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=Reflection for Embedded Assignment =

Until now, I hadn’t realized that the Campus Leadership Team, or CLT, on my campus was a site-based decision making committee. My district simply calls it by a different name. According to one member of the CLT, the main purpose of this committee is to communicate information between staff members and the ALT, or Area Leadership Team. On the other hand, the principal indicated that the main purpose of the CLT was to work collaboratively on improving student performance and anything that affects it. Additionally, the CLT member felt that the committee was a waste of time, because the information could be communicated in staff meetings or some other medium, such as the weekly bulletin. In comparison, the principal found the CLT as an invaluable tool to assist her in the decision-making process. What I found the most interesting was the difference in attitudes about the CLT. As such, I chose to briefly speak with another CLT member. Similarly to the first CLT member I spoke with, the other CLT member felt that the CLT meetings were a big waste of time, because the members were mostly “talked at.” Fortunately for our campus, we have a new principal that both CLT members I spoke with felt very positive about. The new principal started in December and has only led a few CLT meetings. Fortunately, it appears as though CLT member’s attitudes with regard to the CLT meetings may change for the better. Both CLT members felt that the new principal has provided all the members with the opportunity to speak. However, as one member stated, “Most importantly, she appears to be listening to all of us.” Based on what I learned after the interviews I conducted, as a principal I would make sure that every first yearly CLT meeting would address the responsibilities of the committee along with its purpose and vision. As a current and previous member of my campus CLT, I can confirm that this has not been done during the previous two administrations that I’ve been under. Additionally, the most important issue I’d address would be the climate of the CLT. I’d work on making all the members feel like part of a team, rather than messengers; which is the general feeling of the CLT members on my campus at this time.

A major assignment in this course was creating an action plan a a professional development session to address areas of need as shown by the data reports. Analyzing the reports was an eye opener. I'm accustomed to analyzing data for my class only, but not for the campus as a whole. Although this assignment was completed primarily independently, I did present my proposed action plan and professional development session to my principal. She was not surprised, nor was I to find that math was our weakest area. However, she found the action plan, professional development session, and goals I set as something she wanted to pursue. I wondered though, why a professional development session had not been done before. Was it a lack of time for planning that prevented this session?

As mentioned earlier, my action plan addressed math as the area of need at my campus. The goal was “Fenwick Elementary will earn an exemplary rating by the year 2013,” and the objective was “By 2011, 90% of third graders and 80% of fourth and fifth graders will meet or surpass the state standard on TAKS Math.” Assuming the AEIS report shows improvement, how would I keep the momentum going? As the leader, I’d start by sharing with the staff and stakeholders the data comparisons of the progress toward our goal. This is a great opportunity to share with them how their efforts are paying off. It also helps avoid the “stuckness” that was discussed in one of our lectures. In effort to keep us moving in the right direction, I’d ensure we reviewed our goal and objective again. Additionally, I'd provide an open forum for staff to share their thoughts, comments, and needs to continue improving. I’d share my observations from walkthroughs, as well. I’d ensure that a scribe was assigned to take down notes so that the necessary items could be addressed in a CLT meeting. I’d instruct the staff to share any comments or thoughts that come up after the staff meeting with their CLT grade level representative. I’d ask them to think about what worked well for them and to jot down their needs toward achieving the common goal. I’d sort through all of the data received. I’d select areas that need further discussion in a CLT meeting and place it on the agenda for the next meeting. I’d include discussions for budget support of our goal, including summer learning to ensure momentum is not lost. I’d keep communication of our goal at the forefront of every campus meeting, including professional development. Additionally, I’d keep an open mind, so that I can lead my school in achieving an exemplary rating.