School executives will ensure that the school has processes and systems in place for budgeting, staffing, problem-solving, communicating expectations, and scheduling that result in organizing the work routines in the building. The school executive must be responsible for the monitoring of the school budget and the inclusion of all teachers in the budget decision so as to meet the 21st century needs of every classroom. Effectively and efficiently managing the complexity of every day life is critical for staff to be able to focus its energy on improvement.
Element Va. School Resources and Budget: The principal establishes budget processes and systems which are focused on, and result in, improved student achievement. Artifact: School Budgeting Project As part of my coursework, I was assigned to a team and given a school's funding information. My team mates and I analyzed the school's data and past performance, and then went through the TregoED decision making protocol to determine the instructional focus for the next school year. I then developed a budget that reflected those priorities. Below is a summary of my assessment and the plan that followed.
Artifact: Staffing Plan and Grant Management During my residency, I participated in many conversations around how best to use our teaching allotment. For example, Instructional Assistants are valued, and classroom space is limited, so we opted to convert one teaching position into two IA positions. We also used a partnership grant from a local university to fund several part time interventionist positions.
Element Vb. Conflict Management and Resolution: The principal effectively and efficiently manages the complexity of human interactions so that the focus of the school can be on improved student achievement.
Artifact: Notes from TeachersDuring my time at Forest View, I had an open door policy. I made myself available to listen to issues that arose, and did my best to find resolutions to conflicts that arose. One example was when a grade level took issue with a discipline decision made by a member of the leadership team. I listened to the grievances of the teachers, offered some limited context - while maintaining the privacy of the student and upholding the decision made by my teammate. At the end of the time, teachers felt heard and were able to accept the decision that was made. Afterward, I received this note as thanks.
Artifact: Student Discipline LogDuring my time, I handled many student discipline incidents. Much of my work consisted on getting to the root cause of the student misbehavior and identifying ways to better handle conflicts. As you can see from this sample, many referrals resulted in mediation and student conferences, rather than suspension or other punishment.
Element Vc. Systematic Communication: The principal designs and utilizes various forms of formal and informal communication so that the focus of the school can be on improved student achievement.
Artifact: TrueNorthLogic Show Me VideoAt the beginning of the school year, there was some confusion around how to navigate the Professional Development system. In addition to sending out instructions, I created a ShowMe video, demonstrating the steps to take to enroll in a course. This video not only answered many of the questions teachers had, but it allowed them to save it and come back to it the next time they had to enroll.
Artifact: Forest View Staff Google FolderI created a single sharepoint on the school Google Drive accessible to all staff members. Information or documents that all staff members need to be able to access, such as the Staff Handbook, were placed in this drive.
Artifact: Forest View Staff HandbookI revised the Staff Handbook this year. In addition to adding the new schedules and staff listing, I converted the document from Microsoft Word to GoogleDocs. This allowed for up-to-the-minute revisions so every staff member had access to the most recent information. I also added hyperlinks in the Table of Contents to allow for quicker navigation.
Artifact Benchmark & EOG Testing Schedule FormatIn addition to working with my counterpart to develop a new testing schedule, I designed a new layout, so everyone could see the Lunch, Specials, and Recess times for all grade levels at a glance. This helped Grade Level PLTs as well as the Office Staff, Cafeteria Staff and Specials teachers see what the day would look like for them.
Element Vd. School Expectations for Students and Staff: The principal develops and enforces expectations, structures, rules and procedures for students and staff Artifact Breakfast Traffic Flow MemoAfter the first several weeks of school, we needed to change the morning procedure for unloading the buses . I was tasked with communicating this change in procedure.
Artifact Behavior Flow ChartGuidelines for teachers when dealing with troublesome student behaviors.
Artifact: Forest View Staff HandbookI revised the Staff Handbook this year. In addition to adding the new schedules and staff listing, I converted the document from Microsoft Word to GoogleDocs. This allowed for up-to-the-minute revisions so every staff member had access to the most recent information. I also added hyperlinks in the Table of Contents to allow for quicker navigation. This handbook includes expectations for staff members, such as duty coverage, work start times, and other processes and procedures, so all staff is clear on what is expected of them.