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.
This Competency is one of the most important ones we can strive to accomplish. If we are acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner, then we will always being doing what is right. This is a hard competency to learn. I think it is instilled in people at an early age and you either have it or you do not. Attending board meetings, interviewing, analyzing job descriptions and things of this nature all allowed me to observe ethical behavior and interactions between people. Some of the interactions were questionable and therefore allowed me to see what not to do, or to reflect on how I may do things differently. It is not just the interactions with teachers, but all the stakeholders that must be taken into account when discussing ethical behavior. Treating people the way you want to be treated. Talking with paraprofessionals allowed me to see how they may view leadership differently and what is ethical to them may not be for someone else.
It all falls back to one thing, relationships. If you know the people you work with, you will more likely be ethical and do what is right by them, by the students, and by the community as a whole. Knowing the board proved to be very valuable for the superintendent in the meetings that I sat in on.
In conclusion, my internship and planned activities helped strengthen an area that I felt was already strength of mine. I did have the opportunity to expand my experiences in interacting with district, staff, students, school board, and community in a professional manner. I was able to help develop the opportunity to serve as an advocate for all children by working with northwest ISD to develop guidelines, selection process, and follow-up activities for students.
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.
Getting to know the vision of the community and the surrounding areas will go a long way in developing the vision for your district. In reviewing other visions, from other schools and districts, during my internship, I gained a new understanding for the impact a good vision can have. Gaining incite and knowledge into the how the vision will be worded is part of understanding how to shape the culture. Having a good culture is everything to the school that I am currently working at. We try very hard to keep students and staff motivated and positive about what is happening at school. Understanding how to use data and sharing that data with the stakeholders is a huge part of developing culture as well. My internship helped me see the importance of taking the extra time to get to know the community and involving people in the decision making from the beginning, the vision.
As a part of competency 2, the expectation is that the superintendent institutes procedures for facilitating the development, use and allocation of all available resources, including human resources, to support implementation of the district’s vision and goals. Through the use of assessment data, our superintendent encouraged campus leaders to develop master schedules to support high expectations and implementation of a schedule that supported success of all students.
This competency also expects superintendents to recognize and celebrate contributions of staff and community toward realization of the district’s vision. Observing NISD celebrate with gifts, teachers of the year and staff of the year proves that our central administration team understands this role.
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.
This is one competency that I feel I am quite familiar with. In my current position I am constantly communicating with staff and community members. I have been involved in composing letters to go home to parents regarding items that are sensitive and need to be handled a certain way. Assisting in staff developments, planning professional development and attending training have all allowed me to communicate and collaborate with families and community members and respond to their interests and needs. The activities that I participated in during my internship were geared directly towards this competency and helped tremendously.
I learned of the importance of mobilizing community resources during a recent weather situation. I was in contact with safety and security from the district as well as local law enforcement to help keep our students safe. This was a great example of needing to have the necessary knowledge and relationship in order to communicate your needs to the community.
Lastly, in an effort to work effectively with diverse groups in the district and community, I witnessed the district support for the Techno Expo. The strategic support of these seemingly small activities made a tremendous statement to our community and school about the importance of celebrating our diversity as well as supporting activities that encourage diversity through technology. These activities made me appreciate the importance of even the smallest details and seemingly insignificant activities having a huge impact on building the relationships and resources for success for all students.
In closing, I think there is not enough value placed on this competency by many administrators. Understanding that this is a full time job and must be treated as such is important. Knowing that the community is important is one thing, but hen getting out there and being a part of it is another
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.
Much of my discussions with Dr. Creel and the leaders in my district focused on the superintendent working with the board of trustees. The value that is placed on a good working relationship is done so rightfully. It is crucial that the superintendent be able to control emotions, both their own and when in meetings with others. Being able to attend these meetings and see the different personalities that must mesh in order for the district to prosper.
Making sure that everyone is aware of where you stand and being transparent for the board is critical when trying to influence the culture of the school. Vision drives a school’s mission, culture, and decisions. I have had a unique experience during my participation of this partnership. I have been able to witness, and become part of, a changing campus culture due to a principal leadership change. The campus shifted its focus from no clear direction or vision to one of sharp precision of “kids come first”, with a major emphasis on continuous improvement. During my time in the program I reviewed different district and school vision statements. I have found that a powerful vision statement is one that is concise and meaningful. When asked to create my own leadership vision statement I found this task difficult; asking myself what I truly valued in education. The vision statement for a school sets the tone for hiring, professional development, and building functions. The longer my principal is in leadership on my campus, the more I observe how the actions he takes continually relate back to his vision for our campus. While serving on interview boards Spring of 2009, keeping the school, and district, vision statement in the forefront of my mind was a priority. It was vital that any new personnel that were brought into our campus family shared our values for student improvement.
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.
With the district that I work in, I use this practice daily. We are in a very data driven district that embraces curriculum and always tries to enhance it. My internship also provided me with an opportunity to view how assessments were used to measure student learning, diagnose student needs and determine effectiveness of the curriculum to ensure educational accountability. I had the unique opportunity to discuss and address the importance of accountability. Through my experiences as the assistant principal person I have facilitated many meetings regarding student achievement, how is that measured, and how will we help the students that continue to struggle. Our goal is that one hundred percent of our students will pass the TAKS test. This means continuing to assess students’ progress, re-evaluate the teaching methods used, and share vertically about teaching strategies and suggestions for improvement. These actions have made the Math Department on my campus one of the strongest groups of teachers in the building. We continue to look for new ways to help our students succeed.
I believe I am very close to mastery of this competency. I have a great passion and focus on student achievement and how departments of teachers can work together to increase student performance. We look to each other for support and strength when we just don’t know what else to do. I would feel very comfortable and confident walking onto another campus and training other teachers on how to create a focus and vision for your school. It must start with the 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.
The internship plan activities provided great insight into this competency. I believe I have a strong understanding of instructional planning. I am amazed by the importance of strategic and intentional design by the superintendent to advocate, promote and sustain this for the district culture. I assumed the sustaining of a district culture would happen with intentional design, I realize now it does not. I continue to learn in this area. Through attentive goal setting a campus is made aware of its direction toward student achievement. The principal must keep this knowledge in the forefront of the staffs’ actions. These focused goals are what help create a campus culture that is conductive to student learning and continuous improvement. There are many initiatives that a campus can introduce to help raise the level of teacher awareness and professional growth. A principal must be aware of the best practices of education in order to sustain the professional growth of his/her staff. It is also important for a principal to implement these best practices at a rate that will not overwhelm the staff. Too many initiatives can cause a campus staff to become overworked and frustrated. I have spent time during this internship planning and implementing campus and district trainings that are designed to increase the instructional strategies of the members of a campus. These opportunities for professional development have helped teachers manage their classrooms and assess students in a variety of ways. Both of these purposes to the trainings have the essential intention to increase student learning and achievement. I believe that I am at a proficient mastery level. There is still more that I am able to learn and accomplish, however I feel that I am on the right track toward complete mastery.
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.
The meaning behind this competency is the teacher and employee evaluation. This would encompass the Professional Development Appraisal System. PDAS is a tool administrators use to help their teachers improve their individual teaching practices. These evaluations are intended to help teachers become better educators. Every professional has room for improvement and growth. Along with this is the evaluation of the administrators on campuses. I think it is imperative to take these seriously and always offer ideas and room for growth when having summative conferences.
It is also essential for all administrators and superintendents to follow the law regarding teacher contract renewal or non-renewals. If a principal does not know the letter of the law regarding the teachers’ jobs then they could come across a great deal of legal hassles and difficulty. If a principal observes that a teacher is not meeting the expectations of teaching, he/she must do everything possible to help that teacher improve. This means that the administrator should work with the campus staff and not against them. With the proper guidance, continued education, and support most educators can learn how to improve their art of teaching.
Evaluating teachers is an area that I have had any training or experience in, as an administrator. I have observed many teachers on my campus through informal walk throughs and through formal observations. I am far from mastering this competency when it comes to evaluating administrators. I know there are many ways to evaluate people that you employ in the district, but finding and fair and consistent one is crucial to the success of the district. Teachers and administrators must know what is expected of them and that they have the support necessary to perform their jobs.
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.
There are many aspects to the superintendent’s job that go unnoticed. These jobs are some of the administrative roles that the superintendent plays. During the course of this partnership program I evaluated my principal’s duties in the areas of budgeting, personnel, and other administrative tasks. I always tried to help when and where I could because that is how learning takes place. I have to jump right in a get my feet wet to learn. She agreed that if she was doing her job, the teachers would not see a lot of what she does.
Campus budgeting and financial management are significant pieces of the administrative job because they help provide resources that the teaching staff needs. These are parts of the resources that make the students on a campus successful. Hiring the correct personnel and assigning them to the correct positions allow the campus vision and goals to become reality. The superintendent must have these visions and goals in mind when hiring new personnel and creating the master plan for the district. How can the staff be best utilized to reach the district goals?
Most of these tasks I will not master until they are part of my job description and duties. I have worked with the principal and other administrators on the campus budget. This has helped me gain experience and insight on how a campus assigns its monies. I am not yet proficient, but am knowledgeable. I know that the budget ideas at the district level will be much more involved. I will certainly look to have very knowledgeable people around me when it comes to maintaining the 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.
District staff scheduling and personnel usage are two main parts of competency nine when they relate to district goals and objectives. The staff and other personnel are the support systems that allow our students to be successful. Training both the staff and students about issues of fighting, abuse, and bullying are some ways to keep the campus environment safe. A superintendent could also schedule peer mediation training as professional development to help teachers become effective support systems for each other and the students. Knowing the staff on a campus, their strengths, weaknesses, and professional goals, help a principal when designing a master schedule that is most beneficial for the entire campus.
The experience I have gained during my internship has helped me with the creation of a master schedule that is beneficial for the teachers, students, and campus goals. I have worked very closely with my principal over the year, altering teacher and student schedules as many times as necessary to make sure that all students are having their needs met in a way that is most beneficial to achieving our campus goals. I do not feel I have mastered this competency, but I do feel I have sufficient knowledge and experience in this area. I am thankful for the opportunities and interviews that I was able to complete during the program. Speaking to many different people amongst all of the different areas of the district, from food services to transportation, has helped me gain a better view of the big picture.
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.
The internship taught me that there will be times in a superintendent’s life where they will have to make tough decisions. Knowing the laws and having great policies in place are crucial to being able to make the right decision at the right time. Keeping up with current issues and knowing how certain cases turn out is a great way to stay on top of trends in education.
The learning environment is crucial to student success. There are a variety of student personalities, teacher personalities, learning styles, and teaching styles that make up a learning environment. One major situation that I experienced during the last year was the joint decision to reorganize a teacher’s schedule to help create a more effective learning environment for our seventh grade math teachers and students. Due to a decision to block specific math classes, the non-blocked seventh grade math classes were larger in size. This created conflict and struggles for our seventh grade math teachers. To help solve their problem the principal and I sat down and worked out a new master schedule that was to begin at the start of the Spring Semester. This difficult change to the master schedule, which had a major impact on my schedule, was seen for the good of the entire group.
Working with my principal one on one to help maneuver schedules around to solve learning environment difficulties has given me tremendous insight to the workings of the principal. I have found that a schedule is never set. This is not a statement that I would want to share to my staff corporately; however, there are times that teachers need to be aware of this philosophy. I am approaching mastery toward this competency with a proficient level of achievement.
