Cultures of Character - PLO 2

This artifact was developed as a group project. Five developing leaders including myself, collaborated to design a yearlong professional development plan. The plan centered on SEL goal, fostering character development in order to positively impact school culture, SEL, and ethical decision-making, developing practical wisdom in the process. Our team applied best practices of professional development to design learning opportunities for teachers. Several book club options are integrated into the plan, offering teacher choice. Walk-throughs are another element of the plan. Training is given to ensure maximum learning potential from this activity. PLC time is dedicated to discussing book clubs and walk throughs, allowing for team sharing and collaboration. An Ed Camp session will be a culminating activity to the new learning. In-district and out-of-district PD sessions will be offered, tapping into teacher leaders within the district. Outside sources will be explored to offer additional learning experiences. Finally, the plan includes an evaluation component, so all stakeholders have input into its success. Results of the evaluation will impact future PD plans. 

This artifact supports Cultures of Character learning outcome 2, candidates will critically engage in character development towards becoming a virtuous leader. The collaboration and synthesis of the group knowledge led to a solid PD plan that focuses on character development and social-emotional learning for educators. The plan takes adult learning stages into consideration as well. It builds educator capacity, developing teacher leaders throughout the plan. 

The creation of this artifact allowed me to develop as a leader in several ways. First, the collaborative process used to develop the plan ensured that various learner types were considered. Each member of the group brought background and a unique perspective to the planning experience. Second, the process allowed me to consider the many approaches to providing SEL experiences for staff members. Opportunities that allow choice ensures each participant finds value in the learning experience. Third, as a developing leader, walk-throughs will be an important part of my role. Allowing teachers to also gain knowledge from one another by participating in walk-throughs is an effective learning tool. Finally, virtuous leaders are open to feedback and make adjustments to PD based on educator needs and student impact.

The development of the Candidate Hiring Process was a collaborative effort between myself and two colleagues. Together, we developed a clear hiring process that considers implicit bias, attention to diverse hiring recruitment practices, and candidate character. Our process includes an example of a carefully written job description and considerations when putting an interview team together. Interview questions and a rubric were developed to ensure consistency and inter-rater reliability. A candidate schedule was creating, allowing the team to get to know each individual, identifying a good fit for the position. We built a character component into the interview process, ensuring the morals and ethics of the candidate align with the school mission. The process includes templates of letters, emails, or phone conversations to guide the refusal process for candidates not chosen. Finally, the process includes gathering feedback about the process from the candidates and the interview team. 

This artifact aligns to this Cultures of Character standard in a few ways. First, the process we created ensures moral and ethical decisions are made throughout the whole process. The interview team identifies implicit biases and members serve as a check and balance for one another. In addition, each candidate is given the same and multiple opportunities to demonstrate their strengths. Likewise, the interview team must also act with character, making each candidate feel valued and comfortable. Also, the consistent use of the rubric removes some of the subjectivity of choosing a candidate and ensures fairness and equity. Finally, the thought put into appropriate responses when communicating with candidates that did not get the position demonstrates honesty integrity, and consideration. 

This project shed light on the importance of character when hiring new staff. As a developing leader, it is essential that I ensure the hiring process is fair, respectful, and collaborative. It is also my role to ensure implicit biases are acknowledged and addressed. There should be equal opportunity for candidates from all cultural backgrounds to share their talents and strengths throughout the interview process. A leader must lead by example, making moral and ethical decisions based on what is right for the team who is looking for a new colleague and the staff as a whole. It is also essential that I am honest with candidates, whether they got the position or not. Moral leaders encourage and give constructive feedback to candidates that didn't get the job. Overall, the leader sets the expectations, tone, and process for hiring new staff. 

This artifact outlines an ethical dilemma that many leaders will encounter throughout their careers. It involves a parent obtaining a lawyer to make bullying claims. From the point of view of the parent, the school had been negligent in providing appropriate supervision for their child, which led to several bullying incidents. They also claimed a lack of communication, lack of action, and an ineffective bullying prevention program. From the school's point of view, the incidents that occurred were not considered bullying. They were accidental events that are typical for the age group of the students. The student was not accurately reporting each incident. The teacher and staff had addressed each incident appropriately and had provided an appropriate standard of care and supervision. The leaders were faced with deciding between two approaches to solve this dilemma. Ultimately, the path chosen applied moral and ethical leadership. The team prioritized respect, compassion, collaboration, and service. 

This artifact demonstrates CoC PLO 2, leaders must critically engage in character development towards becoming a virtuous leader. School leaders are faced with ethical dilemmas regularly. This requires a leader to apply the law, policies, and procedures to each situation while making moral and ethical decisions. If a leader strictly applies just law, collaboration, relationships, and trust are not built. Leaders must apply both moral and legal principles when making decisions. 

Leaders must model character and virtues through actions as well. This is a very important part of leadership. Staff, parents, students, and the community rely on this. Demonstrating character and moral judgment sends a strong message to each member of the learning community. Leaders should also engage in continuous character development in themselves as well as part of the school culture.