Sarah+Waldau

Principal O'Connor is facing the challenge that many other principals around the country are facing as the context of education continues to change over the years. Principals are no longer just in charge of the traditional roles of:ensuring a safe environment, managing the budget and maintaining discipline. According to the National Center for School Leadership (NCSL) there are five key aspects of effective principals: Defining and communicating a school's educational mission, coordinating curriculum, supervising and supporting teachers, monitoring student progress, and nurturing a positive learning climate (Cunningham, p.144). The conflict that O'Connor is facing at Hickory Ridge is taking a toll both physically and emotionally on the energy levels of his staff. This drain is adding to a negative culture and enhancing instability between the new and old regimes within the school, which ultimately affects student achievement and community relations.

Utilizing a new management structure such as participative decision making to improve the schools educational mission as well as redefining the schools overall vision will serve to invigorate and unify the teachers to work together to achieve the given goals. Principal O'Connor is struggling to unify his staff.

An understanding of participative decision making (PDM) is essential to implementing the strategies that will work and eliminating the behaviors that create division among faculty. This aligns with the (NCSL) aspect regrading the supervising and supporting of teachers. Schools need to embrace all stakeholders in order to respond to the growing pressures of flexibility and quality as well as increase the levels of commitment from their teachers. The impact of (PDM) on school productivity is positive as it focuses on teachers; they are the closest to the source of the problems in the classroom. Participation in (PDM) from teachers can improve an administrators decision making processes by giving access to the important information that they see first hand in the classroom. It is also believed that teachers who help to make the decisions in a school are more than likely to have an increased willingness to implement these decisions in their classrooms. There are indirect benefits such as: teacher morale, job satisfaction and a reduction of conflict among teachers (Somech, 2010 p.179).

Principal O'Connor needs to change the divide that has emerged in the school. The new teachers have less respect for him and the old regime feels that the new teachers don't have a respect for the knowledge they possess. In utilizing (PDM) he can will encourage teachers to find new opportunities and challenges. These will be found through sharing and combining the collective knowledge of the faculty. Creating a school in which teachers see their peers as mentors, team members and valuable resources will change the climate of the school. Teachers fitting in the model will bond and work harder to create innovations while those

The implementation of a systemic technology plan will be essential for Hickory Ridges' success. According to research conducted by Hsu and Sharma (2006) suggests that recruiting key persons to form a leadership team is essential. O'Connor has new and old teachers who are dedicated to the success of their students. He must create a venue for these teachers to lead groups of teachers. The formation of learning communities must be encouraged as well, these communities inherently involve stakeholders. smaller study groups can be formed to research various technology implementation programs and services available to schools. A variety of other activities are necessary in order to make sure of the success of technology integration such as: pilot-testing the use of technology tools, utilizing practice and reflective activities to create the framework for teacher development, bring in the community it is essential to build resources that can help the change process along, actively identify funding opportunities and keep abreast of standards from the state department of education.

The district can also model a program known as the National Grid for Learning (NGFL) started in the U.K. It is a Web-based enterprise that is a work in progress. It is a constantly evolving virtual teacher center. Where teachers throughout England can find first class curriculum materials. If Hickory Ridge is going to be the benchmark for technology in the district they must have a venue that allows teachers outside the school to see what is working and begin to garner support from surrounding teachers and schools through a grid of this nature. This type of instrument can be helpful to new recruits giving them a wealth of information for planning lessons and aligning assignments with the curriculum. The technology aspect sets the foundation for many possibilities to come. Providing incentives to those gifted teachers who contribute or lessons that are most widely downloaded might spur more creativity and create a venue for teacher collaboration. According to Lauren Resnick, a champion of the standards-based reform movement commented that ensuring that every child reaches the standard set, no matter how long it might take is a departure from traditional approach that holds time as the constant with the consequence of varying results. Standards-based reform holds standards constant and see the time as the variable.

Principal O'Connor must gain district support in order to further the development of technology in the school and become the model of the district for technology. Analyzing the level at which teachers currently stand with their technological abilities and essentially creating technology lead teachers who help the more novice teachers implement innovative lessons and ideas into their regular plans will help to transform Hickory Ridge into the true benchmark for technology in the district. This aligns with our plans initiative to create teacher leaders and allow for more stakeholder buy in. According to Holland (2001) the human element in school reform cannot be overemphasized. It is the key component that will ultimately determine the initiatives success of failure. Principal O'Connor must embrace the strength of his teachers and their determination to achieve student success in order for any of these reform efforts to be effective. The human capital at Hickory Ridge must come together with a strong leader and blaze the path towards a brighter, more technologically advanced, successful learning community.

Answers to questions in the book about the PBL

Principal O’Connor must create structures that provide opportunities for teacher collaboration. These opportunities can include: study groups, conferences, school visitations, and district and or instructional conferences. Principal O’Connor must also model and support teaching and learning on a daily basis. He can support the change process by recruiting and selecting the very best teachers who fit with the school culture and align with the vision and ensuring that all teachers continue to have optimal learning opportunities to improve their teaching practices. The characteristics of a job that provides and supports opportunities for development and advancement are found in that of a principal. O’Connor must provide teachers with leadership opportunities allow them to work together towards a common goal and mission. Principal O’Connor needs to create an instructional/transformational leadership approach. This approach will involve teachers in a sustained dialogue and decision making about educational matters, seek out ideas and insights, create communities of learners, collaborate with stakeholders, make teachers partners in decision making, increase commitment among all members of the learning community and focus on mission, performance and culture. Embracing this type of leadership style will allow O’Connor and his staff to “get school reform done”.
 * 1) How can you get staff members to develop their full potential and encourage their full participation in a school-improvement process?
 * 1) What are the characteristics of a job that provides and supports opportunities for development and advancement?
 * 1) If power means the capacity to mobilize resources, influence others, and “get things done,” how can different staff members be given power so they can develop the credibility needed to be respected and ultimately “get school reform done”?

The superintendent, principal, school board, parents, faculty are the sources of power. The sources of orders are the mission and vision statements, the curriculum and the traditions and elements of positive culture in the school are the sources of order. The purpose within the school should be to unite the old and new staff so that they are working together towards student improvement. Create a positive learning culture for both students and teachers as well as
 * 1) What are the sources of order, power, and purpose within the school?

Mentorship program for teachers as well as in the technology department, Kagan activities, transformational and instructional leadership practices using participative decision making and creating a system to track improvement through changes being introduces will help to facilitate complex learning, creativity, experimentation and continuous school improvement.
 * 1) What types of efforts will facilitate complex learning, creativity, experimentation, and continuous improvement of the school?

Student achievement will increase, staff members will be happy and the school will function to the highest degree autonomously.
 * 1) How will you know that you are nurturing potential and capacity?


 * How to help Jim O’Connor gain the respect of the new faculty
 * Participative decision-making and transformational/instructional leadership. The new members of his faculty do not respect his style of appreciate the history of the school. They must find common ground and put the students’ achievement as their first priority. Working together to garner state holder support and allowing the teachers to help shape the future of their community will go a long way to bridging the broken realm in which they are operating.
 * Developing collegiality, honest and open communication, and support among all the faculty
 * O’Connor and his staff must embrace the Kagan way, participative decision-making and work together in small groups to make the big difference in student achievement and overall culture of the school.
 * Creating a structure and a sense of direction for the development of school improvement and reform
 * Redefing the mission of the school. Honing the goals and focus of the instructional program will help to shape the school improvement process.
 * Providing tangible support and empowerment for all members of the staff
 * Release time, mentorship relationships, professional development, PLC planning times and study groups as well as allowing teachers to have the freedom to take chances, experiment and create the best possible atmosphere for student growth will all be tangible support and empowerment for all members of the staff.
 * Encouraging them to reach out to the extensive research and knowledge pertinent to the desired reforms and to look into promising innovative programs.
 * Creating PLC’s and allowing a framework of participative decision making will give faculty a buy in and owernship in new initiatives. This will generate ideas for new innovative programs to help reach these new goals.
 * Protecting what is important and good about Hickory High while reforming it to better meet the needs of twenty-first-century students.
 * Outlining what is working and what is not. Allowing the staff to embrace the traditions and programs they love and revamping the ones in need of improvement. The community must come together and focus on the goals set forward by not only the superintendent and the district but the ones they have set for themselves in order to make this school meet the needs of the 21st century students it educates.

Reference: http://eaq.sagepub.com/content/46/2/174.refs Holland, Patricia E. Professional Development in Technology: //Catalyst for School Reform.(2001) p.245-267.//

Peters, Laurence. Joining Forces: A Third Millennial Challenge: Harness the Power of Educational Technology to Advance the Standards Movement. 2000. p. 94-102.

Cunningham, William G.Cordeiro, Paula A. Educational Leadership: //A Bridge to Improved Practice//.Boston, MA. Pearson, 2009.

Somech, Anit. Educational Administration Quarterly. Participative Decision Making in Schools: //A Mediating-Moderating Analytical Framework for Understanding School and Teacher Outcomes.// April, 2010.p.174-209.

Hsu, P.-S.,&Sharma, P. (2006) //A Systemic Plan of Technology Integration. Educational Technology & Society//, 9 (4), 173-184