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Supporting an Effective Learning Environment

Betty Graham Young

Grand Canyon University

EAD-539: Clinical Internship III: Learner-Centered Leadership

Dr. Cherri Barker

December 16, 2020

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Supporting an Effective Learning Environment

Aligning with the school’s vision and mission

The school’s vision and mission should be the blueprint for its Continuous Improvement

Plan (CIP). Lakeview School is an alternative school that serves students with unique and

specific circumstances. However, its mission is to provide students with supports and resources

that will help them become academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally successful

when they transition to their base school or post-secondary options. The School-wide

Improvement Team (SIT) uses the contents written in the vision and mission statement and

individual data, to write their specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (SMART)

goals. The focus areas include literacy, core academic, social-emotional learning, behavioral

intervention, transitional services, mental health, and social services.

The CIP’s action supports an effective student learning environment that meets the needs

of all students

Apart from a very small percentage of students at Lakeview come from low-income

households and high-crime areas of the district. Moreover, students represent families that deal

with food insecurities and homelessness. Therefore, the action plan includes areas that support

students’ physical needs such as food and clothing, which help them focus on what is taught

rather than surviving. Small classroom sizes afford an individual approach to teaching and

learning, which supports the exceptional circumstances that most students present. Ongoing

professional development for teachers and specialists is a critical part of action plans as they

provide for elements associated with fidelity, efficacy, and mastery that support achievement and

the overall well-being of students.

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People, positions, and responsibilities

Lakeview’s CIP includes specific goals and precise, actionable plans. The School

Improvement Team is deliberate with regards to shared leadership and responsibilities, to ensure

that plans are carried out successfully and effectively. Moreover, SIT is comprised of various

faculty and staff members who are masterful in key areas. SIT also collaborates with other

stakeholders such as the district’s Multi-Tiered Student Support (MTSS) team, therapeutic

services, Durham County Juvenile Justice (DCJJ), Department of Human Services (DHS), and

other organizations and agencies that provide support and resources to students and families.

Implantation of action plans

Accountability is critical to the success of the School-wide Improvement Team. Students

who would have normally done poorly at their base school achieved success at Lakeview,

primarily due to smaller classroom sizes which allowed for more individualized instruction and

fewer distractions. Siting academic success, intervention, and the provision of wrap-around-

services, parents petitioned the school board for the option of making Lakeview their students’

base school. This fact is mentioned as confirmation that all items listed in the CIP’s action plans

are implemented.

Evaluating action plans

Although Lakeview had already made it a practice to collaborate with other schools’

professional learning communities (PLC) for strategies and parallel instruction, the school board

made it a requirement for those and other reasons. The school’s CIP is data-driven; however, the

SIT uses input and information gathered for the PLCs to determine the efficacy of action plans.
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Moreover, the CIP is reviewed quarterly by the area superintendent, who after reviewing, meets

with the administrator to discuss the plan. The CIP showed areas that needed improvement based

on the data percentages such as attendance and state assessments. Additionally, these are critical

areas that are a constant discussion when the team meets as a school, with the area

superintendent, and with other schools. There is data to support every goal; however, these areas

require more attention. Last year, the district approved the request for making Lakeview an

optional base school and increased staff allotment for the hiring of an additional social worker

and intervention specialist to assist with these essential areas.