Module 6 - Decisions... Decisions...

School leaders are regularly faced with critical decisions.  Principals are often challenged to respond with action to improve student achievement, follow directives from the central office,  support faculty and staff, advocate for students and comply with state law and/or department of education mandates.  Give an example of a similar decision making situation with which you are familiar and discuss how it was addressed within your school. Please refer to a decision making model from our studies and evaluate its effectiveness for situation referenced.  

Module 3 - Change

Describe Lewin's Theory of FFA and explain how it might be helpful for a school leader's successful implementation of a new initiative.  

Decisions, Decisions....

School leaders are regularly faced with critical decisions.  Principals are often challenged to respond with action to improve student achievement, follow directives from the central office,  support faculty and staff, advocate for students and comply with state law and/or department of education mandates.  Give an example of a similar decision making situation with which you are familiar and discuss how it was addressed within your school.  Please refer to a decision making model from our studies and evaluate its effectiveness for situation referenced.  

To Insource or Outsource? That is the question.   

It seems that one cannot pick-up a newspaper, watch the TV news or even go the coffee shop without being exposed to the issue of privatization and/or subcontracting for jobs that have been historically part of the public sector.  Since our course deals with site-based business and operational functions within schools, please answer the following question from that vantage point.  How should decisions be reached regarding use of contracted versus system-supplied operations/maintenance services?

1     Something that many school districts have in common these days are budget challenges.  Successful school officials are immersed in budgetary issues and have a keen understanding of the districts financial position, but what about the general public?  Obtain a copy of a monthly financial report from a board of education meeting.  From it, develop an interpretation of what could be understood by a reasonably perceptive layperson.  Please share what that interpretation might be.  

1    Something that many school districts have in common these days is budget challenges.  Successful school officials are immersed in budgetary issues and have a keen understanding of the districts financial position, but what about the general public?  Obtain a copy of a monthly financial report of a board of education.  From it, develop an interpretation of that could be understood by a reasonably perceptive layperson.  Please share what that interpretation might be.  

1.       It’s no secret that schools are facing great budgetary challenges.  As a result, school leaders are faced with difficult decisions when it comes to appropriating funds.  Today’s principals often have great influence with these decisions as per their site-based budgeting responsibilities.   From the principal’s perspective - What is the value of staff development for school site and system-based custodial personnel?  How should these programs be evaluated? 

It seems that one cannot pick-up a newspaper, watch the TV news or even go the coffee shop without being exposed to the issue of privatization and/or subcontracting for jobs that have been historically part of the public sector.  Since our course deals with site-based business and operational functions within public schools, please answer the following question from that vantage point.  How should decisions be reached regarding use of contracted versus system-supplied operations/maintenance services?

Motivation

Many educators suggest that current economic conditions and legislative initiatives within our states and nation have lead to low morale and lack of motivation for school employees.  Using Herzberg's Hygiene theory and Maslow's Needs theory, please share your views on how and why current conditions may impact teacher motivation and share strategies that a building principal might employ to build morale and increase motivation.  

Force-Field Analysis

Describe Lewin's Theory of FFA and explain how it might be helpful for a school leader's successful implementation of a new initiative.  

School Change - Response for Module 3

Researchers (Katz & Kahn 1978) suggest that schools are open systems and as such they have inputs, transformation processes, outputs and feedback loops which correlate with organizational change.  How and why might knowledge of the open systems model be useful to a school principal as it relates understanding the  the characteristics of school change?

TBAISD ReImagine Status Report

TBAISD ReImagine Status Report

Dealing with a Crisis

The first ten minutes of a crisis often determine how a community reacts to the challenge.  What are five or six steps that a school leader might take during this vital time-frame? Communication is a critical part of the aforesaid crisis response.  What characteristics and skills should be considered when choosing a spokesperson for a crisis?  What is the most important ability needed? 

External Communication

·         Very few teachers are prepared to deal with parents, especially those who assume the role of a critic.  As a building principal, what action might you take to help teachers deal effectively with parents on the telephone, at conferences and through email, social media or other communications? 

·         Following a recent Administrative Staff meeting, your superintendent shared her concerns regarding the morale of all district employees.  She cited a general tone of apathy and asked for your help in developing a plan for improving internal communications and morale.  As a school principal, what suggestions and rationale might you provide to her to improve human relations?  Be sure to address internal communications within your response.    

Big Ideas - Communication

      The play write George Bernard Shaw once quipped, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” As a school leader how could you utilize knowledge of the 5 elements of communication and the Lionberger study to enhance communication and acceptance of ideas among staff members? 

Educational Change Leadership

Educational Change Leadership

Educational Change Leadership

Educational Change Leadership

Instructional Leadership

Love him or hate him, Mike Schmoker really puts it all out there when he talks about his walk-though study and does so again with the piece about the Caryloa curriculum. Is he crazy or do his ideas about good instruction make sense? What are his ideas about teaching and learning and could they be applied at a school near you?

Motivation

What is a graduate student to make of this deep theoretical mumbo jumbo about content and process theories of motivation? Does anyone really care what they are and/or do they really matter in the day-to-day challenges of leading in school or running any large organization? I’d like hear your thoughts, so why not compare the two theories and share what you think.  Don't be scared, tell us how you really feel about motivation.