EDLD 5395: Final Reflections on Lessons Learned

The superintendent self-assessments were one of the first activities experienced in this course.  They were the first glimpse into the required skills of the competencies needed in the superintendent role.  During this activity we were required to review each competency and guesstimate if we felt this area was a strength or a weak area where we needed growth.  The second assessment then involved completing a Texas superintendent certification assessment.  This exercise was revealing because we could then compare the results of the self-assessment to the areas or strength and weakness revealed through the practice exam.  Many of the course participants reflected on their blogs that they missed questions because they were not considering global perspective when answering the questions. Building Wiki’s and Blogs allows a user to become technologically proficient in an online communication tool.  Wiki’s are great tools to allow multiple individuals contribute to a single body of work, no matter where they are located.  Blogs encouraged collaboration during this first superintendent certification course through reviewing a blog postings of fellow colleagues.    These tools facilitated action research between the members of our superintendent cohort where we all worked together to complete course requirements. This course required all participants to interview their superintendent.  I felt very fortunate that my current superintendent made the time to sit down and talk with me one on one to answer my questions.  The questions I asked were directly aligned to the superintendent competencies.  It was very interesting to hear a practitioner’s view point and as I reflected on this exercise, I began to realize how critical it is to have a working knowledge of the competencies so that they can be used to guide actions and problem solving in an effective manner.  Dr. Williams, Galena Park ISD Interim Superintendent, discussed that a superintendent must have clear yet, concise vision that she and all members of the community can communicate.  If the vision is too complicated or unclear, the message will get lost.  The superintendent intern plan was one of the most time consuming exercises because it required the application and understanding of each of the superintendent competencies to create a relevant activity.  This exercise was fruitful because we were required to post the document to our Wiki and then were required to comment on one another’s work.  Additionally, we were required to meet with our site supervisor the following week to further review the working document.  The culminating activity required us to meet with our Lamar program supervisor to further review and discuss the plan.  I am further inspired about this process because I now understand that the internship plan is a working document and open for change.  I truly expect this document to evolve as I progress through the activities and gain further insight into the process. As I reflect on each of these activities, I realize that this course is a very worthwhile opener to a certification course.  I now better understand the skills required of a superintendent and I have a better grasp on areas where I need to grow.  This program is much more meaningful for me because of this first course because I was guided to dig through each of the competencies and apply this knowledge to formulating an internship plan.  I further augmented this knowledge through interacting with my fellow classmates to give and receive feedback on course assignments.  I look forward to expanding my knowledge through the remainder of the program.

Superintedent Professional Development Plan Review

A professional development plan should include activities that address each of the three competency domains.  Specifically, the plan should address areas of needed growth demonstrated in the superintendent self-assessments taken at the beginning of the first course of the preparation program.   Additionally, the plan should incorporate the evolving needs of the superintendent so that they are informed of current trends in education and state law. 

Presently, the state’s funding of schools is of great concern.  Learning to properly inform trustees as well as the larger community will be critical to a school district’s financial viability.  Additionally, as the state’s political landscape changes, learning to guide voters to common understanding of the need for increased state funding of schools will ultimately result in increased taxation.  Keeping voters informed of the need for increased taxes will likely result in the success of increased funding for school districts.  Professional development to build this skill set must be included in a professional development plan.

As the state and federal accountability and assessment programs evolve, superintendents must navigate and inform all key stakeholders on the need for change.  Professional development must occur that will inform the superintendent with operating knowledge of what the change is and how it will impact the district’s instructional programs.  Additionally, collaborating with other superintendents addressing how they are meeting these goals will be a critical aspect of development. 

Developing a professional development plan that addresses continuing as well as changing needs to the superintendent is critical to success.  I look forward to developing as well as experiencing this on-going process of learning.

Revised Intern Plan based on Site Supervisor feedback

A conference with my site supervisor, Elizabeth Lalor, Senior Director, was held on Wednesday, September 14^th, 2011 which took place over about an hour.  During this meeting I reviewed each of the activities and tied them back to a competency.  We also discussed the activities themselves to ensure the proper resources were listed.  We both decided that I should re-organize the list of activities by due date to facilitate timely completion.  Additionally we reviewed the site supervisor agreement letter along with a description of the site supervisor assignment description. 

We spent a great deal of time discussing the required strengths of a superintendent and analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of previous superintendents, as we saw it.  We then compared our perceptions to a description of the competencies.  We then examined my practice assessment and examined the areas of needed growth determined by the practice test.  We reviewed the activities and searched for appropriate activities to align internship experience with needed growth areas.  After the conference my plan was revised to reflect the needed changes.

Revised Intern Commentary

I left my intern plan fairly unchanged based on classmate feedback.  The comments made very very positive and confirmed that the plan was clear, concise, and covered the required competencies.  I did refine several activities after reading other classmate's plans.  I found their chosen activities to be more relevant than my earlier choices.  I highlighted those in yellow on the post below. 

Revised Intern Plan

Activity # ____ You may give the number corresponding to the 38 activities from the text to identify one of the activities. Make as many cells as necessary to address all 38 leadership skill areas.	TExES comp.#___ You must have activities that represent each of the 10 Superintendent competencies.	Summary of Activity - Describe the activity you plan on implementing or participating in during your internship – you may use any of the internship activities identified in the School Leader Internship, 2nd edition, pp. 19 – 68.	Resource  Person	Projected Date to be Completed
1c	2	Review the district vision of two separate districts, one urban poor and the other suburban, middle-class.  Note strengths and weaknesses of each, and make recommendations.	District web sites	October 1st, 2011
2e	2	Develop a strategic plan to ensure all educators understand how to use accommodations to increase student learning.	Lina Esquivel, Terri Moore, Dollie Mayeux	April 1st, 2011
3b	2	Review Board Policy regarding data collection, assessment, and evaluation.  Determine the degree to which the policies are being implemented.  Write a reflective statement describing ways to ensure compliance in this area.	E. Lalor	October 1st, 2011
4b	3	Write a letter to colleagues communicating newly released information from TEA.   Survey persons receiving the memo, obtain advice on its organization, clarity, and intent as well as any recommendations for improvement,	Central Office/Campus Leadership Colleagues	October 1st, 2011
5c	2	Utilizing a committee of district and campus leaders, revise current in-district procedures for ensuring the security of state-mandated assessments.  Use consensus building to guide the revision process.	Central Office,/Campus Leaders involved in state-mandated testing	December 1st, 2011
6a	2	Observe a team of district administrators deciding on how the district will count STAAR End of Course assessments as 15% of a student’s final grade in a course.	EOC Committee, E. Lalor	October 1st, 2011
7d	5	Interview individuals involved in implementing district curriculum.  Describe the implementation process, noting successes, concerns/problems with the process	D. Mayeux, T. Moore, Curriculum Program Directors, Instructional Specialists	December1st, 2011
8c	5	Meet with administrators responsible for schedule changes at the high school level.  Discuss the number of changes, rationale for changes, and ramifications of changes. Write a reflection examining ways to better meet student needs.	M. Epps J.Bollich	October 1st, 2011
9a	5	Interview a district-level instructional supervisor.  Assess current needs, goals, and level of service provided by the central office instructional staff.  Make recommendations.	M. Merrit	December 1st, 2011
10a	6	Reviewed methods to encourage motivation in the classroom.  Read two articles from refereed journals on motivation strategies, and discuss readings with selected administrators and faculty.	D. Mayeux, T. Moore, possibly principals	February 1st, 2012
11c	6	Interview persons responsible for assessing technology software.  Describe the process used.  Evaluate the process used, and discuss concerns and give recommendations for improvement	D. Lovinggood	January 1st, 2012
12b	6	Review the distribution of scores for the Algebra I EOC district assessments.  Devise, distribute, and collect a brief needs assessment related to the strengths and concerns of the testing procedures and grading policy used.	D. Mayeux, M. Merritt	February 1st, 2012
13a	5	Work collaboratively with one teacher in the planning and supervising of a co-curricular activity.  A critique of the learning experience will be written and included in the intern notebook.	Shane Goforth, Band Director at NSSH	February 1st, 2011
14b	7	Gather the yearly district staff development plan.  Analyze the plan with respect to the district mission, student achievement, and teacher evaluations.  Provide a copy or overview of the plan and it’s relationship to the above variables.	C. Murray, D. Mayeux	December 1st, 2011
15b	10	Meet with a current leader who changed the way the district communicated information to principals.  Find out why we moved from paper folders and multiple emails to online documents delivered monthly.  Following the meeting, survey several people affected by the change to assess the support or non-support for the change.	T. Moore, K. Wallace, D. Lovinggood	December 1st, 2011
16c	6	Review discipline referrals during the second six-week period of the first semester.  Compile the data to show grade level, special education status, race, and gender.  Report a summary of the findings and recommendations for improvements.	E. Lalor, S. Johnson	March 1st, 2012
17c	10	Interview a school nurse to discuss the major requirements, concerns, and goals for the health program.  Address issues such as AIDS, abuse, sex education, and any other current issues.	M. Epps	April 1st, 2012
18c	8	Observe the office secretary for a period of time in order to assess the needs and demands of her position.  Following the observation, substitute for the administrative secretary in duties agreeable with the secretary and administration for a set period of time.  Write a brief summary of the needs and demands of this position, along with any recommendations for improvement.	M. Flores	October 15th, 2011
19b	8	Meet with the district attendance officer.  Discuss the rules, procedures, and ramifications of attendance on law, finance, and general school/district operations.  Write a brief summary.	E. Lalor, T. Wilson	November 15th, 2011
20b	9	Meet with the head custodian to review job responsibilities and schedules of staff.  Observe a custodian.  Write a brief report from the interview and observation stating the needs, concerns, and overall assessment of work performed.	J. Moore, M. Rideaux	October 15th, 2011
21c	9	Review the district policies for student transportation.  Evaluate the extent to which the district is in compliance.  Be sure to consider home-to-school, school-to-home, and co-curricular procedures.  Write a brief summary of your findings.	J. Moore	December 15th, 2011
22a	9	Interview the district food services manager to discuss the current requirements, concerns, and issues of the program.  Write a summary of the findings from the interview.	J. Moore, D. Eubanks	January 15th, 2012
23c	7	Gather information from two administrators on relevant and legal questioning/assessment strategies used in interviewing.  Compile a list of questions to be used in hiring teachers or administrators.	O. Garza, M. McKay	February 15th, 2012
24b	8	Complete a requisition for a service or supply item  from a budgeted account.  A copy of the requisition and a brief description of the path it follows for approval will be included in the intern notebook.	V. Chapra	February 15th, 2011
25b	3	Assist the person responsible for school district communications in the preparation of a written statement to be sent out to the public.  Include a copy of the communication.	J. Frey	October 1st, 2011
26c	3	Write a short proposal for increasing or improving parent involvement and attitude towards the school.  Provide a copy of the proposal.	S. Torres	December 15th, 2011
27b	3	Meet with the language arts program director and examine the literature used with regard to gender stereotyping.  Provide an analysis and recommendations.	S. Bush	January 15th, 2012
28g	3	Gather information on the resources available to the schools from community and business.  Analyze the extent of utilization, make recommendations for improved cooperation and mutual benefit.	C. Dubose, V. Johnson	March 15th, 2012
29a	4	Obtain a copy of the superintendent’s job description and evaluation instrument.  Analyze the correlation between the requirements listed in the job description and evaluation.  Provide an analysis.	K. Bundy	November 1st, 2011
30c	4	Review past board agendas, reports, and/or minutes.  Note significant events, policy changes, and reoccurring themes or concerns that affect the school district today.  Provide a summary.	K. Bundy	January 1st, 2011
31d	1	Following the completion of district test security procedures, consider the ethical beliefs that guided each of your actions.  Discuss these beliefs with others involved in the project.  Provide feedback and recommendations.	Test Security Revision Committee	December 1st, 2011
32a	1	Develop the following interpersonal skills: Acknowledges the accomplishments of others Avoids interrupting others while speaking Seeks to know and understand others Shares responsibilities	Self	May 1st, 2011
33c	4	Review the board training requirements and the role of the superintendent in this process.  Provide a summary of the requirements, process, and the superintendent’s role.	K. Bundy	January 1st, 2011
34f	5	Interview one professional with experience writing grants.  Review one grant, highlighting the requirements and procedures for writing and submitting the grant, and include it in the notebook.	S. Mathews	January 1st, 2011
35a	10	Using the assignment of grades to student EOC exams, meet with individuals whose opinions vary.  Ensure each side understands the goals of the opposing side.  Develop a list of concerns that each opposing side has about the other.  Devise a resolution that helps both sides achieve their goals.  Include a list of the goals, concerns, and consensus goals.	D. Mayeux, E. Lalor	October 15th, 2011
37c	8	Submit a brief professional development plan.  Include deficiencies cited in the internship in the various learning areas.  The plan should include ongoing development with the membership and service to pertinent organizations.	E. Lalor	May 1st, 2011
38a	8	Compile a list of books, publications, training manuals, and district or state procedures used or recommended for the superintendent.	Self	December 1st, 2011