Section III: Design

1. Describe your action plan and how each of your four chosen competencies will influence its design and implementation.

The most glaring need that came out of my needs assessment survey was the need to get together as a special education staff for regularly scheduled PLC meetings. The solution I’d like to implement is to find a common time that teachers have available in their schedules to send to our SpEd director so that he knows when we’re all available. I plan to: Email the teachers and thank them for their responses. I will then reveal the need they identified as the most crucial based on their responses, which was the need to meet regularly as a special education staff. I will then ask them to send me possible times in their schedules that may be times they could get away to meet with others. Next, I will email the SpEd director and reveal most crucial need that came from survey. I will ask him about the possibility of regularly scheduled PLC meetings for special ed staff and share with him the times that may work for staff.

I am working on the foundational competency, "collaborate purposefully", which I am developing by contacting the staff to come up with times that we could meet as a group. I let go of my own biases, and am working toward a shared goal that will benefit all stakeholders.

My overarching competencies are "personal effectiveness" and "interpersonal effectiveness", I will be working on interpersonal effectiveness by reaching out to other special education staff so that we can find a time to meet, building trust by doing what I say I will do, & supporting my colleagues and their needs. I will be developing my personal effectiveness by developing collegial trust and credibility, and assuming a leadership role by facilitating a conversation about how we can make regular PLC meetings happen for our staff so we can discuss other issues in each of our buildings and as a department.

My leadership focus is on instructional leadership, in particular, collaborative relationships. I am developing this competency by reaching out to others and working toward a shared vision with the staff. I am also showing a willingness to work with a group to address needs and find resolutions.

2. How will your leadership leverage the strengths and address the needs of diverse stakeholders to support the action plan, develop capacity, broaden decision-making, and learn collaboratively?

We are working toward the shared vision of having regularly scheduled PLC meetings, which, if approved, will allow the special education staff a time to work together in a safe environment for the good of our students. The meetings, which most staff support and feel is a high need, will allow us to work more fluidly as a team for the good of the staff and students.

3. How will you use collaboration, questioning, data, and reflection during the implementation of your action plan?

I will be sending emails and keeping track of responses, as that is the most efficient way to communicate between staff throughout the multiple buildings on our campus. I also think that email is a great way to keep a paper trail of ongoing correspondence.

4. How will you address obstacles that you may encounter in implementing your plan?

One obstacle I foresee is the special education director refusing the proposal for PLC meetings with the whole staff due to lack of common times to meet in everyone's already packed schedules. I am attempting to address this obstacle by asking the staff when they could meet, given their existing schedule. I also proposed the option of meetings within buildings, so that the different schedules don't impact so many staff members and meetings could be more building specific.

5. How will you know if your action plan is successful? What evidence would support your claim?

I am hoping to come to a consensus about when we can start meeting as a group for regular PLC meetings. I will know that my action plan is successful if we plan a group meeting.