Related Leadership Experience

The United School District (USD) 475 is located in the small town of Junction City and on the military installation of Fort Riley, Kansas where I lived from June of 2004 to December of 2014. Shortly after receiving my high school diploma in 2012, I applied for the position of Paraprofessional at an Elementary school. I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to gain some experience in this field, since my original goal was to become a special education teacher. However, what I did not anticipated was that this formal organization was plagued by an array of bureaucratic shortcomings that affected the effectiveness and efficiency of the support staff.

Starting this position at 17 years old presented some challenges. With the experience of growing up in the projects, going to inner city public schools, I struggled with my first year working with these kids because I was still one of them. We shared common beliefs and perspectives on our educational system, understanding its inequalities, in result, leveling our aspirations. I struggled with having confidence in my advocacy for them because I knew that administration in these schools looked at me as one of them, and truthfully, I did to. I struggled to come to grips with my truth, that I was a product of a flawed educational system that violates cultural, human, and civil rights everyday and blames it on the students. Now, I am working for them, fulfilling these same duties as an ISD Instructor.

I am able to energize teachers to help them improve their teaching in a way they want to commit to putting the changes into action and wanting to improve their classroom styles and curriculum. Through the last three years, I have demonstrated successfully working on teams at the district level, state level and with peers with different projects. I know I have only begun working toward being a leader I desire to be, but

My morning interview with a resource room teacher provided me with a wealth of vital information that will assist me in my future career. As I sat at length and spoke with Mrs. Provost, asking her questions that revealed the inner workings of her job and the various facets that accompany it, the same thought kept entering my mind “someday this going to be me”, and I could not be happier. While Mrs. Provost willingly and patiently answered each question I realized the obligation of educating in the department of special education is challenging at times. The commitment is tremendous, but when a student with any form of social or academic disability thrives under the direction of a special education teacher’s leadership, the end result can be

After reading the article by Owen Phillips, I find that there are several things I can do as a special education director to support teacher retention. First, special education teachers under my leadership would have a voice. For instance, when the school board or higher officials decide that a new program or method of instruction is needed, our team will collaborate to create a course of action and timeline for these changes to be made. They would also have a voice in decision-making and discipline. Secondly, I would be available to my special education teachers as much as possible. I want them to feel supported and heard during their time under my leadership. I would send out anonymous surveys quarterly to my staff to find out how they

At this time, universities train approximately 22,000 teachers to work in special education teaching jobs every year. This is only 50 percent of the number needed to fill these positions. Further exacerbating the problem is the departure rate of educators currently working in the field. Studies show that a special education teacher is significantly more likely to leave his or her profession than mainstream educators. This is due in part to a lack of support on the part of school administrators, mounting paperwork, minimal resources and more.

My current position as an Assistant Principal and previous position as a Special Education Administrator provides me with the ideal experiences and the required qualifications for this position, but that does not portray the unique benefits I can provide to your school/district. I will bring my creative visionary, my thinking outside of the box, and my inspiring catalyst. As the assistant principal, I was able to reduce discipline as well as increase seat time in the classroom. By using the red light, green light discipline, my academy was able to decrease discipline by 22%. Instead of sending for students for discipline, I provide concierge service (depending on the discipline), instead of sending for the student. This reduces the time

I have had the pleasure of viewing Ms. Coronado’s professional development over the past year, and I can state with assurance that she is a responsible and motivated person with a high degree of integrity. Workings for the same school district has let me witness Ms. Coronado surpass through her new role as a Special Education Teacher. When faced with challenges, she tackles them head on and it appears she enjoys the process of learning and overcoming difficulties. She takes the initiative to identify problems and develops solutions. Her role requires strong communication skills, and she has shown that she has the ability to cooperate and respect with the entire school staff.

Crockett, J. B., Billingsley, B. S., & Boscardin, M. L. (2012). Handbook of Leadership and Administration for Special Education. New York, NY: Routledge.

I have been part of the Liberty family for over a year now. I completed my student teaching practicum in the spring at LHS and was hired in the fall for a one on one position as a paraprofessional. On a professional level, I graduated with honors and hold certifications in both special education and elementary education. In having both certifications, I feel I am prepared to meet not only the emotional needs but the academic needs of the students that would be serviced in this position. My current job has allowed me to gain insight into the world of teaching special education by working closely with the teachers that service my student, along with my student’s case manager. I have learned a variety of strategies and technology resources that

Currently I work as a special education teacher at Heritage Community Charter School, a kindergarten through eighth title one school. I love the impact I have on my students daily and have learned to become an advocate for my students. My student needed an advocate as he continued to act inappropriately in the classroom; which had a negative impact on the staff; and I was continually advocating for the student. In the beginning I lead many collaborative meetings regarding my student and developed a fluid behavior plan.

By creating and completing my project, I believe I will learn about numerous aspects of school leadership, as well as gain skills in working within a department in which I have little prior experience. I chose a student learning problem involving special services, and will learn about how special education students are provided with services, the challenges this entails, the legalities of this area of education, and how to take on a leadership role with staff members. I will learn about the gathering and analysis of relevant data, how it drives decisions in an educational setting, and will learn about the differences in instruction for special education students vs. general educations students. In addition, I will learn about the nuances that are present within our community, potentially involving the stigma that parents struggle with when their child is in need of special services, and how a school leader can address these issues with each child’s best interests in mind.

I found this experience to be an excellent one. We chose an integrated leadership style, I was tasked with the overall leadership and each of us took on a piece of the operation and ran with it. We were challenged in that Chanel is presently living in Korea with a 13 hour difference in time zone and this made communication a challenge. It was really great to see the way that we were able to recap meetings, communicate through email and shared documents to keep Chanel actively involved in the picture when she wasn't able to meet live.

Leadership is ultimately a social development process. There is a perception that being a young leader can lead to exuberances if temptations and peer pressure is not resisted, and that young public leaders face serious administrative and political challenges. This perception is viewed as a social acceptable norm in the society in which we live. Evident of this is in our constitution which states clearly in Article II, Section 1 “…neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been

In discussions with Ben Robertson and Matthew Rose on what our topic for the Instructional Leadership Action Plan (ILAP), we all believed that providing teachers with more information on the Special Education Process would well serve the needs of all teachers. Ben and I both talked to our principals about having the ILAP at our respective schools and both principals agreed that the need for it was great in both buildings. However, when discussing travel for Matthew it was decided that we would have the ILAP at Nickelsville Elementary and would later hold the same ILAP, based on our feedback from teachers at Nickelsville Elementary and our cohort, at Gate City Middle School.