Throughout this Superintendent Internship, I have had the opportunity to experience many lessons that I can use throughout my professional career. From leading team meetings to creating and supervising family nights within my school, I have learned how to become a district leader. I have seen how incorporating new ideas within my current position can lead me into becoming an essential leader within my school district.
In looking at the Leadership Competencies, as a future Superintendent, I have learned how to act professional and promote the success of all students. I have had the opportunity to facilitate many meetings that involve solving problems and discussing issues that affect the entire school staff. Throughout these meetings, we have been able to work as a collaborative group and solve many issues as a team. I have learned that using the staff I have to help implement solutions to solve the problems helps in many different ways.
During the school year, I have been able to create a shared vision within my school. My goal at the beginning of the school year was to create an environment where teachers and staff wanted to be at work and enjoyed what they did. Throughout this school year, I have been able to watch this school culture change into a place where learning is essential and collaboration is evident. I have been able to see staff members attitudes change throughout the course of the year where they now enjoy coming to work. Seeing those changes as a leader has helped me understand that school district culture needs to be a priority.
As this school year progressed, I have been able to initiate plans and develop activities to incorporate family and community members within our schools to improve the campuses as a whole. Seeing how important it is to build that relationship between community members and parents, I have been able to incorporate activities to bridge the gap between the community and the school. Being able to communicate and collaborate with the community is a vital part in becoming a Superintendent. Having the opportunity to work with a wide variety of individuals to achieve the district’s educational vision has given me the opportunity to incorporate different strategies within my school district to help improve the educational success of our students.
Also, I have been able to work with the curriculum at my campus and become a more involved instructional leader within my campus and within the school district. I have helped improve the collaboration among teachers and curriculum coordinators that will end up improving instruction and increasing the rigor within the classrooms. Parents and community members have been able to work alongside the school to help students understand the concepts that are being taught.
As an instructional leader, I have been able to build that collaborative environment within my school to promote student success and help teachers grow as educators. This year, we have incorporated a campus walk-through form to give teachers an idea of what district leaders expect when they enter the classroom.
Administratively, I have grown as a leader because I have been able to directly work with the campus budget. This experience has helped me understand the working relationship between the campus and the district in order to create and balance the school’s budget to enhance the learning environment within our schools. Seeing how the district oversees each campus’ physical plant. Attending several board meetings has also allowed me to understand how the district allocates funds to improve each campus and how the district sets a precedent for different projects that need to be completed.
Lastly, solving issues within the school has created positive change within my campus. I have been able to see how team building and problem solving has allowed staff to become comfortable and understand the change process. Having the experiences throughout this program has allowed me to become more mindful of things that educators need in order for that process to occur. Experiencing these changes has made me become more thoughtful and willing to help others which has led me to become a better leader and my staff is able to see that collaboration and communication must occur in order to provide the best possible solutions within the school.
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.
Understanding and applying ethical standards is something I feel I have mastered. Acting with integrity and fairness is an area that many administrators struggle with, but having held leadership positions prior to being in education; I feel that I understand how this concept should be displayed. Throughout this internship, I have been able to lead team leader meetings for my campus. During these meetings, I have to be fair and listen to all issues that are discussed. Listening to the issues and trying to find solutions to them in a fair manner has given me the experience to lead a group of individuals into finding solutions to solve their problems. We have created a collaborative environment where teams feel comfortable asking questions and communicating problems that staff members are experiencing. This team of individuals had developed a trusting relationship where we are able to work together to create solutions to problems in order for our school to function properly and smoothly. By creating this collaborative environment, I have learned how to bring a group of individuals together and remain focused on ensuring the success of our students. Having knowledge and mastery of this competency, in my opinion, is beneficial to being a strong leader and promoting the success of all students.
Another area that is vital to being a Superintendent is communication with staff. During this internship, I have tried to incorporate a weekly communication tool to inform staff of upcoming events during that week. Incorporating a weekly update with my team has given them a “week-at-a-glance” to keep them informed of events taking place within our school. I also set up a yearly calendar for my staff that highlights any activity that we already have planned for the upcoming school year. One thing that my staff mentioned that is highly important to them is communication. They want to be informed of events ahead of time because many times, these activities seem to interfere with their daily schedule and classroom instruction is cut short. Having this calendar and weekly communication tool has greatly improved the climate at my campus as well as allowed staff to feel they are informed prior to the occurrence of an event.
Ethical behavior is something that many administrators take for granted and sometimes things are not addressed with staff members or administrators, which results in the behaviors becoming out of control. During this internship, I have tried to set myself apart from others by not getting involved in these conversations about other people and other issues in the school. It seems like I wanted to set an example and show others that there is another way to deal with issues instead of being unethical and unprofessional. Modeling the behavior that we expect is something that I feel I have been able to accomplish because I feel that my staff realizes that I set the example for my staff as far as professionalism and being an ethical administrator.
Lastly, I have interacted with district staff, students, school board and community members in a professional and ethical manner. I feel that my overall composure and stature have encompassed the aspects of a leader by portraying the qualities of a leader along with producing the behavior that is expected with a leader. This school year, I have developed a way to pull intervention during the school day to meet the needs of our students. In the planning phases, I wanted to hear the input from all staff but also wanted to make sure it was fair for all involved. In scheduling this, I looked at the needs of our team and planned this fairly so everyone could see their needs were met. In doing this, many teachers began to realize that I was being fair and making these changes in a fair manner. They realized that this process would be implemented, but they knew that it would be done in an ethical manner. I believe that my attitude and my behavior made this possible and made the transition easier for all staff members. Therefore, I feel I have mastered this objective because I act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all 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.
Having the ability to develop a vision is something I feel I have accomplished as a leader and will accomplish as a Superintendent. I have led my campus staff to develop a vision of collaboration where our focus is to help students succeed. At the beginning of the school year, my staff and I met and discussed what our expectations were for this school year. At that time, we wrote down all of the things we wanted to accomplish and how we were going to meet these goals. I communicated with my staff the importance of setting our goals for the school year so we could strive to meet them. I also communicated my vision for the school and staff so they could see how I wanted this school to operate and function. My goal that was stated in this meeting was for all staff members to want to be at school and enjoy teaching all students. They seemed a little amazed but willing to help promote this way of thinking among our staff. I knew from the beginning that this campus struggled with morale issues and many staff members do not feel involved in the planning phases of campus activities and the decision making side of the campus. I feel that this experience allowed my staff to see what I wanted to accomplish and helped them see that we really wanted the same things. We were able to develop a vision for our school that focuses on the success of all students.
During this internship, I had team meetings to discuss different ways to engage students in the learning process within our campus. During our meeting, teachers discussed areas where trying some new ideas have helped them in their classroom management skills. Teachers felt that motivating students to learn helped improve their classroom behavior.
Also, my district began to implement a campus walk through program where district administrators are expected to complete 20 walk-throughs each week to check on the rigor level within the classrooms and to monitor how instruction was being delivered within the classroom. This process was one where as a leader, I had to prepare and instruct my staff on what outcome the district intended while using these walk-throughs. As a campus, this has improved the instructional capacity because many teachers are up teaching and engaged in activities within the classroom instead of giving busy work and not motivating students in the classroom. I have learned that setting expectations from the start is the best way for your staff to meet those expectations and surpass them.
During this school year, I have also met with the guidance counselor, a teacher and a parent regarding ways to improve student relations within our school district. From our conversations, we see that our counselors need more time to meet and counsel our students. They need to be working with groups of students to better help them with issues that they face. Many students have divorced parents, need social skills training, or need assistance with issues they may be coping with like bullying, self-esteem or other problems that they need to discuss with someone they can trust. Now, my counselor has implemented many of these groups and our school has seen a reduction in the office referrals due to students having an extra assurance throughout their daily schedules.
All in all, shaping the district culture involves many levels of leadership and requires communicating with personnel, community members and parents to determine the best way to help all students learn. This school year has been very informative for me in dealing with implementing a campus culture and focuses on a shared vision. My campus has been able to work together to find many ways to improve instruction and help students become successful in their educational journey.
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.
In September, 2011, I met with the ELA teachers to discuss issues they are seeing with our ESL students. In doing this we wanted to find a way to communicate with all parents and families within our community to improve the success of our students. We looked at several different things that we could supplement into our curriculum to target specific students as an immediate intervention right in the classroom. As a team, we were able to implement a plan to improve the overall understanding of the curriculum and objectives for our students.
One thing we implemented into our school was an ESL Parent Orientation Night for our students whose parents do not speak English. Many times, our parents are not able to communicate with our teachers and vice versa so, we decided to get a translator to come in and discuss many classroom guidelines and policies that we have at school that parents may not realize. This ESL Orientation was the first time our school district has incorporated this into our school district and it seemed to help our parents understand the expectations that are set from the beginning of the school year. Parents were able to be informed of homework policies, classwork policies, classroom policies and expectations, as well as other school policies that parents must adhere to. Many parents mentioned the benefits that they saw as far as communicating and reaching all parents within our school district.
We also have incorporated a Family Night where we pre-teach things that students need to know to the parents. We wanted to incorporate ways for parents to be able to work at home with their child and help them understand topics that will be covered in class. We had a total of two family nights this school year. The first one was in September and the second was in December. Our focus was on Reading, Math, Science, Writing, and Technology. The technology piece was great information for our parents because it gave them the knowledge they needed to use our district website, classroom web pages, and check their child’s grades on the parent portal. Many parents have asked for us to continue having parent nights in order to teach them how to work with their children so they can help them understand the material.
Another way I have been able to experience this skill was by being a member of our Campus Educational Improvement Committee, which consists of parents, teachers, campus administrators, a community member and a District representative. I feel this committee has made parents able to have a voice in decisions that are made at the campus level. They can look at campus needs that we have and help us find solutions to meeting those needs in order to help all students succeed. I believe that parents are great tools in finding solutions for the campus as well as the district and they are able to share wonderful ideas on how to improve our district.
From the experiences I have documented, I feel that I can keep the communication and collaboration between the community and the school district one where we remain focused on improving instruction and creating a common vision for our school district. Having a strong input from parents and community members seems to create an environment where students are held responsible for their learning and community leaders hold students responsible for meeting the expectations set for them at school. This type of community involvement has really been a blessing for many schools and until I began this quest, I never realized that type of communication was present in schools.
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.
I have also observed several board meetings this school year. I have observed how the board interacts with administrators across the district and have also seen how each board meeting varies depending on the content of the meeting. Our school district has ASPIRE goals and each campus must have goals that they will focus on to accomplish the district ASPIRE goals. One of the board meetings was a presentation of the goals and each campus presented a slide show to communicate to the school board the types of activities and programs we have in place to meet these district goals. Another board meeting in November, 2011, discussed giving staff members a one-time bonus before Christmas since they were unable to give yearly raises to all staff and there were excess funds that we had in our fund balance for the school year. Hearing how the board felt about our teachers and faculty really showed a true appreciation that many employees have not had the opportunity to see. That board meeting allowed me to see that the school board does notice what each school and each staff member accomplish on a daily basis. Another meeting that I attended discussed the finishing touches on the Auditorium at our middle school. One of the board meetings was very interesting because they were looking at future plans for the district and trying to plan a budget for the district in order to repair many items that are beginning to show signs of needing to be replaced. The school board asked for an itemized list that was numbered by importance and showed a value for each item that needed to be replaced within the next few years. That way they can plan and set aside the money necessary to pay for these items. I thought that was very interesting and it was a highly effective way to plan around these large ticket repair items.
I enjoyed attending these board meetings and being able to experience the process that they follow during them. It was very interesting to me to see how things had to be presented to ensure the board was informed of what things were happening across the district and which things needed to be changed in the school district. I feel that attending these meetings will enable me to become a better leader in the future.
The Superintendent and my campus Principal advised me to look back at board meeting minutes and look at some concerns that had been presented over time. As I looked at those minutes, I noticed many discussions regarding hiring administrators or employees that were not fully certified. There were major discussions and debates on whether they should hire while employees were finishing their certification. Also, I noticed that every board member may not fully agree with things that are discussed. As Superintendent, they may give their opinion, but they cannot let the decision become personal. Another area that I found interesting was with repairing large items that may be difficult to finance. For example, I noticed that replacing a roof was a large topic of concern.
All in all, I have been able to realize that communication with the board is essential in the role of the Superintendent. These experiences that I documented have allowed me to broaden my knowledge of essential relationships that must be present when working as Superintendent. Having this internship experience gave me the understanding of this competency so I feel confident in dealing and working with the School Board.
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.
As far as planning and implementing strategies to enhance teaching and learning, I feel that I have gained lots of experience throughout the internship experience. During a meeting with our technology department, we looked at different ways to improve the use of technology within our school district in order to become more technologically enhanced. One thing we discussed, was implementing a wireless system to improve the access we have within our schools.
. In looking at influences within our schools, one area that we have strived to meet our students’ needs is in testing and analyzing data from our assessments. This school year, we have incorporated common based assessments in our school district. My campus gives common based assessments or CBA’s every six weeks. We review skills that we have covered throughout the previous six weeks and we spiral in objectives that students did not master according to the data analysis. In doing this, we have been able to discuss different ways to teach specific topics and create professional learning communities within our schools to improve the instruction that is being delivered. This communication has made a difference in the way our planning meetings are conducted. We look at the campus as a whole and we also look at individual class performance on each objective. My school also has data meetings to discuss where our weak areas lie and we use that information along with our CBA data to plan each unit and each test we administer. Teaching teachers how to understand the data has also helped them understand the direction the district wants to take in improving the overall mastery of the objectives. As a district leader, I must be able to assist in the data meetings and in the development of the exams and planning to improve instruction as a leader.
During this school year, we implemented a new positive behavior management system that incorporated Champs with Capturing Kids Hearts. All staff within the school district was urged to complete the Capturing Kids Hearts training which helps educators learn to build relationships with their students in order to enhance their learning experiences. My campus incorporated these two trainings into a campus-wide behavior management plan where we utilize positive reinforcement to promote positive behavior. We use H’s as an incentive for making a good choice or being caught doing something good. Every 9 weeks, we have an H-Store where students can spend their H’s on something they may want. Implementing this program has allowed teachers and staff members to focus their attention on good things and not negative behavior. If we reinforce positive behavior, then students will strive to earn those rewards which will result in better behavior across the board.
Being able to meet the needs of students is top priority for all district leaders. From my experiences in this program, I feel I have the capability and knowledge to ensure instruction is appropriate and student learning is evident. I also feel that I understand how to create assessments that are aligned to the instruction and spiral back in some items that students have not mastered at that point. Also, creating an environment that is collaborative will also help increase the rigor and build professional learning communities within the school district.
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.
In October, 2011, I interviewed an instructional assistant or a paraprofessional during classroom instruction. We discussed the findings and looked at ways to improve the help that students received in class. We discussed that she could help more than two students in the class and that she needed to be available to help all students who need help and not just focus on one or two. The paraprofessional was very open to the suggestions and began to implement some of these strategies right after we met.
I also met with a group of teachers to compile a list of issues that affect teaching and learning. We looked at how we could incorporate these things into professional development activities to help implement immediate intervention within their classrooms during instruction. This was one area where I feel that providing this intervention would be beneficial to all involved and allow our teachers to reach all learners. We also looked at adding some planning days for this school year. Since we are implementing common assessments, we needed to provide ample time for teachers to work together to create the tests, review the data and plan for the upcoming unit. Teachers felt that their voice was heard and we were supporting them in their journey to implement this new program.
Planning begins each year toward the end of the school year for the upcoming year. In doing this, we forecast how we want to use our teachers to enhance learning for all students. In June, 2011, I created a schedule for my campus to find the best possible class schedule for all fourth and fifth grade students. There were several ways we could group the teachers, but we decided to let our teachers vote on how they would be grouped. It ended up that they chose to be split by subject area, which seemed to be very beneficial to our campus. I decided to create a schedule to give them the most uninterrupted instructional time. This schedule also was to create a common planning time for our teachers so they could collaborate and plan effectively for instructional purposes. As a future Superintendent, I know that finding strategic ways to ensure our curriculum is aligned properly and our teachers have the resources they need is pertinent to improving instruction in the classroom. I believe that as leaders, we need to ensure our teachers have adequate time to plan their lessons and assess knowledge through a valid assessment that we have created in our Common Based Assessments.
This school year, we also looked at staffing and devised a schedule that utilized the subject specific skills of various teachers so they formed one team of teachers for their students. By pairing teachers this way, teachers are able to focus on one specific subject so they are more in tune to what they are teaching.
I have learned many things about enhancing student understanding and how important it is to provide opportunities for staff to become fully knowledgeable about increasing the rigor in their instruction. I feel that my campus culture is conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. We have built professional learning communities within our school so we are able to collaborate with other teachers to find different and exciting ideas to use in the classroom. Sharing ideas and discussing different strategies to deliver instruction will increase the level of rigor that teachers use in their classroom instruction. Above all, students will benefit the most from the collaboration that our teachers have because it will improve the learning opportunities that they have each day.
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.
Supervision of staff is an area that is highly critical to the success of a campus as well as a district. Ensuring administrators and other staff members are performing at high levels is something that a Superintendent must be competent handling. Staff evaluation and development is an area that I feel comfortable with and can teach others how to do. I believe that supervising staff members gives leaders the power to help others become better teachers.
At the beginning of this school year, our appraisal software has been changed and we are able to access the new software via I-pads. By using this technology, we are able to complete campus walk-throughs as well as complete observations for PDAS on the I-pads. This software also gives us the information of all walk-throughs so we are able to see what our teachers are doing in class and what level of rigor they are teaching at. This type of system promotes the varied use of data and allows us to enhance our instruction to better reach our students.
Our school district also implemented a campus walk-through instrument this school year that each campus administrator is responsible for completing a minimum of twenty walk-throughs per week. Administrators meet once every month to discuss campus walk-through data and different ways to improve the delivery of instruction. This data gives the district a valid picture of what type of instruction that is delivered in classrooms as well as the level of rigor that is addressed during our walk-throughs. I have realized that this instrument has made teachers aware of their classroom activities and they really want the administrators to see that they are teaching and delivering rigorous instruction on a daily basis. It is interesting to see the percentages across the campus and the district as to teacher location, rigor level and student engagement percentages. I think this alone has improved our current instructional relevance in the classroom as well as made teachers aware of the possibility that anyone can walk into their classroom at any given time.
In November, I met with Kathy Krenek, our Special Education Director, Cindy Hoey, our campus counselor, Nanci Moorhaj, our Reading Intervention Teacher, and Pam Brockett, our Math Intervention teacher. We met and discussed how to plan a staff development to improve the overall design of RTI on our campus. Throughout this meeting, we discussed creating a flow chart so teachers were aware of the steps of RTI from the beginning through the Campus RTI meeting and the District RTI meeting. This chart would also include all documentation that is needed in order for the RTI folder to make it to the next level. Then, we scheduled a faculty meeting to discuss these steps and give teachers packets that contained the process of RTI and included a flow chart of the steps. After the meeting, teachers began to see that the process was not designed to make more work for them, but get students the help they need so they can get back on target and begin to be successful in the classroom. I feel this process was beneficial for me because as a team, we met and created a plan of action that included all the pertinent information that is needed. Then we took that plan to our teachers, who seemed to understand the process a little easier. All in all, this professional development opportunity was a success for my campus.
Improving the performance of staff members is top priority for Superintendents because as leaders, we must ensure our staff is fully informed with tools and resources they need to enhance learning in the classroom. Creating an environment that holds staff accountable for their actions and for their performance is another way to ensure staff members are prepared for class and ready to help improve student success.
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.
Effective superintendents must be knowledgeable about personnel issues, budgeting needs, financial management and technology applications throughout the school district. In order to become familiar with these skills, a Superintendent must be able to plan and implement a district budget and understand personnel rules and laws as appropriate. In becoming familiar with these areas, leaders must be able to meet and discuss different ideas and issues when problems arise but also know that meetings must take place in order to stay informed of the financial status of the district and the projected needs within the district.
Throughout this school year, I have met with my principal, Jay Pratt each week to discuss the budget for my campus. We discuss where funds can be pulled from in order to meet the needs of our teachers and staff members. One area I was not fully sure of at the beginning of the year was the budget, but by meeting with the campus principal on a weekly basis, I have been able to understand and become familiar with budgets and ensuring we are effectively remaining within our set budget for the school year. There are many things we would love to do for our staff and students, but the funding is not there. This process has given me the opportunity to be a part of the budget process on my campus and has helped me understand where we need to pull funds from in order to pay for certain expenses that arise. Not only have I learned about campus budgets, I have also spoken with our CFO, Tim Britain, regarding the budgeting process and how he keeps up with our school district’s status on a daily basis. Learning the district’s process has given me the opportunity to see how the entire district looks at the financial aspect of the budgeting process. This experience has helped me see the importance of having a team approach to ensuring the budget is working and in balance on a daily basis.
In looking at budgets, I have also planned two Family Nights where we had to fund the events on a budget. At the beginning of the school year, we discussed how these nights would work and the amount of money needed to fund the activities. It was my responsibility to manage the funds and make sure we were able to complete activities that students and parents would enjoy but still remain within a range of funds. This was not too hard, but prior planning had to be completed in order to understand what was needed prior to the Family Night. I learned how to plan and prepare an organized learning experience for our parents, community and students in order for them to understand and master specific skills taught within these activities. As a leader in the school district, I see the importance of building relationships with community members so we can improve our school and our students’ success.
In speaking with the Superintendent of our school district, I learned many things about how evaluations worked with various administrators within the district. I learned that the School Board evaluates the Superintendent and the Superintendent works directly for the School Board. The Assistant Superintendent reports directly to the Superintendent and the Superintendent evaluates the performance of the Assistant Superintendent. The job description and communication among the entire staff is one part of the evaluation. Another area of the evaluation is how the Assistant Superintendent handles the jobs assigned to him/her. Learning how leadership is evaluated and how important it is to ensure each person is performing their job responsibilities to a high level is eminent to the success within the school district. All in all, understanding that all employees work together to create a successful program along with making sure the financial aspects are in check will help ensure this district runs effectively.
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.
Understanding how the district runs and supports a safe and effective learning environment will create a successful district. As Superintendent, I must be able to understand how all staff members play a role in the effectiveness of the school district. That being said, each staff member needs to realize their part in the education of every student within the district.
Many staff members will say that they have specific jobs to do and they may not realize that their job really can make a difference in a student’s life. I had the opportunity to ride one of our bus routes this school year. I was amazed at the effect that the bus driver had on every student that rode that bus each morning and afternoon. As the student entered the bus, the bus driver greeted them with a smile and spoke to every student as they walked to their seat. Once it was time for the students to exit, the driver then shook hands or gave each student a high five and told each one to have an awesome day. Our transportation department is normally the first one to meet our students and the last one to see them before they arrive at their homes. In that driver’s mind, she had to make sure that she was able to make a difference in that student’s life and in the type of day that the student would have. Having employees that go that extra mile is what it takes to really make a school district succeed. As far as a Superintendent’s role, I believe that as Superintendent, I would have to make sure every staff member realized the impact they have on each student’s daily routine and daily choices. Knowing how every aspect works together really helps me understand how the process works as a unit.
I also had the opportunity to interview our Food Service Director and our cafeteria manager at the elementary campus. We discussed rules and policies regarding food preparation and issues with the program. We also discussed procedures that are in place in our cafeteria and that some areas that are concerns for us are sharing of food within the cafeteria. We discussed how we could ensure that some of these policies were carried out and put into place within our school. Once we finished meeting, I met with the campus principal and we added another cashier which opened another line in the cafeteria and also reduced wait times within the cafeteria lines. We also implemented some rules in our cafeteria and made sure all staff within the cafeteria understood the rules within the cafeteria to ensure our students were safe while in the cafeteria.
Our school has a Quest Council that consists of four grade levels and students are selected to participate based on their academic and behavioral achievement. As a campus, we raised money for various charities. Students were able to understand the importance of doing something to help a cause or a family within our community. This council has made a difference within our community and our students see how their efforts can really help someone in need. It gives them valuable insight in real-life experiences.
All in all, as a Superintendent, I must be able to experience leading and managing different aspects of our school district and the support systems we have in place to create a learning environment that is conducive to learning. Every staff member plays a role in the education of our students. Whether it is making sure the roof doesn’t leak or that the air works, students cannot learn if they are concerned about other issues and that can affect their learning. Learning these things has helped me understand how all pieces of the district work together and in order to be an efficient and effective place for learning.
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.
I have learned how to problem-solve and be open to change throughout this internship experience. Being part of many committees and creating a campus culture that is conducive to learning has made me realize that change is difficult and facilitating positive change is evident in this district.
During the spring of 2011, I developed an Employee Advisory Committee that is designed to address concerns or issues that exist throughout the campus. When issues arise, they must affect the entire campus and not be an individual concern. At that time, the committee must devise a plan as to how we can solve the issue and be able to agree on a plan of action that will help solve the present issue. I believe this committee has helped us incorporate many things into our school that help it run smoothly and we are able to create many great solutions by working collaboratively as a team to develop solutions that help everyone involved. I learned that the staff at my campus really wants to find ways to improve the campus. I feel that we have developed a true understanding in this committee and we can resolve conflict and make decisions based on what is best for the campus.
I also met with our attendance clerk and the PEIMS Coordinator for our school district. We discussed attendance laws and our school district policies on behavior and attendance. We looked at different ways to code specific behavior infractions and what our rules were for filing on attendance issues, the qualification for our homeless students, and what the procedures are for addressing families who have moved out of the area but are still enrolled in our district. From this meeting, we have been able to look at our procedures and understand why we code things the way that we do. It has given me meaning behind the things we have to do. I learned that our district follows the legal guidelines for all issues we come across. There are things that are new and never competed, but we ask questions and find out the answers as soon as we can. By doing this, I now feel I can explain our process to someone else and I feel confident in the decisions that I make as a result of my knowledge.
In August, I helped interview teachers to fill a Life Skills position we had open at our campus. We had interviews scheduled throughout the day and we sat and asked each candidate questions regarding job skills they would need in order to fill this position. As a team, we were able to decide on a specific person based on the qualifications and personality matches to deem the best candidate to fill the position. As a future Superintendent, I must be able to feel comfortable asking pertinent questions and applying personnel procedures when interviewing and hiring for different positions throughout the district.
During this school year, I have had the opportunity to experience many leadership skills and apply my knowledge to creating and developing projects that improve the campus and the district. I have been part of the Harris County Department of Education Leadership Academy and have learned many valuable skills needed to become an effective leader. I have also created a list of books that I would recommend others to read which help build leadership skills. I feel that this experience has helped me become a better leader and one that rises above the rest by being professional, ethical, and confident in the knowledge I have to help problem-solve and make decisions that are beneficial to the entire campus. Knowing that all decisions affect an entire campus is the first step in becoming an effective leader. As my principal has told me many times, a great leader must realize and see the entire picture because one decision affects the entire organization. This experience has helped me grow into an effective leader that is comfortable and confident in daily experiences.
Reflection:
In completing the Competency Review and Description, I have learned that I am more familiar with each competency than I originally thought. I feel that reflecting on my experiences gives me the experience I need to move into a higher leadership position within my school district. I feel that I have learned such valuable experience in reflecting on my experiences and I know I will continue to reflect on my experiences even after this program is complete. Reflection helps me understand where I can improve my knowledge and comfort level and make me see how I can create a better environment for my staff and my students.
