Case Study #2

ISLLC #2 A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

Promoting Success in the Learning Community

Questions:

How does an administrator promote the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture?

How does the administrator maintain an instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth?

There are many traits that a good leader must possess, first and foremost a thorough understanding of student learning and the ability to promote good educational techniques within the school culture. Dogwood Road Elementary has a top rated literacy program and many spectators come to view the techniques modeled at this school. At the beginning of the year the principal communicates her expectations of each of the programs and she trusts the teachers to use their professional judgments to make changes as needed for improvement. She expects that all decisions be based on the results of data impartially collected from students. All teachers are expected to look at the test data to determine the areas of weakness in reading by using STAR Diagnostic in Reading, The Basic Literacy Test, the results of the CRCT from the previous year and Running Records. The results obtained by these tests will be used to determine the student’s instructional level. Everything used at Dogwood Road Elementary School must be research based and reasons for decisions made must be documented. It is expected that all students be taught on their grade level for at least one hour for guided reading and word study. Thirty minutes of the instructional day is devoted to using grade-level text while one-hour is spent on process writing. Fifteen minutes each day must be devoted to silent sustained reading or teacher read-aloud. The principal contacted a reading specialist to help design and implement the Literacy Program for the school. This person also provided training to insure that all staff members were equipped with the appropriate knowledge needed to promote student learning. Every nine weeks we are required to assess the student’s progress using the aforementioned criteria. Parent conferences are held quarterly so that they can be informed of their student’s progress based on the objective results of the required tests. We are also required to meet with the principal quarterly to share with her the names of the students who are not reading on grade-level and who are deemed “at-risk”. Following these conferences, she allocates money, hires personnel, arranges transportation for students, and completes necessary paperwork to establish an After-School Literacy Program for these students. She has purchased a license for computer programs to help with the remediation of the “at-risk” student. She realizes that different students learn in different ways and is always willing to go the extra mile to make the programs a success. Again, she elicits help from a Reading Specialist to design an effective program. The principal displays a constant commitment to the belief that all students can learn and realizes that the teachers as well has herself must be appropriately trained to achieve this goal. Needed resources and training are provided to make this program the exemplary program within the system. She senses that the school’s success lies in the skills and attitudes of the professional staff, not merely in the leadership abilities of the principal. She is catalyst and the teachers are the chemicals that make the process successful. The principal always gives the credit to the teachers and staff and praises and rewards the students for their success.

Several traits that are displayed by the principal of the Dogwood Road Elementary School and that contribute to the superior reputation of the school are the principal’s ability to listen and be available to all of the staff. She has exemplary problem-solving skills and always actively demonstrates faith and confidence in the teacher’s abilities to help make major decisions. She also seems to strive to bring the teachers into the discussions of the larger problems of the school and is not afraid to make changes when needed.

This was an accomplished case study and it described an accomplished administrator, who takes pride in the accomplishments of her school and always displays confidence in and commitment to the school. I described the Literacy Program in detail and presented credible and specific evidence to support the program and the administrator’s decisions as related to the program.