Professional Development Education Learning

Assessment of Existing Culture

Just two years into its existence, the high school is doing remarkably well. The school welcomes 1100 students each day. Currently, the school only has the capacity for grades 9 to 11, but grade 12 programming is being developed now. The staff of 45 dedicated full-time teachers is eager to become a part of this new school, which has two assistant principals in addition to the principal at the helm. School counselors, administrative assistants, and other staff round out the human resources. Although there is significant room for improvement, the high school is off to a good start.
Some of the main areas in need of improvement include the lack of vision for a professional learning community or a collaborative learning environment to stimulate personal and professional development. Additionally, administration has created a sense of insecurity and mistrust in the culture by creating too many temporary positions and not engendering a sense of civic pride in the institution. Teachers are not being formally evaluated nearly enough, and not all teachers are using a standard curriculum or participating in professional development planning. Teacher development days are underutilized, and teachers lack support for their own leadership visions.
Setting a New Vision
As the incoming principal, I look forward to transforming the organizational culture in the school. My primary focus will be on creating a professional learning community and collaborative learning environment. A professional learning community establishes a culture of accountability, professionalism, and collaboration. Ultimately, a collaborative learning environment promotes high levels of student achievement and success (Owen, 2014). The vision for the high school will be to promote a culture of success for both educators and students.
Policies and Procedures
The first step in transforming the school culture will be to hold a series of meetings to discuss future plans. Instead of letting go of core teaching staff, I would make sure to retain all credentialed staff and offer permanent positions to all who were interested. One of our administrative assistants can help publish a professional development plan, including formal sessions and consultations with the principal at strategic intervals.
Second, technological tools will be used to facilitate professional development as well as student learning and achievement. Virtual professional learning networks will allow all teachers to overcome “temporal and spatial constraints,” (Trust, Krutka & Carpenter, 2016, et al, p. 1). This way, junior staff members can develop their skills alongside more senior staff, to generate a truly collaborative learning environment. Teachers will also learn how to use educational technology more robustly in the classroom, creating egalitarian learning environments. Technology will also facilitate communications between educators, parents, and community stakeholders. Parents and community organizations should be considered part of the collaborative learning environment.
Third, the school will encourage accountability and collaboration through regular teacher evaluations and assessments. Formal observations will be conducted in non-threatening ways, offering teachers the opportunity to be paired with mentors. Teachers will also participate in peer monitoring and review, in keeping with the tenets of collaborative learning and professional development.
Fourth, curriculum will also reflect shared values, goals, and ideals. Curriculum will be “job-embedded, contextually relevant, and perhaps based on results from the most recent teacher-needs survey,” (Guskey, 2014, p. 12). Planning curriculum collaboratively ensures consistency across all classes and subjects, while also making sure that individual teachers are learning from each other to generate content that reflects the school mission. Curriculum development now will significantly help the high school transition to its senior year/12th grade coursework. It is important that we start considering how to best integrate college credit courses and AP classes, as well as internship opportunities for students. We can do this by working with the guidance counselor team.
Fifth, the teacher development days will be more collaborative. Teachers will have time for solitary work, but will also be able to collaborate with others and share knowledge. Finally, teachers will have the opportunity to attend professional development workshops and seminars throughout the year.
Collaboration and Data Collection
Metrics will be used to help quantify our progress over the course of the next several years. Feedback surveys will be offered twice per year for all the educators and staff members. Parental input will also be solicited. Student feedback will also be incorporated into the data collection, as we are creating a student-centered working environment. We will also collaborate on best strategies for overcoming challenges, identifying risks, and making necessary changes to the school culture.
Short- and Long-Term Goals and Outcomes
The short-term goals include retaining staff, creating a cohesive school culture, and implementing formal policies and procedures for professional development. A collaborative learning community and professional learning community will take a few years to coalesce. Long-term goals include the successful transition to being a four-year high school, having steadily high student success rates, and helping students to transition to college or the workplace.
Actions
Specific actions include soliciting funds for technology implementation, devising a yearly plan for teacher professional development such as workshops and conferences, and also creating strategies for teacher development days. The collaborative work environment will also depend on regular sessions and meetings, and the mentor program for teachers. Curriculum development for the 12th grade also needs to be done immediately, to help retain top teaching talent and to help students reach their highest potential in our school. We will work with community organizations when possible, to initiate student internship programs and professional development opportunities.
Leadership Style
The principal’s transformational leadership style is critical to the school’s success. As Gal-Arieli, Beeri, Vigoda-Gadot, et al (2015) found in their research, there is a positive relationship “between transformational leadership and local authority involvement in education,” (p. 1). Transformational leaders empower and motivate others intrinsically, to create a genuinely collaborative work environment.
Student-Centered Environment
A professional learning community promotes student success, because teachers work together to achieve common goals. Instead of having each teacher work in isolation from the professional community, teachers collaborate, consulting with each other on curriculum and course content. This helps students receive the most consistent environment, motivating them to work together too. A collaborative professional learning community among teachers establishes a role model for student success that also promotes the values of democracy, equity, diversity, social justice, acceptance, and respect within the school.
Advocacy
As the new principal, I intend to continue advocating for students. Students and their families should be a part of the educational community. A collaborative environment welcomes input from all stakeholders. To promote the academic success of all students, the faculty and staff will work with parents and members of the community continually throughout the school year.
Strategic Relationships and Partnerships
Forming strategic relationships with community organizations is crucial for the success of the school as a whole and also of individual students. Partnerships allow for ongoing guest speakers, field trips, and work-study programs. Likewise, partnerships enable shared resources and enhance the collaborative professional development model. Teachers will have access to community resources for their professional development sessions, and can also partner with law enforcement to help create the safest and most secure physical environment for students and staff.
References
Gal-Arieli, N., Beeri, I., Vigoda-Gadot, E., et al (2015). Leadership transforms education. Academy of Management Proceedings. doi: 10.5465/AMBPP.2015.13707
Guskey, T.R. (2014). Planning professional learning. Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications. 15. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edp_facpub/15
Owen, S. (2014). Teacher professional learning communities. Australian Journal of Adult Learning 54(2): 54-77.
Trust, T., Krutka, D. G & Carpenter, J. (2016). Together We Are Better: Professional Learning Networks for Teachers. Computers & Education. 326. DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036013151630135X