On the Importance of Reflection

Reflection is important, because without it, there is no change. A leader needs to think about the reasons, implications, and perspectives involved in order to make necessary change. Otherwise things become routine. I really liked how the author(s) discussed the need for both reflection ON action as well as reflection IN action. I also agree with the need to verbalize and “process” with others when in reflection. I think that is the power of administrative teams that function well together. Talking through ideas and directions is a powerful reflective process that causes the team to consider aspects they may not have considered if working in isolation on paper.

District Activities Reflections

I participated in several activities that were intended to refine or further develop items from Improvement Plans.

 

We found that our communication of staff development opportunities was not reaching staff members in a timely enough fashion. This is because we have kept to a traditional catalog-style publication that has a firm “go to print” date, after which changes cannot be made. Therefore, the listing was always relatively late, and included a great deal of the upcoming ESC opportunities that were already full or unavailable by the time the catalog was posted. We designed a webpage to host staff development opportunities so that staff could view options as soon as they were made available, but we could still make changes and adjustments to the schedules if needed. We directly linked to the ESC website of opportunities, also eliminating the need for copying and pasting their information into our book. We plan on maintaining the webpage and continuing to refine the navigation of the page and subpages according to feedback. Because we routinely survey staff regarding professional development, we should include questions about the use of the website so we can understand how it was received and utilized.

 

We found the need to increase post-secondary educational options for our students. Not all students are interested in, or can afford a four-year university education directly out of high school. Research done in the community revealed a large gap in the postsecondary plans by students, and the opportunities available to them. I participated with others in the Academic Office to work on new partnerships, articulation agreements, and student selection procedures for new opportunities. We strengthened partnerships and additional dual credit options with the area junior college, as well as added partnerships with a technical school and an additional university for dual-credit options. The numbers of students participating in these options will be tracked in longitudinal study. We also can follow the students to record what difference is made in the rate of attaining certificates and degrees.

 

Our district has always maintained a full summer school program. However, as needs have changed and funding sources have dwindled, summer school needed to be re-focused. The purposes of the time with students, the materials needed, and the expectations for learning needed to have clarified expectations. I am responsible for getting summer school planned, selection of materials, and hiring of administrators. I sought much feedback in the process of doing this. We recommended all-new materials for grades PK-6, and we scheduled professional development on existing resources for older grade levels. We also revised procedures and expectations for staffing, student work sampling, and student fees where applicable. For evaluation, we anticipate to look at whether goals were met in student learning, retest success, and budgetary alignment.

Superintendent Transition Plan

Please write a job entry plan describing the following for your FIRST DAY, FIRST WEEK, FIRST MONTH, AND FIRST YEAR. We are not asking for a comprehensive multi-page report. We are asking you to try to identify one or two goals that you hope to address your first day, first week, first month, and first year.

 

First Day:

Goal(s):  Develop relationships with the office staff and Chief officers; understand the communication systems available

Objective(s :

·         Meet briefly with my secretary to get to know one another. Clarify expectations we both have for communication, availability, methods of organization, and other work preferences.

·         Meet with the Chief officers of the district. Discuss many of the same preferences as discussed with the secretary for a cursory overview of the work environment.

·         Move the most important items of the office in, record a voicemail greeting, set up email accounts, and begin reviewing the district website.

First Week:

Goal:  Develop relationships with Directors and Principals; Communicate with families

Objectives

·         Meet in small groups with Directors and Principals to get their perspectives on the successes and challenges of the district

·         Send an initial press release to the families and the community expressing gratitude for selection as Supt and positive outlook messages.

 

First Month:

Goal:  Understand the dynamics of each Principal and his/her school; understand the strategic plans currently in place; identify one initiative with an achievable one-year goal

Objectives: 

·         Meet with each Principal individually at his/her campus, and have them take me on a tour of the building. Note the implementation of activities listed in CIPs and also note physical plant and personnel issues that come up on the tour

·         Review any existing strategic plans. Meet individually with each Director for portions of the plan to gain their perspectives on the progress in the plan implementation, the successes, and the challenges.

·         Use feedback and data to find at least one need that can be addressed with an initiative. Set at least one goal that is achievable in the first year, and begin action plans to accomplish it. 

One Year:

Goal: Have a workable action plan in place with progress begun toward any academic deficiencies noted; ensure that necessary collaboration is occurring at the district and campus level to interpret data (including informal observations) and use it appropriately; ensure that the budget is sufficiently organized to meet the needs of the district

Objectives: 

·         For any areas of student academic need noted, those content areas, departments, or campuses are working towards solutions identified in a collaborative effort have marked progress towards goals.

·         If the district does not have PLCs or some other form of regular collaboration structure, ensure that these structures are established and working towards identified goals

·         Address budget issues within the adopted budget as possible, recommending amendments to the Board as needed. Then devise methods with the Business Office to ensure that sufficient input is received to build the subsequent year budget in a realistic fashion.

·         Establish regular communication avenues between the district and the community.

Selected Intership Activities Review

Domain I—Leadership of the Educational Community – Competencies 1 - 4

Competency 1 Area:

The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.

While I included multiple activities from this competency, the most meaningful one has been in the area of leadership with interpersonal relationships (32B). I participated in a departmental book study on the Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. The study was a powerful one for our team, and helped us to “gel” since we are a new team. I better understand how to communicate appreciation in different ways so that it can be received in a meaningful way by others. Sometimes I am expressing appreciation in a meaningful way to me, but it is not received by the other person because it is not in their preferred “language.” Even our Christmas gift exchange was built around gifts that were in the recipient’s preferred language with a spending limit so that they would be meaningful rather than expensive.

Competency 2 Area:

The superintendent knows how to shape district culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community.

I had many activities in this area due to the nature of my current job. I worked with the Academic Office, led by our Chief Academic Officer, along with the Principals to collaborate on multiple emphases this year. For example, we needed to refine the role and duties associated with our campus-embedded Instructional Coaches. This involved taking a lot of input from multiple campuses and personnel, then drafting updated guidelines. Feedback was then solicited again so that final documents could be produced. We also collaborated on refining summer school criteria, including broad questions such as what students should be expected to gain in summer school, and what summer school’s results should be. Asking these questions generated important conversations which revealed areas in which we were not all in agreement. We were then able to work through and have a common goal and vision for these areas.

Competency 3 Area:

The superintendent knows how to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilize community resources to ensure educational success for all students.

Two of the activities in this competency relate to special populations of students and their needs in school as well as the community. One activity was to work with our Academic Office to put on the GT Showcase, a forum for students across the district to share their best work with the community. Another important activity is the collaboration we have planned with Houston ISD to learn about a framework for beginning a Newcomer’s Program for our recent immigrants, a population that is rapidly growing in our community.

Competency 4 Area:

The superintendent knows how to respond to and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context, including working with the board of trustees, to achieve the district's educational vision.

The activity in this area that stood out to me was something I was already doing in this district, and in a prior district. Going to School Board meetings and being a part of the agenda items is eye-opening. In my former district, being a part of the agenda review with the Board President prior to the meeting was also a real learning experience regarding the questions raised about the potential political impact of items on the local community.

DOMAIN II—INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP – COMPETENCIES 5 - 7

Competency 5 Area:

The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.

This competency is a large part of my current job description, so I had multiple activities. One of my most time-consuming activities is to supervise two Facilitators and nine Instructional Coaches. These individuals have direct interaction with teachers, and it was key this year to ensure that each of them understood appropriate instructional alignment, and necessary instructional adjustments based upon data.

Competency 6 Area:

The superintendent knows how to advocate, promote, and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

I partnered with our Executive Director for Instructional Leadership to schedule, coordinate, then publish catalogs of professional development for the fall, spring, and summer. We used student data to drive the selection of many of the offerings, and we also used survey results of staff to drive the selection of the instructional technology offerings included.

Competency 7 Area:

The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.

I worked with the Executive Directors of Instructional Leadership and Human Resources to plan New Teacher week for the upcoming fall. We kept in mind the sessions that would be needed specifically for this population of novices. We also talked with Principals about what was needed during the large inservice week at the start of school based upon their observations of staff members’ strengths and needs.

 

DOMAIN III—ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP – COMPETENCIES 8 – 10

Competency 8 Area:

The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology application.

My stand-out activity for this competency was to chair the District Budget Committee for Travel. We reviewed the recommendations of a similar committee from two years prior, examined the expenditures for the years between, then made the determination about whether the recommendations had been effective. We then worked to make additional recommendations to better manage this area of the district budget.

Competency 9 Area:

The superintendent knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district's physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.

Most of the activities in this competency involved interviewing someone involved in the physical plant. However, the most stand-out activity was when I participated in the serving line for lunch at one of our elementary schools. It was surprisingly challenging to keep the kids moving through the line while juggling trays of food in and out of steam tables. I learned a new appreciation for the food service staff!

Competency 10 Area:

The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.

A stand-out activity in this area was to facilitate some conflict-resolution between a group of parents and a department regarding a field trip for a particular special population. The district budget would not allow for the trip, and the parents had agreed to raise the money. However, when the money was slow to come in, and an alternate plan needed to be devised, there was much to discuss. As it turned out, the trip was fully funded by the parents during the desired time window, but before that point we had many discussions and negotiations.

Leadership, Goals, and Internship Learning Reflection

I have always been a natural leader, even as a child. I have always been drawn to lead groups, sometimes even when it was not a welcome change. I generally feel compelled to take action or lead others to take action when an opportunity for improvement presents itself. In the setting of education, I am motivated to make a real difference for students and teachers. Even though I am no longer directly involved with facilitating student learning, the opportunity to watch adults learn and apply their new learning for the benefit of students is very gratifying. Leadership is also appealing to me because it inherently involves a constant challenge. The world is changing, and will continue to do so; leadership requires the ability to move others in response and/or in anticipation of the changing world. This is exciting to me, and seeing the results of successful change is very energizing.

I have not made updates to my vita listed below. I did make alterations to my internship plan and discussed them with my site supervisor.

In reflecting on my pre- and post-assessments, I feel I have grown significantly in my knowledge in the competency areas since the beginning of my studies through the Lamar Superintendent Program. I still have needed learning in the area of the physical plant, which is the part of school district operations that I have the least experience with. In the areas of policy and budget, I learned a great deal as well as solidified past learning. I had a great number more “C”s and “S”s than “I”s, which is a contrast from my initial pre-assessment.


Eventually I believe I would like to be a superintendent. However, I do not think I will be ready to assume that commitment for several years due to my family commitments. Having been the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in both 4A and 5A districts, I have seen first-hand the many facets involved in the superintendency. Therefore, my intermediate goals are to move into an Assistant/Deputy Superintendent role. My background makes me a good candidate for a position of this nature that would also serve as the Chief Academic Officer. I would like to remain in my current position and then in that position for enough time to really realize some results of my efforts: begin some initiatives and see them through. In my estimation this would be approximately 10 years.