Department Improvement Reflection

I have also served in Leadership positions since my National Board Certification that have enabled me to work closely with my peers and other colleagues. My principal nominated me to be part of an Emerging Leader cohort initiated by our superintendent because of my commitment to my profession and willingness to take on a leadership role. I had the opportunity to spend the day shadowing a principal from another elementary school and then meeting back at the district office to collaborate with other chosen “Emerging Leaders” throughout the district. We spent time discussing issues and topics currently facing education with the district leadership team. Research shows that interaction between teachers and administrators focused on student learning affects student achievement. A similar cohort I have been involved with is the Teacher Forum for Teachers of the Year in our district. Again, it is this camaraderie that takes place when teachers sit down and share ideas and thoughts on education and how to

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a guide for school and district leaders entitled Leadership Structures That Support Professional Learning Communities in High Schools: A School and District Leader?s Practical Guide. This guide creates a practical leadership structure to support the creation of a culture that ensures PLCs and collaboration strongly exist in order to best support high levels of student and adult learning. This Guide comes at a time where many, many districts and high schools are struggling with the implementation of collaborative teams. DuFour has described this struggle as ?PLC Lite? where schools and districts have labeled themselves as PLCs without

Achieving a school district’s mission and vision requires the commitment of its stakeholders. In order to involve them in the process, it is necessary for educational leaders to “motivate staff, parents, students, board and community members” (Educational Leadership Constituencies Council, 2002, p. 4). The transformational leadership theory emphasizes the importance of educational leaders acting as role-models in order to motivate and inspire the school community. This approach has the potential to involve all stakeholders, leading to increased student success (Bush, 2007). The Assistant Director of Special Education in Northwest ISD directly supervised the school district’s assessment staff. Her education, experience, and passion set an example for her subordinates, stimulating them to achieve more, leading to her promotion to Executive Director of Student Services.

Currently, I am not an employee of any learning organization, school district or educational system. However, I am involved and Chair the School Advisory Council (SAC) of Greenland Pines Elementary. This opportunity granted me a unique opportunity to observe the management of two different principals with their individual leadership styles. Furthermore, I contrasted my business practices from my own company and military service to coincide with this case study. The purpose of this paper is a comprehensive written outlining the processes presented by the educational leadership at Greenland Pines Elementary. With this in mind, we need to understand the concept of educational leadership.

A vital individual when it comes to initiating change is the person willing to take action in order to construct something different. A person willing to own the outcome and lead the change is the critical element in producing change. Without the leader of change stepping up and accepting responsibility, all others have is an awareness of the problems that exist, therefore, change doesn’t transpire. There are countless people who are constantly eager to share all of the items which they believe need to change, with anyone who will listen. There are far fewer who are willing to step up and lead that change. Teacher leaders have the vision to generate change in their schools, and are a vital asset to change. Catalytic leaders are needed throughout schools in order to make change happen. Leaders with an expertise in the area of change are authentic, initiative, and influential.

Effective leadership has been identified as a critical component for guiding school improvement; however, leaders who fail to establish a vision supported by thorough analysis of student performance data will be unlikely to focus instructional changes in critically needed areas.

When asked the question of how long she worked as a principal, participant began to describe her leadership abilities as being “continuously promoting growth and development through teaching and learning.” Participant went on to mention that it is much more than

Since August of 2015, I have had the privilege of working with an incredible leader in Andrea Williams, principal of Theresa Bunker Elementary School. She is the epitome of a well-rounded leader who exemplifies all of the qualities of a leader as described by House’s path-goal theory of leadership. Mrs. Williams works diligently each day to create a productive work environment. She is direct when she needs to be and is extremely respected by her faculty as a fair leader. As I have observed her over the past two years I have seen her leadership skills in action. I have been extremely impressed with her drive, passion, fairness, supportiveness and ability to create a positive climate and culture that makes work a

My research focused on a case study that depicted a school that was on the verge of collapse and how effective leadership can turn a negative situation into a positive outcome. After reading this case study, I noted several similarities to the movie “Stand and Deliver”, in regards to a school that was unable to obtain even a small degree of operational success, (Musca and Menendez, 1988). The support element was basically nonexistent, no one was assuming responsibility for their actions. Without established procedures there is no path to follow, which leads to corruption and disparity. Through effective leadership these problems were identified and corrected. Mike Odiotti and Judy Seiberlich successfully transitioned a school that was on the path of ruins and developing it into the school that it was destined to be, (Berger, Howard, &

I am an excellent candidate to assist school leadership with surpassing its annual goal. As a Turn Around administrator, I developed the skills and systems to review school improvement plans, analyze and disaggregate data, look for trends and gaps and implement scientific researched based intervention. I worked with principals to implement Response to Intervention (RtI) program. At the end of the program was a significant increase in student proficiency rate on formative and summative assessments. I used different strategies to address concerns with achievement gaps on formative and summative assessment, student and staff discipline and attendance and community involvement. I supported and implemented several mentoring programs. Several lives

Though the idea of working collaboratively is not a new one, the concept of professional learning communities (PLCs) has recently become very popular in education. During the summer of 2012, the Pasco County School District introduced the concept of PLCs into its schools in an effort to improve student learning in this era of increased educational scrutiny and accountability. Department heads suddenly found themselves relabeled PLC facilitators and called to attend two days of summer training meant to prepare them to lead PLCs once the school year began. The other PLC participants, the

Leadership can be about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that the impact lasts in your absence. The leadership program has been such a wonderful experience for those within the district. There are so many positive things that have come out of the program so far. The fundamentals which include Myer's Briggs Type Indicator have given the groups a great way to connect to one another and get to know each other better. This can continue within each school and classroom to help build on and create a positive environment for adult-adult, adult-student and student-student relationships. Action research is another way to learning about improving schools and empowering educators. This is going to be

Empowering teachers and staff in leading the learning was, and remains, a key component of Robbins Elementary’s success. Collaboration and instructional leadership became the norm, as “the administrative team created an environment where teachers and staff members felt comfortable sharing their skills and abilities in order to provide quality learning experiences for all students” (Okilwa & Barnett, 2017, p.307). To demonstrate administration’s trust in teachers’ expertise and expectations of the school, grade-level teams were delegated the task of interviewing teachers and recommending candidates for hire. In addition, teachers were encouraged and supported to pursue professional learning to enhance skills. This willingness to empower staff in decision-making builds morale and trust in the processes taking place within

Marzano, McNulty and Waters propose five steps for a plan of effective school leadership. The first step is developing a leadership team with purpose. The definition used for a purposeful community is one with the collective efficacy and capability to develop and use assets to accomplish goals that mater to all community members through agreed-upon process (Marzano, et. al, 2005). The second step is distributing some responsibilities throughout the leadership team. The third step is to select the right work. The fourth step is to identify the order of magnitude implied by the selected work. The last step is to match the management style to the order of magnitude of the change initiative. The last step incorporates whether this is first or second order change.

Over the years, I have worn many educator hats such as a Director of Resource, classroom teacher, Head Start teacher, special’s teacher, and as a teacher’s aide. My leadership experiences have not been ones in an administrative role, but I have had leadership experiences both informal and formal in nature. My years as a professional educator with a Virginia Collegiate Professional license has allowed me to teach in public settings as well as Catholic schools, at many different grade levels and for me, all of those experiences have influenced my leadership skills.