superintendents statewide mentoring meeting thursday, january 15, 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Superintendents Statewide Mentoring Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Outcomes: Grow your professional network;
Reflect on efforts to engage the board in ongoing conversation about progress toward agreed upon goals;
Explore effective collective bargaining processes;
Consider your role in leveraging a system of teacher leadership;
Gain guidance on challenging legal issues;
Collaborate around relevant pertinent issues;
Identify strategies to manage time and be more mindful as a way to achieve a better leadership-life fit.
Links Resources:
http://www.sai-iowa.org/jan-superintendent-statewide-meeting.cfm
Evaluation:
http://bit.ly/SuptJan2015
Mentoring Matters:http://www.sai-iowa.org/2014-15-resources.cfm
September Revisited…
How have you communicated progress toward your goals and the board’s priorities with appropriate stakeholders?
How have you gathered informal feedback from your board regarding your performance?
How do you know you and the board still share the same set of expectations for the focus of your leadership?
Round Table RotationsCollective Bargaining
Welcome to the Activators of our Learning!
Pam Ewell, Van Buren
Shane Ehresman, Lynnville-Sully
John Robbins, Iowa Falls and Alden
Leveraging a System of Teacher Leadership: The
Role of the Superintendent
Two “Leveragers”
Gary Zittergruen, Benton
Pam Vogel, East Union
Benton Community Teacher Leadership
#BCTLT in ActionSAI Superintendent Mentoring
January 15, 2015
Launching Teacher Leadership Mississippi Bend AEA 6/2014
BC Action Plan 7/2014
Model Teacher Training 8/2014
BC CL/DT Cycle 7/2014
#BCTLT Role Definition 8/2014
Instructional Coach Training 7/2014
4 Critical Questions of our CL/DT
CFA at GWAEA 9/2014
Ryan & Lora visit 8/2014
Small group instruction and Impacting Students
11/2014 PD Sessions
First 60 days survey
Teacher Comments...With all of the new implementations this school year, the instructional coaches have been very helpful on getting these going for everyone, including myself. Another aspect that has been helpful for me is strategies for whole-group and small-group instruction.
I have timely feedback about my teaching as well as time to reflect on how I feel things are going. I have gone through a coaching cycle and found the types of questions asked to be really beneficial in getting me to reflect deeply on not only the things I feel need improved, but also the things which are going well.
Having another set of eyes to see my classes when I'm struggling or maybe not seeing the same perspective as someone else. Having someone else to speak with about departmental work.
They have provided great feedback on what I am doing, given tips on what's working well in other classroom in times of inquiry, and given helpful instruction on SBG.
IC has been really helpful in my reflection process, to see where I need to go next with my planning or strategizing. All of them have been helpful in problem solving. I have had several occasions in which I knew what I needed but no time to track it down. The IC's have been great resources and have narrowed my search to usable options that I can try, which saves me time. They've also been helpful with some behavior management pieces that have come up on occasion.
Secondary perspectives on my pedagogical choices.
It has allowed me to look at my teaching and go a little deeper in my instruction. This has then impacted my work with students. When working with an IC, she collaborates with us and listens to our ideas and makes suggestions from those conversations.I love getting immediate feedback and feel as though we truly are partners.
Iowa Departmentof Education story
SAI Mentor Meeting January 15, 2015
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“The problem [is that] there is almost no opportunity for teachers to engage in continuous and sustained learning about their practice in the settings in which they actually work, observing and being observed by their colleagues in their own classrooms and classrooms of other teachers in other schools confronting similar problems of practice.
This disconnect between the requirements of learning to teach well and the structure of teachers’ work life is fatal to any sustained process of instructional improvement.”
Elmore, R. Elmore, R. F. (2004). Bridging the gap between standards and achievement. In School reform from the inside out: Policy, practice, and performance.
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My Learning
Talked with other school leaders to learn models they were considering
Visited a school using the TAP Model Communicated with a school administrator
using the Instructional Coaching Model
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Requested that our two principals take several teachers team to:
• Visit each of these schools
• Meet and talk with the administrators and lead teachers
• See parts of the program in action
Involving Others
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Met as a group and heard their ideas and opinions
Noted the comparisons, so that we had this information going forward in our planning
Important to understand what were the positives about the two different models and what might be potential areas of concern.
We then…
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.
We wanted to help all teachers understand the purpose of the legislation, so they were made aware, when it passed in the spring of 2013.
Communication took place during an allotted time in our professional development sessions
Communication to Teachers
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As superintendent, I facilitated our monthly District Leadership Team meetings.
We regularly discussed the TLC program, so the Lead Team was informed and helped share factual information with others.
Communication to Teachers
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Teacher evaluation and professional development would help teachers develop a clearly defined repertoire of instructional skills. The school’s improvement planning process and professional development would provide teachers with new instructional strategies that have been proven to produce learning gains for students. Teacher leaders would have a career pathway that enables them to be leaders among their colleagues and contribute to their profession in new ways.
Our Goals:
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I met with the principals to determine who would be involved in the planning phase. We established dates to meet and sent letters to these members to explain the purpose and request their involvement I facilitated the TLC Committee meetings, using a “Decision Analysis” protocol to get everyone’s input. All were heard and the process was transparent.
Planning with Stakeholders
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During a part of a PD afternoon, I met with all the teachers and explained the process that the Committee used to determine which model we planned to implement.
We would be applying in Year 1.
Next…
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And more communication
Once we received the grant, this was explained to the staff and the public.
I wrote articles for our district website and newsletter explaining the TLC program and TAP and our expectations for change.
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I met with staff again to discuss the program we would be using and the process for selection of lead teachers. We discussed the criteria we expected for lead teachers, based upon the job descriptions we had laid out in our TLC plan.
Lead Teacher Selection Process
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The Principals and I wrote interview questions together.
I sent email communications to the staff to share the job descriptions and request that a letter of interest and a short resume be submitted if they had interest in any position(s).
.
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Met with the principals to determine the right people to include on an interview team.
Developed a scoring rubric for the interview questions. The questions were aligned to the job descriptions.
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The challenge for all of us is the time and coaching needed to assist teachers to implement programs well.
We had revised all schedules which gave us ample PLC/collaboration time for teachers- time to be utilized for instructional coaching/PD by lead teachers.
Supports
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I met with the principals regularly as we discussed how we would adjust the teachers’ schedules so that mentor teachers (not full release) could observe, coach, provide feedback.
We meet with all teacher leaders every 4-6 weeks for a brief time to see if there are any issues/concerns/ problems to be resolved. What resources do you need?
Supports
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We adopted Edivation as a repository to house observations, IPDP’s, Peer Review Plans, etc. (access for administrators and lead teachers)
Supports
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Be involved in all the collaboration/cluster meetings Ensure that teacher leaders have the support they
need Know students’ achievement data Help the lead teachers establish and utilize
meaningful data walls Expect that all teachers will be active participants in
all professional learning Expect that all teachers will learn and support the
TAP model for professional improvement
Expectations of Principals
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8 days of TAP training in 2014.
All administrators and Lead Teachers attended
We continue to discuss what additional support is needed as we proceed
Additional Resources
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The team requested additional support. We will bring in a TAP coach/trainer for several days this school year to observe the lead teachers and provide feedback to them as they lead PD and coach teachers Lead teachers and administrators plan to attend the national TAP conference in March
Future Plans
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“Building a Structure for New School Leadership”
“We transform dysfunctional relationships into functional ones, not by continuing to do what we already know what to do more intensively and with greater enthusiasm, but by learning how to do new things and, perhaps more importantly, learning how to attach positive value to the learning and the doing of new things. Therein lies the challenge of harnessing leadership to the problem of large-scale improvement.”
-Richard Elmore, 2000
Lunch & Relocate
Leadership-life Fit: Overcoming
Overworked and Overwhelmed
“There are simple, relatively easy steps you can take to pull your life from the brink. I’m confident that working harder isn’t one of them.”
Scott Eblin
Mindfulness is the alternative to overworked and overwhelmed.
Mindfulness is doing simple things that make us more aware of what’s going on around us and inside us and then being intentional about what we’re going to do – or not do – next.
Killer Apps Get you out of fight or flight by activating
your rest and digest response.
Use them anywhere at any time of the day to stress less and thrive more.
Killer Apps Move:
Stand, stretch, walk. Short stints of movement and exercise increase your capacity to think clearly. The rhythmic, repetitive motion of going for a walk or stretching for a few minutes activates your rest and digest response and pushes the reset button on your brain.
Breathe:
Take Three Deep Breaths, Mindfully. Develop a routine that include deep breathing.
Connect:
Nurture relationships.
Reflect:
In moments where you feel most stressed/overwhelmed, ask yourself, “What is going right?”
Mindfulness and Time Management
Review list
Which time management tips work best for you?
How are you practicing mindfulness?
What routine might you add to improve your leadership-life fit?
Additional Reading
You, Me, and Yik YakResponding to Cyber Threats in a World of Immediacy
Craig MenozziSuperintendent, Southeast Polk Schools
First message sent to high school parents and students regarding the Yik Yak threats:
Southeast Polk Students and Parents:
During the school day on Friday, students brought concerns to high school administration regarding inappropriate comments on a social media app, Yik Yak. High school administration contacted the app developer and requested that this app be blocked on the secondary campus with what they call a “geofence.”
On Sunday morning, high school administration was notified of a Yik Yak post referencing a possible threat of violence at school on Monday. This has been communicated with the pleasant hill police department, and they are investigating this incident. While the pleasant hill police department has rated the threat assessment as low, they have informed us they are taking appropriate measures to keep our staff and students safe and will be providing an increased PHPD presence on the secondary campus throughout this investigation.
Message sent to parents following the Pleasant Hill shootings and subsequent cancellation of school:
Dear Parents and Guardians:
This morning the city of Pleasant Hill experienced three random shooting events. Within an hour of the incidents, local and state authorities located a green Ford SUV matching the vehicle description and being operated by a male matching the clothing description of the shooter. The authorities took him into custody without further incident. He is still in custody pending further investigation.
The police have indicated that there is no link between the shooting incidents and the Yik Yak social media threat to Southeast Polk High School.
As you know, additional law enforcement personnel were already in place at schools this morning for precautionary reasons. When the call came in at 6:35am, the extra police were needed in the city for the shooting incident.
School officials met with police and determined to cancel school for the day as a safety precaution. The Yik Yak social media threat is a serious matter and is being investigated by law enforcement and school officials.
Please be vigilant in your follow-up conversations with your children. If you have any information related to this investigation, please contact the Pleasant Hill Police Department at 515-265-1444. As always, the safety and security of our students and staff are our top priority.
School will reopen tomorrow, November 18, for all students. We will have additional law enforcement present across the district. If students feel that they need additional support, staff and counselors will be available to assist them.
Message sent to parents and students at the conclusion of the investigation:
Dear Southeast Polk Parents, Students, Staff, and Community Members:
Today the Pleasant Hill Police Department consulted with the Polk County Attorney’s Office, and charges have been filed against three Southeast Polk students responsible for the threats of this past week. On the advice of the Polk County Attorney’s Office, the names of the students are not being released at this time. In the last couple of hours, the three students have been taken into custody and formally charged. One or more of the following charges were applied to each student, based on each student’s level of involvement in the threats against Southeast Polk: intimidation with a dangerous weapon, threats of terrorism, harassment in the first degree, and/or threats with an explosive device. Based on law enforcement investigation, these three are the only suspects.
We are thankful for the resolution provided by law enforcement. In the wake of this resolution, we begin to return to the customary climate of the district. We must be reminded that actions and words are our legacy. We will readjust our focus back to teaching and learning, enjoying school, and building healthy relationships. We strive for a positive and safe environment that is void of threats of violence, as well as rumors and accusations designed to hurt others.
We will continue to be vigilant. We will continue to respond reasonably to any potential threat to our schools. We will not accept threats of violence directed toward our students and staff.
We do this in an effort to provide a safe and exemplary learning environment for our students.
Craig MenozziSuperintendent of Schools
Law enforcement enforces the law.
The district enforces district policy.
Provide constant updates
• Be proactive with communication tools
• Southeast Polk’s official communication tool is Infinite Campus Messenger
• Keep your district website up to date so parents and students know to go there for the most recent information in a crisis
• Be present on social media so your updates have a large audience (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
• Use district email system to contact staff in order to avoid delays that occur when sending several messages via Campus Messenger
Be responsive and respectful• Acknowledge the gravity of the situation without adopting a tone of panic
• Answer every media inquiry• Superintendent Menozzi
responded to over 50 media inquiries
• Never say you are out of time or cannot provide information
• Respond to every parent and student
• The communication avenue doesn’t matter – social media, email, phone, etc.
• The pertinence of the questions doesn’t matter – people should know you are listening and you care
Establish a chain of command and trust
• Clarify which staff members are go-to contacts for the press (superintendent, associate superintendent, communications coordinator, principal(s), etc.)
• Make sure staff are aware of who will send out superintendent-approved communications
• Interdepartmental cooperation is essential
• Establish “command central” as a physical go-to point for developments on the situation
Exhibit transparency without violating privacy
• Remember the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Balance safety and privacy in threatening situations
• In an emergency, FERPA allows school officials to share information with appropriate parties (such as low enforcement) for the duration of the emergency
• The press released the names of the students involved, but the district did not
• When disciplinary hearings are held, the outcome is released, but the student names are not
Work with law enforcement• Partner and collaborate constantly with law enforcement to aid and intensify any investigation involving a student from your district
• But also…
• Don’t be afraid to take the initiative
• Access resources outside the local police department
• SEP asked if the DCI could be involved in the investigation
• We found that law enforcement said what they needed to say, while we said what parents and students needed to hear
Take the initiative
Positive feedback
Looking Ahead and Wrapping Up
Executive Leaders: Jan. 22-23, FFA Enrichment Center, Ankeny
Feb. 2 – Effective Hiring in a System of Teacher Leadership
Feb. 6 – Investigating Bullying
Feb. 10 – Law Conference
Feb. 13 – EQ: The Other Smart
Evaluation:
http://bit.ly/SuptJan2015