Concerns-Based Adoption Model

The process of implementing change can be cumbersome and difficult at times, and need to follow some type of planning. Effective planning needs to include devising strategies on change implementation. Sometimes change requires management to come up with methods or solutions that are completely different from those developed and used in the past.

NCLB offers a school improvement timeline when AYP is not met. If a school does not meet the requirements of AYP for two consecutive years, they are then placed on what is called “school improvement”. Within this, schools are obligated to draft a school plan in which they would then allocate at least 10% of all federal funding provided under Title I to increasing teacher professionalism. It is also mandatory for the school to offer Public School Choice, wherein it allows families the option of having student(s) transferred to a passing AYP school within the

There are five stages to help implement a school-wide change. The first is “becoming informed” and this is the stage that centers on research and information gathering. The goal of the principal is to educate him/herself as much as possible so that he/she can better understand the benefits, concerns, and effectiveness of trying a new program in the building. This is also when any testing or screening would need to happen so that the principal can get a clearer picture of the needs within the school based on the current student population. The second stage is “building support” which is just as the name suggests. The goal of the administrator is to build support for the new changes and to have faculty buy-in so that teachers and staff members are motivated to make the change. Furthermore, this is a key time for the administrator to act as a leader and model so that he/she may inspire others to act and make positive choices in regards to the program. The next phase is “creating an action plan” which is usually with a small group of people hand selected by the administration. This group figures out the nuts and bolts of bringing the change into the school by looking at the schools readiness for such a program, funding, and gaining commitment from the staff. Also during this time, the administrator is setting goals, problem-solving, and finding ways to delegate and support those working on the plan. The fourth phase is “implementing the plan” and may seem like a time

As an emerging instructional leader, Part 2: Policies and Programs provides a framework for improving schools. Danielson states how difficult it is to accomplish institutional change (Danielson, 32); however by giving careful consideration to school organization, policies and practices affecting students and faculty and school and community relations improvement is

41). A systematic approach should be used when implementing a strategic change. The first step of the process would be redesigning how the initiative is currently being administered. The process should include how employees can contribute to cost control and outline the desired performance outcomes. Employees would be coached by their direct supervisor and fellow team members to achieve the preset goals. Supervisors can assess current employees to gage their current performance and encourage improvement. In addition, leadership should recruit future employees based desired skills and replace those not meeting or not willing to align to the new desired behaviors. The final strategic step would be having system in place to measure the behaviors and reward them accordingly. The systematic framework will require strong leadership skills to ensure its

A major part of the planning stage is the proposed solution for the implementation. After the evidence is analyzed critically, a plan is developed to implement with the help of a change model. Before implementing change, it is important to follow the steps, which includes: analyze change, know the elements and the way to apply change (Houser & Oman, 2011).

Once the plans are put in motion interventions are designed to gain the necessary compliance. The manager needs to provide information by doing so he can change an individual’s perception, attitudes and values this is a plus for the manager. Training the employees to the new way will give them information and skill practice it show them how to perform in a system not how to change it. When possible the manager should use groups to discuss issues that are perceived as important and make relevant, binding decisions based on these discussions. Individual and group implementation can be combined so whatever methods are used participants should feel their input is valued and should be rewarded for their efforts. In some cases people are not always persuaded before beneficial change is implemented, sometimes behavior changes first and attitudes are modified later to fit the behavior (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 71).

One thing that is a for certain in education is changes will take place. Education mirrors the world we live in, and that is, change is inevitable. However, this process is not always accepted by the entire staff of a school and may be found burdensome to others. As a teacher leader, when certain changes in the school take place regarding a rule, the entire staff needs to come together to ensure the rule is being implemented and enforced. One such change that is happening at my school is the once a week mandatory meeting of all PLC teams. The decision to implement mandatory PLC meetings did not go over well with all teachers. When a school makes a rule or policy change, there are parts of the organization, such as the political, human resource, and cultural perspective that feel the effect.

So because of the lack of state and district support, leadership at the school level does not have the ability or the right setting to lead school improvement efficiently and effectively. This results in leadership trying to take an attitude of enforcing a top down approach with the policies and procedures placed in their hands and then defining them with a lack of focus. On the other hand, there is leadership with no clear direction or support from above, but expected to achieve the same unrealistic results.

Instead of adopting a single leadership theory, I have embraced aspects of the following theories that I feel align with my personal approach to

Kouzes and Posner (2017) stated leaders must challenge the process through searching an opportunities and doing experiments, taking risks, and learning from mistakes. They must challenge themselves to grow and learn. They must grab an opportunities to innovate, develop, and progress. Leaders challenge their team members to find out new approach to old problems. Experimenting and taking risk are the way to make an innovative improvements. They must grab an opportunities although there are some errors or mistakes initially along the way to success. They must celebrate small wins and take as stepping stones and learn from mistakes so that they can achieve ultimate goal making their team to do so (Kouzes and Posner (2012).

Change is difficult, making changes in schools can be extremely difficult. Schools have many moving components; students, teachers, parents, the community and the required curriculum. Schools have to contend with numerous outside factors that are beyond their control. With all the things that contribute to the running of a school change is not easy, making significant changes can be extremely challenging. Change cannot be facilitated if the problems or concerns are not identified. The identification of problems can be one of the most difficult steps. When identifying problems, it is best to use data to support the need for change rather than personal feelings.

It is evident the administration made a few key errors in the initiation phase that led to the unsuccessful nature of the program. First, they did not gain buy-in from stakeholders such as teachers, students, and parents (AR1.6, AR2.1, AR3.7, AR4.3, AR5.4, AR7.1, AR7.2, AR8.1 and AR8.2). They did not consider the needs of the whole child and, instead, only focused on bringing up state test scores of certain individuals.

Again the lack of time for teachers and all staff to process and analyze new change. For example, one teacher explained that this was her 7th year in the school and 5 of those year she

Management theories are utilized in various organizations in an effort to increase organizational effectiveness and service delivery. The management theory that an organization decides to adhere to will vary based on the type of organization, as well as, the services and/or products that it offers. Therefore, it is not uncommon for an organization to use multiple theories when implementing strategies in the workplace.