Edul 637!

Standards Reflection!

S2e! How is the vision/mission statement critical in communication between school

and community.!

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Including all stakeholders in the mix with not only knowing the vision/mission

statements but being part of building these valuable components has become the
foundation of a structured process. Prior to EDUL 637 I was a member of the team that
created the vision/mission statements for my school. No community members were
involved in the process. Looking at the way we do business in my building, community
members are not involved that often in decision making activities. Looking for these
statements of direction on our school website, the search turned up nothing. I plan to
relay this observation to my principal soon in hopes of soliciting change. !
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The word that catches my attention in standard 2e is critical. We have been

fortunate in La Crosse to have community support for actions laid out by the district and
referendums have passed when needed. Those referendums have never asked to
raise property taxes though and I feel that the lack of invitation to participate by our
school/district limits the understanding of our constituents. Increase opportunities for
involvement should improved relationships as well as appreciation for the hard work
done within our schools. The day is coming very soon when referendums are going to
be needed that will increase property taxes, being inviting may just be the missing piece
to the puzzle.!
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Focusing entirely on funding kind of misses the boat in terms of community

involvement. Our mission, relationships, engagement, and learning, is the driving force
behind much of what we do at Longfellow Middle School. We work very hard to build

relationships and engage the child in the learning process. If the public was made
aware of these guiding terms, they would be better equipped to understand our
methods and objectives. With so many ways to connect with the community available
today and with my new learning related to social media, I need to look no further than
my schools vision statement, make it matter, to see what is next. Communication with
our community needs to matter and education needs to matter to the community. An
informed public is critical to the future of public education and we need to reach out to
them in a variety of ways to include them in the decision making process. Thank you for
the helpful methods to improving my presence in social media.!

S5a! Who are the internal/external publics? As an administrator how would you involve
the publics in school district decisions?!

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In our presentation in class related to improved communication, we looked at a

variety of stakeholders from a typical community. People like politicians, business

owners and their employees, security organizations, medical facilities and more can all
be part of the decision making process. Many of these organizations have opened their
doors to our students in La Crosses but rarely are invited to be part of the decision
making process. Often times, people are willing to help out but are never asked. This
is where I plan to utilize some of the methods introduced during EDUL 637. !
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Decisions related to fundraising and building vision/mission statements could

elicit valuable incite if a variety of organizations are included in the discussion. Taking a
look at curriculum and instruction to find related opportunities outside the school walls
would improve our children's educational experience and empower community
organizations. Building focus groups representing a cross section of the community will

undoubtedly lengthen the process but this could be time well spent when tough
community decisions are needed. Surveys will help shed some light on public opinions
but only if you can get enough of a sample size that is representative of your
community. !

S5b ! How does an administrator access the state of the school which includes
historical perspective, trends, resources, and public relations?!

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As a new administrator, data will play an important roll in my introduction to a

school. Topics such as reading and math proficiency along with trends in free and
reduced lunch numbers can all be researched from school data bases. Its the feel of
the school and image it carries in the community that will take outreach into the
surroundings to discover. Visiting with parents outside school when they drop off and
pick up would be very informal yet potentially powerful in understanding the state of the
school in the public eye. Casual conversations where individuals feel comfortable in
expressing their pleasures and frustrations only allow for deeper discussions and
understanding perspective. If we are to improve communication with the public we
need to meet them out in the public. If I as an administrator are unwilling to reach out to
constituents than the resources the community would not only have to offer but be
willing to offer would escape my students opportunities and that could lead to brain
drain as opposed to brain gain. !
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Our facilities are constantly in demand and as a principal of that building, make it

a point to meet with the AAU basketball coach and discuss the importance of education
in relation to the sports world, watch a bit of the club volleyball and soccer matches or
practices so these, often times volunteer, coaches feel comfortable sharing insight into

the facility and what needs or improvements they would be willing to support and
whether or not they have been supported by the school and/or public in the past. !

S5c! How do administrators develop and maintain professional relationships with

families, business, religious service agencies, media, and higher education institutions?!

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Being approachable will be something that I will work to achieve early on in my

principal endeavors. I believe most district administrators have mentioned a similar

phrase when entering into the profession yet many have fallen off with maintaining and
initiating relationship opportunities. We hear often that a principals life is not what it was
when many of the current administrators took over. With the influx of more elaborate
evaluations, budget constraints, and increased supervision responsibilities there is little
time left to manage relationships within the community. !
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A situation that I see as a potential pitfall for any educational institution is the lack

of qualified substitute teachers available on a daily basis. It has been my experience

that when a non licensed sub is placed in the classroom for the day, that day is a
missed opportunity for growth for the students involved. There are enough licensed
subs that have a hard time being effective day in and day out but for the most part their
practical knowledge entering the classroom will create a more effective learning
environment. As part of my principalship I look forward to establishing relationships with
institutes of higher education in order to improve the numbers of young people entering
in to the educational profession. Whether it is opening the doors to preservice teacher
opportunities or it is meeting with individuals at the universities, I would like the
opportunity to point out all the good that can be found in educational employment. !

Ms. Manion, you mentioned the coffee clutch idea to us as a means of not only

building, but maintaining relationships with people within the community. Meeting
outside the school environment may improve attendance at such events because some
people just dont feel comfortable in schools. I like this idea and plan to utilize
something similar in format in order to reach that objective of relationship building.!
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Invite them in. Our schools dont appear to be very inviting these days with all the

locked doors, cameras, security, and buzz in systems. We as administrators have to

reach out to all stakeholders and let them know our doors are open and the invitation to
participate in the public schools is available.!

S7a! What is the importance of public schools in our democratic society and what role
do administrators play as advocates for the public schools?!

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If its one thing I have learned over the past few years and more specifically

during EDUL 637, its that public education is valued by some and repulsed by others.
To the politician schools are broken, to the parent they have never been better.
Graphics showing increased public support for schools were shared during class yet
representatives in our state fail to align their votes with their constituents desires. !
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I believe that public education is important to democracy because an educated

population improves that idea of human capital. A community of educated individuals

provides many more benefits to its citizens than one that is less educated and
theoretically plays a more valuable role in the state and national economy. Our country
needs solutions to many serous and challenging problems, public education, an
education for all children regardless of demographics will need to continue its work in
creating life long learners. Learners needed to solve complicated issues.!

As an administrator I feel that continued communication with elected officials and

open invitations need to be created where politics and education can mingle. With the
power of foundations and think tanks persuading politicians to further cripple public
education all members of the educational community need to continue the fight for this
vital institution. Administrators need to be a liaison between the government and the
school. Understanding the ramifications of decisions made and working to inform and
prepare instructional staff as to future directions. We need to ward off the often
unpredictable assumptions made by staff with demonstrating our knowledge of the
situation and supporting it with research. Teachers need to know that you are apprised
of various situations and that solutions, when needed, are being created.!

S7b! How do administrators address conflict resolution as they respond to current

political social and cultural issues in our school?!

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Conflict will be inevitable regardless of the arena from which it comes. How well

have I established my approachability and desire to to be informed before I react will be

a true indicator of my ability to resolve conflict. Am I a visible individual with the school
and community? Have I established open lines of communication with a multitude of
stakeholders? These last two statements could potentially limit the severity of the
conflict for which solutions are needed. When people are unfamiliar with you and your
personality they have a harder time knowing how they should react and those reactions
can become volatile. !
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If I have gone out of my way to meet people and include them in our school

community, unproductive reactions hopefully would be avoided. The ability to inform

has to be a priority in schools and the more information people have the more prepared

they will be to deal with frustrations. I dislike it when situations arise and I find myself
saying, I wish I would have known that. Many situations may be avoided if proper
planning and a sort of found rules have been set. !
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I did find the conversations about social media not only information but also very

inviting. I do plan on being careful with my, Tweets, Posts, as to not create more
confusions when limited by the number of characters used. I mentioned that I have
noticed how school administrators tend to carry themselves with a bit of caution. I
believe this is because they carry a vision for all learners and have to balance out the
impact that politics, religion, community, media, technology, etc. may have on the
opportunities for all. I will special interest groups would do a little of the same and do
what is needed to build and improve public education to places it can reach.