Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reviving The Professional Culture
Reviving The Professional Culture
Anna Underhill
Scenario Summary
Maynard High School was established two years ago and currently has 1,100 students
from Grades 9-11 with 12th grade being added as this incoming 11th grade class moves up this
upcoming year making the total number of students 1,450. Currently, there are 45 full-time
teachers, and there will be nine more teachers added for the next school year. The school is
staffed with one principal, three assistant principals, three school counselors with one more being
added with the incoming grade level, a receptionist, attendance clerk, and three administrative
assistants.
Not all teachers received an evaluation the previous year, and some evaluations were
given without formal observations. Currently there is curriculum provided, but there is not
consistency with using it within the building. Teacher development days have not been utilized
to their full capacity, and there is a professional development plan that’s provided, but they have
not been offered with consistency. There are currently no learning communities within the
school. There are multiple positions that need to be filled before the beginning of the school year.
A new assistant principal position, a school counselor, and sixteen teaching staff positions. Of
the sixteen teaching positions, seven of them were due to resignations from the previous school
year.
students through the combined efforts of teachers, staff, parents, and the community.
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Vision Statement: Maynard High School’s vision is to inspire student’s passion for learning by
developing a purposeful and meaningful learning environment where everyone feels comfortable
and welcome.
Short-Term Outcomes:
Provide routine teacher development days that are used in full capacity
Long-Term Outcomes:
Begin the process of data collection on state and national tests along with school grades
Align all curriculum to the highest proficiency to allow for more structure within the
classrooms
Since this is a relatively new school, it is very important to begin the process of data
collection and analyzing the results. Margaret Heritage and Eva Chen, author of “Why Data
Skills Matter in School Improvement,” state, “This step involves gathering existing data or
generating new data to answer the initial research questions, as well as questions that may arise
from the analysis of data. Collection also involves considering the factors that influence data
quality. Because collecting good data is the key to getting credible information” (2005). The first
step is for leadership to provide these data points to the faculty and staff. With the new learning
communities established, this is a perfect time to hone in on those communities and begin the
discussion of the data with those group of teachers first. This will allow leadership and these
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communities to begin building relationships with one another, and it will be the first step with
understanding what data points are important to present to the rest of the staff. After analyzing
the data with leadership and the learning communities, the next important step is to provide the
faculty and staff with the data points and begin coming up with goals. Families will be provided
with overall data points in wording in which they will understand. The data collected that will be
analyzed and reviewed include, but are not limited to, attendance, grades, test scores, and
nutritious snacks that will be given to the students during testing times in order to boost their
stamina during testing. The community’s participation in this will be very integral in providing
the school with an accurate representation of the data because it will allow all students to not go
function. Building those relationships with families is a job that is ongoing and requires constant
communication from the school. Linda Taylor and Howard S. Adelman, author of “Connecting
Schools, Families, and Communities” explains “the hope is to better meet the needs of children,
families, and society by improving the effectiveness of schools and service agencies and
One key aspect of building relationships with families is by providing them various
opportunities to get involved. Administration will have an open-door policy with families and be
there to listen. The principal will communicate with families monthly via a newsletter that will
showcase important topics within the school. Multiple school events will be held to allow for
families to build relationships with school personnel such as an open house, parent teacher
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conferences, sports banquets, and class galleries showcasing student work. A PTA (parent-
teacher association) will be put into effect to allow for parents to be involved in important
aspects of their child’s education. This will also provide teachers with the opportunity to work
alongside parents and to gather interests of both the families and the students.
Sanders and Karla C. Lewis exclaim, “Perhaps the best measure of a successful high school is
one that can provide for the very diverse needs and interests of its student body, while also
ensuring a certain standard of academic competence for all its students. To do so, high schools
require support from multiple stakeholders, including significant adults in students’ families and
communities” (2005). One way in which the community can be involved which also correlates
with involving the student’s families is by the organization of a PTA. A PTA group allows for
further involvement in the school by providing support for the school and collaboration amongst
school staff and the members. Not only does this allow for the members of the group to build
relationships, but it also allows for different avenues of reaching out to other community
businesses to provide student internships. These internships would be provided with businesses
that further the students educational career and gets them on the path of success for after high
school. Lastly, the school with partner with local non-profit organizations to provide students
with community service opportunities that will be beneficial to put on college resumes. These
partnerships not only allow the school to better the community, but it provides the students with
Public Advocacy
Ensuring that the basic needs of students and families are met is important. The
opportunity to work alongside non-profit organizations is an integral part of providing for our
students and families that are in need. One way that leadership can get involved with providing
for families in need is by periodically running food drives throughout the year. This is especially
important to do around the holidays when families are in need more due to the additional costs.
The mental health of families is important and by providing families with proper food, that
lessens the burden of trying to figure out where their next meal will come from. Another way to
help families in need is by providing a clothing drive. The principal will reach out to the
At the beginning of the school year, the principal will reach out to the community to ask
for donations that will be utilized for students in need that would like to participate in
extracurricular activities. This money will be utilized to pay for any equipment that may be
needed or cover traveling costs that may be needed. Each student’s education is very important,
and these extracurricular opportunities provide students with the opportunity to improve their
Rationale
This upcoming year will be a very busy and exciting year for Maynard High School. This
will be the first year for the school to host all grade levels. Having a school full of competent
staff will be a very important aspect of starting the year off right. Providing adequate
professional development and building relationships amongst the faculty and staff, parents, and
community will be the basis of a successful school. The plan listed above will provide Maynard
High School with the basis of being a successful school that shows compassion and commitment
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to education. Overall, these changes will allow Maynard High School to move forward in a
manner that shows promotes social justice within the school by providing each student with the
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References
Heritage, M., & Chen, E. (2005). Why Data Skills Matter in School Improvement. The Phi Delta
Sanders, M. G., & Lewis, K. C. (2005). Building Bridges toward Excellence: Community
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40364259
Taylor, L., & Adelman, H. S. (2000). Connecting Schools, Families, and Communities.