Editorial: Final Assignment :)

Standing Up For ALL Students

If you think back to when you were in school there will be teachers you remember, classes you loved and classes you didn’t, activities that you were engaged in and others that you couldn't wait to be done with.  Why is this happening in our schools yet today?  Times are changing but schools are on a slower learning curve for a variety of reasons.  I am not here to nitpick the reasons why but rather to explain how students should be our focus rather than time, money and contracts.   Do you want to be the person that stands beside students, stands up for students or just simply stands down?  I am not about to stand down and here are some ways to stand up for all students while you are learning alongside them.
First let’s address instructional leadership which is a huge topic however it all focuses back to student learning.  Teacher effectiveness is tied to student learning and it is our job as professionals to stay current and up to date on best instructional practices as a way to continually motivate students.  All staff development will be centered around student learning and helping teachers improve, gone are the days of sit and get and then forget.  New teachers will be assigned mentors, teachers will be given time to collaborate and to observe other teachers and rather than an evaluation being to judge you it will be used as a goal setting tool.
Next let me address employment issues.  We want the best candidates and we need to sell our school in order to attract these candidates.  The recruitment process needs to highlight student accomplishments and growth and this could happen without also highlighting the amazing ways teachers connect with students.  The hiring process must be student centered, we want candidates that “love kids”.  We set high expectations for our students and teachers we also need to set high expectations for our candidates.  The interview process needs to focus on students from beginning to end.  Once the best candidate is selected we need to continue to stress the importance of instructional leadership which I have already defined.

Finally, the culture of our school needs to be one of trust, respect, dignity, collaboration and lifelong learning.  Each of these elements will strengthen our stance to promote student growth and increase student learning.  In order to improve, changes must be made and changes can’t be done efficiently if people are standing down or not collaborating and certainly if there is no trust or respect.    

School Governance: School Board

http://www.glogster.com/dobbsjoa/myglogster

S3g: Principal Job Description

Principal’s Job Description

• Hold administrative license
• Instructional leader
• Lifelong learner
• Establish high standards and expectations for all
• Be visible
• Ensure a safe learning environment for all
• Evaluate the physical characteristics of the school and fix any problem areas
• Supervise instructional programs, evaluate lessons and teachers on a regular basis
• Works collaboratively with staff members, administration team and board of education
• Responsible for managing policies and procedures
• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders
• Develop master schedule
• Encourage the use of a variety of best teaching strategies and model these strategies
• Use research to make decisions and share this research with the staff
• Develop a school wide budget
• Review instructional materials and equipment when needed for possible replacement
• Evaluate lesson plans
• Observe classes on a regular basis
• Develop clear rules, consequences and policies for reporting discipline issues
• Be available for concerns
• Be a role model
• Collect data on achievement and constantly look for ways to improve
• Conduct staff meetings, attend administrative meetings and drop in on other meetings
• Prepare news releases
• Develop a system to track school inventory
• Report necessary repairs to district office
• Develop safety procedures, practice drills for disasters and emergencies
• Facilitate SIT meetings
• Complete reports for the board of education
• Be mindful of the school budget
• Know the policies and handbooks (staff and student)
• Perform duties as assigned by the Board of Education
• Supervise instructional programs
• Determine schedules for student supervision in non-classroom areas
• Notify appropriate personnel and agencies as necessary

Reflection:

As an administrator, it is imperative to know the expectations of the job.  An administrator needs to be held to the job requirements just as teachers are and if a responsibility isn’t being met then it is necessary to put in improvement plans.  The administrator needs to be the leader, the manager, the “go to” person and with all these titles come responsibilities.  A prepared administrator is proactive rather than reactive and one way to do this is to have policies in place prior to the policy being needed.

Science teacher job description

Science Job Description

• Hold a #600 license
• Have the ability to develop and follow lesson plans based on standards
• Instruct students using a variety of best practices/instructional strategies
• Use technology in the classroom
• Ability to set up and run/supervise lab experiments
• Enforce school policies
• Provide opportunities for students to act as a scientist, make observations, share information
• Demonstrate positive classroom management skills
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Establish and enforce rules and procedures when rules are not followed
• Actively participate on school committees
• Actively participate on the k-12 science committee
• Coordinate with science department chair and other teachers
• Differentiate lessons, work, assessment,etc to the student levels
• Meet with students and parents as needed
• Conduct parent teacher conferences at least 2 times within the school year
• Contact parents of students assigned to my homebase prior to the first two weeks of school being complete
• Attend Open House prior to school beginning
• Attend professional development/staff development
• Attend faculty meetings
• Meet with other professionals to monitor student progress and needs
• Provide quality feedback to students’ work
• Use data/research to make changes to curriculum, lessons, etc.
• Update student progress: attendance will done daily, grades in a reasonable amount of time, discipline concerns the day of the occurence
• Handle discipline within and outside of the classroom
• Attend team meetings daily
• Administer standardized tests
• Lifelong learner
• Complete extra duties as assigned by administration such as bus duty or lunch supervision
• Be proactive when working with students and staff
• Follow student IEPs, 504’s

My Reflection:

As an administrator, you must clearly communicate the expectations of the job to all staff members.  When I am in the role of a principal it is important for me to know and understand the expectations and to be sure that the staff members are meeting (and hopefully exceeding) the expectations.  The evaluation process should revolve around the criteria set forth in the job description.  If an area within the job description is not being met adequately it will be my job as the instructional leader to provide professional development within that area of weakness.

I think I have jumped one hurdle!