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.