Week 5 EDLD 5399 Final Reflections & 3 Year Plan

Part One: Three Year Plan:

Through this process I have learned that I feel comfortable directly marketing myself, I do know that as I continue to narrow my focus on central office jobs, the connections I make will be critical.  Letting people know that I am interested and capable to handle these jobs is important.  In addition, I know I need to be more assertive in gathering resources and identifying people who support the district mission.  Putting these goals in writing makes me more accountable and helps me solidify my thoughts about best ways to move forward.

Professional Development Plan (PDP)

Year One

Goal I will secure one community resource to promote student success.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain I, Competency 2	Objective (What do you want to improve?) My ability to secure resources	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) I will identify one need; make a list of potential community resources for that need, and pursue finding a donor to cover the need. Read Crucial Conversations	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Education Foundation director; PTSA president	Date of Completion May 2013	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will have secured a $1500 donation to the school.
Goal I will develop stronger relations with other educational leaders.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain III, Competency 8	Objective (What do you want to improve?) I want to improve and expand my circle of influence in the educational leader community.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) I want to meet at least five new education leaders at TASA Midwinter and TASSP.	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) TASA; 3 other  principals, TASSP contacts;	Date of Completion May 2013	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will have established professional relationships with five new educational leaders.

Year Two

Goal I will become more familiar with strategies and programs for struggling learners.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain II, Competency 4, 5, 6 and 7	Objective (What do you want to improve?) Instructional strategies, Curriculum alignment to state assessments; measurements	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Attend STAAR trainings, RTI conferences and books,	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Special education, C& I specialists	Date of Completion May 2014	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will have a greater understanding of STAAR.  I will have RTi strategies I can use with my teachers.
Goal I will learn more about the Visioning Document prepared by TASA.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain I, Competency 1	Objective (What do you want to improve?) My understanding of the vision, how I could develop implementation of strategies to support the vision.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Visioning Document, Conferences that address Visioning document information, conversations with other educational leaders	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Two Principals, Two Superintendents TASA leadership	Date of Completion February 2014	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will be familiar with the document, can discuss it intelligently with other leaders, pursue spin-off conferences to reinforce the learning.

Year Three

Goal I will learn three challenges to technology implementations at district level.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain III, Competency 8 and 9	Objective (What do you want to improve?) My knowledge of various district implementation options.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) A technology conference; technology directors	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) 2 technology directors from two different districts	Date of Completion May 2015	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will have three more points of contact,  have knowledge of at least 3 implementation options.
Goal I will learn more about school finance and board relations.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain III, Competency 8, Domain I, Competency 1	Objective (What do you want to improve?) Understanding of financial resources and distribution of funds. Understand board/superintendent relations	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Attend TASBO; Attend new superintendent academy	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) TASA, TASBO, Lamar University professors, Three Superintendents	Date of Completion May 2015	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will have better understanding of team building options for school board/superintendent; I will have stronger foundation in school finance.

Part Two:  Revisions and Changes Made to the Vita since EDLD 5396

I have made minimal changes to my Vita since EDLD 5396. The main reason I have not made many changes is because most of my information has not changed.  I have added staff development sessions, which I have led as the SPED Coordinator. 

I have written various cover letters to address my strengths that match the job for which I am applying.  I find that these cover letters are the method I choose to use to highlight different experiences that align with the job description.  I am also contemplating adding a brief paragraph summarizing my experiences and addressing my objective before listing my education.  I asked for feedback from my Superintendent about my Vita and this is the recommendation that he had.  I believe that insertion is a personal preference, but I am willing to try it!

Part Three: Review & Submissions Of All Reports

District Supervised Summary Report: 

I actually combined my revised intern plan and my District Supervised Summary Report.  By adding an additional column on my internship report, this allowed me to include the number of hours I spent on each competency activity.  I have posted this in my Tk20 and my blog.

Superintendent/Supervisor Internship Summative Evaluation:

I have posted my Superintendent/Supervisor Internship Summative Evaluation on my blog as well as in the discussion blog. 

Revised Intern Plan (See above in District Supervised Summary Report)

Completion of Comprehensive Final Reports – Parts A - E

The final Reports A – E have been posted in the discussion blog as well as on my personal blog.

Part 4 Blog Comments following SISE Conference:

I met with Walter Dansby, my Superintendent and Cliff Mayer, my site supervisor..  The lessons I learned from my SISE conference included the importance of networking and allowing for the path to becoming a Superintendent to be somewhat non-linear.  These lessons have been reinforced by my experiences of applying to various positions.  I also had a conversation with our Chief Learning Officer.  Both he and my superintendent stated that networking is of primary importance at this level in education.  Mr. Dansby also talked about the importance of a willingness to move to different districts to find a Superintendent position.  There are many reasons this “job-hopping” might be of value. First of all, by experiencing different districts, the transfers of knowledge opportunities are tremendous.  Our professors talked about this transfer theory in one of our classes.  Using the experiences and information gained in one district can help in another, even if the conditions are not quite the same.  By building a deep toolbox, these experiences can be helpful later.  Secondly, by working in different districts, the networking and relationships built can be helpful.  The more people who know your work ethic and knowledge, the better chance you have of your name being brought up as a possible candidate for the next position. I need to experience a different culture, different issues, and grow as an educator. 

Week 4 EDLD 5399 Reflections on Reflective Leadership

Reflections On Reflective Leadership –EDLD 5399

Describe why reflection is an important skill in leadership.

I believe reflection is an important skill because it allows the participant to implement best practices in three areas.  I will refer to these as the 3C’s:  celebrating the areas that are going well, correcting those areas that could use some adjustments, and challenging an extension for higher learning opportunities.  All of these opportunities align with our textbook statement “experience alone does not guarantee best practice.”( School Leader Internship, second edition, Martin, Wright, Danzig, Flanary, Brown, p. 106).  Most of us in this class are at a point in our careers where we have had many experiences.  As educational leaders, the activities that set us apart are determining what we have learned from those experiences, the way we have responded to them, and the actions we will take in future activities that are similar to this experience.  I strongly believe that taking time to celebrate the areas that are going well is critical in a our business that is fast paced, open to constant criticism, and limited on short-term gains in terms of viewing student growth.  We must take time to celebrate our experiences and feel good about what we are doing.  Similarly, making adjustments is also critical to constant improvement.  Rarely are any two experiences are the same in education.  Adjusting responses based on the new information coupled with prior experiences can be of great value in correcting those areas that require attention.  Lastly, reflection allows opportunities to seek future challenges.  This can include not only involvement in the same experience with a different tactic, but also seeking an experience that is totally different to gain even greater knowledge.  Taking time to reflect and consider the 3C’s helps us all grow to be greater educational leaders.

I am currently using these reflective practices in several ways.  I use them in establishing procedures for our current administrative team.  We begin each meeting with a short celebrations activity, citing and celebrating the areas where we are experiencing successes.  Each time we have a major activity or initiative, we reflect using a +/-/p activity to determine corrective measures we need to consider.  We conclude our meetings with looking forward to the challenges approaching.  We also complete a 360 review of our strengths and constraints.  We are using this information to help us build as a team to become stronger and more intentional in helping our staff and students with our professional growth.  I am using reflections on a personal level as I prepare for the superintendent exam.  Knowing that I continue to observe opportunity for growth in my knowledge about finances and immediate recall of the 10 domains, these will be my areas of focus as I study and prepare for the test.   I realize that taking time to reflect upon my practice becomes more and more important in a fast-paced position.  Using the reflection time to design laser focus and implement scalpel precision to proceed on the most important experiences is critical for every leader.

Provide examples of reflective practices throughout the program citing different activities. 

Course assignment activities:

Each time the assignment called for me to meet with my superintendent, I had to reflect upon my job as a SPED Coordinator and compare that to his job as a superintendent.  I walked away challenging myself to consider the politics involved, the communication requirements, and the assignment of the right people to the right position.  I found the reflection on the 35 competencies helpful as well.  Although I spent a great deal of time reflecting on what I actually learned from each activity, I realize that the reflection allowed me to focus.  I focused on celebrating all that I had accomplished in this short time, correcting the areas in which I still have limited knowledge/experience, and challenging myself to gain experience in those areas so I can be a better-prepared candidate for the next position I pursue.  

Blogs:

The assignments to participate in the blogs and wikis also helped me in several ways.  First, the assignments forced me to actually create a blog and wiki and to be comfortable using this form of technology.  Secondly, the blogs and wikis provided me with opportunities to interact with my classmates in a way that allowed me perspective into their jobs and personalities.  Taking an online class for the first time, limited personal interaction was a challenge for me since I am typically a social learner. From reading their posts, I have developed an informal reference list of the experiences of my classmates that will be of value to me in the future.  This networking provides me with connections not only of the classmates, but also of their activities, such as opening a new school, working at an agency, and various professional trainings.  Reviewing the posts has also allowed me to refresh my memory on all that I have experienced in this class.  Actually taking the time to go back to review my posts has been of great value to me in remembering what we have accomplished.  In truth, I have been almost disappointed when no one commented on my blog!  I appreciated when someone took the time to read it, add his or her comments and provide me with insight on our collective learning.  For example, after reading a post about my internship plan containing multiple references to addressing a schedule change issue on campus, I realized I needed to include more variety in my plan.  Upon reflection, using the blogs and wikis has probably been one of the best learning experiences for these classes.

Course and campus supervised logs:

I have learned from my participation in the course logs by gaining insight to the experiences of my fellow classmates.  I keep remembering the multiple conversations on the log during the finance class.  It was comforting to know that we were all struggling with the same areas and helpful in that every time someone learned something new, we all shared in the knowledge.  While I was frustrated with the experience, the logs were of great help.  I also learned from the course embedded logs in that I could read what others were submitting to determine if my trail of thinking was in line with the task and expectations.  Keeping the activity log also helped keep me focused on completing tasks vital to the internship.  Referencing the log reminded me of my accountability to the various experiences.

Assessments:

While I cannot in all honesty claim that I enjoyed the assessments, I can state that they provided a great learning opportunity for me.  The assessments forced me to focus on learning the information.  My anxieties about test taking came into consideration that helped me prepare for and execute the tests with a plan.  Knowing that I will be taking the certification test under similar conditions helps.  On one assessment, once I took the test, I was actually provided with a graded test afterwards, which showed me which answers I got correct and which ones I missed.  I would highly recommend that this becomes the norm.  Just as we expect teachers to provide relevant and timely feedback to their students, this type of information was very helpful to me in learning what I needed to improve upon.  The assessments also provide me insight into the topics that are of most importance so I can focus on them as I prepare for the Superintendent certification exam. 

Other intern reflection experiences:

Other opportunities that I have had to reflect during this class include the conferences I have had with Dr. Creel, the web-conferences with Dr. Nicks, and classmate conversations.  During my conferences with Dr. Creel, I became more aware of the importance of reflecting on the overall experiences with the class.  His questions about summarizing experiences helped me think about the macro-perspective on the preparation for a superintendent position.  The web-conferences with Dr. Nicks and Dr. Creel were more about utilizing another form of technology and application of transitional theory.  I do not recall any of our conferences truly addressing specific instructional issues, but rather a focus more on using our knowledge to discuss topics that a superintendent might encounter.  Lastly, my phone conversations and email exchanges with classmates have helped solidify the networking from this class. I feel I now have some great contacts across the state to which I can call upon for extended learning opportunities and connections.  As I mentioned earlier, these social pieces are important to my learning opportunities, so I appreciate the opportunity they provided in my reflections.

I am currently using these reflective practices in several ways.  I use them in establishing procedures for our current administrative team.  We begin each meeting with a short celebrations activity, citing and celebrating the areas where we are experiencing successes.  Each time we have a major activity or initiative, we reflect using a +/-/p activity to determine corrective measures we need to consider.  We conclude our meetings with looking forward to the challenges approaching.  We also complete a 360 review of our strengths and constraints.  We are using this information to help us build as a team to become stronger and more intentional in helping our staff and students with our professional growth.  I am using reflections on a personal level as I prepare for the superintendent exam.  Knowing that I continue to observe opportunity for growth in my knowledge about finances and immediate recall of the 10 domains, these will be my areas of focus as I study and prepare for the test.   I realize that taking time to reflect upon my practice becomes more and more important in a fast-paced position.  Using the reflection time to design laser focus and implement scalpel precision to proceed on the most important experiences is critical for every leader

Week 3 EDLD 5399- Recommendations for District/Campus Initiatives

                                  Recommendations District/Campus Improvement initiatives

As I reflect through my internship activities and my interviews with the superintendent and different administrators of the district, I feel that this has provided me with an opportunity to see how our district operates on a daily basis. I have provided information on some areas that I believe need to be addressed in our school district but I also believe our school district is providing our students with excellent opportunities to be successful.  We have decent facilities and a curriculum that is broken down every year and a team of leaders and teachers that have made it their passion to provide our students with best learning experience possible. I believe the learning taught and tested is evident in most of the campuses in our district.  With so many good things happening recently taking place in our district you could say there aren’t many areas in need of improvement.  That statement is never true, because as leaders and future superintendents we must constantly seek improvements to the district’s curriculum and management of the district’s revenues to maintain and constantly improve the performance of our school district.

I believe that our district must improve in the following areas: 

1.      Parental involvement program and activities (Urban District)   

2.      Meaningful and Purposeful professional development

3.       Questioning strategies from teachers (Rigor)

I believe that our district needs to look at these areas and set up committees to develop and make recommendations to improve the areas I have listed. If we work together as a team and we make our passion to see these areas improve; we can implement strategies that will help us in these areas.  Involving parents in the education of their children, providing our teachers with professional development that will help drive instruction and challenging our students with highly effective questions on a daily basis will certainly help improve the success of our students in our district.  It is our commitment and passion to provide our students with the Best Education in Texas.  Our students are “Learners Today and Leaders Tomorrow.”