Lisa Patterson                                    Candidate for Educational Leadership

Summer ’07 Cohort                            EOCS 7450: Practicum in Leadership

Case Study 5

ISLLC Standard 5:  A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.

Name of Case Study: Protocols for Professional Learning Conversations

Essential Questions of Case Study:

1.     Does the administrator demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the purpose of education and the role of leadership in modern society?

2.     Does the administrator believe in, value, and commit to the development of a caring school community?

3.     Does the administrator model, facilitate, and engage in activities which inspire others to demonstrate higher levels of performance?

Description of the Situation

As our administrator conducted meetings which involved teacher collaboration, she noticed that much of the meeting time was unproductive due to teachers venting and complaining about unrelated issues. Our administrator realized that in order for teachers and students within the school to benefit from teacher collaboration, we must learn and use a protocol for conducting learning conversations. Therefore, she facilitated a professional learning class during monthly faculty meetings based on the book Protocols for Professional Learning Conversations by Catherine Glaude, Ph.D. We were required to examine our personal and professional values, ethics, beliefs, and attitudes in order to inspire us and others to higher levels of performance. We learned to subordinate our own interest to the good of the school community as we developed into more of a caring school community. As teachers learned and discussed the need for such a protocol, our collaboration became much more productive.

Knowledge

Our administrator guided us into an understanding of the purpose of educational collaboration and the role of leadership in modern society. She conveyed to us the need to use our time productively in order to focus on improving student achievement. She modeled ethical conduct and instilled her philosophy of education into our professional growth.

Dispositions

Our administrator believes in, values, and is committed to the development of a caring school community. By providing knowledge of how to conduct teacher collaboration in a respectful, ethical, and productive way, she used the influence of her office constructively and productively in the service of all students. She also promoted the concept of using principles learned through the study of Protocol for Professional Learning Conversations with students and their parents during meetings, conferences, and discussions. Our administrator made it clear to us that the protocol we were learning, could be used effectively in a variety of conversations with a variety of people.

Performances

Throughout the professional learning course, during teacher meetings, and in regular practice our administrator models, facilitates, and engages in activities which inspire others to demonstrate higher levels of performance in the following ways:

1.     Examine personal and professional values.

2.     Demonstrate a personal and professional code of ethics.

3.     Serve as a role model.

4.     Accept responsibility for school operations.

5.     Treat people fairly, equitable, and with dignity and respect.

6.     Protect the rights and confidentiality of students and staff.

7.     Demonstrate appreciation for the sensitivity to the diversity in the school community.

8.     Expect that others in the school community will demonstrate integrity and exercise ethical behavior.

Answers to the Questions

1.     The administrative style demonstrates accomplished knowledge and understanding of the purpose of education and the role of leadership in modern society.

2.     The administrative style demonstrates an accomplished belief in, value of, and commitment to the development of a caring school community.

3.     The administrative style is accomplished in modeling, facilitating, and engaging in activities which inspire others to demonstrate higher levels of performance.