STANDARD FOUR:
Human Resource Leadership
A. Professional Development/ Learning Communities: The school executive ensures that the school is a professional learning community.
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Crucial ConversationsOne of our course requirements was ELP 552 Professional Learning Communities. This class was my first true exposure to the purpose and the goal of a PLC. I had not in my career participated in a true and healthy PLC and honestly knew very little of the processes and procedures. I learned so much from this class and was eager to have a chance to lead one. One critical component of a healthy PLC is real and honest communication, especially when things don't go well and a disagreement ensues. Prior to this class, one of our specialized training opportunities was Critical Conversations, a necessary skill for communicating in a potential conflict. We learned the path to resolution by learning the steps needed in order to get to the same understanding with someone who you are in disagreement with. One of our assignments for this class was to share a crucial conversation we had with another professional. This artifact is my written reflection of such a conversation. This was my first crucial conversation, and it did not go well. I allowed my stories to prevent me from listening, which in turn prevented me from discovering the truth. A leader must seek to understand others by modeling active listening and asking clarifying questions, especially in a PLC format.
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The Importance of Designing a Quality Agenda for PLC Meetings
One of my biggest lessons this year from my experience in my residency has been the example of healthy PLCs. My principal is a master instructional leader. She is an expert at creating and using PLCs for their purpose of developing strong teachers through the PLC format. This year, the teachers decided to break up the single PLC and have two PLCs every week. One will be designated for Administration lead, the other is for grade-level planning. The Administration Day is when my principal reviews data, has MTSS discussions and shares relevant information for that grade level. One habit I will take with me is her running PLC agenda. Each Friday, she completes the agenda and shares it with the staff. Usually, the PLCs are similar between grade levels, but not always. This one document also includes all of the resources that teachers need as they make decisions about their students. Instead of having individual agendas, this running agenda allows transparency between the grade levels so all teachers are informed about the other grade levels. I believe this is one of the reasons the teachers at RES have good relationships, they trust one another professionally.
B. Recruiting, hiring, placing and mentoring of Staff: The school executive establishes processes and systems in order to ensure a high- quality, high performing staff.
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An HR PlanELP 533 Organizational Management-Human Resource Management was a course designed to teach aspiring leaders what human capital is needed to run a successful school. One focus of the class was recruiting, hiring and mentoring of staff. I had not ever considered recruiting as part of a school leader’s job, but I learned that strategic recruiting can lead to quality teachers who are prepared for the changing landscape of education. I knew that part of a principal's job is to hire, but my experiences were somewhat limited in the intentionality a principal should have as they select teachers for their school. An experienced school leader will tell you that picking the right people is the key to school improvement. My principal speaks of a "gut instinct". She uses her own set of questions in an interview, and she can determine if that person is going to be a good "fit". This artifact represents my learning of the hiring process. I plan to use it as a guide when I am in the position of hiring personnel.
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C. Teacher and Staff Evaluation: The school executive evaluates teachers and other staff in a fair and equitable manner with the focus on improving performance and, thus student achievement.
System of Evaluation AccountabilityThe NC Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) created by the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is a system used for the evaluation of every NC public school teacher and professional. Administrators at every school site are required to conduct several formal evaluations on each teacher every year. In my Principal Residency, I had the experience of providing these formal evaluations. In order to keep up with all the pieces of the evaluation, I created a spreadsheet that included each step, and a space to write down the dates as they were completed. This helped me stay organized and on top of all the evaluations. I have learned that this evaluation process is easy to lose track of. This system of tracking my evaluations worked really well and is something I am going to continue as I become a school leader.
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A Fair ConferenceAs a way to ensure that a teacher is being evaluated in a fair and equitable way, a conversation about the observation and the evaluation must occur. As a Principal Resident, I was unfamiliar with the best practice for these discussions. In a mock evaluation discussion, I followed the tool and went line by line discussing the reason for the evaluation. Halfway through that conference, I decided that there had to be a better way to go about having a discussion with the teacher. I was feeling like I was having a conference at the teacher. So, I created a tool that I felt matched the measures on the evaluation tool, but also encouraged an instructional discussion. It has been suggested to begin an evaluation conference with the question, "How do you think that went?". I disagree with that opening. I feel, that one question sets up the teacher for a "wrong" answer. As a leader, I buy into the premise that the evaluation is a way to improve a teacher's instructional capacity. The tool that I created instead allows me to say, "Here is what I observed", both positive and allows for questions that permit the teacher to elaborate on the information I am missing. I do not want a teacher to leave my office feeling awful about their career choice. Instead, I would rather have someone who is struggling to leave my office believing that I believe in their potential to improve and a plan of action.
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