Shadowing a Principal

On March 22, 2021, I was fortunate to shadow Minnie Ferguson, Principal of Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory of North America. My observation entails a professional development meeting and a student-led conference via Zoom due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professional Development Meeting

At the start of the meeting, Ms. Ferguson mentioned to the faculty my reason for being there. I was welcomed by the group and was able to talk briefly with Ms. Wells (4-5th grade teacher) via Zoom about exhibition night. What surprised me at the start of the meeting is that the conversations with faculty were taking place in Spanish. I later came to find out that speaking in the parent's home language during meetings validates the school community and provides access to parents to learn about school programs. Exhibition night seems to be a focus of this meeting and it is an opportunity for students to showcase their work to parents having students as leaders guiding the exhibition (CAPE 4A, Parent and Family Engagement) and reviewing their learning progress. Ms. Ferguson discussed with the faculty an upcoming district review (CAPE 6B, Representing and Promoting the School) and to prepare teachers would be dismissed from the meeting to work on the exhibition night. Ms. Ferguson talked about inserting ELA/ELD standards in the student samples and mentioned the goals and tasks for today’s meeting. Ms. Ferguson showed an examplar of student work samples and provided praise from the teacher-submitted sample (CAPE 2A, Personal and Professional Learning). What surprised me is the trust that the principal has towards the staff to allow faculty to work on their own. Faculty were not needed to be in breakout rooms via Zoom to accomplish their work for the exhibition night and were given the freedom to work at their leisure.

Ms. Ferguson mentioned she will need to be excused for a portion of the meeting due to a dentist appointment and asked the group how they would like to utilize their time during professional development (CAPE 3A, Operations and Resource Management). Ms. Amelia Martinez mentioned the suggestion of being able to work on materials for the district review was good. Another faculty member agreed. What surprised me is how caring and attentive the principal is towards the needs of the staff. It was pleasant to see and hear a school leader value the opinion and ideas of faculty and have them embedded in professional development.

It was mentioned in the meeting that student evaluations still need to be completed which is why the principal is allowing teachers to work on that assignment tomorrow while the principal supervises students. Work needs to be completed so when the state asks for documentation the school can show evidence of work (CAPE 6A, Understanding and Communicating Policy).

Ms. Ferguson asked a teacher if he is still okay with leading an upcoming professional development meeting. The teacher, Mr. Torres Nava, said he was still willing to do the PD if the members would like it. Ms. Ferguson transferred the facilitation of the meeting to Ms. Carillo who spoke on CAASPP Interim Assessment Blocks (IAB) and Focused Interim Assessment Blocks (FIAB) scores for 6th-8th grade. What I found surprising was Ms. Carrillo is an administrative assistant, young in comparison to the faculty, and was leading the professional development. The faculty was responsive to the information and were attentive in the meeting. I asked Ms. Ferguson about this and she mentioned that Ms. Carillo was a former student and many of the school assistants are former students or aunts of students. It is clear that this school utilizes a sociocultural theory mindset and values the expertise of all. Seeing an assistant lead professional development has challenged my perceptions of what school staff can be capable of doing. The amount of trust and respect each member of this school community has for each other is remarkable.

The school culture witnessed is collaborative and time is given for faculty input and suggestions of how professional development should be. In terms of external demands such as a district review, the staff is willing to meet on weekends to ensure the success of the school program. It is clear there is an overall vision following the student learner outcomes. Teachers at this school create their own units. Teachers consult with each other and students on lesson design and if a unit doesn’t go well, they revamp it (CAPE 2 B, C, and D: Promoting Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Supporting Teachers to Improve Practice, and Feedback on Instruction). All units have a focus on students as learners, IB standards, Common Core Standards, ELD, and IP Learner Profile. The school takes pride in being able to gather additional data that shows different skills aside from the traditional CAASPP Interim Assessment Blocks (IAB) and Focused Interim Assessment Blocks (FIAB ) scores in English and math. Additional data is helpful to students as learners and includes time managaement, goal-setting, and being able to handle setbacks to name a few.

What I enjoyed seeing is the accountability of the faculty meeting. Every single meeting is memorialized on a Google Document - Agenda (CAPE 5, Reflective Practice and Ethics and CAPE 6B, Representing and Promoting the School). That way, faculty can go back and update meeting notes if needed. The school staff decides what the next meeting should be; hence a collaborative approach to leading a school.

Student-Led Conference

The student-led conference I witness showcased on GoogleSlides an IB Learner Profile where the student rated their performance (CAPE 1A, Developing a Student-Centered Vision of Teaching and Learning). The students were also able to document their socio-emotional strengths. Before the meeting, the teacher asked the student to “use this outline to draw/yourself. Afterward, list 5 strengths you have. Select two strengths from the IB Learner profile and one from the ATL Skills.” The teacher also asked parents about student’s strengths (CAPE 4A, Parent and Family Engagement). The teacher noticed the student was withdrawn during the meeting and decided to follow up in English. The student was responsive to that and smiled. The teacher talked about other areas of strengths (academics) and areas of growth (participation). The teacher discussed with the student their personal rating in terms of participation/instruction.

The teacher was excited to mention the student’s exhibition on Global Warming. The student mentioned his goal - having a camera on. The parent mentioned if the student has a camera on there can be more accountability. The teacher mentioned the value of having a camera on as well which validated student and parent concerns (CAPE 1C, Implementing the Vision).

In the meeting, the student talked about their digital portfolio - Pop Art. The teacher mentioned the positive aspect of student connection to pop art reflection and the world around us. There was a slide missing but the teacher was able to engage the student in the meeting and filled in the incomplete slide (CAPE 2B, Promoting Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment). The student mentioned he struggles with completing tasks on time. The teacher mentioned a strategy to help support him (agenda, checklist, and/or calendar). The teacher then proceeded to engaged the student in a discussion as to his self-evaluation of ATL relationship skills.

The student spoke in spanish regarding his Spanish class “Como utilice el perfil de la comunidad de aprendizaje...activist” The student’s activist project focused on Martin Luther King Jr. The student prepared a video speaking Nahuatl using FlipGrid (CAPE 1B, Developing a Shared Vision and Community Commitment).

The last conversation was about the CAASPP Interim Assessment Blocks (IAB) and Focused Interim Assessment Blocks (FIAB) test specifically in math - Division/Multiplication.

The teacher projected CAASPP IAB and FIAB results so the student and parents could see. The teacher mentioned the opportunity to re-test. Every Thursday at 3pm the teacher provides tutoring. Parents were receptive and appreciated that support.

Community Assembly

The last part of my observation focused on a parent meeting led by the principal. About 37 parents were in attendance. The meeting began with a discussion on state testing (CAPE 4A, Parent and Family Engagement). Ms. Ferguson provided parents information as to state exams and how schools can make their own decisions for student performance (CAPE 1A, Developing a Student-Centered Vision of Teaching and Learning). Ms. Ferguson asked teachers if they wanted to provide comments or discuss exam results. It was nice to hear that comment since it shows the principal is comfortable with staff leading the meeting and it also values the input of faculty in parent gatherings (CAPE 1B, Developing a Shared Vision and Community Commitment).

A question was asked by a parent if the results of the IAB or FIAB would be shown at the student-led conference event. Ms. Ferguson responded with 3-5th grade results might not be ready since grading takes time on the teacher’s end. Also, it was mentioned results have never been shared during student-led conferences since the belief is “we believe that the work students present (varied work) is central and primary to the conference” (CAPE 1C, Implementing the Vision). Ms. Ferguson mentioned state exams are a different measure since testing might not capture accurate strengths of students’ capabilities.

Ms. Ferguson explained the purpose of exams to 12th graders since they were not finishing exams due to the relevance of exams since it is not a requirement needed for college entrance exams. It was also mentioned that standardized exams don’t capture socio-emotional, grit, and perseverance. Additional information was provided on testing such as 5th to 6th-grade exams change which might indicate low scores on CAASPP IAB and FIAB. Also, for 9th graders, even though the exam is 9th grade the goals or questions of exams are set for 11th grade. Lastly, an issue came about for the 10th graders at the school when they were discussing data on Algebra and Functions. It seems that many students did not want to take the exam. Ms. Ferguson mentioned a need to figure out how to best support these students. What surprised me was how open and honest the principal was with letting parents know the dilemmas of testing for certain grade levels. It is clear the principal is aware of all aspects of their instructional program and is focused on a need to improve areas that either may hinder learning or not capture it.