Instructional Context

Historically, there has been little to no cross-school/town collaboration between educators. Elementary educators meet twice a year during grade level meetings to discuss curriculum and some instructional strategies. Middle and High School educators meet on their own accord and content areas meet for weekly PLC's, but our educators are still operating individually; collaboration is still emerging.

Taking on a new leadership role within the district has been difficult. This is the second time instructional coaching has been attempted in the district and we want to make it a sustainable practice. The first round was with the implementation of our new Math curriculum and the coaching model involved model lessons and discussions about instruction. Coaching cycles and observations were not involved. There was not an attempt to incorporate reflective practices, interventions, understanding of student learning, and other methods to make coaching sustainable. To make this a valuable position and a sustainable practice, it is important to understand how reflective practices are brought forth and how educators should be engaged in that process. How can we open the doors to education and incorporate collaboration instead of closed-door practices to benefit our students?

Leadership

• Instructional leadership is my current focus. Because the model was not effective in the past, it is important to grow as a leader and recruit more leaders through the process of reflective instruction.
• Another component of my instructional leadership role is implementing new and sustainable instructional practices. Creating an instructional framework, reflecting on educational practices, and accessing valid measures of assessment will help this leadership role be a necessity for the district.
• After attending Jim Knight's Intensive Coaching Institute in Kansas this winter and reading his book Focus on Teaching, I decided to initiate the practice of Video Leadership Teams. These are teams that will meet monthly as a team, or through the use of technology, to disseminate best practices, collaborate on instruction, and engage each other in reflective practice.