ABSTRACT

Parents and all members of the community have the potential to influence local, state, and federal educational policy decisions through their financial and political support of decisions, initiatives, and policies. In addition to parents and other constituents in the school's community it's the responsibility as educational leaders to build relationships with the local, state, and federal legislatures in order to engage them in conversation about the needs of the students, schools, and profession. Policy-makers are commonly invited into schools to read to students or to speak to them about government, and as advocates of the profession one must take these opportunities to engage these policy-makers in the conversation. They must be educated about the influence of policy on practice, the difference between management and leadership, and why a holistic practice of instructional leadership is necessary.