Kentucky High-Performing Schools: Case Study

The ever-changing landscape of education and school accountability has given rise to a renewed focus on shared leadership. In the past, the principal was viewed as the primary decision maker within a school. However, Glickman (1989) points out that it is impossible for school principals to effectively complete all the necessary instructional and managerial tasks within schools. He contends that some teachers have more leadership abilities than the actual administrators and that “in successful schools, principals aren’t threatened by the wisdom of others, instead, they cherish it by distributing leadership” (Glickman, 1989, p. 8).

I filed an application with Chesapeake Public School systems, so that I could become a part of an organization that values teamwork, dedication, and academic success. Chesapeake Public Schools exhibits a positive, collaborative, and cooperative learning environment not only for the students but for their employees as well. Being committed to the academic development and success with the help and support of students, parents, teachers, and other staff members is a plus to any working environment. These are great attributes for any organization to possess, which is why I chose to become a part of the Chesapeake Public School.

A Concord-Carlisle High School student was arrested after allegedly writing serious threats against the school community.

The following information was gathered during a discussion with Dr. Clayton Mork from the Crescent School District. He shared his personal view of the role of an instructional leader. Also his view of how instructional leadership practices relate to student achievement. Dr. Mork shared two instructional leadership actions and outcomes he implemented at Crescent School District related to student achievement. Dr. Mork also explained his philosophy of curriculum development regarding involvement of teaching staff.

Great schools do not just happen. It is easy to envy successful schools and to equate their success to things such as a wealthy community, readily accessible resources, a supportive community, low diversity, and visionary leadership (Hollingsworth, 2016). While all of these factors certainly impact a school’s ability to reach high heights, successful schools are not built overnight. Successful schools are led by diverse administrators who all share the ability to access the important leverages of leadership. They are built on strong structures and driven by continual improvement over long periods of time. They have have stakeholder involvement, and this includes the community which they serve. The employees in these schools work well together, embrace each other's diversity, and create and follow well planned curriculums that target the needs of their students.

The first domain is planning and preparation. The six components within this domain are about how teachers should plan and prepare their lesson for their students to have the most impact. Teachers that have a positive impact on student performance is knowledgeable about their subject matter, know their students, set appropriate outcomes for students, use appropriate resources for instruction, have

I have submitted the Western High Case study as an artifact to meet Standard IV. This case study provides an example of how an educational leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty, staff, students and community stakeholders. It provides an opportunity for the school and community to work together and on a common goal. It shows how valuable the community and its resources are to the success of a school. It is evident schools and communities need each other for the success of their students.

In Finnie Tyler High School, there is no mission, vision, or goals driving learning. Each teacher does what they want, when they want. This is an ineffective approach to instruction because students have a difficult time making connections between various subject matters and learning does not necessarily build from one concept to the next or even from one class to the next. Another issues is that teachers are professionally isolated, meaning they do not collaborate with one another. Collaboration is extremely important in improving instructional practices.

Love, N., Stiles, K., Mundry, S., & DiRanna, K. (2008). The data coach’s guide to improving

According to former Indiana state superintendent of schools Dr. Suellen Reed, “We know from our research that there’s no turnaround school without a turnaround principal” (as cited in Gammil, 2007, para. 2), further supporting the fact that “school leaders have an essential role in cultivating a positive school culture in public schools” (Peterson and Deal, 2002, p.30). However, it is imperative to improve our understanding as to how principal leadership impacts the school culture in high poverty schools to ensure that all children receive a quality education, regardless of zip code, in an environment conducive to learning. The six measured factors are as follows:

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.

During my second preclinical experience at Westview Hills Middle School, I learned the importance of cooperation and collaboration among teachers at a school. I was able to observe team and department meetings during this experience. It became clear that it is important for teachers to work together in order to provide a positive atmosphere at a school and in a specific department. Although it became obvious that personalities and teaching styles were different throughout the school, the teachers still acted professionally and used each other as resources in

In this paper, I will reflect on my new knowledge and skills that I have acquired regarding teacher leadership, supportive communication and collaboration. I will also reflect on practical application of these skills, such as assessing the needs, problems or issues, and creating the action plan to address the issues. In the end, I will define how teacher leadership can positively affect student learning and achievement.

In any collaborative environment, an open-line of communication is a critical factor. Communication is a two way interaction of listening and speaking in turn. One speaks while the other listens for true comprehension is a key factor. One must get an understanding before the vision can be implemented within any leadership role. The presence of collaboration in schools are the result of principals, educators, parents, and administrative leadership in working as a team. The purpose of this essay is to explain the importance of teacher leadership, the principal 's role in developing teacher leaders, and their connection to the development of a collaborative culture in schools.

Collaboration between teachers is a key component to professional development that will lead to higher student achievement. There is a need for schools to set up time for teachers to be able to collaborate together. This allows for teachers to help each other, matchup content, teach each other new and best practices, troubleshoot student issues just to name a few of the areas that collaboration time can help foster within a school. The key is to build time for teachers to be able to collaborate during the school day or week. This collaboration time needs to be between grade levels, departments, and cross curricular when needed. For many schools this is an afterthought to the school schedule or a fleeting thought after the master schedule is completed. A principal needs to keep an open mind to any strategy that will enable the teachers to be able to collaborate for the good of the students and the school.