Joe Clarks Leadership Style

” Even a film “Lean on Me” was released based on his work as a principal (Gooden, 2012). He then resigned in 1990 and became a motivational speaker. He has carried his message to more than 25 major universities, several conservative groups, and leading corporations. He is now 79 years old and has not served as principal for almost three decades but his message and leadership style endures. He is depicted as a tough school head whose leadership was received well as the appropriate leadership of African-American school by the dominant culture (Miller, 2011). Clark used various leadership and management styles to turn around the situation at Eastside High School. Leadership style used by Joe Clark as a leader Joe Clark as a principal and a leader used a leadership style that was mainly characterized as autocratic, charismatic, directive and caring (Miller, 2011).

The popularity of Joe Clark largely originates from his attributes as a leader. From the first day, he proved that he was committed and determined, focused and result-oriented, and analytical. He also was a motivator and led from the front. He was able to restore law and order at Eastside. Transformational leadership He offers his followers education and a better future and expects in return learning efforts. His commitment and determination are shown from the beginning regardless of the challenges he met. He comes to a school where students are less motivated, full of drug dealers and a few non-cooperating staff. He also received opposition from resenting parents and the Mayor’s political interests. He was able to accurately assess the situation at the school and within no time he had restored.

He was also seen as a savior of a messy situation especially by those students who were committed to studies (Miller, 2011). And as a charismatic leader, Clark was confident in his decisions. This made him famous and was even summoned by the Secretary of State William Bennet to testify about his great work. The theory behind educational leadership Educational leadership is viewed as the major factor in enhancing school effectiveness. However, Joe Clark needed to do more because it appears his style of leadership, though popular and was able to turn around things; he did not collaborate with teachers on academics or create a democratic environment and focused on academic achievement as just passing tests (Gooden, 2012). His measure of school success has been criticized for decades as being one of the reasons for high school drop-out rates (Soares et al, 2015).

Apparently, he did his work in an authoritarian, heavy-handed, autocratic style. He ran the school on his own terms without the input of teachers and parents. Educational leadership is about how leaders combine and blend instructional, transformational, moral, participative, managerial, and contingency leadership dimensions. Teaming up with staff could bring better results. Additionally, not all students were enthralled with his style. Some were converted from drug dealing, robbery, and gangs because of the experience they had. Dismissal of 300 students was not the ultimate solution although it was seen as the removal of obstacles to learning. It has been also critiqued that his approach of “go it alone” made it had for African-American principals to whine about the situation of under-resourced schools (Gooden, 2012).