understands and accepts that the strategic leader is charged with designing and implementing feedback systems regarding the internal operations of the system and the degree to which the organization is meeting customer/client expectations; and (c) shows evidence of being able to create internal and external feedback loops which, in turn, ensure continuous organizational improvement and accountability.

Dimension 8: Employing Win-Win Strategies with Customers and Clients. Dimension 8 is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands why it is critical for the organization and the staff to be client-centered and customer-focused; (b) understands and accepts the strategic leader's role in creating positive, open, hones, and trusting relationships with customers and clients; and (c) shows evidence of being able to create long-term trusting relationships and to employ win-win strategies when communicating, negotiating, and problem solving with customers and clients.

Dimension 9: Creating a Change-Friendly, Continuous Improvement Mindset. Dimension 9, Creating a Change-Friendly Mindset, is designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands that change and adaptability are basic to continuous improvement and to long-term organizational health and stability; (b) understands and accepts that one of the most important roles of the strategic leader is that of a change agent able to create a change-friendly organizational climate that encourages, supports and rewards innovation and change; and (c) shows evidence of being able to create a climate and design organizational structures that make purposeful change and adaptability and organization norm.

Dimension 10: Being the Lead Learner. Dimension 10 is the area designed to determine the degree to which the participant: (a) understands that our rapidly changing world demands that highly effective people be life-long learners, trend trackers, and futurists; (b) understands and accepts that the strategic leader must model continuous and energetic growth and development; and (c) shows evidence of being able to create an organizational norm of continuous and purposeful learning for individuals, teams/groups and for the entire organization.

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