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A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by ensuring management of the organization, operations and resources for a safe, efficient and effective learning environment.
Utilize effective systems management, organizational development, and problem-solving and decision-making techniques.
Align fiscal, human, and material resources to support the learning of all subgroups of students.
Hallmark 6, SNDdN
The Opportunity:
We have unfinished space on our campus and this year we are taking steps to complete the space. A project manager has been hired and an architectural firm has been selected. Now the process begins to finalize how the space will be used and move forward with creating beautiful, flexible, modern space on our campus that opened in 1928.
The Process:
Following the decision to complete space that was originally framed out about 15 years ago, the faculty and staff began a visioning and dreaming process. The first step was to consider the school Vision Statement and what it would mean for the school to fully achieve the statement. The Vision Statement reads:
Notre Dame High School, Belmont is the premier choice for a single gender, faith-based education. We develop young women of great character and intellect who are prepared to lead a life of purpose and impact.
I led the faculty and staff through the process that was designed to have them share their thoughts and ideas about the Vision Statement. The final results can be read here. The process was an exciting one and people appreciated the opportunity to have their voice heard. What was also clear from the feedback was that the community was somewhat uncertain their ideas would go anywhere:
As referenced in the summary of the work, I did share this information with the Board of Directors later that spring. This work was done in April of 2015. In August of 2015, the second phase of visioning and dreaming was completed by the faculty and staff.
During our opening days of school, time was set aside when I took all of the faculty and staff to the unfinished space and led them through a design thinking process to consider best uses for not only the unfinished space, but for the school facility as a whole. The ideas that surfaced reflected a lot of creativity, desire to provide a unique learning environment for our students, and a clear understanding of the need to distinguish ourselves from our local competitors, both public and private. The ideas and "Top 3" summary can be read in this document. This summary document was also shared with the Board of Directors, with the Project Manager, and with the architectural firm.
In tandem with this work, I have been working to ensure that the academic offerings of the school keep pace with the promise of upgraded and new facilities. Part of this process included a review of our current classroom space, conversations with teachers regarding furniture, and a presentation to the Board of Directors to request funding for technological upgrades, electrical improvements, and funding for two classrooms to beta-test more flexible furniture. The proposal was presented to the Board on December 8, 2015 and approved in full. In January I took a small contingency of teachers to visit One WorkPlace Design to view different types of furniture. They subsequently came to our site and measured a number of our classrooms in preparation for providing different types of furniture to test next year.
Where We Are Now:
By the end of the school year, we will have identified the two classrooms that will be the beta-testers for next year and arranged for Professional Development for the faculty that will focus on how flexible furniture and classroom layout impacts pedagogy. The Master Strategic Planning Team is meeting regularly with the architect and are guiding the planning of the construction, based primarily on the work completed by the faculty in the last year.
Final Thoughts:
This is the work that energizes me the most because I know that these changes will have an immediate and significant impact on the learning that happens at our school. I am really proud of our faculty for the work that they have done this past year to begin preparing for the new spaces. I was really impressed with the thoughtful visioning that they did in August and only wish that there was a way to make all of their dreams a reality. At the same time, I am concerned about the fact that while my leadership efforts have really moved the needle as far as what our teachers are doing to bring 21st century learning into their classrooms, there are still teachers in our community who do not see the need to shift. With a brand new learning environment scheduled to "open" in the fall of 2017, I feel that the pressure is now on to ensure that ALL adults in the building are supporting the same vision and working towards a goal of adaptable learning that will bring our Vision Statement to life.
The other piece that has me a little nervous and also feeling the pressure to move the needle for all our staff is the need to ensure that what we communicate and promise to our families regarding the learning experience and philosophy towards educating their daughters is being delivered across the board. Right now I know that isn't the case. As families become more discerning about what they should expect from educational institutions, the more pressure there will be to deliver unique, flexible, adaptable learning experiences.
These concerns have me thinking NOW about PD next year and what it will, can, and should look like. I will also be reaching out to people in my PLN to find teachers and sites to send individuals to so that they can observe teachers on other campuses. By exposing them to such experiences, my goal is for them to think about ways to create similar experiences for their students and provide opportunities for deeper learning and greater access in each and every classroom.
I have also spent time this year and last re-vamping our hiring process. While this might seem an odd place to mention it, I have done so with the end goal of hiring innovative, forward-thinking teachers who can differentiate instruction, seamlessly incorporate technology, and are willing to be risk-takers in the name of student learning. With new facilities coming on-line in a year, it is really important to me that we have faculty in place who are able to make the most of the new learning environments.
The pending construction has also made me very happy that I have changed the coaching and evaluation process as mentioned in CPSEL 2 because I have a much clearer understanding of which teachers are and are not ready to move forward. The Head of School and I will need to have some very difficult conversations in the upcoming months about staffing which will be a great opportunity for growth for me personally. Building a staff of top-notch educators to ensure all students are able to learn and thrive is THE priority. It is never fully accomplished, but always keeping that as my focus means that we are always moving closer to that ideal.
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