Competency Reflections Bill Dooley EDUC 6331 Administrative Internship II Dr. Theresa Campos May 7, 2016

Competency 001: The principal knows how to shape campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. Competency 001 reminds me of the adage, “it takes a village to raise a child.” Without the collaboration and support of the entire school community, student success will be difficult to achieve. Throughout the internship, I was reminded of (through observing both my mentor and other school leaders) the importance of being living and breathing examples of the campus mission and vision to our stakeholders as a way of remaining focused on campus goals. The lack of such vision and mission established can cause staff to experience confusion and a sense of “going through the motions” without really knowing where they are headed. Teaching our students “goodness, discipline, and knowledge” is integral to every single thing we do on campus. As we grow as a community over the next few years, and I transition into roles with more responsibility, I will need to keep the importance of mission and vision a part of every single interaction.

Competency 002: The principal knows how to communicate and collaborate with all members of the school community, respond to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize resources to promote student success. I learned how lack of communication can hinder staff confidence in their leader, because the staff needs to know that your goals are the same and you are there to support them. I also learned that communication with parents is very important because they are also stakeholders and care about the success of our school. When there was an obvious problem with communication at our school among administration and faculty, our school’s President and Principal responded quickly, and created a structure / organization whose end result was improved communication across the entire campus community. Leadership sat down and listened, and responded to our concerns, and was able to put a potentially problematic situation to rest quickly, and maintain focus on our students. While many of us as educators prefer e-mail to face-to-face communication, an in-person meeting is sometimes necessary to avoid misperceptions and understandings. Knowing when to apply the appropriate communication and to whom can be critical. I need to keep in mind administration’s appropriate and timely response when addressing such issues in the future.

Competency 003: The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner. This competency is best reflected in the daily interactions that school leadership has with all community stakeholders. If the teachers feel administration is being being inconsistent or unfair, it can cause a lot of turmoil. It can also affect the campus by lowering staff morale and confidence in your ability to lead. When situations arose throughout the year, even one in our own department, I saw administrators respond with great compassion and fairness. Our administration both “talked the talk and walked the walk.” When you lose your integrity as an administrator, you lose your credibility amongst the stakeholders. I have to keep this in mind. If I look like a hypocrite, I will not have the support of those in my community. As a future administrator, I must strive to be fair and equitable in every single interaction I have with community members. I was lucky to see my mentor so flawlessly address each of the first three competencies. She had the absolute perfect response for whatever situation arose. That is likely why she has been so successful in her position as the Academic Assistant Principal.

Competency 004: The principal knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula and strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, resources, and assessment; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance. This year I learned importance of knowing the entire curriculum, even if it is not a subject we teach. As the Dean of Languages, I became very familiar with the the French and Latin programs. As part of the Academic Council, I was able to see how all programs are related to student and overall community goals. As an educational leader, I need to be current with latest practices and not just say “if it isn’t broken, don't fix it.” Through reflection, we can improve our practice as teachers and administrators. It is important to know how a school’s entire academic program works. We also need to be responsive to the needs of all learners on campus. As Dean of Languages, I collaborated with departmental colleagues, we reflected upon our curriculum, and realized we need to be more open to change when it comes to our methods related to assessment.

Competency 005: The principal knows how to advocate, nurture and sustain an instructional program and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. Throughout the internship, I learned how important it is to be an advocate school and everything we do on campus. As administrators and instructional leaders, we need to support all members of our community and create an environment that can maximize the potential of all of its members. We also need to be sure our teachers have support and access to the tools they need to do their jobs effectively. Keeping this focus in mind was important in my role as Dean of Languages. Through my internship projects, I was able to accurately address this competency. The work on the faculty evaluation project will help me to address the professional growth needs of those in my department for next school year, and has helped me to organize goals for next year (and beyond) and a means by which to achieve them.

Competency 006: The principal knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system to improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for personnel management. I learned a great deal about staff evaluation this past term, because it was one of my action research projects. It is absolutely critical that all school personnel are familiar with the system, and know how they are going to be assessed. Instructional leadership has a duty to make this clear to the faculty, and clarify any misunderstandings. Changing the way as a department head we assess those on our team will take energy and will require buy in from the faculty, but the end result of maximizing student potential and increased growth for all will be well worth the effort. I will need to be an advocate for the faculty evaluation program amongst the other department heads, and within my own department. While many in the school might not embrace this new change, I will be certain to support it and keep focus on the fact that ultimately, it is about making us as teachers more effective so our instruction will be more impactful on student learning.

Competency 007: The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment. The idea of organizational, data-driven culture specifically identifies that a principal must know how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment. Working closely with my mentor and seeing her address this daily (and make it look so easy) in her role as Academic Assistant Principal helped me to see the importance of this competency. As a future administrator, I will have to plan for the unexpected. I will have to think quickly, keeping what is in the best interest of the students in mind. I will also have to thoughtfully plan my responses, to say and do the right thing at the right time, liked I witnessed in my mentor. An unorganized leader is an ineffective leader. No matter how great the ideas, or the likeability, an unorganized leader will let things slip through the cracks and not be able to follow through on procedures. Organization is key to a leader's (and organization’s) success. One of my internship projects involved streamlining the process in which we do things, along with delegating duties to department members, in order to ensure an effective learning environment. This will help me plan successfully for next year and beyond, and provide focus for us as a department.

Competency 008: The principal knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to campus budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management and technology use. As a new department head, I learned a great deal about the process of budgeting, prioritizing, and allocating (and maximizing) resources. It was also a part of one of my action research projects (Joplin Campus), seeing what would be needed for the new building, how much such improvements might cost, and where to prioritize. The Joplin campus project helped me to stretch the most, and consequently grow in knowledge, as I had very limited experience with this competency previously. The project also allowed me to work with both our school’s President and Chief Financial Officer and gain wisdom from their experience. This competency is much more important than thought previously. I was able to also see the importance of this competency most recently as we have needed to hire two new department members for next year. My mentor has modeled the types of questions to ask that will (hopefully) ensure we are hiring the best possible candidates, whose own mission and vision as educators are in line with those of our school community. This is my biggest area for growth as a future administrator, and hopefully I will gain even more experience and knowledge next year, as I continue helping with the Joplin Campus transition.

Competency 009: The principal knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the campus physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment. The Joplin Campus action research project taught me a great deal about building maintenance and the related issues of budgeting and safety, in order to sustain a climate that is conducive to student learning and maximizing potential. Prior to the internship, I never realized how much effort goes into maintaining a building. I was able to see how our campus administration values (and respects) its maintenance staff, and how important it is to make them feel like they are important parts of our school community. Our building and grounds are absolutely impeccable, and that is in great part to the wonderful, dedicated maintenance staff we have who go above and beyond their job expectations. True diligence is necessary in all nine competencies but especially in Competency 009 since people’s lives may be in danger. As a future leader, I need to ensure our students have a safe place conducive to student learning, and need to keep in mind the attention to detail and a sense of urgency that our campus administration places on maintaining the physical plant. I also need to model the support and concern current administration shows for its maintenance staff.