One of the most important responsibilities of a school administrator is recruiting and retaining quality teachers. This certainly is not an easy task. As an assistant principal I get to spend a lot of time working with teachers. I make mentoring new teachers a priority. As I have mentioned in previous posts, teachers are “where the rubber hits the road”.
I think we all know how important this is. However, are we doing the best we can to support and develop new teachers? I remember my first teaching job. I was fresh out of college and very excited to have a class of my own. I did well in my college courses. I did well during my student teaching. However, I was now on my own.
When I arrived at my high school it was almost surreal. I could not believe I was about to face 5 classes of kids just several years younger than me. There was so much to do the first week before the kids arrived. There were plenty of teachers offering there help. The funny thing was that I did not even know what to ask! I was lucky to have a great group of teachers in the department. The district even had a formal new teacher program. I learned a lot from the people I had around me. What if that great supporting cast was not there? I am sure in many schools it is not.
My school district has been exploring programs that address the needs of students who are not successful in traditional schools. Additionally, we are looking at programs for suspended/excluded students. I have been doing some research in these areas and have come across a few programs that sound effective.
I am reaching out to you for your help! If you know of any programs or schools/districts that are running successful programs that address these needs, I would love to hear from you!
I just finished serving on a quality assurance review team for SACS CASI. If you have never been a part of this process, it is worth a look. I have been on the school side for 3 SACS accreditations. The first was a school accreditation, the second was a district accreditation in Broward and the third was a school accreditation. You learn a lot going through the process as it is quite lengthy and consuming. However, now I was on the other side!
I crossed over to the dark side (like they say when we become school administrtors!). I was part of the team that decendes on a school/district and tears them up. The power I had while on the team!!
Of course, I am only joking. It is funny though–when I was going through the process as part of a school, I was quite nervous. I think we all are apprehensive when forced to open our schools to others for critique. However, now serving on the “team” I realized there is no need to be nervous. It is not about evaluation or tearing through a school or district. It is checking to see if a school or district is meeting the standards. It is not an evaluation.
To me, the beauty of the process is the self reflection and preparation that is requires from a school/district. It really forces you to reflect on what you are doing and then do it! We do not just arrive at a school/district and begin the process. The school/district begins preparing for our visit well in advance. They work hard to achieve the SACS CASI standards. I see the most valuable worth in the process, not necessarily as the outcome. Of course, it is important to be certified by SACS CASI. It is quite an achievement that is not easy to obtain. However, the reflection and work you are required to perform in preparation for the visit it what will impact student achievement.
Working on the team was hard work! We worked past 11:000 P.M. each night. We talked to many, many people over 3 days. Our conversations were lengthy and valuable. The work was long and tiring but I feel I have learned a great deal.
Developing Educational Leaders
(cross posted at LeaderTalk)
I would assume there are a number of LeaderTalk readers who are teachers in the process of becoming administrators. I remember being in your shoes not too long ago. Fortunately, I had a great principal who truly helped develop my leadership abilities. Looking back, he constantly challenged me as a teacher while I was working to become an administrator. As a current assistant principal, I would like to share some of the ways I gained valuable administrative experience while I was attending graduate school and then searching for my first administrative position.
I also share this information with teachers I know who are looking to step into leadership roles. I truly believe part of our responsibilities as administrators is to be constantly developing the leaders of tomorrow.
I Will Do It
Volunteer to do just about anything. I remember spending a majority of my planning periods in the office, offering my help in any way. Of course, I still did not abandon my teaching responsibilities, I just had to do the prep work at night at home. It meant many late nights, but I knew I needed as much experience as possible. When I would offer my services to the principal and the other assistant principals, I hoped to work on cutting edge projects that integrated technology and the like. Sometimes I was fortunate to be able to chip in.
However, in the beginning I was often asked to help with discipline. It was not exactly what I was looking for, but in reality, administrators do spend a great deal of time with student discipline. I always accepted and chipped in handling discipline referrals. It offered me great experience as I was always able to ask for their thoughts and I was truly learning on the job. As time went on and I proved my dedication, I was progressively given greater responsibility. However, I always continued to help with discipline. Hey, I was looking to impress the powers that be! I even volunteered for a morning or afternoon duty post to assist with student supervision.
Tackle a Major Project
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I previously wrote an article on state assessments and how they compare to national standardized assessments. You can read, “Where is Your Bar” here (you will have to scroll down a bit). I will refrain from saying the same thing in my previous post.
However, I found a spiffy gadget to get a quick look at how each state’s assessment stacks up. You can roll over a map of the U.S and see how each state compares to a national tests.
I found this one at the Practical Principals. Pretty practical!
