Standard V: Managerial Leadership
A. School Resources and Budget: The school executive establishes budget processes and systems which are focused on, and result, in improved student achievement.
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School Budget ProjectAs part of our School Budget Class we were given the budget of an actual middle school in a nearby county and some background information on the school. After reviewing the school's information and annual budget, we were tasked with preparing a plan to meet the needs of the school within the budget. We made suggestions to purchase various programs, technology, and add various positions to improve the school per the goals of the school improvement plan.
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Title I Parent Involement Budgeting - W.G. Pearson
As Title I coordinator at W.G. Pearson Elementary, I was tasked with reviewing all Title I events and ensuring that they meet or comply with regulations and the budget. While preparing for the first event since I took over as Title I coordinator, it was determined that the Fall's events used up a large percentage of the Title I food budget under parent involvement. The plan for the upcoming event included a dinner that would exceed the remaining budget. As a result we had to come up with a way to pay for the dinner. We decided upon switching to the DPS nutrition caterer for a reduced cost and then splitting the invoice so that a portion was paid out of Title I and the remainder was paid from SIG funds.
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B. Conflict Management and Resolution: The school executive effectively and efficiently manages the complexity of human interaction so that the focus of the school can be on improved student achievement.
Bully Awareness
While dealing with student behavior at both W.G. Pearson and Bethesda Elementary, students were routinely reporting being bullied. In response, at Bethesda Elementary I teamed with the school counselors and we created a plan for Bullying Awareness Week. My major contribution to this task was making a video of bullying scenarios with students from the school roleplaying the acts of bullying and the correct ways to respond. At W.G. Pearson we requested Wool E. Bull from the Durham Bulls come and perform their Bully Busters assembly.
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C. Systematic Communication: The school executive designs and utilizes various forms of formal and informal communication so that the focus of the school can be on improved student achievement.
Boomerang Folders - Bethesda
At Bethesda Elementary School each student had a boomerang folder that went home with them at the end of the day. The teachers would indicate on a monthly calendar how the student performed that day in accordance with the PBIS tracking system. In addition to the daily updates the teachers would add flyers, newsletters or other important documents per administration or from their own classrooms. Examples of the flyers I created for the All Pro Dad events that went home in the Boomerang Folder are provided.
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Piloting the Use of Educators Handbook - W.G. Pearson
Teachers were using traditional paper write-ups as the method of communicating student behavior incidents to administration. We would then manually import the paper write-up in to Educators Handbook and return a signed copy of the consequences/write-up to the teacher. Several issues arose from this method such as slow response time and return of feedback to the teacher, only one administrator was notified at a time, and the use of paper goods. A pilot program was initialized allowing several teachers across the school to have teacher access to Educators Handbook. This communication method reduced paper usage and allowed for quicker responses as well as enhanced coordination between administrators. A copy of the training presentation is provided below. The pilot was successful and a plan to implement it across the school is currently being discussed.
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D. School Expectations for Student and Staff: The school executive develops and enforces expectations, structures, rules and procedures for students and staff.
Staff and Family Handbooks - Bethesda
One of the first tasks I was requested to perform at Bethesda Elementary was to participate in the review, editing, and updating of the school's Staff and Family Handbooks. Both of these handbooks detail the expectations for their various groups. While reviewing the documents I made suggestions and asked clarifying questions. The handbooks were eventually finished prior to the start of the year and provided to their target audiences. Throughout the year we would reference certain sections when dealing with non-compliance issues from staff and students.
Student DisciplineOne of my primary roles at both schools has been to handle room calls and office referrals. Each behavior incident involved an investigation or questioning of all parties involved in the incident. Students were provided due process and then a consequence or warning was given dependent on the mitigating and aggregating factors revolved around the incident. Each incident was entered in Educators Handbook. The data provided from Educators Handbook was reviewed to determine trends in incidents for the school, classrooms, and students. If a trend was noticed then an intervention or other plan was put in place to reduce the number of incidents.
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