Organization and Administration Reflection

1. This course has given you an opportunity to practice a range of leadership strategies when making decisions that require you to think politically, orchestrate collaboration among all stakeholders, and remain steadfast in your original vision. What do you envision to be the pitfalls that you might face as a first year principal, and how will you implement the strategies learned to overcome the pitfalls?

This course has given me an opportunity to practice crucial steps in implementing a vision, how to apply best practices, manage an educational organization, and how to act with integrity, fairly and ethically. All of these characteristics help create a strong transformational leader capable of bringing about positive change to any institution. After creating the “look for” documents and completing the administrative action plan, I was able to figure out implementation strategies that would facilitate a progressive movement at my school, Bluford Drew Jemison. However, with implementation come potential pitfalls that may cause us to reevaluate strategies we had planned. Some pitfalls that I can see occurring are:

1.   The school staff and administration may not have the skills, knowledge, and capacities for effective teamwork.

2.   Lack of time and ability to create a fully functional strategic plan for our school.

3.   Extensive staff development may be necessary to institutionalize new instructional approaches.

4.   Performing a needs assessment of our facility will require a highly committed staff, effective teamwork, and time to fully carry out all of its requirements.

5.   Lack of funding to supplement teachers and other staff during the vision implementation process.

6.   Creating buy-in for community partnerships and parental support.

7.   Lack of time to perform thorough observations for all teachers all year long.

It is likely that problems will surface during the change process. When problems arise, I will utilize both my administrative team and departmental leaders to discuss solutions in order to accomplish our goals. Also, I will continue to peruse research and books that are specific to managing the change process and the people that are involved with it. I will also discuss strategies with fellow principals and seek guidance based off their own experience and advice for any particular problems we are having. Outside agencies may also have to be called in to help facilitate the creation of the strategic action plan and to properly arrange a needs assessment for our school. The key points to the change process are constant evaluation, communication, and developing a clear plan that outlines what we are trying to accomplish and how we are going to do it.

2. How has this course prepared you to use twenty-first century leadership skills as you model a new culture for collaborating, analyzing student performance, and continually reflect on instructional practices, school climate, and quality decision making?

       This course has taught me how to develop a strong action plan that can be used to help create significant changes at our school. As a principal, it is our job to continuously develop ways to evaluate the system and determine how we will meet the goals of our vision. One of the most practical skills I learned as a future leader is the development of teams. My school does not currently use leadership teams, instead the principal works alone with her administrative aids to develop goals and ideas for the school. Using a leadership team that consists of departmental leaders and administrators will allow the decision making process to be more democratic in nature and also more efficient. Developing a strong leadership team is the driving force behind the change process, without one change will be difficult and very hard to manage. I also learned the importance of using research to evaluate and to progress instructional practices. I feel that you will create not only more buy in from the teachers when you can illustrate that your ideas are backed by sound research but you will also be adding methods that actually work. School climate can be measured through surveys and informal conversations with staff and the leadership team. Quality decision making must be done by talking and investigating with others to develop the best possible solutions. We live in a democracy and there is no reason why our work place should become a dictatorship, where the only opinion that matters is the one in your head. When people are talked to and their thoughts and opinions are taken into consideration most will respect the finalized decision even if it is not in perfect alignment with their own views. 

Curriculum Definition

Over the last seven weeks I have been able to develop and critique my own definition of curriculum. I have learned that curriculum is not just a textbook or the material the teacher puts on the board, or even just the assessments given to track student achievement. Instead, I have learned that curriculum is truly everything that happens within the context of schooling, including instruction, meeting special needs, social interaction, and special activities. Curriculum in itself is a very broad word which is made up of many parts that all combine in a unique way, delivering a quality program that allows for the utmost learning experience possible for all students.  Before taking this class, I was not well aware of all the parts that create a quality curriculum: the written, taught, and tested. I used to only view the written portion as the most important part of curriculum development but after further reading, discussing, and analyzing high quality curriculums, I have constructed a clearer understanding of the importance of the other two parts.

The most influential part of class was analyzing another curriculum. Analyzing the high school biology curriculum allowed me to see the importance of not only the written part of curriculum but the importance of making pre and post assessments (tested curriculum), and collecting multiple active learning strategies that help refine the actual taught curriculum delivered on a daily basis. The taught and tested curricula are part of the curriculum trinity and without these two essential parts the written curriculum is ineffective.  When developing a quality curriculum it is necessary to develop all three areas equally and to ensure that it is implemented effectively through guide production, material acquisition, staff development for both teachers and administrators, and sustaining evaluation and feedback (Glatthorn, 2004).  Also, curriculum development should take into account the development of 21^st century skills through the active use of technological resources. Before reading Jacobs' text, I did not understand the importance of creating a 21^st century curriculum. Now, I realize how important it is especially due to the fact that our students are digitally savvy and expect their education to be saturated with challenging technological activities that make the most of their interests and unique abilities.

References

Glatthorn, A. A. (2004). Developing a Quality Curriculum (pp. 49-56). Long Grove: Waveland Press, INC.

Technology and Differentiation

Technology in the classroom is pinnacle in educating students properly for the 21^st century workforce. Classrooms that are equipped with effective technology will truly help students gain the skills that will help them make greater gains in their education. A school that possesses current functional and accessible technology is at a better advantage in creating high level problem solvers who can meet and exceed state level curriculum standards. Students who utilize technology at their school will be better prepared for higher level educational experiences and/or career ready upon graduation. Current technology in every classroom is the standard not the exception. Technology also aids in differentiating instruction and helps motivate students to achieve classroom goals. Jacobs states, “schools are shackled by memories,” meaning that educational curriculum is still being taught like it was 100 years ago and that current technology and education must intertwine and meet the needs of the 21^st century student.  Jacobs describes in chapter twelve the idea of the new “digital aged child” and as an administrator that now means delivering a “digital aged curriculum.”  Therefore, as a 21^st century administrator and learner I expect to see technology infused within our daily curriculum, for example:

1. The use of projectors and interactive boards must be the standard for every classroom.
2. The use of digital media and software, such as, power point, active inspire, and SMART-ware are all examples of ways to digitize information and at the same time make it more interactive and student centered.  
3. Students using technology to complete projects that may have once been done through the use of paper and pencil only. This could range from digital pictures, video, or an online presentation.
4. Creating individualized portfolios. Jacobs makes a great point about social networks and how students voluntarily make interactive portfolios quite often, now we just have to exploit that interest in the classroom.
5. MP3 players and podcasts are great ways to get students talking about school! Students now have the opportunity to publish their own intellect and share it amongst their friends.  Going home and recording yourself talk about school work and then sharing it with the class the next day is a great way to assess how well students are learning the curriculum.
6. Videos! Teachers now have access to a MULTITUDE of videos that can engage students and provide excellent examples (especially in science). Before, watching a video clip was a rare occasion but now with video sites like YouTube and Discovery educational videos are now just a click away!
7. When assessing student mastery, teachers can now utilize games like jeopardy, online quizzes, Study Island, and digitalized performance assessments such as, video recordings, power point presentations, and Wikis. These are all great examples of integrated learning systems (ILS), computer-assisted instruction (CAI), and computer-based instruction (CBI).
8. Teacher web pages are a great way to keep in touch with students and to post information.
9. Access to digital textbooks. Digital text books help with reading comprehension and allow for quick searches and explanations of material.

According to O'Dwyer, Russell, Bebell, and Tucker-Seeley (2005) they found that, while controlling for both prior achievement and socioeconomic status, fourth-grade students who reported greater frequency of technology use at school to edit papers were likely to have higher total English/language arts test scores and higher writing scores on fourth grade test scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).  The research illustrates clearly that technology helps increase achievement and is beneficial for all students. Furthermore, Bruce and Levin (1997) developed the idea of technology as differentiated media with four specific foci: media for inquiry (such as data modeling, spreadsheets, access to online databases, access to online observatories and microscopes, and hypertext), media for communication (such as word processing, e-mail, synchronous conferencing, graphics software, simulations, and tutorials), media for construction (such as robotics, computer-aided design, and control systems), and media for expression (such as interactive video, SMART and promethean software, animation software, and music composition). All of these particular technological examples could be incorporated into the curriculum in order to differentiate it for all students. The key to technology is finding ways to use it in order to meet the needs of all students, in particular their diverse array of learning styles, and to increase their proficiency in all subjects.  Jacobs (2010) agrees with the research by clearly illustrating that technology is needed in order to “hook” students of today. She gives great examples of differentiation such as, interactive software, digital imaging, video and audio creation tools, on-demand video libraries, computers and LCD projectors, and Web 2.0 tools.  All of which will accommodate multiple learning styles through using an appropriate variety of approaches to teaching subject matter while harnessing the power of the 21^st century technological classroom. 

References

Bruce, B.and Levin, J. (1997). Educational technology:media for inquiry, communication, construction, and   expression. Journal of Educational Computing Research. Vol. 17(1), pp. 79-102.       Jacobs, H. H. (2010). Curriculum 21 Essential education for a changing world. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

O'Dwyer, L.M., Russell, M., Bebell, D., and Tucker-Seeley, K.R. (2005). Examining the relationship between home and school computer use and students' English/Language Arts test scores. The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment. Vol. 3(3) Available:www.bc.edu/research/intasc/studies/USEIT/pdf/USEIT_r10.pdf

Educational Beliefs and Experiences

To model democratic core values that embody the standard of society and give students access to the tools and experiences to be socially, academically, and globally competent are two major beliefs that I believe education should be. Public schools are institutes that were created in order to equip younger generations with the necessary “life” skills so they can continue and advance our way of life and will be able to constructively contribute to the world around them. Schools are not just areas where students sit in class and take notes, do homework, and take standardized tests. On the contrary, schools must be vibrant places where students interact in a positive way, learn from each other, and develop a sense of belonging/identity and pride. Schools must be the focal point of the community and be constantly celebrated because they are guaranteeing a better future by developing outstanding citizens that reflect communities, families, and our country. I remember when I was playing varsity football and our coach would always remind us that we were not only representing our school as student athletes but we were representing our families and our community and we were never to embarrass or disrespect that privilege.

Schools should prepare students for successful and productive lives upon graduation. Therefore, the school’s curriculum must prepare students to excel at a variety of experiences allowing all students the opportunity to live the American dream. Schools must be required to teach literacy and mathematical skills. Also, with the ever evolving technological world, schools must now teach technical computer skills to all students. Today if students want to pursue college, be a mechanic, or even work at McDonalds they must be able to calculate simple and/or complex math, read and probably, now-a-days, operate some sort of computer. If a student cannot perform these skills they will most likely be replaced with someone who is more proficient. Schools must also be a place where diversity and history are taught, health and physical education (obesity epidemic http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html) are supported along with other classes that will prepare students to make healthy and socially acceptable choices, which will result in successful family, career, and college bound opportunities.

Students should learn the school’s curriculum through multiple modes. Students should take field trips, visit work sites, and perform projects where they can explore the actual relevance of the skills they are learning. Differentiating the curriculum in order to make the material relevant to all students will make students appreciate their education experience by creating a sense of accomplishment and pride in their daily educational experiences. Also, teachers should not be told how to teach their curriculum in their classes. I believe in giving teachers the autonomy to make the proper decision in how to teach their content to their students. Some teachers may find more success through collaborative group settings while other teachers may find more success through a direct instruction approach. Students deserve a free quality education and as long as they are receiving that from their teachers, I will support their efforts. Often, administrators get caught up in multiple research studies, previous experiences, and anecdotes and sometimes forget to actually talk to the teachers themselves before demanding and orchestrating the best curriculum implementation at their school.

Lately, my work does not reflect my beliefs. Working in a school where students do not appreciate education, administrators to not enforce long term consequences and students get away with almost anything and are just smacked on the wrist or forced to just apologize with a handshake DOES NOT CUT IT! Our students are apathetic and do not want to facilitate or actively participate in a free quality education that will better their lives. Due to this environment it is very difficult to express my philosophies and beliefs because most days I am not even a teacher but just a classroom manager who gives students “work.” Most of our teachers find success in just getting their classes quiet (following multiple and excessive phone calls home) so that they can introduce the day’s activities and expectations. Teaching in Baltimore City has made me question the educational system in the United States and has made me question my future as a teacher because, mainly, my work does not demonstrate my beliefs on what education should look like and how students should be achieving daily so that students are prepared to make healthy and socially acceptable choices, which will result in successful family, career, and college bound opportunities. I do not have the answer nor the patience to find the magical answer anymore. Parents need to take more initiative in their child's education and support what America is offering the youth of tomorrow. I plan on working in a more sustainable and productive environment next year where I will be able to exert my philosophies of hard work, determination, and positive choices in an environment where students respect themselves and the adults delivering their free and equal education.  

Full Clinical Cycle Review

The post observation conference was a difficult task for me. The teacher I was performing the conference with has been teaching for many more years than me and is quite good at his job. When comparing his classroom to my own he seems to run a much tighter “ship” than what I conduct myself. This in its own right made the post conference unsettling for me because I lacked some confidence and did not feel as though I was in a position to tell this veteran teacher how to improve his individual instruction. I can now relate to young principals who are trying to develop their own credibility amongst the staff and even though this task is hard to do, it can be achieved while using both respect and appreciation toward the teacher. I can say that showing respect and appreciation was one of my strengths and it truly helped maintain a positive tone throughout this whole entire clinical cycle.

Throughout this cycle, I developed a positive relationship with the teacher and this helped create multiple strengths throughout the post conference. One strength in particular was the seating arrangement we took in the teacher’s lounge.  We sat at a round table sitting across from each other with nothing on the table but the observational paperwork. This seating arrangement created ideal dialogue because we were able to create sufficient eye contact, sit comfortably, and easily point out important information on the observational form. I prefer sitting across from the observe during conferences rather than next to because it creates a sense of professionalism and respect, because when you talk to someone you should be able to, at least intermittently, make eye contact when discussing important matters. Our body language (even though I am by no means a professional in the area of reading body language and gestures) seemed comfortable and appropriate. Mr. Allen sat with his legs crossed while I sat with both legs on the floor, hands on the table, and back straight. My appearance seemed a bit more rigid than his possibly giving off a nervous persona, however, my appearance was true to how I was feeling because I was a bit anxious while talking about the lesson I observed. Regardless, of how either one of us felt we were still able to discuss the lesson fully without any interruption or extremely awkward situations. Even though I was slightly nervous I did not frequently use words like “umm” or “uhh” as transitional phrases to help facilitate the conversation.  Our speaking tone was held at a reasonable level and was clearly heard by both of us. The room was ideal because it allowed us to be alone and any extraneous interactions were fully avoided.

After reviewing the conference for strengths and improvements I overly critiqued myself and found more improvement areas than strengths. One area for improvement was using the students’ names as specific examples. Before the observation I should have asked for a seating chart so I could have been able to identify specific students and pinpoint particular situations. Another area of improvement was the type of feedback I gave to Mr. Allen. One moment during the conversation he asked me what professional developments are offered through Baltimore City that present exclusive instruction on accommodations and scaffolding.  Even though I knew I was going to talk about these professional developments I did not have the foresight at the time to bring a professional development calendar with me to discuss when and where these events take place. Simply relying on the teacher to sign up for these events on their own accord is not good enough. I learned that each post conference takes planning and great attention to detail because it is never safe to assume that “they won’t ask that question.” However, this point leads into a few observable strengths. One strength in particular was my attention to detail during the observation itself. I was able to back up certain claims about scaffolding and IEP accommodations by referring to a finely polished document. Being able to refer to properly documented data and how it lead me to certain conclusions helped with the flow of the conversation. The last strength I would like to discuss was using a nondirective approach with the teacher. This was a reasonable approach based off his experience level. I also referred to Pajak’s clinical dialect to get a better understanding of how to communicate with a “knowing” teacher. I used expressions like “I observed this” and then would highlight data that backed up my claims. During the “improvement part” of the conversation is when I switched to a nondirective approach asking questions like “how would you do this” and “how did you perceive this part of the lesson?” Most of the questions and demeanor were aligned with the dialect of a knowing teacher and nondirective formal communication.

Since I used a nondirective approach during the improvement stage of the conversation I utilized listening skills more so than anything else. I would simply ask a probing question and then listen to his response. I would use gestures like nodding and used agreeing noises that illustrated I was taking into consideration what was being said. Most of the questions gave him most of the time to talk but I would interject comments and make appropriate segues into planned dialogue such as professional development opportunities and other instructional strategies. Overall, this whole experience has been very unique and has given me great experience in the life of an administrator.

Classroom Seating Arrangements

            While observing the seating arrangements at our school, I could not help but notice the monotony from classroom to classroom.  Our principal has dictated our seating arrangements as groups of four due to the promise of facilitated group work, team rigor, and student centered activities.  Every single classroom on our floor is set up with groups of four the only variations are how the groups are dispersed across the room. The groups are spread out enough to make sure each team is not overly distracted from the next and that each group has clear visual access to the front board. I understand the purpose of teamwork and the idea of students “buzzing” but this type of dictatorship seems to make each classroom monotonous and detracts from individualized teacher creativity. The majority of teacher desks are located in the back of the room or to the side and the technology (projector, speakers, Promethean Board, and technology cart) is front and center, which acts as the focal point for directions and learning. Only one teacher had her desk in the front of the class (nearer to the white boards) but her technology has not yet been delivered. I like having the desks in the back of the room because it opens up more space for students coming up to the board and prevents students from coming near or trespassing into your personal work space.

                The traffic pattern for each class is also very clear. The team took the advice of our team leader and labeled our doors as “exit” and “enter.” This prevents the students from bombarding the classroom from all directions and maintains more order during arrival and dismal. Some teachers even used duct tape to make arrows pointing to where students line up outside before they enter the classroom and where they line up inside before actually leaving.  I have found that mundane procedures help create a sense of order and holds students more accountable for their actions, decreasing the amount of misbehavior in the classroom.  I also noticed that all teachers were constantly moving around the room and were monitoring performance while students worked on their activities.  I did not notice any teachers in front of the room lecturing or giving direct instruction, instead, all teachers were merely acting as facilitators moving from group to group and addressing student misbehaviors.

                The accommodation I noticed immediately for special needs students was preferential seating.  I noticed a few special needs students sitting near the white board and did not notice (even though these were quick glances) any special needs students in a group placed far away from the whiteboard or Promethean board.   Many teachers had isolated desks placed in corners or next to cabinets so that students could use that time to work quietly by themselves, get extra time on an assignment, or to recollect their emotions. I am assuming that most teachers are placing their special needs students in groups that will help facilitate their learning, for example, placing a special needs student with a strong reader in order to help read directions or to explain important task information.  Our principal has monitored each classroom to make sure special needs students are not grouped together and are properly dispersed throughout the classroom.

                The technology has been widely dispersed but a few classrooms still do not have any technology at all. The technology is still being installed and delivered to the building so it may be a few more weeks until every classroom is truly online. However, each classroom that currently has technology only have Promethean boards, projectors, speakers, and a technology cart; no classroom has permanently installed computers for independent student work but a portable lap top lab and two computer labs are accessible for daily use.

                The room arrangement pattern can be used to help supervise teachers because it alludes to the type of instruction occurring in the classroom, possible distractors, management, accommodations, and student engagement. The supervisor can get a clear understanding of the learning occurring in the classroom and determine if the set up is allowing for effective student-student engagement and student-teacher engagement. The supervisor can also look for a proper seating chart with special needs student’s names highlighted to quickly show where they are seated within the class. These specific characteristics of room architecture can be addressed in school professional developments in order to convey strategies that are effective in increasing student achievement. New teachers may not understand the importance of eliminating distrsactors such as sitting next to high access areas or why preferential seating is vital in meeting the requirements of special needs students. Supervisors can jot down areas of strengths and areas of improvement and create staff developments that address both areas. The classroom set up is a strong foundation for learning to happen properly. As a school administrator, it is our job to make sure every class is set up for success and to support teachers who may not truly understand how to properly execute the task.

The Difficulties of Second-Order Change

Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005), describe that most school reforms, even though, highly researched, thought-out, and articulated, are short lived. Marzano et al. (2005), contribute these “duds” to “leadership that is not consistent with the order of magnitude of change represented by that innovation” (p. 66). To me, this quote is referring to the 21 leadership responsibilities used in ineffective ways and do not coincide with the order of change. Marzano et al. (2005), describe two types of change one being incremental and superficial while the other type of change is more of a “deep transformational” effort. Second order change requires transforming the way an entire school runs and meets the needs of their students. Marzno et al. (2005), gives an example of second-order change as one that exceeds the needs of the achievement gap in under achieving schools to using innovative instructional strategies seen in open education. When a leader embarks in second-order change, they must not tread lightly and continuously analyze the enormous complexities that come with this type of alteration. One way to effectively instigate second-order change is by implementing the most effective 21 leadership responsibilities.

Marzano et al. (2005), explain that of the 21 responsibilities only seven of them affect second-order change the most. These are: knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; optimizer; intellectual stimulation; change agent; monitoring/evaluating; flexibility; and ideals/beliefs. Since second-order change is so comprehensive and changes the entire way business is ran attention must be given to meeting the requirements of the seven responsibilities. For example, change agent and monitoring/evaluating are very important because they urge for challenging current school practices and then creating an evaluation system that gives feedback on how new practices are affecting student achievement. Fullan agrees with this practice and illustrates that supporting change with student data is one of the best ways to subside anxiety and to implement change itself (video ELC, 2010). Marzano et al. (2005), have researched their findings thoroughly and advise that each order of change is approached in a specific way.

The demands of second-order change requires a thoughtful and flexible administrator because change is a difficult process for people to embrace and difficult to execute from a leadership perspective. Not only does the principal have to use all seven leadership responsibilities but they also have to utilize and balance the use of six leadership styles outlined by Goleman (2000). These demands make the job very complicated; therefore, a principal needs to dedicate a lot of time analyzing and fine-tuning their actions and must possess the willingness to overcome the unexpected. A principal that is rigid or thinks second-order change will happen over night and is not willing to utilize the research supplied to them then status quos will not be broken and student achievement will continue to plummet.

References
Goleman, D. (2000, March). Leadership that gets results. Harvard business review, 78-90.
Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School leadership that works from research  to results (pp.42-63). Alexandria: ASCD.