EDLD 5399 Week Five

Year One

Goal Become more curriculum-minded	TExES Domain and Competency Domain II, Competency 5	Objective Increase working knowledge of curriculum and data analysis	Course Work/Book/ Workshops CSCOPE Conference & Data Analysis Workshop	Mentor/ Professional Support Curriculum Director, Coleen Butterfield	Date of Completion 5-1-13	Evaluations Completion of workshops and implementation of skills learned
Goal Begin networking and attending superinten- dent conferences and workshops	TExES Domain and Competency Domain I, Competency 4	Objective Increase contacts and knowledge-base pertaining to superintendency	Course Work/Book/ Workshops TASA/TASB Convention and Midwinter Conference (including Aspiring Superintendent Academy)	Mentor/ Professional Support Superintendent, Mike Bodine	Date of Completion 2-1-13	Evaluations Completion of workshops and implementation of skills learned

Year Two

Goal Learn how to lead a district through strategic planning	TExES Domain and Competency Domain II, Competency 5	Objective Help develop a strategic plan for our district that will move us to an elite status within five years	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Stakeholder-Driven Strategic Planning in Education: A Practical Guide for Developing and Deploying Successful Long-Range Plans	Mentor/ Professional Support Superintendent, Mike Bodine & Assistant Superintendent, Ofeila Grass	Date of Completion 5-1-14	Evaluations Results as the years go on.  The plan put in place should improve our school district through SAT, ACT, grades,  attendance, STAAR, etc.
Goal Become a better communicator	TExES Domain and Competency Domain I, Competency 3	Objective Increase forms and styles of delivery to increase amount and effectiveness of communication	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Workshop on effective communication	Mentor/ Professional Support Superintendent, Mike Bodine & Assistant Superintendent, Ofeila Grass	Date of Completion 5-1-14	Evaluations Analysis of communication, media, and their overall effectiveness

Year Three

Goal Improve the quality of staff development for our district	TExES Domain and Competency Domain II, Competency 7	Objective Perform a needs assessment on our district’s staff development program	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Leading and Creating Staff Development Workshop	Mentor/ Professional Support Assistant Superintendent, Ofeila Grass and Curriculum Director, Coleen Butterfield	Date of Completion 5-1-15	Evaluations Increase in student engagement and test scores; increase in teacher effectiveness
Goal Become a budget guru.	TExES Domain and Competency Domain III, Competency 8	Objective Increase my knowledge on all aspects of the budget (law requirements, historical background, planning, creating, audits, etc.)	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Budget planning workshops; Possibly another school finance course	Mentor/ Professional Support Assistant Superintendent, Ron Smith	Date of Completion 5-1-15	Evaluations Informally through my ability to intelligently discuss the budget and through my own interactions with all budget processes

My three year professional development plan was written so that I can solidify my knowledge and experiences before attempting to find a superintendent job.  I do not feel that I am quite ready, but with this plan and several other experiences that I am sure to have over the next few years, I am sure that I will attain my goal.  Growing as an educator is part of your continued success.  I see these tasks as learning opportunities and I look forward to them and many more chances to grow.




Reflection on SISE:

Sitting down with our superintendent to review my evaluation was pretty easy to do because we already had to meet for my regular evaluation.  We discussed the items related to my current position and then we talked further about my abilities in regards to the superintendent competencies.  He was very supportive and encouraging with my areas of strengths and weaknesses.  We decided that I needed to work a little bit more in the areas of budget/finance, community/public relations, and curriculum.  He also stated that it would be very important for me going forward to build a working relationship with the board.  I know most of them and I have seen them from the outside looking in, but now it is time to take a few steps forward and work with them more and more.  I have seen them work as a team and as two separate teams.  I must find the common ground and learn how I can fit into that puzzle.  Things have worked out well for me in our district and our superintendent seems to think that things could continue to look bright.  Years ago I made two goals to be a principal before I turned 30 and a superintendent before I turned 40.  I was given my first opportunity to lead a campus a few months before I turned 30.  Now I have about four year to increase my knowledge and skills before I reach and attain that next goal.

EDLD 5399 Week Four

            Reflection is critical to the success of any leader.  In education it is especially critical because we have new and different experiences everyday.  It may be a similar situation, but it is always something new.  Our decisions are shaped by our prior knowledge.  If we reflect on those prior experiences we are better equipped to make a better decision the next time a similar situation arises.  Reflection should be done shortly after your experience and it should be done consistently.  Reflection is an important skill in leadership because it allows you to reevaluate earlier situations to improve upon them.  Without reflection an individual is more likely to make the same mistake more than once.

            In reflection of our superintendent program I think the professors intentionally made reflection a major focus because they have witnessed first-hand how powerful it can be.  We were very lucky to have such a fantastic group of professors and their supporting cast.  I enjoyed all of our classes and professors, but I particularly enjoyed Dr. Creel and Dr. Nicks.  They helped us know that we were in this together and were very supportive and encouraging with their comments.  They also kept conversations educational, fun, and relevant.  In looking back over the whole program there are some areas of reflection that stick out.

Course Assignments

·       Many of the course assignments focused on experiences or activities to prepare us for the superintendency.  Through these experiences we were able to have a small taste of some of the day-to-day operations of a superintendent.  I think these experiences were vital to see the time it takes and the wealth of knowledge you must possess to be in this role. 

·       Another reflection I have looking back over my experiences with course assignments was how much work we did.  The last year has flown by.  I wish I had a better handle on time management when it comes to course work.  I tend to put this on the back burner quite often and the log activities began to pile up.  I wish I could go back and get it all done by Christmas Break like I originally planned.

Blogs

·       The technology incorporated into this program was really good.  From the blogs, to the wikis, to the web conferences, to TK20, it all flowed together very well.  I have always wanted to write a blog and now I can saw that I have.  I think this is something I may continue for our school going forward.  Communication is vital and this could be one more form of communication.

·       I really enjoyed looking at other students’ blogs.  Reading the viewpoints of others and having open discussions really gives you a sense of collaboration and class discussion even though we were hundreds of miles apart.

Wiki

·       This too was something that I wish I had done a better job keeping up with.  I had it laid out pretty well and had good intentions to fill it up and keep accurate track of each course, but as with other assignments and pushed it to the side as time got scarce. 

·       Wikis are good for electronic collaboration and we had one major assignment where we put that to the test and things went very well for our group.  Our teachers could use Wikis with other campuses for vertical alignment or it could be used with other districts across the state for collaboration. 

Course and Campus Supervised Logs

·       I learned a great deal from our logs.  This is where we got the majority of our experiences.  We were given multiple opportunities to experience a little bit of what it is like to sit behind the big desk. 

·       Looking back at the logs, I enjoyed the campus-supervised experiences more than the course-embedded activities.  Many of the activities were done for the benefit of our school or our district, which was beneficial for both our learning and the application. 

Assessments

·       I particularly enjoyed our first practice exam.  It gave me a look at some test-like questions and it allowed me to see that the test was not as hard as I thought it might be.

·       I also enjoyed the pre-course/post-course assessments.  It was an easy way to see what knowledge you started with and how much you learned through the course.  With the activities and lectures, it was hard not to add more knowledge to my limited foundation.

Interviews

·       The interviews were by far my favorite aspect of this program.  Not only were you working on an assignment, but you also could pick the brains of some very knowledgeable educators.  I enjoyed the time spent with my superintendent the most, followed by the web conferences with Dr. Creel.  Both gave me some great advice and insight into the superintendent world.

·       I think there were some interviews where I should have been better prepared or should have asked the follow-up question that I held back from asking. 

            I plan to use personal and professional reflections to improve my leadership skills.  I also plan on improving my reflection skills.  I think the reflections I have been doing lately were mostly forced upon me by this course, but moving forward I need to be more consistent and immediate with my personal and professional reflections.  Mastering this skill will be a needed focus of attention before growing to the point of being ready to become a superintendent.  Not only that, but it can only help me be a better principal.  

EDLD 5399 Week Three

            I had the good fortune of being the chairperson for our campus site base committee and the district site base committee.  Both committees were charged with the task of writing and approving the appropriate improvement plan.  Many hours went into both documents and it was a joint effort to write both.  We looked at our available data and made some assessments.  We knew of some new things we were already putting in place this school year to take care of these problems, but we also knew we had to come up with other ideas to address our concerns.  Our committee members helped very minimally with the plan.  I wrote the majority of the campus plan and our Special Programs Director wrote the majority of the district’s plan.  In a perfect world everyone would contribute equally to the discussions and everyone would actively participate in writing the document, but the reality is that it is much easier and more efficient for one person to do the bulk of the legwork.

            I have a few concerns with the way we take care of this process and I think there is room for improvement.  First, I think we need to have better participation and selection of our committee members.  I know of some administrators who tell the parent rep. that they do not have to come to the meetings and they just have to sign the paper.  We also have some parents who serve on committees from elementary on up to high school.  While I appreciate their efforts, we should try to hear other viewpoints too.  Our business representatives are usually parents too.  I think it would be a good idea to get an “outsider’s” perspective on things from time to time.   Another concern I have is with the effectiveness of the plan.  We do not really do anything to gauge the success of our efforts.  Did we implement the right program(s)?  Did we see success with our Math program?  Did the attendance incentives make a difference with our attendance rate?  The final, and greatest, concern I have is with the improvement plans themselves.  They sit on a shelf all year and rarely does anyone take the time to review it or address any new needs that come up.  We need to utilize these plans and readjust as the year goes on. 

            There are some things we are doing well and should continue.  This year we were able to work our schedule to where all core teachers have a common planning period.  This has proven to be invaluable.  Our teachers are sharing with each other, they are discussing data, they plan together, etc.  Our teachers went from doing their own thing to working in a collaborative setting.  Their professional learning communities have been a HUGE success.  Another success we have seen from our improvement plans has been the overall improvement of classroom instruction.  We have begun utilizing CSCOPE.  Our teachers have embraced the change after some slight reluctantcy.  Teachers have seen how a slight change in the way you teach something or the order you teach it in can make a difference to the learning in your classroom.  Students also were a little shell-shocked at first because we have definitely increased the depth and rigor of our instruction.  Our expectations had to rise if we wanted our kiddos to be successful on the STAAR.  Finally, I think another thing that should stick around in our plans is our positive behavior support.  Focusing on the positive behaviors that students exhibit instead of the negative ones has really made a difference on our campus.  We are very intentional with our expectations and our students usually behave to the high standards we set.  

            The experiences of the improvement initiatives proved to be very positive, but there is room for improvement.  I plan to change things by taking the binder out this week and reviewing it with our staff.  The CIP (Campus Improvement Plan) needs to become what it is intended to be - a Continuous Improvement Plan.  Without measurable goals and continuous re-evaluations, the improvement plans are just well intended documents.  They should be something more than a bookend.  The experiences here will be long lasting with me.  

EDLD 5399 Week Two

COMPETENCY REVIEW

There were so many experiences and so much overlapping of activities into the different competencies, it made it quite difficult to summarize. I feel that some of the activities fall into several competencies and so I chose to address them in each. The Intern Plan really was instrumental into the success of me completing this program. Sometimes you think you know what you want, only to find out once you start doing it that it wasn't what you were expecting. I am extremely glad that this program included such a plan to provide some useful experiences; maybe a few less hours though :). This reflection was the most overwhelming because you really have to take a step back and see what all has been accomplished. What a ride! Let's keep it rolling!

JOB ENTRY PLAN REVIEW

I really enjoyed this part of the assignment because it was so simple, yet it is not something I have thought about. When I moved into my role as building principal I did not develop such a plan and now I can see how necessary that is and how I wish I could do it over again. If and when I move into a central office position, or hopefully into the big office, I will definitely utilize this tool to plan effectively.

5399 Week One

Self-Assessment Reflection:

After reviewing my self-assessment from the beginning of this process I was surprised to see that most of my answers were the same. The consistency of the answers was nice, but I was expecting to see more strengths with the competencies because I know I have gained knowledge through these courses. I think I may have started this process thinking I knew slightly more than I did or maybe I am little more critical now with the knowledge attained through this program. There is also a good chance that it could be a little of both. All of the “I”s in my first assessment are now “C”s and some of my original “C”s are now “S”s. Overall I saw a moderate amount of improvement between the two assessments.

I rated myself Competent in most of the Competencies. There were a few areas where I rated myself with a “S”. I scored the highest in Competency One. Through my educational experiences and this program I feel very comfortable with most roles and responsibilities of a superintendent.

Section A of Comprehensive Final Report: Career Position and Leadership Goals Statement

Position Goal:

My ultimate goal is to become a superintendent. However, in my current position and district I do not feel like I am ready for that leap. I do not feel like it would be appropriate to make a jump from principal to superintendent in a district larger than 2A. I would feel very comfortable (and very interested) if our assistant superintendent position were to become available. In our district we also have a few other central office administrative positions. I do not think I would enjoy any of the other positions, so my focus will remain on the assistant superintendent position. It is critical to understand all aspects and roles of the superintendent. The more experience and exposure you can get, the more prepared you will be for the “big desk”.

I do not have any desire to leave our district. If I ever get to the point where I want to move districts, I still find it vital to move through the ranks in the other district. I do not think it is wise to move into such an important role without knowing how things are done in a district. That is not to say that it cannot be done because superintendents are hired every year that are new to that district and most are successful. For me, and my preferences, I would want to be there awhile before moving into that role.

Leadership Goal:

Being an educational leader is more than just having the power to make critical decisions. It is the ability to make the biggest difference in the lives of your students. Whenever you are a teacher, you learn that you greatly affect the lives of those that you interact with. As you move up the educational career ladder, you have the ability and duty to directly affect thousands of students. I hope to continue affecting the lives of today’s youth as the years go on, but I think I can affect even more students as the superintendent. Through my internship I have gained a vast amount of experiences and knowledge that will help me lead a district and impact student learning.

WEEK FIVE ASSIGNMENT

Part I Reflection: School leaders must be held accountable for their actions and decisions. Within the Education Code we are given several standards to follow. Unfortunately there have been many leaders who chose not to follow the standards.
The standards for professional ethical conduct, practices, and performances are:
(A) Standard 1.1. The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly engage in deceptive practices regarding official policies of the school district, educational institution, educator preparation program, the Texas Education Agency, or the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and its certification process.
(B) Standard 1.2. The educator shall not knowingly misappropriate, divert, or use monies, personnel, property, or equipment committed to his or her charge for personal gain or advantage. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: In a neighboring district, there was a district-level secretary with access to a district credit card and she bought several things for her personal home.)
(C) Standard 1.3. The educator shall not submit fraudulent requests for reimbursement, expenses, or pay.
(D) Standard 1.4. The educator shall not use institutional or professional privileges for personal or partisan advantage.
(E) Standard 1.5. The educator shall neither accept nor offer gratuities, gifts, or favors that impair professional judgment or to obtain special advantage. This standard shall not restrict the acceptance of gifts or tokens offered and accepted openly from students, parents of students, or other persons or organizations in recognition or appreciation of service.
(F) Standard 1.6. The educator shall not falsify records, or direct or coerce others to do so. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: In a neighboring district, district officials were caught falsifying answer documents on the TAKS test. Their district finances were also in shambles. Things were so bad T.E.A. dissolved the district.
(G) Standard 1.7. The educator shall comply with state regulations, written local school board policies, and other state and federal laws.
(H) Standard 1.8. The educator shall apply for, accept, offer, or assign a position or a responsibility on the basis of professional qualifications.
(I) Standard 1.9. The educator shall not make threats of violence against school district employees, school board members, students, or parents of students.
(J) Standard 1.10. The educator shall be of good moral character and be worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: I think we can all think of way too many examples of teachers having inappropriate relations with students.)
(K) Standard 1.11. The educator shall not intentionally or knowingly misrepresent his or her employment history, criminal history, and/or disciplinary record when applying for subsequent employment.
(L) Standard 1.12. The educator shall refrain from the illegal use or distribution of controlled substances and/or abuse of prescription drugs and toxic inhalants.(REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: In a neighboring district, I know of several specific examples where TEACHERS would come to school high, drunk, or hung-over from the night before. Some of these teachers continued to be employed eventhough district officials knew that they were coming to school under the influence. Some of the teachers would claim that it was an addiction and that they needed help. Then the district would become financially liable to try to help that individual with counseling, AA, etc.)
(M) Standard 1.13. The educator shall not consume alcoholic beverages on school property or during school activities when students are present.
The standards for ethical conduct towards professional colleagues are:
(A) Standard 2.1. The educator shall not reveal confidential health or personnel information concerning colleagues unless disclosure serves lawful professional purposes or is required by law.
(B) Standard 2.2. The educator shall not harm others by knowingly making false statements about a colleague or the school system.
(C) Standard 2.3. The educator shall adhere to written local school board policies and state and federal laws regarding the hiring, evaluation, and dismissal of personnel. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: There are many districts that do not adhere to the nepotism laws regarding hiring. Sometimes upper level administrative positions are given to those who have relatives on the board or elsewhere in the upper administration. In other situations, some are able to keep their job because of whom they are related to when they should have been fired for their actions.)
(D) Standard 2.4. The educator shall not interfere with a colleague's exercise of political, professional, or citizenship rights and responsibilities.
(E) Standard 2.5. The educator shall not discriminate against or coerce a colleague on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability, family status, or sexual orientation. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: I can remember witnessing and hearing about several instances where teachers are mean, disrespectful, racist, etc. Teachers [and some administrators] are just as bad as the kids sometimes.)
(F) Standard 2.6. The educator shall not use coercive means or promise of special treatment in order to influence professional decisions or colleagues.
(G) Standard 2.7. The educator shall not retaliate against any individual who has filed a complaint with the SBEC or who provides information for a disciplinary investigation or proceeding under this chapter.
There have been many examples where a school leader has broken the trust of their community and their district. It is unfortunate that they feel the entitlement or that they can get away with it, but these moments tarnish our entire profession. In the situations listed above a district has the ability (and obligation) to enforce consequences for the educator’s actions. The district’s decision is based upon the circumstances, but it could end someone’s career. Some short-range consequences include: paid leave, suspension from duties, leave without pay, adjusted and reduced duties, a write-up in their file, etc. Some long-range consequences include: termination, SBEC could take their certificate away, criminal charges could be filed, etc. 
In order to prevent some of these situations from occurring, it is a great idea to be proactive. One of the biggest ways to prevent these unethical choices is to lead by example. If the superintendent is seen as a person of outstanding character and he surrounds himself or herself with an ethical leadership team, the teachers have great models of behavior. Another preventative measure is to have a checks and balance system in place for all financial aspects of the district. Any and all monies coming in and going out should have a paper trail to follow. Another preventative measure would be to follow the policies and legal framework with all employees and to ensure proper hiring practices. If the district develops policies and procedures it is equally important to apply them equally to all employees. The final example of a preventative measure that you could take would be to create a position for someone to check and make sure all policies and procedures are being done correctly (i.e., are fundraiser approval forms filled out before the employee starts collecting money, are there at least two people who count all money turned in, is there a paper trail for all money entering and leaving the district, etc.). This position could be an internal auditor that also looks at other aspects of the district and their policies.

Part II Reflection: The self-assessment turned out a little different than I was expecting. Some of my “S”s turned into “C”s. You would think that through more experience and knowledge it would be the other way around. I think I found out that I did not know as much as I thought. Once we got into some of the intricacies of school finance, I saw that I did not have a clue. Now I understand that there is more to learn and more room to grow. 

Part III Reflection: EDLD 5342 has been the most interesting course thus far. I have learned several things for the first time and gained a better understanding on several other topics. The lectures were very beneficial and I really liked gaining knowledge and experiences from successful, former superintendents. The videos were easy to understand and covered most of the topics needed for this course. I also enjoyed learning from Dr. Creel during this portion of the program. It is nice to have some one on one time with a great educational leader. I also gained a great deal of experience from our assignments, including spending some great time and wonderful conversations with our Assistant Superintendent of Business, Ron Smith. He really understands how it all works and has a great handle on funding public schools in Texas. I feel blessed to have him as a resource. One of the biggest blessings has been our small group and the other feedback gained from others in our cohort through our discussion boards. I do not think this experience would be nearly as easy without the individuals that I have been working with – what a great group!

Checking up on Your Tax Dollars

Through my interview, I learned a lot more about how we select an auditor, how they conduct the audit, and why we even do an audit.  Auditors help to make sure taxpayer’s dollars are being spent effectively and the district accounting departments are keeping good and accurate records.

In our district the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Business solicit proposals from various audit firms.  They then interview the perspective auditors so there is a clear understanding of what is expected from the audit firm, as well as from the district.  Once the Superintendent has chosen a firm, the School Board would approve of the selection before the audit process would begin. 

Most audit firms do a preliminary audit where they do some testing of receipts and disbursements.  This is usually done right before the end of the fiscal year.  Then, once the books are closed by the school district, the auditor will come back to the district and complete their work on the audit.  Our business department assists them with whatever they may need or want during that time, but for the most part they stay out of the way for the audit. 

The auditor will then consult and question the Assistant Superintendent of Business, the Superintendent, and a few Board Members.  The auditor will make sure the board is receiving the correct financial information.  They will also visit with the Superintendent about the day-to-day operations of the business department.  Finally they will also question the Assistant Superintendent of Business regarding internal controls, business office personnel, etc.  If the auditor has any minor suggestions, they will let the Superintendent know in the form of a Management Letter.  If the auditor notices any major problems in the district’s finances, they will consult with the Superintendent directly and he will take appropriate actions.

Once the audit is completed, the auditor will relay his findings to the Assistant Superintendent of Business and the annual audit will be prepared and submitted to the school board for approval.  Our school board typically does not ask too many questions about the audit report.  They are very pleased with the management of district funds.  Our superior FIRST ratings each year seem to keep them pretty happy too.