Full+PBL+Paper+(before+group+revisions)

PBL: (add title)   Kenna J. Dawson, Courtney McAnany, Linda Sharp, Lisa Slivoski   Florida Gulf Coast University

Four years ago, the School Board of Wingfield School District established a mission and vision for the district to be technologically driven and innovative. The Board and the community felt that technology driven curriculum and instruction would directly impact student achievement by significantly raising student standardized test scores and producing students with critical thinking and technological skills. The Board and Superintendent’s initial step in moving toward this goal was the hiring last year of Principal, Jim O’Connor. The Board determined that the focus of the reforms was to be school based and would begin at Hickory Ridge High School. Jim O’Connor would lead the reform movement at Hickory Ridge High. As the superintendent of the district, I have collected data and monitored the progress of Hickory Ridge High in its movement toward meeting the goals of an innovative and technologically driven school with high achieving students. The high school began with formulating a mission and vision for the school. Stakeholders, including Board members, teachers, administrators, and parents participated in and supported the reforms. Implementation of school reform began with a core of Hickory teachers selected to participate in technology based industry tours and attend training on the implementation of pilot programs in other schools. The groundwork was established, but the teachers and administrators disagree about the best means to proceed. After one year, Hickory High has been unable to meet the new reform guidelines. The actual computer usage by students and teachers has been disappointing. Standardized test scores were slightly higher last year but some students scored in the bottom quartile. In addition, the high school has increased enrollment with a number of recent immigrants bringing new needs and challenges to Hickory Ridge High School. Hickory Ridge High has a high percentage of aging veteran teachers. In order to promote school reform, I placed 27 new teachers at Hickory Ridge, all with strong technology skills and high potential. It was assumed that the veteran teachers would assist the new teachers with instructional skills and strategies and the new teachers would help the veteran teachers become technologically advanced. Unfortunately, the plan and collaboration among the groups did not materialize. Many of the new teachers are complaining about Principal O’Connor and the veteran teachers. They find them out of touch with modern times, bureaucratic and overly concerned about the community and parents. They are worried that the principal and veteran teachers will hold back their careers. Principal O’Connor complains that the new teachers are inexperienced and lack knowledge about the history of the school, students, parents, and the community. These conflicts between staff members, the principal, and the community are forming divisions between the older and younger staff. The staff at Hickory Ridge High School demonstrates a lack of adherence to the district's vision of being technologically driven and innovative. They also lack teamwork, mutual respect and collaboration toward colleagues and administration. However, I firmly believe that the principal and teachers have the knowledge, experience and skills to be successful in reforming the school. I am committed to helping Principal O’Connor gain the respect of the faculty and will work with him in implementing the following plans: · Provide support to the principal as he works with all stakeholders in the development of new mission/vision statements that align with the district’s vision · Pair a principal/mentor with Mr. O’Connor · Work with the principal to develop strategies/staff development opportunities fostering teamwork · Work with Principal O’Connor on building an innovative and technologically driven high school ** Mission and Vision (Linda) ** As superintendent of the Wingfield School District, I feel it is extremely important for me to openly support Jim O’Connor as the first step in providing a united front to the Hickory Ridge High School faculty and staff as well as Board members, parents, students and community members. I will start by giving Principal O’Connor recognition for his exceptional work with the community. This will be handled at the Board level and also at the school level. I will invite him to the next School Board meeting and have the board announce the award. Then I will present the award to him at the next Hickory Ridge High School faculty meeting. I want to ensure that all school stakeholders understand that Principal O’Connor has the full support of the Board and me. I will take an active role in working with Jim to ensure that he understands my concerns. We will collaborate and plan strategies for leading the school in a new direction. The next step will be to schedule weekly meetings with Mr. O’Connor. We will review school data (including demographics, standardized test scores), school climate (especially the rift between the veteran and new teachers), and the progress toward an innovative and technologically driven school. With the end in mind, I will recommend that Jim begin the process of revising the mission and vision of Hickory Ridge High School. According to Gow (2005, p.28), a mission statement defines the purpose of the school and provides “justification for the school’s existence”. Mission statements “represent a set of pillars that support the workings of the school down to the smallest detail” (Gow, 2005, p.28). Mission statements should define who you are as a school and where you are going. When mission statements are developed by all stakeholders, they are the most effective. Parents, students, faculty, staff, administrators, community leaders, and business partners should all be engaged in the task of developing a school’s mission statement because all are partners in ensuring school success. The primary key in developing and obtaining commitment to the mission statement is participation. I will support Principal O’Connor as he plans the process. Generally, development of the mission statement begins with committee work. This might include staff participation in professional learning communities and community members/business partners/parents/students and staff participating in the school advisory committee. Relevant school data should be analyzed by all participants as part of the development process. Self -analysis allows the school community to take the first giant step toward establishing common goals and developing a clear sense of direction (Helfer, 2010, p. 62). The members should look at the current functioning of the school but also future goals. And in general, the participants should analyze how best to serve students. The participants need to keep in mind the Board’s directive for an innovative and technologically driven Hickory Ridge High School. The committees, professional learning communities and other groups will develop the mission statement over an agreed upon amount of time. Then group leaders will convene to edit and finalize the statement. In order for a school to be effective, administrators, teachers, students, parents and the community must share the mission. The development of the mission statement fosters collaboration among all stakeholders. According to Helfer, it helps all school personnel understand why they do what they do (2010, p. 62). It also helps stakeholders focus on what it means to be part of the school. As a result, individuals who contribute to the everyday activity of the school benefit from a strong sense of belonging (Helfer, 2010, p. 62). The process of creating the mission statement brings together all parties and is especially important in unifying Hickory Ridge High School staff at this time of crisis within the school. Once the mission statement is developed, the next step is to create the vision for Hickory Ridge High School. I will encourage Principal O’Connor to follow the same process in developing the vision statement as he followed in the creation of the mission statement. Assay, Doverspike and Vaiana (2005, p. 27) believe that a vision statement extends and clarifies the mission statement. The vision serves as a summary of the school’s educational philosophy and defines the school’s underlying goals and values (Assay et al., 2005, p. 27). The vision statement serves as a guide to action by specifying goals and desired future states. The vision statement should include measureable objectives and have built-in means to monitor and evaluate success. Core values should be addressed in vision statements and need to be embedded in the daily work of the school. Management processes and school procedures should be aligned with the school’s mission and vision. All school tasks must relate to the mission and vision, including curriculum and instruction, professional development, evaluation of students and staff, instructional leadership duties, etc. ** Principal Mentorship (Kenna) ** The current principal at Hickory Ridge High School, Jim O’Connor, was previously a middle school teacher for eight years, assistant principal for thirteen years and is currently in his second year as the principal. Although he has extensive knowledge of the community and shows deep concern for the students and parents, he lacks the ability to understand their needs in the context of today’s society. The staff at Hickory Ridge sees Mr. O’Connor as knowledgeable however, they do not respect him and many have requested transfers so they can work for someone who has the ability to help promote them. Many of the younger teachers feel that Mr. O’Connor is critical and sides with the veteran teachers. On the contrary, Mr. O’Connor views the young teachers as not respecting the community and quick to make changes that will be unsuccessful. It is obvious that Mr. O’Connor has a desire for Hickory Ridge High School to succeed; however, he has been unsuccessful with bringing the staff together and leading all groups toward the mission. Given the complexity of the staff dynamics and the fact that Mr. O’Connor is a relatively new principal, all involved would benefit from significant support through his involvement in a professional mentorship program. Mentoring will not automatically solve the problems that Mr. O’Connor faces as a new administrator. However, it is an important way to assist him as he develops skills and confidence needed in leading an organization, and creates opportunities for reflection (Saban & Wolfe, 2009). Mentoring not only benefits the principal and teachers, but it also benefits the students. According to Robinson, Horan and Nanavati (2009) the effects of improved leadership on student engagement and achievement are positive. Mr. O’Connor would benefit from learning through professional support that a mentorship provides. It would allow him to build his leadership capability to be specific and results-driven in a non-threatening and comfortable environment (Robinson et al., 2009). This relationship that he builds with his mentor will also serve as a model for the type of relationships he can create with his staff members. The assigned mentor would benefit Mr. O’Connor in these ways in addition to becoming a master at relationship building. The differing views at Hickory Ridge High have begun splitting the staff and breaking down necessary relationships which are needed for the school’s success. The teachers do not feel trusted which in turn creates a lack of respect for Mr. O’Connor. The daily interactions between colleagues and administrators have a direct affect on the trust and morale of an organization (Saban & Wolfe, 2009). His mentor can assist Mr. O’Connor in recognizing how increased encouragement will motivate the staff and begin to cause them to share in the vision for Hickory Ridge High School. In order for the staff to change their view of Mr. O’Connor, he must build relationships based on trust and confidence. Saban & Wolfe (2009) express that, “people will take risks, make changes, and move forward when the relationship is solid” (p. 2). Mr. O’Connor can begin this type of relationship by recognizing accomplishments and showing appreciation for the work and effort shown by his staff. Assuming this is an area that is difficult for him; his mentor would be wise to provide specific examples of where this would apply. The principal’s role is constantly changing and requires a continually expanding knowledge base. According to Cunningham & Cordeiro (2009) many school districts have developed institutes to provide administrators with an opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills. In fact, “through the National Mentor program, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and Nova Southeastern University (NSU) created the first national mentoring certification program for principal mentors” (Hall, 2008, p. 1). The idea is seasoned principals interested in mentoring new administrators attend the Leadership Immersion Institute and have the ability to earn the National Principal Mentor Certification. Receiving a mentor trained to this level, would be beneficial for any new principal especially Jim O’Connor, principal at Hickory Ridge High School. In addition to connecting Mr. O’Connor with a mentor through the National Mentor program, he will also have direct connection with another principal that has experience as an administrator in the district. The purpose of this relationship is that Mr. O’Connor will have access to someone who can answer specific questions about district operations and provide helpful insight from a district perspective. Ideally, this person serves as a colleague and not someone whom Mr. O’Connor answers to. A mentoring program would benefit Mr. O’Connor, staff, parents and community in many ways. The tangible support that he will receive with the professional mentorship through the National Mentor program and local administrator will assist Mr. O’Connor in building relationships with and among staff members. This will create an environment where staff members feel trusted and he is therefore a respected leader. ** Team Building (Lisa) ** I have placed twenty-seven new teachers at Hickory Ridge High School in the hopes that they would share their newly acquired skills, resources, and talents with the existing staff. These new staff members have been identified as the top ten percent in their program and have very high potential. I expected the existing staff at Hickory Ridge High School to welcome them and share their knowledge of the community and the district's history. These two groups seem to have divided themselves and clearly do not understand that they could learn and benefit from each other. As the superintendent of the Wingfield School District, I believe it is important that school faculty work together toward one common goal: student achievement. The staff at Hickory Ridge High School would benefit from positive relationships and communities within their building. Mr. O’Connor needs to provide a collaborative environment for his staff. To implement this, he could use simple teambuilding strategies with his staff at faculty meetings. These activities should be fun, enjoyable, and quick. This would allow veteran and new teachers to interact and get to know each other in a non-threatening way. Once teachers are more comfortable with each other, Mr. O’Connor should introduce professional learning communities. According to Nugent and associates (2008), learning occurs most effectively in a community. Professional learning communities are a great way for Mr. O’Connor to bring staff together, especially departmentally and teachers who will need to work together on a frequent basis. Collaborative work becomes stronger when teachers take responsibility for a common group of students (Haun, & Martin, 2004). Teachers share ideas and visions, which in turn improves student achievement. Mr. O’Connor could also set up a mentoring program within his school between veteran and beginning teachers. It would be important that all involved realize that this is a program designed to help both parties, the veteran teacher and the beginning teacher. It shouldn’t be looked at as the beginning teacher is incompetent and needs assistance, or the veteran teacher needs to have his teaching style “updated”. It is just another way of collaborating with colleagues. In this kind of relationship the beginning teacher learns a lot about their new profession, and the mentor or veteran teacher learns from self-reflection and mutual cooperation (Iancu-Haddad, & Oplatka, 2009). The veteran teachers would have an abundant amount of information they could share with the new teachers. They could share information about the school district and the community history, subject area content for lesson planning, and classroom management strategies. The veteran teachers could also learn from the beginning teachers. Being that they are recent college graduates, they should be up to par on the newest technology and knowledgeable about needed reforms. The beginning teachers could be giving the veteran teachers technology tips and showing them how to incorporate more technology into their daily lessons. Through teambuilding activities, professional learning communities, and the mentoring between veteran and beginning teachers, the staff at Hickory Ridge High School will be in a better position to work collaboratively to meet their student’s needs. These newly formed relationships will allow the faculty to be more open-minded with each other’s ideas. Staff will be more likely to take the risk of sharing their ideas or suggestions for school improvement if they feel comfortable with the people around them. ** Technology (Courtney) ** The Wingfield School District has made a commitment to becoming a technology driven district. The lack of progress in this reform at Hickory Ridge High School is unacceptable. The District has sent a core group of individuals to technology-based industry tours and forums on the implementation of pilot programs for technology reform, without seeing tangible results. With the support of the Board, I will implement a four pronged approach to improving technology integration at Hickory Ridge High School. First, an in-depth climate assessment needs to be done to determine the level of proficiency among the staff. This assessment should include information on the barriers staff feels may hinder them from implementing technology into their lessons and their level of comfort and proficiency with a range of software and hardware. The District must provide support for those teachers working to attain technological fluency through professional development and on-site knowledge brokers. The second step is to employ on-site knowledge brokers. These individuals will serve as go-betweens from the district level professional development and the teachers’ implementation in the classroom. Many veteran teachers are apprehensive to incorporate technology into the classroom due to their lack of troubleshooting abilities. An on-site knowledge broker will be available to assist in the pedagogical implementation of technology as well as the technical mechanics of the hardware and software. Knowledge brokers will assist teachers in choosing the correct technology to implement into their lessons, they are instructional leaders. Where teachers are busy keeping current on their content areas, they have little time to include the most up to date trainings on technology. This is where a knowledge broker will come in. The knowledge broker will attend trainings and research innovative technologies to integrate into the classroom. They will then broker that knowledge within the school to assist in the complete integration of technology at Hickory Ridge High School (Plair, 2008). Next, technology implementation will be monitored through lesson plans, PDPs, and classroom observations. All lesson plans should identify some form of technology used in each lesson. The use of technology should vary dependent on the lesson being presented. The knowledge broker will assist in determining what is appropriate for the lesson. Teachers must remember that the knowledge broker is there as a technology leader to guide and assist in technology instruction. Each classroom teacher will, also be required to incorporate a SMART technology goal into their Professional Development Plan. This goal must be measurable and documented through lesson plans and administrative observations. At the end of each quarter the teachers and students will take part in a technology survey to anonymously assess the success of technology integration at Hickory Ridge. Finally, the district wide use of distance learning for professional development will serve as a model for teachers in the implementation of technology in their classrooms. Teachers will be encouraged through professional opportunities and monetary opportunities to take part in processional development offered via distance learning. Once the teachers and staff at Hickory Ridge are educated on the various forms of technology at their disposal, I believe they will be more apt to integrate it into their classrooms. ** Conclusion ** As the superintendent of Wingfield School District, I am willing to support Jim O’Connor in making necessary changes needed at Hickory Ridge High School. After data collecting and progress monitoring, a mission and vision will be developed for Hickory Ridge. As a result, all faculty and stakeholders will know who we are as a school and our direction. Developing these common goals together will give the staff a vested interest in the school's success and create a sense of community. In addition to forming a mission and vision, Mr. O’Connor will participate in the National Mentor Program in which he will have the opportunity of learning from a mentor outside of the District. This program will serve many benefits due to the fact that the principal’s role is constantly changing and requires an increasing amount of knowledge and skills. Mr. O’Connor will also be introduced to an experienced principal within the District that will assist him with district-related operations and procedures when needed. These mentoring relationships will help Mr. O’Connor develop the confidence and skills needed to be an effective and respected leader. Principal O’Connor will build relationships among staff members through simple team building activities at faculty meetings and in-service trainings. He will also develop professional learning communities which will promote collaboration throughout the school. To reduce the divide between veteran and new teachers, Mr. O’Connor will establish a mentoring program at Hickory Ridge. Veteran teachers will be paired with new teachers to bridge the gap and help one another in specific areas such as technology integration and community history. Mr. O’Connor will improve technology integration at Hickory Ridge by providing support to teachers through on-site knowledge brokers and professional development. The knowledge broker will assist in the implementation of technology along with the technical mechanics of the hardware and software. Teachers will be required to incorporate a SMART technology goal into their Professional Development Plan and will also be encouraged to participate in professional development classes online. These innovative changes will be the beginning of the new Hickory Ridge High School. With guidance and support, I am confident in Mr. O’Connor's ability to transform into a successful leader and to turn the school around in a positive direction. I have been told “it takes a few mistakes before you get it right;” this time, I believe I have it right. References Kenna: Cunningham, W. G. & Cordeiro, P. A. (2009). //Educational Leadership: A bridge to improved//

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