Lisa Patterson Candidate for Educational Leadership
Summer ’07 Cohort EOCS 7450: Practicum in Leadership
Case Study 2
ISLLC Standard 2: A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
Name of Case Study: Developing a Community of Professional Learning in Our School
Essential Questions of Case Study:
1. Does the leader demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategic planning required in developing a community of professional learning in our school?
2. Does the leader facilitate strength in dispositions based upon personal beliefs, values, and commitments toward improving achievement of all students?
3. Is the leader facilitating processes and engaging in activities ensuring the implementation of a community of professional learning in our school?
Description of the Situation
In the third through sixth grade school in which I work, we have a new principal that began working on July 1, 2007. Our initial set up for a productive professional learning community needed strengthening. Teachers felt overwhelmed by county, state, and national mandates for professional learning which was primarily held after school. We completed the 2006-2007 school year with low morale in the area of staff development. Our staff had never experienced an organized, manageable method for professional learning before. Upon entering our school as the new principal, Ms. P. immediately began structuring a plan for building a community of professional learning in our school with a primary focus on student achievement.
Knowledge
Coming from a large school system to a small school system, Ms. P. has much experience in building and maintaining a professional learning community. Ms. P. has wonderful plans of facilitating a WOW Wednesday each week for “Working on the Work”. Teachers and para-professionals may choose from a menu of professional learning opportunities based on their interests and needs. Opportunities for professional growth sent to faculty and staff members in the welcome letter include the following self-improvement courses: a book study group, technology, Teacher Mentor/Mentee, improving writing, guided reading, differentiated instruction, flexible math grouping, etc. Ms. P. plans to survey the staff, determine interests and needs, and develop a WOW Wednesdays plan for implementing the self-improvement courses designed for 30 minutes of class time and 30 minutes of practical work during the month. Further, Ms. P’s. plan for WOW Wednesdays includes the following:
1st Wednesday Monthly – Leadership Team Meetings
2nd Wednesday Monthly – Grade Level Meetings
3rd Wednesday Monthly – Faculty Meeting
4th Wednesday Monthly – WOW Professional Learning
5th Wednesday (Oct., Jan., April) – Vertical Team Meetings
All elements of Standard 2: Knowledge (a-k) are addressed and strengthened through Ms. P’s. plan for developing a community of professional learning within our school.
Dispositions
Ms. P. believes in, values, and is committed to every element (a-h) included in Standard 2 Dispositions. Weekly, Ms. P. has scheduled an administrative team meeting into the schedule to address student learning, data analysis, curriculum, instruction, assessment, differentiation, review of 5x5 (five teachers – five minutes a day) observations, student sub-groups (ELL, Special Education, Title One Reading & Math, Socio-economically Disadvantaged), student and teacher mutual respect, character building, etc. The administrative team includes Ms. P. and the assistant principal, administrative assistant, school counselor, graduation coach, and instructional coordinator (myself).
Performances
Ms. P. is facilitating processes and engages in activities ensuring that the emotional, academic, and physical needs of every student and adult within our school are met. In fairness to teachers, para-professional, and students, Ms. P. has implemented the following motivating strategies:
1. Scheduled flexibility of hours worked to complete the school day - For example, para-pros may choose from the following schedules that work best for them: 7:30-3:00, 7:45-3:15, or 8:00-3:30. Para-pros with early schedules will supervise breakfast duty, while those with later schedules will supervise last bus riders. This will give teachers valuable planning time in their classrooms in the mornings as well as in the afternoons. A few faculty members (non classroom teachers) will also be asked to work 7:15-3:05 to assist administrators in supervising students arriving on early buses.
2. New spiritwear for students and faculty members to purchase in order to promote school spirit on Spiritwear Fridays - Students unable to purchase a spiritwear t-shirt will be given one purchased by our partners-in-education. The shirts have our school mission statement (RCES: Reaching, Climbing, Excelling, Succeeding) on them. They look great!
3. How Full is Your Bucket – Designed by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton, Ph.D., this positive approach to recognizing people’s achievements will be a powerful tool to motivate and unite teachers, making them feel valued and important.
4. Weekly Principal’s Letter to Staff –This weekly newsletter, which will be published on our school intranet designed by Ms. P., will acknowledge contributions of each individual, celebrate staff accomplishments, encourage life long learning, and promote a culture of high expectations for self, student, and staff performance.
Answers to the Questions
1. The leadership style demonstrates Accomplished knowledge and understanding of strategic planning required in developing a community of professional learning in our school. The plan will promote the success of all students by advocating staff professional growth.
2. The leadership style facilitates Accomplished strength in dispositions based upon personal beliefs, values, and commitments toward improving achievement of all students. Through the weekly administrative meetings, administrators will remain current on the success of all students while sustaining an instructional program conducive to student learning.
3. Yes, the leadership style facilitates Accomplished processes and engages in activities ensuring the implementation of a community of professional learning in our school? The plan to facilitate WOW Wednesdays and motivational strategies with students and the staff, will promote a school culture which lends itself to the building of a community of professional learning within our school.