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ELEMENT 3 REFLECTIVE ACTION

Ashley London

Element 3: The Power of Reflective Action

June 16, 2018

Northeastern University -EDU 6328: Policy and Leadership

Dr. Robert Berardi

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As I explore opportunities to influence the policy around grade level retention I have

become more aware of my role in the implementation of the change. The change would include

creating more detailed grade level policies that capture the student beyond on single assessment.

Possible solutions would include but not be limited to adding student writing samples, reporting

on a SEL measure, and identifying individual growth points for each student to meet each year.

As an educator leader I identify at a Catalyst level of leadership. Understanding this level of

leadership has helped me determine some of the strengths and challenges I will have in

influencing policies like the grade level retention practices explored in this signature assignment.

This policy currently defined as regulatory. Regulatory policies are formalized rules

expressed in general terms and applied to large groups of people. (Fowler, 2013). Several social

groups will be concerned in the change of policy as it will impact multiple sectors. No

regulatory policy will please all groups, so it would be important for me to understand who are

allies and identifying competing thoughts. With this in mind it is important that I am intentional

with my reflection practices before tackling the issue at hand.

The reflective action cycle is a four-step cycle that enhances the natural process of

learning from experience. (Joiner & Josephs, 2007) This process requires that a leader becomes

honest with themselves in order to have the best impact on a policy. A leader must accept

responsibility of their own development and be ready to respond to the changing world around

us. We move through the reflective action cycle several times a day in the complex work

environments of today.
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The first step in the reflective action cycle is to assess situation and results. During this

step you are defining the issue that need your attention. It can be hard to identify an issue when

there are many to address. It is important that your issue is specific, and you don’t try to work on

multiple issues at a time. You want laser focus on the problem. In element 1, I was able to

identify the grade level retention policy as an issue that needed my attention. Nationally, grade

level policies can be different based on state, district, or school level. For this reason, I decided

to focus on Georgia’s current promotion policy. Through the process of examining Georgia’s

policy I could learn the steps needed to impact national policies. Limiting myself to one state

narrows my number of social groups impacted given me the opportunity to understand their

needs on a deeper level. This will strengthen my solution to the grade level retention issue.

The second step is to diagnose. At this level you try to understand what is causing the

problem or preventing the opportunity from being realized. It is important to be able to see the

problem or opportunity through a variety of lenses. To achieve results consistent with a far-

reaching vision, you need to tackle and resolve complex, non-routine problems. Creative agility

transforms these ill-structure problems into desired results. (Joiner & Josephs, 2007) At a

catalyst level I am able to “try on” others perspectives to understand them deeper. I would first

need to explore how the current grade level policies were developed and what team made that

happen. Second, I need to understand the why behind the policy and what did the policy look

like before. Finally, it would be beneficial to know where current parties are looking to go with

the policy. What are some changes being made in the near future? Do they align with my own

vision?

With all the information collected it is now time to move to the third step, set intentions.

When you set intentions, you clarify the results you want to achieve and determine how you can
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achieve them. (Joiner & Josephs, 2007) At this level a catalyst will exercise their ability to step

back and attend to any assumptions, feelings, or behavior that may impact the final results. Then

as I create the contexts and facilitate the process I ensure interactions are meaningful and

satisfying to enable the achievement of the desired results.

Finally, in the final step we are prepared to take action. If we were intentional at each

level we are able to deliver results with confidence. Confidence does not mean the results are the

end all be all. We have to be aware that the cycle of reflection action will repeat itself. During

this step it is important as a catalyst leader to understand my strengthens and challenges in self-

awareness. With the development of a Catalyst-level self-awareness, you find that your image of

yourself is based partly on accurate self-observation and partly on a combination of wishful

thinking and overly negative self-evaluation. (Joiner & Josephs, 2007) When taking action it

feels like all eyes are on you or your organization implementing change. This makes it extremely

important to stay aware of your current position and stakeholders. This information will be

important as you cycle back through the reflective cycle.

Identifying my role in changing the grade level retention policy allowed me to dive

deeper into the problem. It was a great reminder that change goes beyond what once person can

do. Policies are complex and must be reviewed from a variety of angles. Quite often we see

things from our own perspectives and miss those of others.

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Reference

Fowler, F. (2013). Policy Studies for Educational Leaders. Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson

Publishing

Joiner, B. Josephs, S. (2007). Leadership Agility: Five levels of mastery for anticipating and

initiating change. Josey-Bass. San Francisco, CA.