TO: Dr.

Wells, Superintendent

FROM: Eric Gauthier, Human Resource Specialist

DATE: February 19, 2014

SUBJECT: Webster Elementary School

The purpose of this memo is to update the Superintendent on the mentoring and guidance of the new principal at Webster
Elementary School. Below is a detailed analysis of the issues that need to be addressed at Webster, and to create a plan of
action to increase staff-effectiveness and student achievement. This plan was developed in conjunction with the principal
at Webster Elementary School and the Human Resource Department. The memo has been formatted to address each of
the questions that Superintendent Wells requested.
1. How do you guide the principal to assess the staff? What are your conclusions about this school?

The following questions will be posed to the new principal. We will navigate the questions together and tease out
the main ideas for them to be successful in evaluating the whole teacher. By addressing the questions the teacher
can adequately asses their staff. This process will allow targeting professional development that will help increase
staff effectiveness which will in turn increase student achievement. Banks states A schools culture has far more
influence on life and learning in the schoolhouse than the president of this country, the state department of
education, the superintendent, the school board (Banks, 2002)

Is the teachers performance a result of ability or the schools culture?
What is the school culture about evaluation? Is it viewed as punitive or as an opportunity to grow with support?
What factors are looking at when you assess staff? Are looking at just the data or the whole teacher?
What are the persons responsibilities in our staff? What does their job entail?
Does the staff member have the necessary training to experience success at their position? If not, are you able to
provide the adequate support they need?
What intangibles does the staff member possess?
Why is the staff member successful/unsuccessful in their current position?

Recommendations:
Walk-throughs: (class culture, observing learning)
Forming relationships: What is their passion?
Discussions: (formal/informal)
Look at personal file: Pertinent information.
Talk to parents about past experiences with staff.
Find out individual strengths: (content specific, organization, classroom culture)
Look at prior formal evaluations: (informal evaluations also)
Be able to read the culture, and use it appropriately. Find out how staff views time usage and how they value it.

Conclusion:
The staff at Webster Elementary is going through a period of change that is different from the schools traditional
history. With the changing economy, the loss of a long tenured principal that gave up and left, the changing
demographics of the students, and low-achieving test scores has created a fractured school culture. The staff is
scared and frightened of the change and is apprehensive of new challenges in students and administration. There
seems to be and us vs. them mentality between the staff and the other stakeholders in the district. There is a lack
of culture and trust in the building It is evident with everyone involved with the school (parents, students, staff)
The community views the school as a Mangy Mutt. The school is trying to navigate through tough economic

times and changing demographics with new needs. The staff and students are looking for direction and
leadership.


2. What are the questions you would ask the principal to get her to think about improving the effectiveness of the
staff? What evidence would you use to help this principal realistically and fairly look for teacher improvement?

What could be done to help development a culture of trust with the staff? Discuss why there is mistrust with the
staff. Talk about the possible small changes that could be implemented. Discuss the following quote: Changing
culture can only happen if you as a leader provide forms of leadership that invite others to join as observers of the
old and architects of the new. (Barth, 2002) Have a discussion on how improving culture could increase staff
effectiveness and student achievement. Discuss possible ways of implementing cultural changes.

How would you cultivate leadership in your staff? Talk about providing your staff opportunities to lead, and make
those around more powerful. Devise ways that the principal could enroll people in their vision or ideas.

What vision do the teachers have of Webster? Based on the knowledge of the changing demographics, significant
ESL population now, and the negative perception of the building create a plan together on how to implement a
change of perception by the staff and community.

Who are the people that you need on your team to effectively influence others? Discuss and raise questions of
possible allies on staff. Create likely scenarios of dissonance, and have a game plan on how to redirect their
energy into a constructive direction. Discuss parameters for meaningful conflict. Address behaviors and not
attitudes.

What can you provide the teachers for them to do their best? Teachers are shutting themselves in not celebrating
their accomplishments or their students. What could we do or provide to reverse this trend?

What are strengths and weaknesses of your staff? What professional development would be beneficial to the
staff? Make sure the staff sees a value in what professional development you are providing them. Discuss with
the principal the idea of job-embedded professional development opportunities. Make a plan of action on how
and when to implement.

What is the staffs perception of the school, and what can be done initially to show the staff you are willing to
advocate for them? Discuss the following points with the principal: Protect and build shared values. Respond to
staff that is resistant, and move-on to what you value. Dont focus on attitudes instead of behaviors. Change with
behaviors instead of words. Lead by example.

Evidence:
- Look at the school as a whole in terms of formal/informal staff observations. Compile a list of teacher
leaders, average teachers, and teachers in need of additional support. Look at creating P.L.C. groups with a
mixture of all teacher strengths and abilities.
- Assess the student needs in each teachers classroom, and see if the teacher has the proper training and
supplies to teach at their optimum level. If either is lacking, take steps to improve the situation for the teacher
and students. Interview staff of concerns: how prepared they are what they need to be successful.
- Analyze data where students are struggling: interventions, tiered-support, and staff support (academic
coaches) Setup job-embedded professional development.

3. What kinds of staff development would you suggest she initiate for this school year?

- Begin the process of implementing P.B.I.S. Create a P.B.I.S. team and provide training. Only implement
2-3 school-wide behavioral focuses for the first year. P.B.I.S. team would train the staff on
implementation. Job-Embedded Professional
- Development: peer-to-peer support, teacher lab, content lesson planning with instructional coach,
analyzing student data to guide instruction.
- Tiered instructional support training: Academic coach (funds Superintendent) based on student data.
- Team building professional development to address culture. Instill a sense of community that is lacking
at Webster.

4. How will you help this principal understand the parents and community? What importance will you place on
working with the parents?

- Provide forums and opportunities for parents to express their concerns and thoughts about the school.
- Gaining feedback community about schools and possible involvement.
- Look at the parents as leaders, and what can they offer to the school.
- How to embrace the returning students who are now the young families
- How to embrace the ESL population: Making the school experience comfortable for them (translators,
translated newsletters)
- Look into the community businesses and find out what type of relationship they would want to forge with
the school.
- Involve community leaders in the school, and during points of pride for the building. Involve the local
businesses in fundraising activities. Create a mutual interest for both organizations.
There will be a huge emphasis being placed on working with parents. Involving the stakeholders in the
classroom will be a primary focus. Help change the image of Webster elementary. Need positive public
relations with the community. Parents right now view the school as: gloomy, hostile, institutionalized, sterile,
not a place for learning for children. The parents feel alienated, angry; the staff is unfriendly and hostile.
Parents need to be viewed as partners in their childs education. The positive is there is a group of former
students who are now raising their families in the Webster School boundary. They have a fondness for
Webster and are looking for an opportunity to become more involved, and see the school return to its once
former glory.
5. What are the landmine issues for which you will warn principal? What are the cautions?
With the school going through a drastic change there are a variety of issues that the new principal will need to
navigate. We will discuss the importance of having Elevator speeches ready to address difficult discussions.
The following topics will be covered in detail.
- Managing ineffective staff.
- Do not ignore the past, by not addressing it in an appropriate way.
- The past principal.
- Be careful how you address change.
- Changing community and how to evolve.
- Parental involvement, community relations, and staff perceptions of ESL parents.
- Perception of parents with certain teachers.
- Failed mileages and the changing economy of the area.
- School appearance.
Cautions:
- Do not institute a lot of change rapidly. Involve the staff in the decision making process and slowly
implement change. If you do too much change right away staff will be bitter and resentful and will not be
willing to follow you.
- Be careful to avoid the downward spiral. Try to change the mindset of the staff and the community to a
win-win.
- Do not feel that you have to implement all this change on your own. Enable other people to be leaders.
Staff will view this as a top-down approach, and not as collaboration. Ben Zander Never doubt the
capacity of the people following you.
- Ben Zanders Rule #6: Dont take yourself so seriously

6. Create a rubric along with this principal. What indicators would you look for and what timeline?
I believe on only focusing on three main objectives for the first year. Often times leaders get sabotaged by their own agenda
of putting their stamp on the school by implementing too much change at once causing backlash amongst the staff. As
professionals it is unrealistic to expect people to drastically change their culture. Small steps have a better chance of buy-in,
and will make future changes easier to implement.


Indicator Basic Proficient Exemplary Timeline
Changing Culture Develop a culture
that has open and
honest
communication.
Maintain the status
quo, but being more
verbal with what is
going on.
Developing open
and honest
communication,
creates a school
vision with high
expectations, and
develops trust.
Collaboratively develop a
culture that embraces:
collegiality, a vision,
experimentation, high
expectations, trust, confidence,
tangible support, and
involvement in decision making
process, humor, honest and open
communication. (Barth, 2002)
Basic: November

Proficient:
January

Exemplary: End
of 1
st
year -
ongoing
Parental Involvement Parents are sent home
a weekly
correspondence of
activities and what is
going on in the
building.
Weekly
communication with
parents by staff and
principle. Provide
opportunities for
parents to be
involved in their
childs school.
Develop a volunteer
handbook that
outlines
expectations and
behavior
appropriate for a
school setting.
Weekly communication by all
staff. Online parent signup for
volunteering. Create a Parent
Involvement Team. Provide
parent education courses.
Involve parents in school policy
and decision making processes.
Have a volunteer program setup
for parents interested to go
through to training understand
expectations of a volunteer in
the school. Review the
volunteer handbook as a part of
this training.

Basic:
October

Proficient:
February/March

Exemplary:
End of 1
st
year, in
place start of 2
nd

year.

Staff Development Send teachers to
professional
development
involving school
improvement goals
and report back to
staff during meetings.
Target meaningful
staff development
that is beneficial to
all staff. Make sure
development is not
a waste of time for
the staff involved.
Have staff provide
professional
development to the
staff during P.L.C.
time.
Have the staff create job-
embedded professional
development opportunities for
themselves. Provide time where
staff can collaborate and
implement ongoing
development. Also utilize the
outside professional
development opportunities as
part of the P.L.C. Create staff
development with other
buildings in district and out of
district. Encourage staff to look
for answers from within. Find
out what is working. Have staff
share what is working, and
embrace great ideas.
Basic:
October

Proficient:
November

Exemplary:
January - ongoing
7. What do you feel are the most serious challenges to moving forward and how would you help the principal?

The most serious challenge the new principal will need to be addressed in the culture of Webster Elementary. The
changing of culture will have the biggest impact on teacher effectiveness and student achievement according to
Banks. (Banks, 2002) The fractured relationship between the staff, parents, community, and students needs to be
repaired immediately. Various factors had changed a culture of learning into a culture of mistrust and hostility for
all parties involved. As a result student achievement is down, staff effectiveness is down, and the staff is in
survival mode. This is a very toxic environment for all involved.

The culture in the building will be addressed first. The principal and I would read the article: A 4-STEP
PROCESS for Identifying and Reshaping School Culture by. Cletus Bulach. We would go through the 4-step
process, and how to implement each step within an acceptable timeline. There will be time set aside to meet to
discuss how each step went, and if there are any adjustments that need to be made. It will be important that they
principal conveys the reason for each step and why it is important. While completing the various steps feedback
will be gathered, analyzed, and discussed by the staff and the human resource department.

The next step will be addressing the culture of the stakeholders outside the building. With the provided surveys
and forums we will gather data on stakeholder perceptions. Based on the data meeting will be setup through
human resources to gather more information on meaning change and involvement. These findings will be
presented to the staff, and will generate ways that we can integrate Webster Elementary with the surrounding
community.

At the end of each quarter progress will be monitored and analyzed to guide the future efforts in building an
effective and beneficial culture for Webster Elementary. Once the culture is returned and maintained to a
productive level for all parties involved other issues will be able to be addressed unobstructed by a fractured
culture.


I will be glad to discuss any of the recommendations mentioned during our meeting on February 24
th
, 2014.




Eric A. Gauthier
Human Resource Specialist
Webster City Community Schools
(888)-123-4567