Conduct preliminary investigation of “what is” (what is already known about the needs of the target group).

Identify Major Concerns

There is lots to know and a short time to acquire information when you are a new teacher in the district. Want to help new teachers feel supported and not overwhelmed. We tend to have a fairly high rate of staff turnover and I think it’s in part because people don’t feel supported. Though there’s a lot in the handbook, it’s hard to read and assimilate it all. Every district has its own way of doing things. The goal of a new teacher orientation is to provide the most crucial information to new teachers (veteran and newbies) in the district in a direct, helpful and concise manner. Teachers, particularly those new to the teaching profession, would also be matched up with a veteran teacher who could serve as an informal mentor if they had questions or concerns. I would like to link them with MFPE members first.

-Using ManageBac (planning, grades, finding parent contact information, posting comments & feedback)

-International Baccalaureate lingo & expectations

-Finding substitutes and class coverage

-filling out basic paperwork (absences, leave requests, reimbursements)

-day to day “How to’s” (copies, phone calls, laminating, classroom supplies, using technology, lunch program, taking lunch count, duties & duty expectations)

-PTO grant requests

-janitorial duty expectations of teachers

-grooming and dress expectations

-how to handle difficult parents & students

-COVID expectations

-Not sure about elementary school....need to dig into this with elementary staff

Determine Indicators of Needs

-Administrative surveys & structured interviews (Artifact 3).

-Staff survey-”What I wished I had known when I started at BSSD 72” (Artifact 4)

-interview administrative secretaries for ideas; these people are the gatekeepers of all information and often have to spend their time helping the new staff solve problems

-Technology department-what should people know

-Curriculum coordinator interview

-turnover rates

Consider Data Source(s) - both documents and people

I think people are the best source of information, thought the data on turnover rates of non-tenured vs. tenured staff could be useful too.

Decide Preliminary Priorities

Need to meet with administrators first to let them know ideas; ask for any data on turnover rates; or ideas they have; what do they think the most important needs are?

Then New staff (new this year and past 3 years)

Then support staff, who are often overlooked and I think would have ideas about what’s important to know

PTO-they do a lot for the district, but there’s a disconnect between them and teachers.

Veteran teachers

What potential biases or barriers are you anticipating? Why? Have you considered solutions? If so, what would they be?

We have a “back to school” week, so some might find this redundant. I want to propose that myself and other MFPE lead orientation sessions throughout the week for new staff only. I also want to make sure veteran staff have input on what’s covered. Also, veteran staff might not want to be mentors, so working to find them some incentives.

What format(s) will you be using for your needs assessment? Why this choice?

A mix-interviews with administrators. I think a lot more can come out in conversations than in an email or survey. Also, interviews or more of a focus group with new teachers. I want to make their time valuable and don’t want to burden them with extra work. It’s also a chance to build a relationship with both groups of people and establish trust. I also would reach out to the administrative secretaries, our IT department, janitorial staff, and even the head of the PTO to ask them what they think would be helpful for new staff to know to be successful. After that, I probably would do a short survey or some face to face with veteran teachers, to try to value their time as well. I would wait to develop a survey until after I did some preliminary data gathering to see what the district thinks the needs are as well as what the new teachers thought their needs were. I also plan to invite the PTO to come and introduce themselves to new staff….the relationship between the teaching staff and PTO needs strengthening and a new teacher orientation would be a good chance to do that. Once we develop a good idea of what the big needs are, we will develop some basic training sessions. It may need board approval, so that would likely be the last step.

As you consider the need(s), identify your likely allies - why? Most likely opponents - why?

• Allies & Reasoning: The other TLI teacher. She’s a relatively new teacher to the district and we will partner on this. The HS principal. She’s excited about the idea. I think the ES principal is likely to be on board. She’s recently transitioned to being an administrator after many years as an ES teacher. She’s always been big on supporting new and developing staff members.

• Opponents & Reasoning: I don’t anticipate major opposition to the idea. Some veteran teachers might not want to be involved or give suggestions, but I can’t see them being in opposition to a “new teacher” orientation program.

As a Fellow, how will you include diverse stakeholders and diverse perspectives in conducting your Needs Assessment?

My partner and I plan to reach out to current support staff across different departments (janitorial, administrative secretaries and even our bus drivers) as well as interviewing administrators, new and veteran teachers, and even reaching out to the PTO community. We will be hitting on the major stakeholders in the community.

Consider possible indicators of success:

-Happier, less anxious new staff

-Increased communication between new and old teachers

-Ultimately, less turnover of new staff

-Increased tenure rates

-more leadership opportunities

-more chances to earn

Part II

May 2021

Describe your Capstone Challenge and how you identified it.

Employees feel “thrown to the wolves” here. That’s a direct quote from a survey in our needs assessment. Employees are not sure where to go for answers. Though people also have the sentiment that it’s a great place work and there are some pretty amazing perks that don’t occur anywhere else due to private donors, people still feel undervalued, overworked, and also that their co-workers don’t always appreciate the role that they play in making the whole district work. That even includes our guest teachers. I think that starts with everyone being heard and also being involved in finding solutions to those issues.

Describe your diverse stakeholders and how you selected them, such as colleagues, parents, students, association members, community members, state or local partners, etc.

In doing our needs assessment, we had a couple of overarching goals that determined who would be a stakeholder in this work. These were to:

1) identify the common needs for all employees to maximize their job performance within the district and

2) identify more targeted needs with regards to:

• Successfully navigating the first year(s) in a new position

• Professional training and development (specific to position)

• Performance & opportunities to lead

Based on those goals we sent questionnaires to the school superintendent, the elementary principal, and the secondary principal. We created two surveys to send out to both certified and classified staff. We recruited people by talking to them at staff meetings and also by email. Our participants included administrators, teachers, counselors, support staff including para-educators, administrative assistants, members of the technology, kitchen, and janitorial departments. We collected responses from: 36 different employees throughout the district. We also captured the perspectives of both, new and veteran teachers, men and women, and people both new to the school and long timers at the school. I also spent a couple days as a third grade teacher, covering for a teacher who was in quarantine, which gave me a chance to see how things operate differently in elementary school versus middle/high school. Finally, we completed empathy interviews with seven different individuals in April. (Artifact 5)

Why is it important for your diverse stakeholders that the Capstone Challenge be addressed?

There is so much to know and do within a school district. One person cannot possibly know them all. Even the most contentious of employers cannot anticipate all the challenges and needs faced by an individual or a particular position within a district. It’s impossible to solve an issue if you don’t know it exists.

In what ways will addressing the Capstone Challenge promote or support the foundational competencies?

Already this process has opened my eyes to the diversity in roles, perspective, and experience between employee stakeholders in the district; driving system changes requires lots of buy-in from lots of people.

Is it your intention to broaden the existing vision, values and/or culture of the association or to create a cultural shift?  Explain.

I want to change the perception of the association by the district and encourage more participation. I think one way to do that is to work to actively serve the needs of all employees to make it a better place for everyone to work, whether they are members or not. We are all on the same team and despite differences in our job responsibilities, we all face similar challenges. My goals are to utilize inputs from the extensive needs assessment to address the underlying issues raised. I want to utilize interest-based and/or problem solving strategies to guide the development and implementation of desirable changes in working conditions.

Why might this strategy be a viable solution for your Capstone Challenge?

The sentiment that there was a need for better employee training was echoed across every stakeholder group. I think if the association leadership (myself, my partner) and other members can help be a driving force for a new staff orientation, a nuts & bolts handbook and run & facilitate a buddy mentorship program, we can help solve some real district needs and go a long ways to affect the perception of the association.

On which two Overarching Competencies will you focus in addressing your Capstone Challenge?  Why are they relevant? 

Overarching Competency #1: Reflective practice, emerging,

I hope to work with colleagues to understand and engage in reflective practices through surveys and a mentorship program. This will include establishing norms for mentors, modeling those norms, and having expectations for how they can get better in that role. (Artifact 6)

Overarching Competency #2: Communication, emerging

Planning a training for staff involves more than just setting up a schedule. It involves communicating to inspire others to share in our vision of a positive workplace that fosters a culture of support and encouragement. I have served as a representative of the association on the school’s COVID-19 task force from July 2020-February 2021. I represented unpopular views and also relayed perspectives back to the larger group. My partner and I applied and have been accepted to present at the MFPE Annual Conference in October about our experiences in TLI. (Artifact 7)

Which Leadership Pathway competency will you focus in your Capstone Challenge?  Why is it relevant? 

I am focusing on Association. If I want to change perceptions of the association, I need to lead the change. I have set up presented needs assessment findings to the association with my partner to get input. I’ve recently connected with President Amanda Curtis and she has helped to connect me with other local leaders.

With whom will you work in addressing your Capstone Challenge?  Who else might you recruit beyond your own cultural and/or professional identity group?

I will be working with Marielle Walker, who is also participating in TLI. It will also require working closely with administration to get them involved in the development of a more formal mentorship program.

Which resources (such as, people, money, programs, time and space, etc.) do you have to address in your Capstone Challenge?  What resources will you need?  How will you obtain them? 

In our needs assessment, over 60% of participants said they would be willing to lead sessions or be mentors. Also, administration has indicated they support the idea of a more formal orientation program and would carve our time the first week back and potentially later PIR time to implement ideas.