The primary Leadership Dispositions for this ELD560 course are LDs #7 and #8 according to the EDL560 Module Two Internship Assignment. LD7 states ‘To promote each student’s academic success and well-being, effective educational leaders: 7. engage in dialogue with other decision-makers affecting education’ and 8. ‘engage families and communities in mutually beneficial ways.’ Throughout the EDL560 coursework, competency in LD 7 and 8 was demonstrated. This is true in terms of the delegation to my Student Support Services team, my Experiential Education coordinator, and my instructional coach, the close work I do with the superintendent and my professional coach, and the outreach, communication, and engagement I have with my families.
The leadership dispositions 7 and 8 relate to engaging in dialogue with other decision-makers affecting education, and with families and communities in mutually beneficial ways. For EDL 560, I chose to set a goal of increasing parent volunteers on spring trips. This allowed me to address Transforming Professional Practice: A Framework for Effective Leadership. Appendix A (Strike et al., 2019, p. 179-182) competency 1b. Builds shared leadership (advocates for staff and students, works collaboratively with stakeholders, promotes development of teacher/administrative leaders (through their guidance of their chaperones), and builds consensus with appropriate stakeholders (aligning their skills with the needs of the trip)). An additional competency is 4d. Practices and refines resourcefulness, establishes partnerships (with parents), investigates creative funding opportunities (by needing to hire fewer paid chaperones), uses outside resources (the parents), and aligns and evaluates fiscal, human, and material resources.
This LD 7 can also be compared to the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) Standard 6: Professional Capacity of School Personnel: ‘Effective educational leaders develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student’s academic success and well-being,’ Specifically 6.g ‘Develop the capacity, opportunities, and support for teacher leadership and leadership from other members of the school community.’ Whereas LD 8 can be compared to PSEL Standard 8: Meaningful Engagement Of Families And Community: ‘Effective educational leaders engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.’ Specifically, 8.e ‘Create means for the school community to partner with families to support student learning in and out of school’, and 8.b ‘Create and sustain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with families and the community for the benefit of students’. (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015).
Throughout EDL 560, including the review of research-based strategies to increase stakeholder engagement, integrate resources into the school community, improve communication, and to explore various tools for two-way communication, along with course readings and writing assignments, I focused on many aspects of external development leadership. The goal I created for the SONIA EDL560 Principal Internship Goal Setting and Action Plan was to increase parental chaperone involvement. The SMART goal was listed as follows:
S: help teachers enlist parent chaperones for spring trips.
M: half of the trips will have parent volunteers.
A: this was frequently the case pre-COVID.
R: Lead teachers and paid staff are not enough on trips.
T: trips will be organized by the end of April.
The steps to meet this goal are enumerated here:
1. Review with staff historical and established parent chaperone procedures. DONE Chaperone selection process
2. Support the recruitment of parent volunteers and trip/role expectations for them. DONE Chaperone Expectations
3. Vet parent chaperones via fingerprint checks DONE and process driver training (time permitting) DONE for one parent on MS trip
4. Parents assist on at least half of the spring trips. DONE on 4 of 6 trips
5. Volunteers are debriefed after the trip for pros and cons. PENDING
6. Lead teachers and parents are celebrated at the end of year show and tell event. PENDING
Modifications were not needed for the SONIA Internship goal.
Through this and other assignments, I demonstrated proficiency in LDs 7 and 8. In this Goal Setting and Action Planning, I ‘engage[d] in dialogue with other decision-makers affecting education’ by talking with the individual teachers to help them prepare for their trip, consulting with the Experiential Education coordinator, and reviewing documents such as the ones listed above. Other specific assignments include EDL 560 M3 Critical Thinking Assignment, where I coordinated with the District for this Title I event, EDL 560 M5 Critical Thinking Assignment where I had to confer with the Special Education Teacher about Case Management, and EDL 560 M6 Critical Thinking SLIDES where I am delegating communication opportunities to lead teachers. In this Goal Setting and Action Planning, I ‘engage[d] families and communities in mutually beneficial ways,’ by recruiting parents to chaperone and drive on the trips; during the last few weeks, we also had a ‘Walk and Roll’ event that enlisted lots of parent support. Other specific assignments include EDL 560 M5 Critical Thinking Assignment, with its community Resource Lists, and EDL 560 M7 Discussion Post which highlights parent volunteerism and how it benefits us and them.
My understanding of these LDs has only changed slightly: I now better understand the importance of two-way communication, onboarding new staff for the same, and finding ways to share progress on goals and other celebrations. I look forward to a new office staff who can coordinate volunteers.
References
Strike, K. T., Sims, P. A., Mann, S. L., & Wilhite, R. K. (2019). Transforming Professional Practice: A Framework for Effective Leadership. Rowman & Littlefield.
National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author. https://www.npbea.org/psel/