Last year, I was in the middle of taking this course when a family issue became too much of a burden and I was unable to complete it.
It was beneficial to have experienced the curriculum, and collaborate with the group I was working with to create a plan for a building that had many difficult issues to solve. Because all of us were working on the same problem, we had to work together to not just develop criteria for assessing the situation, but to also develop a cohesive solution. This required us to collaborate each week more intensely, think politically, and find ways to compromise when we disagreed with one another.
This time, I didn't necessarily feel that the assignments put us in situations where we had to practice the leadership strategies as effectively. Perhaps it was because our group chose to use a Google Doc, both as a vehicle for discussion and as the final product of our work, but we didn't have the back and forth discussion and "wordsmithing" that occurs in a "real world" situation. Unlike the picture above, it wasn't as meaty!
In my district, there are two middle schools, and I chose to focus on one that outside observers consider might consider the most successful. Because of this, it was much harder to look at the data and pick out areas in need of improvement compared to last year, where it was hard to know where to start! This I DID find to be beneficial, because whether there are too many issues to know where to start, or too few, a principal needs to be able to facilitate the development of a vision, prioritize goals and lead their implementation. The most important lesson is that this must be done collaboratively so that all stakeholders can take ownership of the problems and the subsequent solutions.
How has this course prepared you to use twenty-first century leadership skills as you model a new culture for collaborating, analyzing student performance, and continually reflecting on instructional practices, school climate, and quality decision-making?
The strength of the course has been working in collaboration in an online environment without ever meeting face to face with fellow classmates. Utilizing Google Docs, gathering information online, curating that information on social bookmarking and bibliography making sites has been valuable experience. Using the Minnesota Department of Education Website to find data on the school was extremely helpful, as were the discussions with our Director of Research and Evaluation, Dr. Chad Schmidt and building principal Shawn Dudley. It was conversation with the latter, that led to a better understanding of how Response to Intervention at Valley View has resulted in fewer referrals to Special Education, and positive impact on student achievement.
The course has further reinforced my beliefs in the "servant leadership" model, and of the need for partnership and collaboration among stakeholder groups around visioning, developing of a digital age learning culture, and school improvement.
